“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.
Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord your God?
Blow the trumpet in Zion;
consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
gather the people.
Consecrate the congregation;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
even nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.
Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep
and say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
a byword among the nations.[a]
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”
-Joel 2:12-17
The Lenten Exchange
This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. The tradition of Ash Wednesday has roots going back as far as the Old Testament and is so named for the practice of putting ashes on one’s self as a sign of repentance and contrition. Think of the common Biblical phrase, “repent in dust and ashes.” The meaning stretches to the very first pages of scripture where we read that God made Adam from the dust of the earth. Ash Wednesday is a reminder that we are mortal beings who depend on God for each breath.
Lent goes hand in hand with Ash Wednesday. While we may think of Lent as a Catholic practice, fish frys, fasting, and the like, Lent dates from the earliest days of the church as a time of preparation for Easter, specifically baptisms on Easter. New Christians would be baptized on Easter. In preparation they would fast and undergo extensive spiritual exercises for the 40 days before Easter. The rest of the church would join them in solidarity. Thus, began Lent.
When we talk about Lent today, we often talk about “giving things up for Lent.” Someone says he is giving up social media for Lent. Someone says she is giving up soda for Lent. These things are good and healthy. I do these kinds of things every year. However, there is a danger in only doing healthy things during Lent. Social media can be toxic. Soda or sugar is not the best food for your body. While it’s true that God wants us to take care of ourselves as far as it depends on us and it's true that we Americans are generally terrible about eating well and living simply, the kind of spiritual exercise and change God is after in Lent cuts a lot deeper.
In the prophet Joel we hear that God wants us to, “rend our hearts and not our garments.” In other words, God is after internal change during Lent more than temporary, outside changes especially ones that seem trendy and rooted in mere wellness.This presents a challenge for me and you, are we really ready to rend our hearts this Lent? Put into plain English, are we ready to have our hearts broken this Lent?
It’s so hard to move on from something that we love. Whether it is a relationship that has ended, a loved one who has passed, or simply a hobby we can’t do anymore- our affections must change and adapt throughout life. Lent too is a call to change what we love. It’s going to be hard. Lent strikes deeply at our values. Lent is an example of exchange. We are called not just to trade feasting for fasting and the wedding song for a dirge, we are called to trade our love of sin for the love of God. Sin can be the most difficult thing to give up for Lent. The love of sin, even innocence and fun sins, really rends the heart.
This Lent can we take concrete and intentional steps to trade our pet sins for a deep love of God’s grace? This Lent can we trade apathy for a commitment to virtue? Can we stop saying yes to evil and no to good? Can we start saying yes to charity and no to ourselves?
This is modeled on God Himself. In the contest of giving things up for Lent, God gets the prize. He gave up His only Son for you. He traded His death for your life. Jesus fasted from the joys of heaven for our sorrowful ways. He gave up time there for the painful blip of existence here. He walks alongside us during this 40 day journey.
With all Israel in Joel’s day from the youngest to the oldest, from the peasant to the priest, I invite you to let your heart be broken this Lent. With all Israel, I invite you even now to return to your God.
A truly blessed Lenten journey to all of you,
Pastor Kurt