First Sunday
Those who start a Lenten journey might be a little confused if they were to check their calendars and do a little math.
Lent is traditionally thought of as a 40-day season of fasting before Easter. The number makes sense, after all, 40 is very Biblical. It’s the number of days of rain in the Genesis flood, the Hebrews spent 40 years wandering in the desert, Moses fasted for 40 days on Mt. Sinai when receiving the law, and (most significantly for Lent) Jesus went to the wilderness and fasted for 40 days while being tempted. So having a 40-day fast before Easter seems right.
But what doesn’t seem right, at first, is the math. If you look at a calendar and count from Ash Wednesday to the Saturday before Easter, you find that there are actually 46 days in all (in fact, not all church traditions agree on what day Lent ends, making the number different and the confusion even greater). So what’s up with that? How many days is Lent anyway?
Part of the answer to all the confusion lies…in the Sundays.
There are six Sundays in Lent, and while they are part of the Lenten season, they are not considered to be part of the Lenten fast.. In fact, Sundays are traditionally always thought of as “feast days.” Some refer to them as “mini-Easters,” and that’s a very apt phrase. They are the day the church gathers in worship and celebrates the saving grace of God in the proclamation of the Word, the lifting of praise, and the communal sharing in a remembrance of what Christ has done for us. On Sundays we all dwell richly in the story of God’s amazing love, and the joy of the resurrection cannot be completely ignored or else the story would be incomplete. It is perhaps cast in a somewhat different light, as the call of our Lenten journey still beckons to us even on Sundays, but it is there. It reminds us where this journey is going. It helps us remember that God is unfolding a much bigger plan. And it offers us hope.
In these difficult days the message of the “mini-Easters” is needed more than ever. As more than one person has observed, it feels like we’ve been “living Lent” for two years. And while it’s still important to set aside time in these 40-ish days to be reminded of our call to take up our cross and follow Christ, perhaps Sundays take on an even more significant role as we navigate the waters of our current crises in desperate need of a hopeful word. Paul’s words in Romans 5 seem more relevant than ever:
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”—Romans 5:1-5 (ESV)
Hope does not put us to shame. What a timely word, not only for a journey to the cross, but for the journey we find ourselves on right now in the midst of so many things that can bring despair. On Sundays during Lent, let’s celebrate a “mini-Easter.” Let’s feast on the glory of God’s redeeming love. Let’s embrace the invitation to hope.
The cross has spoken
I am forgiven
The King of Kings calls me His own
Beautiful savior
I’m yours forever
Jesus Christ
My living hope
Read the rest of the lyrics here.
Questions for Reflection
1) What are some ways during this Lenten journey that you can mark Sundays as different, as days set apart to dwell in the hope of God shown in the cross and the empty tomb? Are there some Scriptures, prayers, songs, or other intentional practices you can build into these “mini-Easters” as a way of celebrating?
2) As you seek to dwell in the living hope of Christ during difficult days, what points of connection (to God, to his word, to others) might be helpful for you? What points of connection are already meaningful?
3) What do you think Paul means by “hope does not put us to shame?” What is the relationship between hope and shame, and how is that relationship important for us during our Lenten journey?
4) Can you think of a time in your life when God’s loving kindness “tore through the shadows of your soul?” How did he show up in the midst of your need? Spend some time offering gratitude to God for his tender mercies and timely gifts.
5) Read and reflect on these verses. Let them lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.”—1 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)