The season of Lent is here. Many of the churches are preparing their services, and congregations are preparing their hearts to dwell on Jesus' sacrifice and reaffirm their devotion to Him. This is my most favorite spiritual season of all! Yes, I like Christmas, but the non-significant stuff kind of takes over that season. But Lent is just lovely. The word Lent is simply translated from the Old English word lencten which means Spring. Spring is a time for rebirth and promises fulfilled as the dormant buds and flowers come back to life after a long winter. It's a celebration of Jesus' victory and a hopeful anticipation of our eternity with Him.
So I look forward to this time now and even count down the days. The church in which I grew up never celebrated Lent but I looked into it about 12 years ago and have been aware of the season since then. This year it is especially significant to me since I feel that, I too, am experiencing a rebirth.
I love that so many denominations see the value in this season and they take the time to reflect on it. But what I don't understand is the concept of Mardi Gras. In some cultures Mardi Gras is synonymous with Carnival. A big ol', let-it-all-hang-out kind of party time where anything goes, and you wear masks to hide because you don't want anyone to know how crazy you can get (or whatever reason they wear the masks). Mardi Gras is the day before you accept a somber conduct, more befitting for a time of reflecting on Jesus' sacrifice. But Lent isn't just about Jesus' sacrifice, it's about His victory, so I can see how a day of celebration fits into that but that's not what's really going on with Fat Tuesday.
On Fat Tuesday people are trying to indulge in every manner of desire and that just doesn't make sense to me. When I prepare for a longer fasting period, I work towards it by eliminating heavier things in my diet or sugars or whatever. Because if I indulge right before I fast, it actually makes the sacrifice more difficult and I can't enjoy my fast.
When Jesus prepared His heart to walk the path of sacrifice, we find Him on His knees in the Garden, submitting to His Father and seeking Him for strength. I imagine that it would have been nearly impossible for Jesus to accept His position as our Lamb if He'd spent the night before partying it up and getting drunk.
So I guess my point is to encourage people to take some time to reflect on the purpose of indulging before actually doing it. Does it make sense to prepare our hearts for a contemplative season by giving in to all the earthly desires? It's like, "Hey God, I really want to be a representative of you but first I want to go crazy and experience all the stuff your enemy uses to keep us chained. That's cool, right?" Yeah, that sounds like a fabulous idea.
I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be overly critical, I'm just trying to understand the value of a day of indulging in sin. I understand the idea of enjoying something that you're going to give up for a while and that's not a terrible thing. But it seems to me like people have gone a little overboard with the whole indulging thing and really actually made it a day to give in to the sins we wouldn't normally give into. That's all. And it just doesn't make sense. A smoker wouldn't smoke 3 packs of cigarettes the day before a date they've decided to quit.
If you celebrate Lent, I challenge you to use Fat Tuesday as a day to indulge in God's goodness. Use this day as a day when you seek out and satisfy every desire for hope and strength and faith. Because the difficult days of sacrifice will require that our bank of God's gifts is pretty full. It's just a thought.
I know I sound like a bore and I promise that I do know how to enjoy a celebration, but I also know what it means to indulge in Jesus prior to a period of difficulty and that is entirely more satisfying and lasting than anything the world has to offer. And it seems a little more fitting for the season in which we're entering.
All that being said, I will probably have a piece of cake today.... just so I can say goodbye...
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