We arrive at this Lent from a place we couldn’t have imagined a year ago. Some were aware that a new virus might cause problems. Within a few weeks we were unable to gather, and Easter was a strange shadow of our normal celebration. But even then I doubt many realized the extent of the suffering and death that would occur, and that a year on we still can’t quite see when life will return to normal.
So how are we to approach this Lent? With what we, and our families, and our communities, and our world have been through, and are still going though, it can hardly be “Lent as normal”.
Lent is often associated with going into the desert – a place alone and with only God for company. This seems to be in keeping with what Jesus tells his disciples about keeping all our holy stuff private.
Maybe some will follow that path again this year, but for those who have had enough solitude, we can also recognize that this is not the only path through Lent. Joel’s call to repent, to return to the Lord, was for a very public event – everybody was supposed to join in, and very visibly.
Joel tells us to sound a trumpet. Jesus says no trumpets. Which is it?
There is more than one path.
Very often we may feel more comfortable in the framework Jesus gives us – keep it private and hidden. But an admonition to avoid flaunting our piety does not mean we have to keep it locked away. Paul perhaps provides a key – whatever we do, we are doing it together: “Working together” we receive God’s grace.
Even in the desert we are not alone – Christ is with us, and therefore his whole body, the church, is with us. We can use this Lent to remind ourselves that God’s call to return to him is a call to us all, together, as a group. Yes, we can pervert that into a public display which has no depth and is the height of hypocrisy – and Jesus’ stern warnings not to do that are as relevant today as they were when he spoke. But we can share with each other, we can and should support each other. And if it feels a little like exercising muscles we haven’t used in a long time, then that’s good – exercise is good for us.
This year maybe the opportunity to celebrate our awareness of each other comes to the fore. Our gathering, constrained as it may still be, takes on greater significance because we have done without for so long. In that spirit we can recognize Lent as a time of hope. God has never finished creating. God has never finished saving us. However this Easter plays out for us, we know we live in hope.