Uncluttered Life
As the seasons change, it feels like the right time for us to do a little spring cleaning. Maybe you take advantage of the relatively nicer weather in Ohio this time of year to get rid of the clutter and residue of a long, hard winter. Interestingly, the Christian tradition of Lent has a lot to do with cleaning out the clutter that has crept into our lives.
You might be surprised to know the word "Lent" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for "lengthening," referring to the longer days that happen in the spring. Lent is a tradition that many historians believe goes back to the earliest days of the church. It was formalized as a tradition during the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD as a form of preparation for Easter. Many of us associate Lenten preparations with the practice of fasting from meat on certain days before Easter. But why do we do that?
Forty days of fasting happened before some of the major events in scripture. Jesus fasted 40 days and nights in the wilderness before the beginning of His public ministry (Matthew 4:2). Moses fasted on Mount Sinai before receiving the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28). And Elijah's journey to Mount Horeb was during 40 days and nights of fasting following a time of feasting (1 Kings 19:8). I believe the intent of those early worshippers was more than swapping out a “Filet-O-Fish” for a “Big Mac” on Fridays. I believe their intent was to do some “soul spring cleaning” – to fast from those things that would distract from keeping the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus in the front of their minds.
The idea of Lent, appropriately understood, would be to seriously address sin that has crept into our lives and which keeps us from enjoying the worship and celebration of our Lord. Sin is key to this because we are warned in scripture that believers who have known Jesus and His power, and who continue to willfully sin…are, in essence, “crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.” (Hebrews 6:6b ESV) Willful sin, therefore, is the ultimate thing that hinders our ability to worship Jesus appropriately.
Lent is intended to be a time for us to carefully prepare ourselves for what is the most significant celebration of the Christian calendar. I like to think of it as intentionally decluttering our souls. This is way more important than worrying about fish sticks versus chicken strips. The Lord wants us to remove anything from our lives that keeps us from worshipping Him.
This spring, I intend to focus these weekly emails on “soul spring cleaning.” I will try to identify tangible and meaningful ways we can glorify the Lord through intentional obedience to His high standards for life. Those standards ultimately lead us to joy.
Expectantly,
Shawn
