A Defense of Lent

What to do about Lent?

The kneejerk reaction in most of my circles is to mock the "what are you giving up" practice.

I disagree with that reaction and mockery, and we'll get to that, but first we have to clear the haze of centuries.

The reason we seek to do more with the church year is to avoid a rationalistic Gnosticism.  This view assumes that knowledge is the key, thinking about theological things, while physical action means little to nothing.  But we need to tune our physical lives to true theology.

Preaching that ignores the seasons is one form of this.  Many churches pride themselves on continuing to preach through Leviticus or Galatians, straight through Advent and Christmas, or through Lent and Easter.  It's more helpful when the Word preached fits with the season.  The 33 part sermon through Galatians can always be paused for a few weeks for the church year.

Another form of this Gnosticism is assuming Lent is inherently superstitious.  The reformers like Calvin understandably thought this way, as they saw extreme abuses up close, oppressing the conscience of the faithful, and wiped them away.  Today, we don't want to just react against Rome, making sure to do nothing that looks anything like them.  Instead we want to form a robust Christian life that includes our traditions and actions, without worrying if it "feels Catholic."  The problem isn't feeling Catholic, but burdening the conscience unduly.

The real reason for the church year was to focus on the life and ministry of Jesus, His main redemptive acts for us, and then to incarnate that in specific ways in our lives.  We've been doing well on that score with Christmas and Easter and a couple of other holidays.  We have family gatherings, feasts, presents, etc.

But when we get to Lent (and Advent), most Protestants balk.  If we do anything more than think about it, think about Christmas coming all during Advent, think about Easter coming during Lent, then we're convinced we're headed for Rome.  But Lent is a separate thing and more than just a build up to Easter.  It's for focusing on the ministry, temptation, suffering, self-denial, and obedience of Jesus, not just looking forward to His resurrection.  It's for remembering that God catches up all of OUR suffering, obedience, self-denial, etc in our lives into His redemptive plan for us, as He did with Jesus.  We're forgetting our union with Christ in His redemptive work.  Not that we're doing anything redemptive ourselves of course, but we are to follow in His steps.

We are inconsistent in shedding the penitential seasons while embracing the festive holidays.  We cling to this inconsistency because we think our church forefathers abused Lent more than they did Christmas.  But that isn't the case.  Christmas had as much bawdy revelry as Lent did meritorious self-flagellation.  Both were abused.  Both should be reclaimed.

It's true the New Covenant is grace upon grace.  Grace should be the emphasis, more than depriving ourselves.  Doug Wilson is right to point out that there was only ONE day in the Old Covenant to afflict our souls (Leviticus 16:31).  But the point of Lent isn't to afflict our souls for 40 days.  It's to remember Jesus' affliction, and take some small physical actions to enter into that affliction.  Not that we have to, or that it merits us anything.  But "it is good that I was afflicted" (Ps 119:71).

What good is it to set up a tree, and give your son a nerf gun at Christmas, to reflect the gift of Christ to us for our salvation?  Why even do it?  We shouldn't do it, many argue, because it's so paltry.  But we do it because it's what we CAN do as weak and frail humans to honor Christ's gift to us.  What good is it to give up fast food for Lent, to reflect the suffering and crucifixion of our Lord?  Why even do it?  Because it's what we can do as weak and frail humans to honor Christ's sacrifice for us.  Neither need be meritorious or self-focused.  We are incarnating Christ's actions to us as best we can.

So remove the Gnosticism from Lent, like you have from Christmas and Easter.  Do something tangible to remind yourself of Christ's self-denial, and that you His servant are not above your master.  It could be family devotions reading through hymns about our Lord's passion.  It could be giving up certain foods (bad for you anyway), or alcohol.  It could be praying for the persecuted church more intensely than usual.  The options are endless if you think about it.

I agree with my Lent-averse brothers that no such practice should be a conscience thing: if you don't do anything for Lent, don't feel guilty before the Lord.  Or a legalism thing: don't feel like you're meriting something with God for doing it.

But it's a season to do something tangible to acknowledge Christ's suffering for you, and that you are willing to suffer for Him, as He predicts we will (2 Timothy 3:12).