The Season of Lent

Greetings to you in the “springtime” of our church year seasons!

We can call it “springtime” because that is what the word “Lent” means in Old English. The early church used the Greek and Latin languages. Their names for Lent (Tessarakosti—Greek & Quadragesima—Latin) simply mean “fortieth.” These names recognize the forty days of Lent between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Sundays during this time are not counted within the days of Lent. The forty days end at the beginning of the Maundy Thursday worship service. Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday constitute a liturgical season, the Holy Triduum, the shortest of the church year. The forty days hearkens back to Jesus’ time in the wilderness being tempted by Satan.

Lent is generally considered a time of preparation for Easter Sunday, the Day of the Resurrection of Our Lord. Christians are to focus on their fallen, sinful state and repent of that sinfulness. This focus usually involves increasing their pious practices such as prayer, fasting, and acts of charity. Often, this is referred to as joining Jesus on his way to the cross.

While typical pious practices during Lent focus Christians’ attention on themselves and their sinfulness, celebrating the Transfiguration just before Ash Wednesday gives Christians a clue about where their focus should be. In all three Synoptic Gospels’ accounts of the Transfiguration (Luke 9:36, Mark 9:8, & Matthew 17:8), the texts inform us that, after the cloud… after the voice… after the dazzling appearance of Jesus… and after the manifestation of Moses and Elijah… after all of that, the three disciples saw Jesus only.

When Christians focus on themselves and their sinfulness, they engage in self-centered introspection. In other words, they are curved in upon themselves; they “in curvatus in se,” one of the phrases used to describe sinfulness. The clue provided by the conclusion of the Transfiguration accounts’ singular focus, “they saw Jesus only” turns Christians’ Lenten focus away from themselves and their pious practices and toward Jesus Christ. Or, as indicated by the Apostle Paul, “I decided to know nothing among you except Christ and him crucified.” (1 Cor. 2:2).  Only in knowing Jesus Christ crucified for them do Christians come to know the depths of their sin.

May the preaching of Jesus Christ who has come to be your life, fix your focus on him, draw you through this Lenten season, and into your celebration of the Day of Resurrection for our Lord!

Rev. Timothy J. Swenson
Dean of Chapel