A season of growth
When you read this Heartland it is likely to be the season of Lent. While most Christian seasons and festivals feature less in our lives than they once did, Lent has managed to hang on. People might not fast as much and perhaps not as many of us give things up for Lent, but at least we remember it. Lent is the 40-day prelude to the passion of Christ. We still hold midweek devotions in many places. The other day I picked up the 40 Days a Lenten prayer guide published by LCA International Mission, just one example of the many excellent resources available for private devotion during Lent.
In our Sunday services we observe Lent by dropping the ‘Hallelujahs’ and replacing them with responses such as, ‘Christ humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross’. Sundays are ‘in’ and not ‘of’ Lent, but it still gives Sunday services a slightly more sombre tinge. It reminds us of our Lord’s agony and death, and of our own culpability in bringing that about. So it is a time for repentance and confession, and for contemplating the cycle of life and our often fragile, fallen humanity.
In the northern hemisphere, Lent makes a more natural impression on wider society. There it marks the coming of spring after the long, cold winter. As the 40 days pass, the weather warms up, dormant plants return to life, bulbs push up through the soil, and everything seems to be getting ready for the new life of Easter. Here in the south, Lent doesn’t have the same advantages.
Our modern conveniences also make us less conscious of the need for seasons – unless, of course, we work in agriculture or horticulture. We buy all sorts of fresh produce in and out of season. Our houses are warm or cool, and insulated. Unless the weather is extreme, we can travel year-round. Advances in medicine also make us a little less conscious of the seasons of life. We sometimes even imagine we can live in a kind of perpetual youth, as though life didn’t have its natural seasons.
But, to balance all that, we Christians have this season of growth and maturity which helps put life into its proper perspective. Lent opens our eyes to see things as they actually are, not as we might imagine or want them to be. And, thankfully, unlike Christmas, Lent is not dominated by sentimentality and advertising. Lent is still very clearly a season for Christians.
This very special season heartens and encourages me in my life and in my faith. I hope you can feel the same way. May God draw you closer this Lent, as you engage in its reflective worship and midweek devotions. May you grow in knowing Christ’s healing presence. May we all turn back to him with all our hearts. I pray that, as baptised believers, we use this season to renew our vows to love and to serve him until he meets us again in glory in the coming age.
