Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Feb/85

Contributor - Rev. Tom Welscott

Title - "What Will You Give Up For Lent?"

Topic - Lent

Lent has meant different things to different generations over the centuries since the time of Christ. Probably most often associated with Lent is the practice that came out of the Roman Catholic Church tradition, where a person would deprive himself of different things during the weeks of Lent. Thus, the phrase, "What are you giving up for Lent?" The purpose of Lent. then. is to focus on some of the events leading up to Easter and Christ's death on the cross.

Lent: A Time Of Seeking

In this time of tent we are first of all reminded and challenged to enter a time of seeking. As the time of the crucifixion of Jesus was drawing nearer a number of different groups were seeking Jesus. Each group of people had its own unique reason for seeking Jesus.

The PHARISEES were seeking Jesus because he had not made a good impression on them. They did have reason to seek him. He had refused to keep all their laws, and he had the audacity to call God his Father. Jesus' actions had actually made it dangerous for him to go to Jerusalem where the religious leaders had their headquarters. All the people knew that the Pharisees were seeking Jesus and it was no secret that their intent was to kill him.

The COMMON PEOPLE were also seeking Jesus at this time. As the time of Jesus' crucifixion drew nearer, as any good Jew would do, he made his last pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It is hard to imagine what that town of Jerusalem must have been like at Passover time. Estimates are that the town grew to over two million people. The populous probably contained Jews and Greeks from all around. In John 12:20 - 21 we find some of these Greek visitors seeking out Jesus' disciples asking where they could find this Jesus.

You see, even though Jesus was a hunted man, he did not keep his presence a secret. He went about preaching, healing, and performing signs of his power, as he always did. And after three years of ministry in the countryside, you can imagine that there were probably hundreds of people who came to Jerusalem just hoping to catch a glimpse of this "miracle worker". Two of the miracles that Jesus performed during this week were the raising of Lazarus from the dead, and the cleansing of the temple. Those two events alone were bound to arouse much interest in the mind of a Greek person who was always searching for the truth.

In this time of Lent it is extremely important that each of us ask ourselves how diligently we are SEEKING JESUS. One of the ideas of Lent over the years, has been to give up something for Lent. In many cases this practice isn't taken very seriously, but I think it is important to look at the purpose behind such a tradition. You see the purpose in giving up something is that we experience sacrifice in some way, however big or small. This sacrifice is then to remind us of the sacrifice which Christ made for us.

As different people sought out Christ, they all had different responses to him. Some wanted to kill him; some wanted just to watch from a distance and see what this miracle worker was doing; and some were to follow him and become his disciples. In this Lenten season, may each of us seek Jesus because we want to know more about how we can follow him, and lead the kind of life he would have us lead.

The Lenten theme calls us to focus on the sacrificial life that Christ led, an style as well. It is important that we remember that not only during Lent do we I but always. As disciples, Christ calls us to a life of sacrifice. Paul says it so well in Romans 12: 1, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -which is your spiritual worship."

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