It doesn’t
seem so long ago that we were celebrating Christmas and within just a few weeks Epiphany, now with a brief period
of “ordinary time” Ash Wednesday on the 5th March, introduces the
season of Lent finishing on Easter Eve. For
those who want to refresh their memories about the liturgical seasons just pick up a copy
of Common Worship and refer to the calendar on pages 1-17.
The
service sheet for the Eucharist on Ash Wednesday briefly reminds us of the origins of Lent
in the Gathering, but I thought I would take this opportunity to fill out that précis.
The origin
of the season of Lent has two themes; the first but perhaps not the most significant is
the remembrance of our Lord’s time in the wilderness – the forty days following
his baptism in the River Jordan. During that
time the synoptic Gospels tell us that Jesus was tempted by the devil and he ate
nothing. Whilst Lent offers us the opportunity to refrain from over indulgence we are
not expected to fast for forty days. Many
choose to stop eating their favourite food or to abstain from alcohol, but the principle
is to live and eat simply in readiness for the celebration of the Resurrection at Easter. This theme of course is reflected in the liturgy
and in the way churches are decorated – or perhaps are not decorated – the
general absence of flowers and in some churches the veiling of pictures or statues. The
Gloria and Allelujahs will be absent from the liturgy; not in order to display morbidity
or dreariness but a sense of waiting and reflection.
The second
and more important theme is in the rigorous preparation of Christians for the celebration
of the death of Christ on Good Friday and His glorious Resurrection on Easter Sunday. And so it was that the first observance of Lent was
undertaken in the fourth century by baptismal candidates for whom it was part of their
final preparation before initiation into the Church in the Easter liturgy. It was also an opportunity for those who had
been excommunicated to do penance in this period and be readmitted to the Church’s
sacramental life in time for Easter.
It was
not long before the Church realised the importance and benefit of applying these
principles not just in the process of initiation of new church members and the restoration
of those who had been separated from Church fellowship, but for every Church member –
for all Christians.
And so
as we enter the season of Lent at St Mary’s, there will be an absence of flowers, and
the Gloria, and the music may be a little restrained to help us all to use this time to
prepare ourselves for the Easter celebration. There
is also the Lent course, which this year has been prepared by Peggie Hunt and Tom our
vicar.
But as I
write in early February there is sadly a different form of preparation, and waiting and
that is for a decision of the United Nations concerning a second resolution resulting from
the report of the United Nations inspectors. Whatever
that report contains and whatever may result from its presentation to the United Nations,
the waiting world in which we live is bound to be changed.
This Lent may be very different from that with which we have become
accustomed. Whatever the outcome of the United
Nations weapons inspectors’ report let us take this season of Lent as an opportunity
to reflect on where we stand in relation to our living and creator God whose Son was sent
just 2000 years ago to show us the way. That
way was to lead Jesus to the cross on Good Friday and to new life on Easter Day. It was a
way that showed God’s love in an immeasurable way.
God wants us to respond to his love for us – an unconditional love
shown in the parable of the prodigal son, a father who came out and welcomed his son home.
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