Dr. RB McFee
Email: drmcfee2020@gmail.com
So here we are in the midst of Lent. It is both a solitary and a communal journey. We walk it with Jesus in the hope our relationship with Him will grow. And we acknowledge that we are supported by, and can also help our fellow travelers, our faith family, to grow with the Lord, especially this Season of Lent.
That said, what is Lent? And what do I mean by “plus 1?”
First a word or two about that all important time period that begins on Ash Wednesday, and then leads us to Easter; what we as Christians refer to as Lent.
Like so many instructive events and journeys in the Bible it requires some thought and a whole lot of Spirit to really experience.
Although Lent in and of itself isn’t specifically mentioned in the Bible, there are enough landmarks to guide us there. Put differently, if Lent was a dessert, you wouldn’t find it in the Scriptures, but you would find all the ingredients.
Desert, not to be confused with dessert, is in part what we are invited to partake of. Jesus’ desert moments of trial and trust. Yes, He had to trust God would get Him through. Perhaps Lent is a time for us to refocus on trusting God, too?
Then take for example the number of days we focus on Lent. From Ash Wednesday to Easter according to the calendar and a little bit of simple math, it is a 46 day journey. And yet we refer to Lent as 40 days of repentance.
Ever wonder about the discrepancy or what are we supposed to do with the extra 6 days? And which days don’t count, or put differently, don’t we count?
Sunday!
There are six Sundays from Ash Wednesday to Easter. So how is it our Sabbath gets excluded?
Because of Easter, as Christians, we consider each Sunday as a celebration, Christ’s celebration, His Resurrection, and ours!
Put differently, we don’t get somber on a day full of Jesus’ sunrise joy in our lives.
Sunday is a time to be mindful of all Jesus gave and gives us, to rejoice in our relationship with Him and to remember the Glory of Easter, the fulfillment of Christ’s promises to us.
OK so now that we’re on firm ground with the “40” – why Lent? Is it merely to recreate the forty days of fasting Jesus did in the wilderness, a time for us to overcome temptation, trials and tribulation, even discomfort and deprivation? Or is there something more to Lent than the notion presented perennially that we give up something and pray more for forty days?
Lent - the time for “Mem”
Unlike the letters in our alphabet – A, B, C, D and so forth, letters and numbers in Hebrew hold a specific significance.
Take for instance “aleph” the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet. It stands for master, leader, number 1. Makes sense in Hebrew as in the Greek alphabet where God is often referred to as alpha (aleph in Hebrew) and omega (tav, taw in Hebrew). Moreover in Hebrew aleph and tav comprise the word “emet,” which is “truth,” with similar implications to alpha and omega.
The same is true for Hebrew numbers. The number 40 holds great significance in Judaism; 40 days for Lent, with “40” referred to in Hebrew as “mem.”
“Mem” is often associated with significant transitions, renewal, a period of transformation, as well as times of testing and trial and new life.
So could Lent be more than merely replicating Jesus’ time in the desert, facing 40 days of hunger, and temptations; feeling the challenges of mortal man instead of the comfort that comes from being Divine?
As fully human we face pain, betrayal, disappointment, deprivation, danger, sadness, loss, grief, sorrow and difficulties on a regular basis, sometimes even on a daily or weekly basis. Do we now need a special time of year to pile on even more? As if life isn’t tough enough, we need to give up something else for 40 days? Seriously? Is that what Lent is all about? Taking us to the desert and crushing us a bit more?
I’m not sure that’s what the Lord would want for us, and I’m pretty sure that isn’t the point of Lent.
If we look at the significance of “Mem,” – a time of renewal and transformation, perhaps Lent is a period where we let go of something, not to suffer or sacrifice but more as a sacred act, a sacrament to offer as a way of purifying ourselves, opening ourselves up to more God, less us, to make room as holy vessels so the Lord can fill us with Him.
Maybe the Lent journey is a time to be more mindful of emptying ourselves of our needs and inviting God to fill that void with His Love, companionship, wisdom, and peace.
Perhaps “Mem” is the time for transformation, being mindful of a need for closer relationship with the Lord, and setting greater moments during this 40 day journey dedicated to being in God’s company, watching, waiting, listening, and learning.
And maybe, just maybe, part of the Lent transformation involves helping others in their renewal?
What about the “plus 1?”
So the plus 1 might be taking God these 40 days with us as a cherished companion more than we’ve done before.
Or maybe the plus 1 might be someone who needs God’s Love handed down human to human – the shut in, the sick, the sad, and the lonely one among us. Perhaps in the moments where we are less about us, we can be filled with more about others?
Perhaps the plus 1 is adding an additional item to our grocery cart and donating it to the church food pantry. There is a collection bin in the narthex and an offering can, too.
Not to put too fine a point on this, but too often Lent has been associated with fasting, or giving up a preferred food or beverage. Yet for many among us, going without isn’t a theological choice, but a daily reality. We can help fill them physically, and in the process touch them spiritually.
Besides I don’t think Jesus cares if we give up coffee or chocolate, or cussing or whatever we abandon for 40 days. What I think He does care about is when we open ourselves up to Him, when we offer ourselves to Him. Just us. No clutter. No conditions. Just us and Him.
Lent, plus one –
Christ certainly showed us that even in the desert, full of trials, hungry, alone, we are never alone…we always have a plus – One, God.
Lent for me is full of powerful revelations, and the more I study it, the more I see Christ’s Presence in it.
We know Christ’s sacrificial love for us. Perhaps this time of Mem is our opportunity to offer Him our sacrificial love, to free up and clear out a greater part of ourselves as an invitation to God to fill us more and more.
Conclusion
We have passed through Lent’s gateway – Ash Wednesday in the spirit of repentance, a spirit of heart change towards the Lord. And in the process, have committed our time, our talent, our treasure, our very being towards a greater closeness with our God.
Lent is the time of year we approach Him with humility, and a spirit of sacred openness, and is the time of year we take inventory in who we are and how much of us includes God, and then commit to a journey with Him, open to His transforming Grace and Power.
Lent is the time to turn away from the distractions that can come between us and our Lord, and to turn towards a long, personal journey with our Savior, as He leads us to His Resurrection, and ours.
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”
2 Timothy 2:21 NASB
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