The season of Lent is often associated with various references in the Bible to 40 days, a time reference which generally means \u201ca long time.\u201d In Christian times, Jesus\u2019 journey in the desert is sometimes cited as providing the rationale for the length of the Lenten season:<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, \u2018If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.\u2019\u201d (Mt 4:1-3 – ESV)<\/p>\n
Jesus did not allow himself to be tempted by the devil. Likewise, he would not have allowed himself to be caught \u201cloafing\u201d during his time of fasting. While in the desert, perhaps the devil also tempted Jesus to create some dessert. All hot-cross-buns and half-baked puns aside, what do we make of Lent?<\/p>\n
The word \u201cLent\u201d refers to the \u201clengthening\u201d of days or springtime. Thus, \u201cLent\u201d did not originally have a religious connotation. Although customs vary, the early church tended to celebrate the resurrection every Sunday with a fast day on the preceding Friday to mark Jesus\u2019 crucifixion. In the course of time, however, a particular \u201choly day\u201d or holiday for celebrating Easter developed, and correspondingly the single, preparatory fast day was extended to many days just preceding Easter, which we now call Holy Week. This penitential period itself was then preceded with a \u201clonger\u201d fasting time of varying degrees and days numbering 40, as cited from Matthew above. Because Easter is celebrated in the springtime, the \u201clengthening\u201d of days or Lent acquired new meaning, literally. So, if Lent is a manufactured season of questionable origins and purpose and if Luther was happy to dispense with Ash Wednesday, what do we make of Lent?<\/p>\n
Traditionally, taking its cue from the passage cited above, Lent has been observed as a time of fasting. In German, Lent is called die Fastenzeit<\/em>, the time of fasting, a name which readily denotes the reason for the season. The word Lent, however, does not convey the same meaning, and often means nothing to many people today, whether understood as \u201clengthening\u201d or \u201cfasting,\u201d although some might give up fuzz for lint.<\/p>\n Some decades ago, it became fashionable in Lutheran churches to have Lenten soup suppers. Presumably, soup signifies a light meal, i.e., doing with less. Also, adding soup suppers to a midweek Lenten service would most likely boost attendance in a secular age when religious practices in an affluent society, especially fasting, are definitely not in vogue. Paradoxically, however, a hearty soup supper of seemingly unlimited servings can prove more filling than one\u2019s regular evening meal at home! Similarly, if one needs to throw on food to help boost attendance during the \u201cfasting time,\u201d then in both cases something is very much amiss. So, what do we make of Lent and why have we added soup suppers?<\/p>\n In reply to the tempter, Jesus said, \u201cIt is written, \u2018Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God\u2019\u201d (Mt 4:4).<\/p>\n So, why in Lent do we make such a fuss, or not, of foregoing some element of food or some supposed luxury or excess, when doing so does absolutely nothing to strengthen our understanding of God or God\u2019s word? Why do we pay attention to Matthew 4:1-3 and seem to overlook Matthew 4:4? What do we say about our faith in and devotion to the word of God when we feel obliged to provide soup to entice people to midweek Lenten services?<\/p>\n As with so many activities in \u201cthe church,\u201d we are often long on doing but short on theological rationale for our doings. In other words, we go to great lengths to devise ways to show our religiosity, but when all is said and done we sinners have said and done little in relation to what God\u2019s word revealed in Christ and Scripture says and does to us. Instead of soup suppers, what if we met for Bible study before our midweek Lenten services? Would our response be, \u201cBon app\u00e9tit<\/em>\u201d or \u201cFastenzeit<\/em>\u201d?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"