thediscerninglife

From an article written for the March, 2017 parish newsletter:

The season of Lent is upon us.  We may think of Lent as a somewhat dreary six weeks; plain, cheerless, and full of references to our sinfulness.  While is it true that it is a penitential time, its purpose is not to make us feel bad about ourselves, but to prepare spiritually for the joyful celebration of Christ’s resurrection at Easter.  Understanding a bit of its history can help us to fully appreciate the value of this liturgical season.

In the early days of Christianity, new members were adult converts from paganism or Judaism, in need of baptism. The celebration of Christ’s resurrection was seen as the most appropriate time for this.  Water is a dual symbol of both death and life:  too little or too much can be fatal, while enough brings the flourishing of life.  We have been reminded of this the hard way in California these past 5 years – years of drought followed by torrential rains and flooding.  Early on a theology of baptism emerged that enlarged its significance beyond the ritual of cleansing from sin celebrated by John the Baptist.  By being fully immersed in water and then rising out of it at the Easter Vigil, a person was mystically joined to Christ’s death and resurrection, or as Paul put it, dying to the “old self’ and rising up to a new life in Christ. A baptized person was joined to all the baptized as well, becoming part of the Body of Christ on earth.

Lent became the season of final preparation for baptism, with many special rites such as anointing with special oil, and the “giving” of the Nicene Creed and the Our Father. It often took several years, and sometimes entailed a change of livelihood.  The entire community was involved, as support and as models of Christian life.  At the Easter Vigil, the entire assembly “renewed” their baptismal promises along those making those promises for the first time. So for the already-baptized, Lent became a 40-day retreat, in which each member thoroughly examined his or her life against those promises.  As private infant baptism became the norm over time, the link between Lent and baptism faded from general understanding and the community emphasis was lost.  Lent became a time of penance in which our sinfulness and was emphasized, culminating in Good Friday, where Christ’s death was seen as necessary to save us all from hell.  The theology of preparation for renewal was all but lost.

The liturgical renewal of the mid-20th century restored Lent’s purpose: to examine where we are falling short of our baptismal promises – the Baptismal Covenant in the language of the Prayer Book – so that, with God’s help, we can do better.  A spirit of penitence often accompanies these insights into our shortcomings, but we also know that our God is merciful and compassionate, always ready to forgive when we ask.

Today, most Christians do not yet realize that the highpoint of the Easter observance is the celebration of the sacrament of Baptism and renewal of the Baptismal Covenant. This year, we are fortunate to have two baptisms taking place during the Vigil, allowing us to fully celebrate the resurrection of Christ as our Christian ancestors did.  I hope you will fully enter into the spirit of the Lenten season, and celebrate the joy of Easter to the fullest by attending all the services of Holy Week.  May your season of Lent be a fruitful time of preparation, so that you may be spiritually renewed and uplifted by your witness to Holy Baptism and your joyful responses to Baptismal Covenant.