Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. Two interesting notes about Lent: "Lent" comes from the Old English word for spring, since Lent is usually observed in late winter and early spring. For those of you who pay careful attention to the calendar you may notice that while Lent has 40 days, there are actually 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. This is because the six Sundays of Lent don't count as part of the season, since each and every Sunday is a "mini-Easter" when we celebrate Jesus' victory over sin and death in the resurrection. Does this mean that on Sundays one can indulge in chocolate or caffeine that has been given up for the 40 days of Lent? I'll let you decide.
Here are the readings for Sunday, February 21. The reading from Deuteronomy 26 is something like a Hebrew version of the Apostle's Creed, and brief statement that tells the core story of Israel: the story of how God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt and led them to the Promised Land. Just as the Patriarchs of Israel – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – wandered in the wilderness while waiting for God to establish their descendants in the Promised Land, so Israel spent forty years in the wilderness after God freed them from slavery waiting for God to lead them to the land of milk and honey. During these long years in the wilderness God sought to reshape Israel's desires: no longer were they to long for the "fleshpots of Egypt," for a brutal but familiar way of life that at least guaranteed food and shelter. Instead Israel was to long for the God who delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh and bore them on eagle's wings, who promised them life and goodness and freedom.
The Gospel reading for Lent is always an account of Jesus' temptations in the wilderness. As Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness while God prepared them to live well in the Promised Land, so Jesus spent 40 days being tempted as he prepared for his public ministry. If Israel was tempted to hunger more for Egypt than for God, what was Jesus tempted to desire more than God? How do we understand these temptations? In what ways are we still tempted by them? What do we desire more than God? The reading from Romans reminds us that God's salvation is near to us, that it is Jesus, and not Pharaoh or Caesar, who is Lord. How does this news encourage us? Our Psalm reminds us the devil can quote Scripture for his own purpose. What do you make of Jesus' response? How does this shape the way we read Scripture?
Lent has often been a time of fasting of some sort – giving up sweets, caffeine, eating simpler meals, refraining from eating, and, in our technological age, fasting from facebook, ipods or tv. Often we see fasting as a way to "mortify" or reign in the desires of the flesh. But what if the purpose of fasting is not to extinguish our desires, but to train ourselves to desire and hunger for the things of God? How can we use these 40 (well, 46) days not to extinguish our hunger, but to point it in the right direction? Below are readings that help shape our hunger and desire:
Thursday, Feb. 18
Friday, Feb. 19
Exodus 6:1-13
Acts 7:35-42
Saturday, Feb. 20
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
John 12:27-36
Read this portion of Psalm 91 each of these three days.
1 comment:
I'd like also to invite others to read through the Gospel of Mark (the shortest of the 4) at least twice during Lent. And join us in the Upper Fellowship Hall during the Church School hour during Lent for a study of Mark! ;-)
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