The season of spiritual preparation for Easter known as Lent started yesterday. Some churches strongly emphasize this seven week period as a time of fasting and sacrifice for believers. As a kid, I usually gave up candy for Lent, which wasn’t too hard because we didn’t consume a lot of candy in our household. My senior year of high school, I took on a much bigger challenge by giving up all junk food. While candy wasn’t a big vice, desserts were.
Other churches avoid mention of the Lenten season. Some do this with the explanation that Christians should be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s prompting to fast any time of year, not just as a church calendar dictates. Others avoid it as one more separation from Rome. While I agree that, when fasting is done out of duty with no sincerity of heart, it becomes pharisaical, I also believe we do not need to throw the baby out with the bath water, or, in this case, the sacrifice away with the papacy. After all, we still celebrate Easter, whose origins are much more suspect than that of Lent itself. If Easter has been converted from a pagan fertility festival into a celebration of the resurrection, why not have a season of soul preparation leading into it? Perhaps by ‘giving up’ a blessing for a period of time; perhaps by giving up a vice permanently. Perhaps by making extra efforts to contribute to those in need; perhaps by taking steps to a more simple lifestyle. (If you desire to celebrate Lent in a meaningful way, check out this site: http://sojo.net/blogs/2013/02/13/40-ways-live-simply-40-days-lent )
In addition to these suggestions by someone much wiser than I, I am including a few additional suggestions. Do with them as you please:
1) Books to read:
a. “No Cross, No Crown” by William Penn. Penn’s classic piece of devotional writing stresses the value of simplicity. While some of his points are clearly dated (It’s from the 1600’s, what do you want?) much of it is still applicable today.
b. “Revolution in World Missions” by KP Yohanan. Why a book about missions for Lenten reading? Because it’s not really about missions in the traditional sense. Yohanan, founder of “Gospel for Asia”and a native of India, makes the point that, if first world Christians lived more simply, this would free up resources to meet both the practical and spiritual needs of much of the third world. What better time to consider the value of simplicity than Lent?
c. “The Lion, The Witch & the Wardrobe” by CS Lewis. We’ve all read it before, but this may be the season to revisit this classic parable of the passion. It is perfectly suited as a family read-aloud.
2) Movies to watch
a. “Les Miserables”, preferably, the newest one. Who knew this beautiful story of redemption could work as a musical?
b. “The Passion of the Christ”. Yeah, Mel Gibson is an anti-Semitic drunk, but it doesn’t mean this can’t be a great retelling of Christ’s final days on earth. It is both biblically accurate and artistically fresh.
c. “Brother Sun, Sister Moon”. While this film about the life of Francis of Assisi takes many liberties, it is nonetheless inspiring. The scene where he throws all of his earthly goods out of his window is moving, but when he completely strips himself of even the clothes on his back it is nothing short of profound.
3) Music to listen to:
a. “Known by the Scars” by Michael Card. This album is meant to be listened to from beginning to end as this modern day hymn writer brings us through the final week of Jesus life leading up to the crucifixion.
b. “The Live Album” by Don Francisco. This folk singer’s live album touches on a range of topics from marriage to hypocrisy to Christmas, but his live versions of “He’s Alive” and “Too Small a Price” bring the resurrection to life (no pun intended) in a way not experienced musically since the Hallelujah Chorus.
c. “Beautiful, Scandalous Night” by the Choir. This cut, from “Til We Have Wings” is the only passion-themed song on the album, but I could listen to it all day long. If someone doesn’t sing this at my funeral, I will come back and haunt any surviving family and friends.
4) Other events to experience:
a. A Seder meal. The Old Testament holiday of Passover is a foreshadowing of the death and resurrection. “They were saved by the blood of the Lamb.” Experiencing a real Passover celebration is an amazing experience, and I don’t even like lamb!