Lent is a season of 40 days, not counting Sundays, in which there is an intentional focus on reflection, repentance, and an openness to the Spirit of God shaping us into the person and servant that God sees us to be. 40 days seems like a familiar number doesn’t it. Where else do we hear of 40 days in our faith tradition?
In Genesis 7 when the earth was flooded, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. Moses spent 40 days and 40 nights on Mt. Horeb in the presence of God receiving the 10 Commandments-Exodus 24. When the spies went into the Promised Land to check it all out, they gathered information for 40 days-Numbers 13. In the story of David and Goliath, it was 40 days that Goliath kept coming to the battle line and called out the Israelites to send someone to fight him-1 Samuel 17. When Elijah was exhausted, overwhelmed and depressed because of a threat from Jezebel, he ate a simple meal and then ran 40 days and 40 nights to the Mountain of God to be in God’s presence-1 Kings 19. Jonah the prophet, when he finally made it to Nineveh, proclaimed the message, “40 more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Jonah 3:4 Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by satan. Matthew 4/Mark 1/Luke 4. Jesus appeared to the disciples for 40 days after his resurrection-Acts 1:3.
As you can see, 40 days has a significant place in God’s story. So, the reason Lent is 40 days is because it is patterned after Jesus’ time in the Wilderness. Since Jesus’ wilderness experience was spent fasting, praying, and being tested, Lent still today focuses on fasting, praying, testing, and repentance in order for us to draw closer to God.
Now in our culture and church tradition, Lent is often seen as a very heavy season. There’s a “Woe is me!” attitude about the season because we tend to focus on our brokenness and sinfulness. We start out Lent hearing the message, “From dust you have come and to dust you shall return.” Those aren’t light words either.
But just recently I heard a preacher make a comment about what happened immediately before Jesus’ time in the wilderness and how that might have impacted him during his time of testing. Just before the wilderness, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. The heavens opened and a voice was heard to say, “This is my beloved son, with you I am well pleased.” Think of how those words might have encouraged and helped Jesus through the time of testing. Consider how Jesus might have clung to those words, repeated them to himself when the physical, emotional, and spiritual pressure of testing was getting to him. “This is my beloved son; with you I am well pleased.” Those are life giving words. I still remember the words of “blessing” my father gave to me shortly before he died. Powerful words that still strengthen me when I feel the pressure of life.
What if this year as we begin this season of Lent that rather than feeling, “Woe is Me!”, that we might remember and cling to the words, “I am a beloved child of God!” Certainly, repentance is needed in each of our lives to turn back to God. It is likely we all need to give up or fast from something to draw closer to God. Yes, we all could probably spend more time in prayer and reading God’s Word to listen for God’s Spirit stirring in our lives. But maybe we should start this journey from a place of love – God’s love for us, rather than from a place of fearfulness and thinking God is angry with us. After all, John 3:16 reminds us – “For God so loved the world..” That’s all of us!!
During this season of Lent, hang on to God’s message of love for you, me, and all of us. I feel it gives repentance and fasting a new focus when it’s based out of love rather than fear!
Pastor Keith