Pastor’s Perspective – March 2025
A New Hope
The season of Lent is the baby that many Protestants threw out with the Roman Catholic / Orthodox bath water. While the first generation of Reformers, including those from the Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Anglican traditions continued to follow the rhythms of Lent in the weeks preceding Holy Week and Easter, many in the Baptist and non-denominational traditions see Lent as fruit from a poisoned tree.
What I have found interesting in recent years is the amount of non-denominational and evangelical Churches who are adopting Lenten-lite seasons of prayer, fasting, and contemplation. Some have decided to ask their congregations to fast and pray over the first month of the year as a way to prepare themselves spiritually. Others have established six weeks of contemplation, disconnected from the six weeks preceding Easter, to teach their congregations the biblical concepts, of religious restraint and abstinence from extravagant foods, entertainment, and leisure activities.
I share this not to tweak the nose of those who read this article, but to remind you that while our traditions and our cultural understanding may be different, all Christians, regardless of our when we choose to do so, must deal with the traditional purposes of Lent; repentance, salvation, and spiritual formation.
Lent fundamentally begins with the understanding that all human being are sinners, and because of our sinfulness are deserving of death. The traditional Lenten sign of the wages of sin is the placement of ashes on the foreheads of believers on Ash Wednesday. The ashes, the biblical sign of mourning and repentance, proclaim that without Jesus we are lost to sin and death.
In the weeks that follow, the Church engages in spiritual disciplines, cutting out those comforts that get in the way of repentance and faithfulness. In ancient days people would abstain from eating meat during Lent, others would abstain from sweets. In recent vintage I have seen people drop out of social media during Lent, or others might remove sinful aspects of their lives, including but not limited to pornography, alcohol, gambling, and R rated tv and movies. In a culture that is immersed in sin, Lent reminds us to cleanse sin and temptation from our lives.
While it is easy to say that all Christians should avoid these sins and temptations, it is also equally observable that many Christians do not. I can fully understand how people might believe that Lenten discipline is a sophomoric exercise if all we do is give up fudge ripple for six weeks, but it becomes a muscular and important spiritual task when we separate ourselves from sinful behaviors that are both rampant in the body of Christ as well as devastating to our walk with Jesus and each other.
Lenten discipline does not just ask us to eliminate sin, it asks us to replace the time spent in sin with time spent in faithful and Godly pursuits. Fasting, prayer, Bible study, physical exercise, anything that honors God and edifies the body and the soul.
In the world of free trial offers and delayed membership fees, the season of Lent is a chance to try out a Christian lifestyle for a moment in time. It is based on the time-honored understanding that a walk of a thousand miles starts with a single step. Those who scoff assume that the decisions of Lenten discipline are intended to sunset after Easter, but those who seriously make changes during this time of contemplation and devotion to God will soon discover that they do not need to return to past sins and devastating addictions. Lent is a spiritual detox that is intended to show you a new life and give you a new hope.
Lent may or may not be a part of your tradition, but consider taking it seriously, not to comply with a denomination, but to transform your life in Christ and your walk in this world. Freedom is calling, one day at a time. Lets see what can happen if we learn to obey Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.
May God Bless you this Lenten season,
Pastor Dan
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