A Lent Confession

I know, I know; Lent is still nearly a week away, but I have been thinking a lot about Lent over the past few days and it seemed right to blog on this now in case my own personal reflections are helpful to others before we get to Ash Wednesday.

The confession comes now; I’ve never really thought much about Lent and never done much about it either.  In my defence Lent is something that was never really taught about or taken seriously in the church I attended for most of my life.  For many years I had a sort of vague understanding that it was some sort of commemoration of the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness and that people gave up something for Lent because Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights.

When I became a Methodist Local Preacher a few years ago I decided that I really ought to know a little bit more about Lent than I did.  I found out that it was a much bigger deal than it seemed to be in the church I attended and that it was a time of personal penitential preparation (how’s that for alliteration?) for Easter, climaxing with Holy Week.  In the busy world of a working life I’m ashamed to admit that it still largely passed me by.  I guess I still had the idea in my mind, reinforced by some of my fellow Methodist preachers; that Lent was for Roman Catholics and High Church Anglicans.

Last year, my first at theological college, I determined to observe Lent properly.  I actually gave up drinking alcohol, but it didn’t last for the full forty days.  I went on a Mission weekend with college and the people I was staying with offered me a glass of wine.  Without even thinking I accepted the offer and drank it, only to realise afterwards what I had done.  I still carried on with the different pattern of prayer and Bible study I had decided upon for Lent, of course; but I somehow felt an over-riding sense of failure.

This year my mind is firmly focussed on Lent; on the fact that after the final gluttony of Shrove Tuesday I will be consciously entering a period of spiritual reflection, a period of personal penitence, a period of spiritual preparation for the reality of Holy Week and the joy of Easter Day.

I will be giving something up for Lent this year; in fact I’m going to be giving up two things.  In penitence for my failure last year I will be refraining from all alcoholic drink for the forty days of Lent.  In addition, I will be fasting from all meat, poultry and fish for the Lenten period.  I will also be trying to increase the time I spend daily in prayer and Bible study and will try to take Holy Communion more often.

I will also be fasting from all food from dinner time on Shrove Tuesday until dinner time on Ash Wednesday, a twenty four hour fast.  Apart from required college activities I intend to spend the time on my own, away from the internet and other media, reading the Bible and praying, a quiet day as much as it can be.

Why am I doing this?  Jesus spent forty days and nights in the wilderness of Judea, fasting, praying and meditating on the word of God as he prepared for his ministry.  I am a student in my final year of theological college preparing to start ministry as a Probationer Presbyter from September of this year and the focus of my Lenten period this year as I study the scriptures and pray will be that ministry.  I also want to genuinely prepare myself spiritually to appreciate as never before the events of Holy Week ending with the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ: and then to be able to celebrate fully the focal point of all of space and time, the resurrection of Jesus.

Why am I writing about this?  Not to show off how spiritual I'm being this year, that's for sure.  If that was my motive this blog would have remained unwritten.  I'm writing because I feel that by not properly observing Lent I wasted many opportunities for spiritual growth and deepening my relationship with my Lord and I want to urge others not to waste the opportunity.  If you are a Christian who has never observed Lent before please think seriously about doing it this year: according to Christian brothers and sisters I know who do observe Lent it may be one of the most profound spiritual things you ever do.