Lent

The pre-Easter period called Lent meant little to me as a child.  Mostly it had to do with certain adult social events called Lenten dinners.  I remember watching my mother decorate bowls of cubed red jello with big blobs of Dream Whip, a predecessor to Cool Whip.  Dream Whip came as dry powder and was whipped with milk until it loosely resembled frothy whipped cream - only with a strong metallic aftertaste. Yuck.  The advantages of Dream Whip over whipped cream were obvious.  It was cheap, could be prepared well in advance, and would hold its shape for hours or even days.  No matter that it tasted gross.  Who knows about the nutritional aspects, which were most likely pretty awful.

Sometimes during Lent there was talk of people “giving up” something – like chocolate or coffee – but even as a child I could see this was in the form of an intention that didn’t play out behaviorally.  So what was Lent all about, anyway? I hadn’t yet learned of Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice.  I didn’t know anything about Jewish history, or that His death and resurrection at Easter were divine expressions of love.  And so I didn’t understand that Lent could be a time of preparation for Easter.

I’m in a much different spot now, and have been thinking about Lent for weeks.  Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, and I am compelled to invite self-denial and dependence on God as a prerequisite to celebrating Jesus’ death (perfect sacrifice) and resurrection (perfect restoration).

 “The purpose of Lent is to be a season of fasting, self-denial, Christian growth, penitence, conversion, and simplicity. Lent, which comes from the Teutonic (Germanic) word for springtime, can be viewed as a spiritual spring cleaning: a time for taking spiritual inventory and then cleaning out those things which hinder our corporate and personal relationships with Jesus Christ and our service to him. Thus it is fitting that the season of Lent begin with a symbol of repentance: placing ashes mixed with oil on one's head or forehead. However, we must remember that our Lenten disciplines are supposed to ultimately transform our entire person: body, soul, and spirit. Our Lenten disciplines are supposed to help us become more like Christ. Eastern Christians call this process theosis, which St. Athanasius aptly describes as ‘becoming by grace what God is by nature.’” (http://www.churchyear.net/lent.html)

Is my heart ready?  Yes and no.  More than last year but probably not as much as it could be.  Am I resolved to observe this season with a submitted and expectant heart?  Yes!  The Dream Whip days are long gone.  Lent this year promises to be about prayer and meditation, reflection and repentance, self-denial and fasting.  Let the soul-searching begin.