Season of Lent

Suggested Reading for Season of Lent

/ Dennis Griffith / 7 Comments

The Season of Lent is a time of preparation and anticipation.  It is a season that should be characterized reflection, soul-searching, repentance, and ultimately looking forward to celebration – the celebration of all Jesus accomplished for us on the Cross. As Daniel Montgomery, of Sojourn Church writes: “Lent helps us focus on why He had to die.”

Traditionally speaking, Lent is often associated with fasting – whether from certain foods, or some other habit or practice.  It is important we understand that there is no merit n fasting. Benefit, maybe. Merit, no.  The purpose of fasting is to remind us how dependent we become on things rather than God.  This reveals to us our need to repent. It whets our appetite for the grace of God in Christ.

With this in mind, here are a few readings I suggest for the Season of Lent:

Entering Lent

/ Dennis Griffith / 1 Comment

Today is Ash Wednesday, which means we have now entered into the Season of Lent.  If you are not from a church with a liturgical background Lent probably won’t mean much.  In fact, for some it may even evoke some negative connotations. While I understand those sentiments, I wish they were not so.  At least, I wish more Evangelical Christians would be open to the beauty and grace of this ecclesiastical season.

One of the primary emphases of the Season of Lent is repentance.  On the ecclesiastical calendar it is a time when Christians are encouraged to fast, sacrifice, and to recognize how prone we are to become dependent upon things rather than on God.  It is intended to be a time of reflection and renewed commitment to dependence upon the Lord.  But in non-litugical circles Lent is ignored, if not even scoffed about.  Contemporary Evangelicals often point to the deadness of ritualistic practice, and  eschew it altogether.

I am not part of a litugical tradition. Nor am I necessarily encouraging everyone to embrace litugical practices.  But I do believe there might be some benefits “normal” Believers might be able to glean from our litugical side of the Family of God.  Maybe there are some things that we can consider that would break us out of our own dull routines.  It seems to me that we may be able to engage in some practices without them necessarily leading to ritualistic deadness.

So weather you adorn your forehead with ashes today or not (and I won’t be), I hope you will give some thought to how you can spend the next 40 days in spiritual renewal.  Below are a few short articles by guys from non-liturgical traditions about what they have learned and why they embrace this ecclesiastical season.

Looking at Lent With a New Lense

/ Dennis Griffith / 1 Comment

calendar

My friend Nathan Lewis has published a post that I think would be beneficial for some who do not come from a church background that observes the litugical calendar.  

One of the primary emphases of the Season of Lent is repentace.  On the ecclesiastical calendar it is a time when Christians are encouraged to fast, sacrifice, and to recognize how easily we are prone to become dependent upon things rather than on God.  It is intended to be a time of reflection and renewed commitment to dependence upon the Lord.  But in non-litugical circles Lent is ignored, if not even scoffed about.  Contemporary Evangelicals often point to the deadness of ritualistic practice, and  eschew it altogether.

I am not part of a litugical tradition. Nor am I necessarily encouraging anyone to embrace litugical practices. (Though I recognize the substance and number of posts this week might give some a reason to question that assertion.)  But I do wonder if there might be some benefits “normal” Believers might be able to glean from our litugical side of the Family of God.  Maybe there are some things that we can consider that would break us out of our own dull routines.  It seems possible that we may be able to engage in some practices without them inherently leading to ritualistic deadness.

That’s the idea Nathan takes on in his post. He poses the question: “I can repent 365 days a year, so who needs Lent?” Then he wrestles with some of the common objections to Lent, and offers some insights about how we might benefit from a different kind of reflection during these next several weeks.

To read Nathan’s post click: Lent 2009.

2009 Lenten Devotional

/ Dennis Griffith / Leave a comment

czech-cross

We have now entered into the Season of Lent.  I realize that for many who read this blog Lent may be a familiar word, but still it may be a word that really carries no meaning.  If you are not from a church with a liturgical background it probably won’t mean much. In fact, for some it may carry some negative connotations. That need not be.

My intention is not to write a discourse about the meaning of Lent. For one reason, I am not qualified. While I have some interest in the subject, I don’t come from a liturgical tradition, so I don’t know enough to presume to explain anything.

What I do know is that any season is a good time to reflect on the Life & Work of Jesus Christ.  And my friend, Fred Harrell, who pastors City Church of San Francisco, and his staff,  have developed a Devotional for the Season of Lent. 

If you are looking for a fresh resource for your time with God, I encourage you to check it out:

Lent Devotional 2009

      -or-

Subscribe RSS

Grace of Repentance

/ Dennis Griffith / 1 Comment

 

Today is Ash Wednesday. That does not mean much to many in my theological circles.  But for many other Christians it is a day that launches the Season leading to Easter – the Season of Lent.  This day is designated Ash Wednesday because of an ancient practice of marking believers with ashes as a symbol of repentance. 

Hopefully it is more than symblolic, but is also a reminder that, as Martin Luther said, “When Christ said ‘Repent’ he called for the entire lives of Believers to be lived out in repentance.” 

Repentance is a lost art.  Repentance is also a neglected practice.  I suspect that many assume repentance is someting to be avoided; that repentance is what we must do if we have sinned; but if we can avoid sin we have no need of repentance. 

Seems logical. Except it mischaracterizes the nature of sin.  Sin is not what we do, sin is the condition we have, whether we are aware of it or not.  I find helpful the old saying: “We are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners.”  Thus, as Luther suggested, the necessity of life lived out in repentance. 

Perhaps a better way of putting it might be that our lives should include repentance.  I say that because repentance never stands alone. Repentance should always accompany Faith; and Faith should always accompany Repentance.  They are two sides of the same coin of Gospel Christianity.

I like the way the old Puritan Thomas Watson says it:

“Faith and Repentance are the two wings by which we fly toward heaven.” 

I love the imagery. It shows us that our salvation involves not only our conversions (which, by the way, requires both Faith & Repentance), but is a sanctifying journey which requires us to grow in our awarenss of both our ungodliness and the greatness of the Gospel.  To have one wing longer than the other; or worse, to have only one wing, would be disastrous.  Try it for yourself.  Try flying one of those balsa wood planes, with one wing longer than the other and see how it flies.  But this is life without both Faith & Repentance.

Three books I have found helpful in shaping my understanding and appreciation of the need of ongoing repentance:

Repentance & 21st Century Man by C. John Miller

The Doctrine of Repentance by Thomas Watson

Repentance: The First Word of the Gospel by Richard Owen Roberts