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Lent: The Season of Repentance and Renewal
Lent: The Season of Repentance and Renewal
by Esau McCaulley
Ash Wednesday is the “kick off” event of Lent for Christians. There are many of us who, like the author, did not grow up in a church that participated in Lenten practices. In fact, my first exposure was a coworker who fasted and upped her walking every year for Lent. Colleagues who had worked with her for years said smirkingly that although she made sure everyone knew she was fasting, the effort was not really aimed at a closer relationship with God, but at attaining the beach body she wanted for spring vacation. Her motivation is between her and God; discerning it is not my job.
Over the years I have worshiped God in Baptist churches and independent mega-churches. Currently a part of the traditional liturgical movement, I am learning about Lent as practiced in the Book of Common Prayer. To that end, my book club has read Lent: The Season of Repentance and Renewal. It is part of the Fullness of Time series of which author McCaulley is the editor. The series is composed of short books written by various authors. They explain the various customs practiced by early Christians extending through our contemporary age. It is physically a beautiful series as the book covers are decorated with symbols and colors appropriate to each church season. The pages inside are incredibly smooth and slightly off-white. It is so elegantly designed that I can not bring myself to mark the many special passages or make notes in the margins.
Lent examines our need for repentance, the certainty of death, and the promise of eternal life in Jesus. McCaulley examines the rituals of Lent explaining how Christians can decide on a personal level what practices might be most useful with an emphasis on fasting. Fasting for food can be done in a variety of ways or not at all. Fasting might be giving up something else that is a distraction from devotion to God. Above all, I would say that the author’s approach is spiritual, not legalistic. There is no one right or wrong way to “do Lent.”
This little book also examines the collects (prayers) and the Scriptures associated with Lent in the Book of Common Prayer. It should be noted that McCaulley refers to the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Most of the prayers found in my 1928 version and perhaps in other earlier or later editions are different from the ones he quotes. He chose that version because that is the one he was using when he began to practice Lent and therefore the one he is most comfortable providing discourse on. The differences don’t distract, but can provide more depth to the study of the season of Lent.
The last chapter deals with Holy Week, the last week in the life of Jesus Christ. This little tome details the various days such as Maundy Thursday, an important day because of the institution of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion or Eucharist). Less well known is the continuing practice of feet washing as set by the example of Jesus. Although Jesus’ message is clear and plain, “follow me and you will be saved,” there are many mysteries and much symbolism in the Bible. Perhaps McCaulley’s discussion of Lent will clarify for you the traditions that have emerged over the centuries.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Religion, Nonfiction
Notes: There are a few typos (probably generated by auto-correct) in this book which will hopefully be corrected in future printings. The other two books I read from this series did not have this problem.
Publication: 2022—InterVarsity Press
Memorable Lines:
Fasting then is not about us earning God’s forgiveness; it is about reminding ourselves through our fasting of our radical dependence on God.
Too often, Christians believe the lie that we have to dig down deep and discover in ourselves the strength and resolve to defeat our foes. Instead, we must realize that if we dig down to the bottom of ourselves, we’ll find a wounded soul in need of healing.
All these rituals, prayers, and ceremonies are simply doorways into the thing itself: God in all his splendor. May we find him afresh every year until we see him face-to-face.
Advent–Hope and Repentance
Advent: The Season of Hope
by Tish Harrison Warren
I have almost finished reading Advent by Tish Harrison Warren for the second time this season. It is a small book that packs a powerful punch and is worthy of a reread.
In the Protestant churches of my childhood and most of my adult years, “advent” was a word I rarely heard. The focus was on Christmas and making sure the cultural aspects of the celebration (e.g. decorations, gifts, and parties) did not take prominence over the spiritual foundation: “Jesus is the reason for the season.” In more recent years, I have worshiped in Protestant churches that follow the liturgy found in the Book of Common Prayer. Warren’s book has helped me unravel the church calendar year which begins with Advent and to understand Advent itself.
This tiny book explains the three comings or advents of Christ. We celebrate His birth in Bethlehem at Christmas and look forward to what we refer to as “His Second Coming” when He will reign as King of Kings. Warren says there is a third coming which we currently experience when He dwells in our hearts as we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
There are many themes of Advent discussed in this book, but the ones that impact my heart the most are “repentance and hope” and “darkness and light.” Warren refers to four prayers composed for the Advent season in the Book of Common Prayer. In addition to talking to God, these prayers or collects lead the reader to a deeper understanding of Christian theology and what we believe as Christians. She explains eight practices of Advent for those who want to use this season to meet with God and draw closer to Him during the course of the four weeks of Advent that lead up to Christmas.
Perhaps my favorite chapter in the book Advent is entitled “Crying Out: Two Prophets of Advent.” Who prophesied most about the advent or coming of Jesus? Isaiah in the Old Testament and John the Baptist in the New Testament. It is a good beginning place if you want to learn more about prophecies from the Old Testament that were fulfilled in the New Testament and prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled when Jesus comes again, not as a baby in a manger, but as the Messiah who returns to banish Satan and evil and rule on Earth for eternity with justice, peace, and love.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Theology
Notes: 1. “Each volume in the Fullness of Time series invites readers to engage with the riches of the church year, exploring the traditions, prayers, Scriptures, and rituals of the seasons of the church calendar.” These are standalone books, each written by a different author: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost.
2. This is a choice for my book club and lends itself well to group discussion, but it is also perfect for devotion, study, and meditation for individual readers.
Publication: 2023—InterVarsity Press
Memorable Lines:
Advent comes each year and quietly asks me to pause, to remember that we do not bring the kingdom of God to the world through our own effort or on our own timeline. We wait for one outside of us and outside of time. We wait for our coming king.
Advent is training in hope because this season tells us that when things lie fallow they do not lie in waste; things that seem dormant are not dead, and times of waiting are not without meaning, purpose, or design. God is working, sometimes almost imperceptibly, deep beneath the surface of time. Waiting is part of his redemption. It is part of his gift to us. It is part of his grace.
The love of God is the blazing fire that purifies us, remakes us, and sets right all that is broken in us and in the world. The love of God brings us to repentance. The love of God sets the oppressed free and makes all things new. The love of God insists on truth and justice. The love of God reveals every hidden thing. And it is this love that is coming for us.
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