You are Invited…

Lectionary Reflection

First Sunday in Lent, Year A, March 13, 2011

I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go;/I will guide your with my eye./Do not be like the horse or mule, which have no understanding;/who must be fitted with bit and bridle,/or else they will not stay near you.  Psalm 32:8-9

Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”  Matthew 4:10

A church sign caught my eye on the way to work today, proclaiming in large letters “Lent is coming!” Aside from simply stating the obvious, something about this particular sign piqued my interest, and I spent the remainder of my commute wondering what our city’s largely non-liturgical population might think about this perkily punctuated statement with its bright urgency.

Many people associate Lent with denying themselves by giving up small pleasures like chocolate, beer, meat or green vegetables (for the clever child). Some folks may associate the smudged foreheads of Ash Wednesday with Lent’s arrival, but beyond that and the reality that one must progress through Lent to get to Easter? Do people really have a clue why the season is something to anticipate? What is the joy in penance, reflection, denial, and repentance? Maybe the church sign should read more like “Lent is coming. Ugh!” We humans do not do denial and sacrifice well.

Frankly, it matters little whether we are excited about entering Lent or dreading the season. The simple fact is that we need Lent. Two wonderful verses in the psalm appointed for this week (32:8-9) remind us of exactly why we need Lent. It is because we humans, like the horse and mule, need limits and reminders lest we plow a crooked row through life or become distracted and stray from our faithful course.

Lent provides an opportunity each year to reexamine our path, our choices, our actions, and our faith. We enter this time in much the same way Jesus entered the wilderness to face temptation. We wander much as the Israelites did (although thankfully not for 40 years). Lent is a gift to the Christian in the sense that it provides a setting and a context in which to return to God with renewed and strengthened faith.

On Ash Wednesday, pastors often speak these or similar words “I invite you, therefore, to observe a holy Lent, committing yourselves to self-examination and penitence, prayer and fasting, almsgiving and works of love; and to attend to the word of God and receive the sacraments of Christ as we journey through these forty days to the great Three Days of Jesus’ death and resurrection.”

Why not enter fully into this Lent, acknowledging that like the horse and mule we do need guidance, may benefit from instruction, and learn from discipline? We have the example of Jesus who faced temptation and stayed the course–a course that led not to pleasure and luxury but to death for our sakes. Nothing we face, no distraction that beckons us, no sin that sidetracks us, and no amount of mulish stubbornness that causes us to balk, none of this is beyond our Lord’s reach and grace. Ultimately, it boils down to his dismissal of Satan with the words “‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”

Let the experience of Lent be your spiritual “bit and bridle” drawing you ever closer to the One who loves you beyond measure. You are invited to join with your sisters and brothers in the journey that will once again bring the capacity to radically change your life. Yes, you, you are invited. Come as you are.

Visual

Here’s a montage from the controversial 1988 film The Last Temptation of Christ set to music by A.J. Roach. To me the temptation scene from this movie is one of the most compelling visual renderings ever filmed.

With Youth

Consider talking about the aboriginal practice of walkabout. There are parallels to this rite of passage in other cultures. How might Lent be a time of “walkabout” for the Christian? What are our rites of passage? What does the metaphorical wilderness of Lent mean?

With Children

I plan to use this week’s Psalm to talk about being “trained” by God. Ask children what they know about mules and horses. How easy are they to train? You might even make mention of the Horse Whisperer and Paul Daily of Wild Horse Ministries. Here’s a link to a short video produced by the Kentucky Baptist Convention showing Daily in action. If you ever have a chance to see him work in person, be sure not to miss it.

Here’s a fun “fake fish” recipe for Lent posted on Coquinaria, a website that also features some good history. Consider making this delicious “fake fish” with your children’s youth group.

Photos by archer10, pb-n-james, and Klearchos Kapoutsis used under Creative Commons License. Thanks!