Michelle's Musings - Why Lent?

Why Lent?

People sometimes don’t like Lent. It seems gloomy and dismal – to wear people down, just as we should be ramping up for Easter. But, I think that there’s something to be said for Lent, and it could be summed up by an amusing bumper sticker.

I have to admit, I don’t like being lost. I mean, knowingly lost – that sinking feeling that I am on the wrong road, in the wrong direction, though I am not quite sure where I should be going or how I should be getting there. And, I drive along, holding out hope that maybe, I’m not really lost, and that things will start looking familiar very, very soon. Even though I realize that, the more I drive, the more likely I am venturing farther from the place I want to be.

What I desperately want is to be able to slow down, maybe even to pull over, to look around, to get my bearings, and to consult a map. Yes, a good old-fashioned map. Not the GPS, which only gives a snapshot of where I am, and two or three roads around me. But a map – which shows the big picture, including where I am going, and where I’ve been, and might even give me a sense of how I got to this odd juncture.

The worst part of being lost, though, is that I usually feel that I can’t slow down, or get my bearings. I have a couple of cars sitting right behind me, urging me to keep going, and faster. Or, I’m driving around at night, and there doesn’t seem to be a safe place to stop. And so, I will keep going, and going, because I don’t feel like I can do what I really need to do. To stop.

In life, Lent is that safe place to stop. To make sure that in the hustle and bustle of life, we don’t suddenly discover that we’re in a handbasket, and going goodness-knows-where. To look around. To figure out where we came from, and where we are going. To ask for directions. And to figure out how to go on.

We start with prayer. With an invitation by God to stop, to find shelter. Our opening collect on Ash Wednesday reminds us that God hates nothing that God has made. Those who stop here, for Lent, will find a safe place to contemplate.

We continue with ashes. “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” An ominous reminder, perhaps, but also a comforting one. God made us from the dust, as we learn in Genesis. And so God loves us, because God loves all that God made.

We learn where we came from – the ash. But also where we are going. We are not immortal. We are on a path to eternity, where our body will perish, but we have a chance for eternal life. This is where we need directions.

Direction can come from lots of different places during Lent. From a new discipline of reading Scripture or prayer. From time taken to participate in a Quiet Day or worship service. From a book of inspirational reading. From a conscious decision to abstain from an indulgence or distraction, in order to focus on God, or on community. From time spent intentionally sitting with and listening to others, and sharing in their struggles.

Lent is not a quick – let’s turn right at the next fork. Lent is a time to re-evaluate. To take a rest, and stretch your legs. A time to reassure yourself, perhaps, that you’re not as far off as you thought, or a chance to realize that the road you were travelling really wasn’t a good one in the first place. A chance to unkink your muscles, which have gotten cramped and sore from the stresses of driving too long on frightening roads, or going to places that just didn’t seem right. To get rid of trash like grudges and anger. To tighten loose wires in relationships with God, family and the world. To refresh and plan the rest of the journey.

Yes, Lent is a waystation on the road to Easter, to the joy of resurrection and grace. But, wouldn’t it be great to take a breather? Then we can travel the rest of the road, and arrive at Easter able to celebrate all that we have been given, and forgiven, by God.