The Rhythm of Lent

by Doug Floyd

Pilgrims in towns, villages, cities and deserts around the world started a journey
last week. They began walking the ancient paths into the Lenten wilderness. While
some are physically walking most take pilgrimage in the heart. For forty days they
will reflect upon the journey of Christ through the wilderness to the cross. Some
will express their devotion by giving up a luxury or pleasure to demonstrate their
greater dependence on the Lord. Others will express devotion by giving out of
their abundance to the poor and needy around them.

Millions of Christians will pray and fast and focus upon the cross of Christ, and
His redeeming power revealed in the power of the resurrection. In some ways,
Christians will be following in the steps of early Christians who spent forty days
leading up to Pascha (or Easter) as a time of reflection and prayer in preparation
for their baptism into the church. Their was a time when most believers where
received into the church officially on Pascha Sunday as a sign that they had been
resurrected in Christ.

During this season of prayer and devotion, I hope to offer a few meditations on
the path leading to Calvary. Whether Lent has been part of your devotional life or
not, I would hope to offer a few thoughts and reflections that might stir your
heart to faith and encouragement in the Lord.

Lent is part of a larger rhythm that the church learned from ancient Israel. Every
year Israel celebrated festivals that helped them to remember God’s act of
deliverance in their history. The primary story always focused on the deliverance
from slavery in Egypt but over time Israel remembered more acts of deliverance.
These festivals reinforced God’s provision for His people and helped define their
identity.

Following this ancient pattern, the church gradually developed a cycle of

remembrances that centered upon our deliverer, Lord Jesus Christ. Just as the
ancient Hebrews paused every seven days to remember God’s completed work in
Sabbath, Christians pause every seven days to remember the resurrection of Jesus
on what we call the Lord’s Day.

There are six primary seasons in ancient Christian year: Advent, Christmas,
Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. These six seasons are connected in two
cycles: Advent-Christmas-Epiphany and Lent-Easter-Pentecost. While there are other
days of celebrating these two cycles help us to remember to fundamental movements
of Scripture.

The first cycle, Advent-Christmas-Epiphany, focuses on the coming of the Lord.

There is a season of waiting (Advent), incarnation (Christmas) and revelation
(Epiphany). During this season we celebrate God becoming man. God comes to His
people and calls us by name.

One way to understand Advent-Christmas-Epiphany is to think of God’s call to man.

When you call out for a lost dog, you sometimes have to go search for him.
Eventually when you find him, you call his name and hopefully he comes running
into your arms. Then you embrace his and bring him home.

During the “Christmas season” we celebrate the Good Shepherd who came searching
for us lost sheep, calling us by name. He calls us like He called out to Adam in
the Garden, “Where are you?”

Makes me think of the old story Martin Buber once told of the atheist guard who
asked the Rabbi why God had to ask Adam, “Where are you?” The Rabbi replied, “God
didn’t ask, “Where are you?” because he didn’t know where Adam was. Rather, he
asked “Where are you?” because Adam didn’t know where he was. Then the Rabbi
looked the guard in the eyes and said, “And God will come to every man in the
garden of His life and ask, “Where are you?”

God comes calling out to us. In His call alone, do we hear our true name, “Beloved
of God.” The response to that call comes during Lent-Easter-Pentecost. If Advent-
Christmas-Epiphany tells the story of God calling out to man, Lent-Easter-
Pentecost tells the story of man answering God.

In one sense the whole Christian year might be understand as a celebration of the
call of God and the response of man. Call and response. This rhythm undergirds
almost every story in the Bible.

During Lent, man answers God. I might properly write Man answers God. For Jesus
Christ comes as the second Adam who faithfully answers the call of God. He
responds completely to the love of the Father and reveals God’s love to the world.
In Lent-Easter-Pentecost, we realize that we fail to heed the call of God.

We are like the puppy that runs away and keeps running away. Or more correctly, we
are the wolves that attack the Lord of glory and feast upon His blood. For when
the owner of the vineyard came, we killed Him. And in the great mystery of grace,
we the enemies of God are made friends of God. Jesus’ death becomes the complete
response to God’s love.

Jesus alone makes a way for us to hear and heed the call. In and through Him, we
hear the call. Jesus turns to each of us and says, “Follow me.” During the Lenten
journey, we learn to follow. And as we follow, we hear the lover of our souls
saying, “If any man would be my disciple, let him take up his cross and follow
me.”

He is calling to the brave and the cowardly. He is calling to the strong and the
weak. He is calling the whole and the broken. He is calling. He is calling. “Come,
follow me.”