Genesis 2: 15 – 17 & 3: 1 – 7
Romans 5 : 12 – 19
Matthew 4 : 1 – 11
This is the 1st Sunday in Lent and
it’s a good time to ask three basic questions. What is Lent? How should we observe
it? And how does it help our understanding of the Christian Gospel?
1. What is Lent? The word itself means ‘Springtime’ and we can
apply it to our Christian lives in two ways: First, a ‘spring-clean’.
Traditionally it’s the time of year when the days become longer, the sun shines
more brightly into all the corners, and hopefully we feel more active. That’s
the theory anyway! And so we notice that our homes could do with a thorough
clean and out comes the vacuum cleaner, the dusters, and all the range of
modern cleaning aids. It doesn’t take much imagination to transfer this to our
Christian lives. We take time to examine the dark corners, the things not done
which ought to have been done, and the things done which ought not to have been
done, and begin to cleanse our lives and put them in order.
The other side of ‘Springtime’ is, naturally,
that we delight to see nature unfolding its glorious blossoms and coming into
full flower. It’s the same with our Christian lives. If we address our failings
and shortcomings, and indeed our wilful sin, then our spiritual lives will
burst into glorious bloom and we will know that wonderful sense of renewal of
spiritual life and energy, and we will know the joy and peace that comes from a
restored relationship with God.
Traditionally Lent lasts for 40 days leading
up to Easter. This is in order that our spiritual lives and practices have been
thoroughly serviced and MOT-ed in time to celebrate Easter with all our
spiritual engines running well and on full power.
If it seems strange that Lent begins on a
Wednesday and ends on Easter Saturday, that’s because our time of
self-examination may well include abstinence -
including fasting – and outward symbols of repentance. But Sundays are
excluded from these practices, because Sunday is always a Feast Day,
celebrating the Lord’s resurrection. So, if you count the days from Ash
Wednesday to Easter Saturday and leave out the Sundays, the answer will be
forty!
If we ask – why forty? The best answer is
that Jesus fasted for forty days in the wilderness as he prepared for his
earthly ministry (as we have just read in the Gospel), and that seems an
excellent example to follow.
2. How should we observe Lent? There
is the outward symbolism and the inner process. Hopefully, the two will
integrate and both complement and reinforce each other.
First, the outward symbolism. Traditionally,
the pattern has been to try and imitate the model of Jesus and make it a time
of fasting. What that means in practice may differ from what was appropriate to
the medieval monks, for example, to a suitable practice in our very different
lives today. Fasting was a central feature (which took various forms) but that
was not just an end in itself, but was accompanied by much prayer. There are
people now who find that going without food – or minimum food – for periods of
time, increases their concentration and focus. Excellent! Fasting is very much
an orthodox Christian practice. Others will find that it simply gives them a
migraine, while for others with certain medical conditions, it could seriously
damage their health. Everyone must work out what most helps their spiritual
concentration and prayer. Many now enforce a bit of discipline on their lives
by deciding to abstain from – say - alcohol, meat, chocolate, or their
favourite food, whatever that may be.
As well as giving up something we
value, it will be helpful (as Anne pointed out in the last Liquid communion
service) positively to take on something. In particular, join one of our
special Lent courses, carve out more time for prayer, Bible reading with
suitable notes and Holy Communion.
But all these should only be outward and
visible signs of an inward reality. Are we really putting our spiritual lives
in order? Are we taking positive steps to reconcile broken relationships? To
put an end to whatever practices that grieve God’s loving heart? To look again
at what it means to love the Lord our God with all our heart and mind and soul
and strength, and our neighbour as ourselves? Without this, all the outward
practice will be a sham. In the Gospels, the Pharisees were good at an outward
show of practice with no real depth, and Jesus called them ‘Hypocrites’ – which
means play-actors. It’s just theatre.
We each need to consider our personal response,
in order that our lives will blossom spiritually so that we can celebrate
Easter.
3. How does Lent help our understanding of
the Christian Gospel?
In our Gospel reading, we see Jesus being
tempted in the wilderness. He has just been baptized by John the Baptist, and
as the Holy Spirit descends on him and fills his life with power, his public
ministry is launched. He has been commissioned by God to offer the world a new
way of living, which will restore our relationship with God and bring about true
freedom, love, justice and peace.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul tells us in
theological picture language that Jesus is the new Adam, who has come to
reverse the effects of our fallen nature.
In our first reading from Genesis chapter 3,
we read about the root cause of our present human condition. We are meant to
understand that this story of the serpent and the tree of the knowledge and
evil, is not so much intended to describe a single event, but to offer a deep
insight into the problem that besets us all. We do not trust God sufficiently
to obey his laws. In essence, we think we know better what will bring us
happiness, success and satisfaction. And so we choose to go our own way in life
– and often we then blame God when things go wrong. At some funerals I preside at, the family
want to end the service with Frank Sinatra’s song ‘I did it my way’. And I
think to myself ‘that is the perfect definition of sin’! I don’t want or intend to live my life under
God’s loving guidance and direction. I intend to live it my way.
Jesus goes out into the wilderness to pray
through the human problem, God’s solution, and how he is to implement it.
There are various possibilities. Will the
world become a better place, and we become better people, if he makes it possible
for the whole world to be fed? Well, that would certainly help, but in fact
there is enough food in the world to feed everyone, but because of our human
condition, we will never share it fairly.
Will Jesus make everyone believe he is God’s
full and final messenger and follow him faithfully by throwing himself off the
top of the temple – performing a great miracle? No, the sad truth is that Jesus
will perform miracle after miracle, and the response of all the religious
leaders is simply to ask for yet more and more signs – better evidence – more
convincing proof. They have no wish to be convinced.
Will Jesus bring peace to the world through military
conflict and magnificent victory establishing a kingdom of love and peace?
Sadly, one military victory simply seems to provoke a counter response –
another conflict - and world still does not find itself able to live in harmony
and peace.
There is an underlying problem to all this. These
strategies would address the symptoms not the disease. And the disease, as
Jesus sees very clearly, lies in the fallen human heart and will. We all want
to do it ‘our way’.
Jesus spells it out to his disciples in Matthew
16: 24 - 16: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up
his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but
whoever loses his life for me, will find it. What good will it be for a man if
he gain the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?”
To get in step with Jesus this Lent means
repentance, which means turning your life around, finding the right priorities
– if necessary, turning your values upside down. Not my will, Lord, but yours
be done.
This led Jesus down to the depths of the
cross, where he took upon himself the tragedy of our fallen lives and wilful
disobedience, and in his resurrection, brought us the hope of a new life, true
freedom and a glorious future.
If we turn our lives to Christ in trust and
obedience this Lent, then we shall indeed rejoice this coming Easter in the new
life we find, with its true freedom, unlimited, unconditional love, and an
eternal future. Whatever practices you adopt this Lent to renew your faith in
Christ, may this Spring be for you the way to a glorious new resurrection life.
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NB. No discussion
questions this week as we take part in the Lent courses which have their own
questions. Please join these.
“Repentance is
never the outcome of despair, but rather an act of profound hope. As we make
confession of our sins this Lent, we do so not as a grovelling act of
self-hatred, but as a response to God’s mercy. So we come home to reality, to
the God ‘to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no
secrets are hidden’. God does not lead us to repentance to condemn us but to
set us free from all the destructive and acquisitive instincts that crowd in on
our lives and erode our faith and humanity. It is an act of trust – our part in
the renewal of all creation.” Angela Tilby, Thought for the day. Radio
4. 5th March.
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