We are in the middle of Lent. Are you feeling refreshed … or are you feeling burdened?
In my teaching days, a student came to me just before the beginning of a Lent season. She was distressed and anxious. She said, “I don’t like Lent. Everybody sees this as such a special time, but it makes me miserable.” She dreaded six weeks of feeling dreary and guilty. She’d heard preachers who focused solely on law, on how horribly we have failed, on how we drove the nails through Jesus’ hands and feet and put him on the cross. She wanted to hear more about why Jesus did what he did for us, on the relief he has brought us. The tone of Lent she had experienced felt like forty days of flogging ourselves with feelings of unworthiness and guilt. She yearned to hear more good news—more gospel.
The season we call Lent (which means “lengthen”) has a long history. The earliest origins of Lent are somewhat unclear. When Christianity began, the faithful fasted on the anniversary of Jesus’ death. That “paschal fast” would continue through the next day, Saturday, “to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus” (US Conference of Catholic Bishops). The fast grew to extend throughout Holy Week, and eventually lengthened to a period of fasting for 40 days—reminiscent of Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness (Matthew 4), the 40 days Moses spent on “the mountain of God” (Exodus 3:1 & 24:18), and the 40 days and nights the prophet Elijah spent trekking to that same mountain (1 Kings 19:8).
During Lent, it became a tradition to stop singing hallelujahs during worship services—including on Sundays. The Sundays in Lent are actually not part of Lent. Each Sunday in Christian worship is meant to remember and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection (which is worthy of unending hallelujahs). Nevertheless, hymns and services throughout Lent took on a somber tone, omitting joyful songs of praise until Easter.
In my youth, the Lutheran church I attended had the habit of extending the “no hallelujahs” rule three weeks further back. I still recall the Latin names used for the three Sundays before Ash Wednesday: Quinquagesima (“fiftieth”), Sexagesima (“sixtieth”), and.Septuagesima (“seventieth”). Extending the penitential season back further “developed from the early sixth to the early seventh centuries as the result of monks extending the forty-day pre-paschal fast for progressively longer periods” (Patrick Regan, Advent to Pentecost, cited by Catholic Culture).
My impression of the history of Lent (and pre-Lent) is that it was driven by a desire to contribute something to our own redemption. If monks lived a quiet, humble life to serve others and devote themselves to godly study, fine. If they drove themselves to ever-increasing lengths of self-sacrifice in attempts to make up for their sins or establish their own righteousness, this was a mistake. Martin Luther (who had been a monk) wrote about how monks became “puffed up with this opinion of righteousness” and “thought themselves to be so holy because of their holy kind of life”— better than other Christians who “led but a common life” and didn’t do any additional, special works (Commentary on Galatians, 1535). We fall into the same mindset if we think that the more religious things we do and the more everyday things we give up, somehow that will make us better people and closer to God. As a contemporary religious teacher has said, “Whether you do enough or believe enough or perform enough” is not “what decides whether you are good enough and worthy enough and loved enough. If you make some sort of sacrifice to make yourself more holy in God’s eyes, you were sold a false bill of goods. That was an indulgence that you paid for with your emotional effort, and it is not real. God already loves you. You cannot make yourself more holy” (Cafeteria Christian, “Giving Up Perfectionism for Lent,” episode #212/260).
Rather than trying to fulfill vows like monks, Martin Luther advised that going about the normal tasks of human life “serves God precisely as he desires to be served” (Robert Kolb in The Lutheran Witness, 3/7/2022). As Luther said elsewhere, “Ordinary work is a divine vocation or calling.” Rather than a 40-day fast or giving up this or that for Lent (focused on ourselves), we might consider acts of love and service focused on others. “You can investigate more ways to participate with joy and freedom in the world around you, and Lent can be a part of that” (Cafeteria Christian). In doing so, we also understand that any acts we undertake “are not to be done with any notion that by them we can be justified before God–for faith alone is righteousness before God” (Martin Luther, On Christian Freedom, 1520).
The habits and customs observed during Lent may be useful to help us focus our thoughts on spiritual things rather than on earthly desires. Having a penitential season is a good practice, to come to terms with ourselves over the seriousness of sin. But we dare not ever (during Lent or otherwise) forget the gospel that gives every season of our lives meaning. If not for what Jesus did—not only by his death, but also by his resurrection—our faith would be futile and we are still in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17). So, let us keep the good news of Jesus’ victory for us at the forefront of the Lent season and all seasons. And maybe, just maybe, let’s not be afraid to sing hallelujahs on Sundays.
I remember a gentleman named Peter. After attending services throughout the year at a congregation I served, he said, “I appreciate how I can bring a guest to church on any given worship day, and I know the gospel will be clearly heard.” I was glad to hear we were consistent about that.
I remember also a lady named Verna. She had been taking classes and attending services at our mission church. When asked if she desired to join the church as a member, Verna was eager to do so. She said, “When I used to go to other churches, I would go home every time feeling awful. Now I come home from church feeling refreshed, joyful, relieved.” We discussed further what the difference was. She identified that her prior church experiences had been all law and only law. Even Jesus was made into a stern figure of law, commanding us to do as he did, to be how he was, or else we were not worthy.
“Lent should be a season of rest, not pressure” (Cafeteria Christian). Worship that is whole and spiritually healthy will never leave us wallowing in guilt, walking away hopeless. When we witness what Christ our Savior has done for us—both by his sufferings and death and by his resurrection and rule over all things—we are moved to say, “Hallelujah!”–which is Hebrew for “Praise the LORD!”
Scripture quotations, except where otherwise indicated, are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Well said and wise advice for the season of Lent.