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What, really, is the point of all this Lent stuff?
Excellent question. I can offer an answer, but, it’ll take me a moment to get there. (I know, shocking! You’re shocked!)
It seems everywhere we turn we are faced with an article, a blog post, a news report, an op-ed, a video short, or an entire book telling us how divided we are as a nation. That narrative is inescapable. So inescapable it is worth asking, who benefits most from it’s proliferation? Because I’m not convinced that narrative is really true.
I think most folks are just trying to live their lives, doing the best they can for their families—no matter what those families look like. I believe most of us want to leave a positive legacy. Most of us want the world to be (at least) a little better for the generations that come after us. We’re just not always sure how to do that.
Still, it is undeniable that current technology makes it possible—and, further, actually encourages us—to be siloed. That is, to only encounter ideas, people, news, with which we already agree. (It is also true that bridging this divide is made even more difficult by the fact that some powerful forces would rather burn it all down than share even a little help and hope. That’s what our whole Good Trouble series addressed.) It is tough to break through those silos. But not impossible. That’s what Lent is for.
As you’ve likely seen by now, “Everything [in] Between” our theme throughout Lent and Holy Week. In the stories we’ve read so far and will continue to read, “Jesus intentionally highlights the cultural and political polarities of his time to emphasize the radical, inclusive, and surprising love of God.” Studying these stories in their historical and cultural context helps us see how they mirror the cultural and political divides today and find a path beyond the polarities.
So what’s the point of Lent in 2025? One answer is: To break through our hardened exteriors in order to allow us to see Jesus in a new way, to hear the biblical narrative in a new way, to experience ourselves and our neighbors in a new way.
However, such breakthroughs don’t happen magically or by accident. They require engagement. Presence. Effort. One could even say breakthroughs require practices. Discipleship practices that lead us into community: opening, praying, gathering, serving, inviting, and giving. The discipleship practice of gathering in small groups (like Lent Study!) is the best tool we have for creating caring community. Lent Study is short term, with no cost, no homework, no sign up required. (The only exception is the Monday studies on Zoom. Contact me to receive the Zoom link.) You have five options:
Sundays, 8:00am at MUMC
Mondays, 6:30pm OR 7:30pm on Zoom Contact me to receive the Zoom link
Tuesdays, 12noon at MUMC
Thursdays, 6:30pm at MUMC
Plotting Goodness,
Pastor Dave