O love, how deep, how broad, how high! It fills the heart with ecstasy, that God, the Son of God, should take our mortal form for mortals’ sake. (a)
And so, just two weeks after the end of Epiphany, we begin our walk with Christ to Jerusalem. It can seem very appropriate that Lent begins at a time of year when the sky can be grey, weather can be grim and the joy and excitement of the Christmas season seems far off. And yet, as Rowan Williams tells us (1), although Lent begins grey and misty, it ends in Spring, as leaves, flowers and the whole natural world breaks into beauty and colour, just as Lent leads into the joy and beauty of Easter and the Resurrection, with its promise of hope, love and warmth.
Because of course, Lent is a journey. It is a journey from contemplation to reformation – if I may use that word in Zurich – and then to expectation and finally exaltation. It is a time to examine ourselves, our motives and our whole lives. To bring them into the light that dispels the darkness, and to reflect. But the journey does not stop there, in that state of contemplation, looking inward, we are to step further along the road, to renew ourselves, renew our promises to God, and to God’s people, and re-calibrate our lives, turning to Christ once more, to the light that lightens all people.
Our readings express this turning around quite beautifully. They call on us to look at what we are doing, and at the reasons why we are doing it. Why do we come to church? Why do we pray, give alms, give up things for Lent? Is it for ourselves? To show others how holy we are? To make ourselves feel better? Or is it to glorify God? Do we want our actions to be seen and “praised by others” or do we do them because it is right, because they make a difference in the world, in the lives of others? Because it is good in the eyes of God? Is it for earthly glory, or do we “store up for ourselves treasures in heaven”? Where is our heart in all this?
I see Lent as a compass. A chance to check the direction of my heart, of my longing, of my worship. What does the deep, broad, high, inescapable love of God mean to me? To all of us? Because Lent is about love, that love so broad, so deep, so high that Christ journeyed to Jerusalem, to the cross, and to the resurrection. We need time to look deeply at the love of God and change the direction of our love, our thoughts, our lives. To make our fasting time acceptable to God in our day-to-day actions of service. Not shouted from the rooftop expecting praise and adoration! But quietly turning to Christ and fulfilling his commands to love God and to love our neighbour. To change the world and hasten the coming of the kingdom. As Isaiah tells us: “Is not this the fast God chooses – to loose the bonds of injustice, to let the oppressed go free; to share your bread with the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted.” And if we do these things, quietly, daily, as part of our routine, our ordinary way of life, then God “who sees in secret will reward you”.
O love, how broad, how deep, how high. The love that journeyed from birth at Bethlehem to death and then resurrection in Jerusalem. The love that calls us to walk alongside and be transformed. The love that calls us also to take this Lenten time to look deeply inside ourselves, at our motives and intentions, and re-tune the compass of our lives by turning once again to God and tuning in to his Love, his Word, his Son. To remember that we are dust and to dust we shall return, therefore we should turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ.
And Ash Wednesday is just the start of this process, the beginning of the journey of our renewal, the journey to Jerusalem, to the cross and to the renewal of hope and promise in the resurrection. The imposition of ashes marks our resolve to follow in Christ’s footsteps, to turn once again to him for guidance, strength and as the focus of our lives. Lent gives space for the transformation of our hearts into ones filled with God’s love so that we can go forth living lives that reveal that love to the world in our words and deeds. So, as we walk our journey through Lent, contemplate, reflect, re-form, expect and finally exalt as we meet our risen Lord on Easter Day.
And now, “to him whose boundless love has won salvation for us through his son, to God the Father glory be, both now and through eternity.”(a)
Amen.
(a) Hymn 570 O love, how broad, how deep, how high, Anglican Hymns Old and New (2008) Kevin Mayhew Ltd, Suffolk
- Rowan Williams Lent Video transcript http://rowanwilliams.archbishopofcanterbury.org/pages/lent-video.html (24/2/2012)