Now that I am considering this question I’m also considering how well I really am doing in truly following Christ. Is it not the desire of every Christian to become more like Christ? That being true of me I think spending a day considering my inability to overcome my sin without the cleansing power of Jesus would do me well. Also, I think taking 40 days to give up a self-indulgence would provide greater depth and intimacy to my relationship with Christ.
Based on my understanding Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent only bring about the disciplines that Jesus calls his disciples to. Jesus calls us to prayer in Matthew 7.7 when he says “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” He calls us to fasting in Joel 2.12 “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” He calls us to repentance in Luke 5.32 “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” And Jesus calls us to worship him in John 4.23 “But the time is coming – indeed its here now – when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.”
I realize there are churches all over the world that individually call their congregations to fast and pray throughout the year but I feel Ash Wednesday and Lent is a corporate call to all believers. This season isn’t about denominations, worship styles, or traditions; it's about greater intimacy with our Savior!
Consider this, “In order to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday, the palm fronds from the previous year’s Palm Sunday are burned and mixed with a little oil. And in this lies perhaps the most meaningful subtext of Ash Wednesday. If Palm Sunday represents our praise and adulation for God, Ash Wednesday represents the knowledge that the adulation has turned to dust – in a year’s time we’ve forgotten Him, we’ve sinned against Him and fellow humans and most of all, we’ve made something great (our love for God) into something dirty. It’s a powerful reminder to us of how quickly our hearts can turn from God – shouting “Hosanna” and worshiping Him as our Lord and King – to basically ignoring His existence.” Ryan Hamm (excerpt from The Many Lessons of Ash Wednesday)
The same disciplines that Christ called his disciples to over 2000 years ago are the same disciplines that he is corporately calling his church to today! So why aren’t more evangelical churches responding to the call?
I would love to hear your thoughts.
2 comments:
Great post Shon!!! I believe the reason most evangelical churches don't participate in Ash Wednesday or the season of Lent is because the evangelical movement has pushed rituals and traditions so far away so that they don't become the object of our worship.
Is this the right thing to do? I would say no and yes. No, it is not right to do because of the significance of these traditions can give great depth to our faith. Yes, it can be a right thing to do because many people look at these symbolisims that Christ never did, such as Ash Wednesday, and become self-righteous just as the Pharisees did with all their ritualistic worship.
The problem then is it becomes a tradition not to do these things and be dogmatic about it.
I have a friend who has been a Lutheran minister for 30+ yrs and he has told me that several times during Lent the focus that he sees in most people is just getting through Lent. They don't take advantage of the season of Lent as they should. They look to the time when they can go back to eating the way they normally do or whatever. They do it out of "religious respect" with no "divine draw".
I say all that to simply say if it will deepen one's faith to the glory of God than by all means do it and do it unto Him not out of tradition.
That's a great point which is deinately the obvious objection to these types of traditions. I liked what you said to avoid doing things out of "religious respect".
Its important that we live our faith out of "divine draw". That's a beautiful perspective.
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