Holiness: It All Starts with the Season of Lent

[God said to his people, Judah, through the prophet Jeremiah] Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!” If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place [the promised land], and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting in deceptive words [of false prophets] that are worthless. Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD.

–Jeremiah 7.4-11 (NIV)

In today’s OT passage, we are reminded in straightforward language why a season of Lent is necessary for humans. God speaks to his people through the prophet Jeremiah to warn them to stop being rebellious, to stop pursuing things and gods that will ultimately bring them harm. In other words, we see God calling his people to repent (stop missing the mark of being his called-out people) and start acting like the holy people God called them to be. God had called Israel (here including both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah) to be his agent of healing and reconciliation to a broken and sin-sick world that desperately needed it. But Israel had abandoned her call. She had strayed from God and pursued her own desires. To give you an idea of how bad things had gotten in ancient Judah, in verse 7 (i.e., “Will you steal…”) fully half of the 10 commandments had been broken! God’s called-out (holy) people were not behaving according to their call and this was (and remains) a grievous thing in God’s eyes. And let’s be clear. This was not just a Jewish problem, much as Israel’s haters would like it to be.  This is a human problem, a problem that results from the fact that we are broken and rebellious people.

Moreover, as we saw on Friday, today’s passage also reminds us that our Lenten disciplines are simply means to a greater end. When we purposely focus on putting to death in us all the keeps us rebellious toward God, our behavior should change so that we become Jesus’ salt and light to his broken and hurting world. Our Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, self-denial, Scripture reading, and confession/repentance help us to remember Whose we are and who God is. They remind us to worship only God so that we can stay connected to our true life support system and live life as we were created to live it. They keep us true to our calling to embody Jesus so that he can use us to minister to his broken and hurting people. They remind us that self-denial and penance must lead to acts of compassion, mercy, and justice, among others. We are to look after those who cannot do so for themselves. We are to focus on the weakest and most helpless of society because every human being bears the image of God, fractured as it may be.

All this, of course, begins in the context of our daily lives. It starts with our family, work, and friends. It starts in our neighborhood and community. When we have a true season of Lent in our hearts we realize we are not special or superior to others in any way. Instead we see the face of Christ in everyone whom we meet and with whom we interact, and we treat them accordingly. When that happens, we really do start practicing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God. We see ourselves as servants who are here to love and serve others in a sacrificial manner. Why? Because we remember who we are (our human condition) and Whose we are (Jesus’ children, made so by his very blood shed for us on the cross). We seek to follow Jesus and we remember that his ministry and mission led him to the cross. Likewise with us.

Practicing our Lenten disciplines is not an exercise in navel gazing. It is about doing our part to get our relationship with God right so that he can use us to be his Kingdom workers following the example of our Lord Jesus. While this can be terribly difficult work, it is also a wondrous and breathtaking opportunity. Think about it. The very Lord of the universe calls each one of us to leaven his broken and hurting world with the salt of his grace, mercy, and compassion, just the way our Lord Jesus did when he walked on this earth. If you have ever wanted to part of something that is bigger than you, here is your chance to live it every day of your life, no matter who you are or what is your life circumstance, and it all starts with the season of Lent. If you are not yet on that journey, what are you waiting for?