Lent and beyond

(I wrote this awhile back but added a lot more to it today)

Lent: the time of year when Christians give up something they desire, want, have, or struggle with for 40 days. (Because that's what Jesus died for: us not being able to eat meat on Fridays, abstinence, and giving up something trivial like chocolate. What happens after the 40 days are up? Is it okay to do again the behaviour we were trying to give up when Lent started?) Okay maybe sarcasm here is not warranted. I actually like Lent a lot and the whole idea behind it. Sometimes it pains me that I grew up in an independent uber-pentecostal denomination which eschewed any sort of liturgical formalism because to do so was being traditional and dry. Such things were frowned upon and our denomination considered itself "full gospel" (whatever that means) because we were free of the shackles of ritualism. But a little ritual and tradition is good, some of us need structure and a degree of formalism. I like Lent because it structures a time when we are to focus on the unselfish act of Christ by giving away a part of our selfish selves to prayer and discipline.

The point of Lent is for us to give to God something we need to give away, whether it be chocolate, sex, swearing, or alcohol. But the focus is not and should not be for us just to try and change our behavior. The Bible is filled with stories of people who tried to fulfill the law and failed miserably. Lent is about aligning our nature with God's nature, to let our will give way to his will, even if its just for 40 days. It's a time where we strive to loosen the bonds of the lust of the flesh and attempt to live a life focused on the spirit. So I may not rub ashes on my forehead, and I may not attend a formalized service, but as a believer I can still celebrate in my own way.
There are some things I have decided to lay down this season which I hope by the end of I will be able to leave behind, hopefully I can. My prayer for myself, and for whoever reads this, is that as my own strength lessens that the strength and will from God will increase, and that I will be able to hear the still whisper of the Father whilst drowning out the cacophony of voices trying to sway my attention away from him. I like a verse in Ecclesiastes which reads something like this," Don't make rash promises to God. When you make a promise to God don't delay in following through for God takes no pleasure in fools." I find that quite sobering. I have also found that the things I've vowed to give up aren't necessarily bad things in and of themselves, but they can be indicative of a greater struggle against something inside.

This year I feel a pressure like never before. It isn't necessarily a bad pressure but I feel something on the horizon taking shape and forming out of a sort of spiritual primordial ooze. Something important is coming and I need to be ready, not just outwardly but inwardly. At the same time though I feel a lethargy trying to sneak in and direct my attention away, combine this with a loneliness that comes and goes and it makes for a potent distraction. That's why Lent is so powerful because like I mentioned earlier it shifts the focus from our needs or wants to Christ who ultimately being the Alpha and the Omega is the salve our searching souls need. I may not keep all my vows this Lent, but I try my hardest and hopefully this year my spiritual discipline will keep me focused past Easter, and like Kara hearing the music that shows her the way to Earth, I'll be able to stay on course to where I need to be regardless of whatever distractions arise.

The psalmist wrote that the sacrifices God accepts and desires are from a contrite heart and a broken spirit, may my heart and soul be broken and contrite before him.

Selah

Selah.

This little word appears throughout the Psalms and Habakkuk and has generated a firestorm of debate on what the word means, its etymology, and it's proper use. Luckily for me there is a general consensus on its proper use and meaning, or else this would be the shortest blog in the history of blogs. An example is found in Psalm 66:4,

"All the Earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name." Selah

It's use here can indicate either a break or musical interlude in the Psalm, or it could mean a pause to stop and reflect on what previously said. Regardless of its literal usage both meanings have one idea in common: to pause. More specifically to pause and weigh what has been said. In all probability when this word appears it usually means that something very important has just been said and that the listener needs to think and reflect back on what was said and done. This fits in line with Jewish traditions specifically because when you look at Jewish tradition you see a theme of remembrance and promises running through it. The Psalms are replete with people worshiping God and remembering the things he has done for them in the past with the expectant hope that he will continue to work for their good in the future. The temptation while writing this is to go down the expected path and mention something along the lines of we should all slow down every once in awhile and enjoy life, or listen more often to others, or sit in meditative silence. I am not going to go that route however because everyone else has and I see something different at work.

The more I think about it the more I believe that Selah is more akin to awe then to a mere pause, interlude, or reflection. Think about it, in the scriptures where God is exalted it usually comes after a passage of importance. This happens not because we need to consider if what was said is accurate, or true, or profound because the very fact it appears already means those three things. What it does mean is that the reader should take what was just said and through it become more aware of the character and person of God resulting in awe of who He is, what He has done, and what He will continue to do for His people. Abraham Heschel defined awe as something that is not just an emotion; it is an act of appreciative insight into meaning greater then ourselves, and what higher meaning beyond ourselves is there other than knowing God? Heschel also said that awe is the answer of the heart and the mind to the presence of mystery in all things. Colossians 1:26-27 says,

“This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you.

Christ lives in me. If you believe in Him then Christ lives in you as well. Everything spiritual, mystical, temporal, and eternal all culminates in the person and work of Christ, and he lives in us if we believe in Him and what his sacrifice accomplished for humanity. What else could be our response to something like that except gratitude, humility, and unquenchable awe? Selah indeed.