Jesus Wasn't Crucified by Darth Vader
Dear Friends,
The reason we keep a holy Lent is that Jesus wasn’t crucified by Darth Vader. Not Darth Vader, and not anyone nearly so monolithically evil.
On the contrary, as the Swedish Archbishop Nathan Söderblom wrote roughly 100 years ago,
The most awful thing in the death of Jesus is that it was brought about by men who were following, or believed themselves to be following, good and honorable reasons for their actions. People of various classes, the guardians of religion and of public morals and of the order of society itself, united to crucify Jesus. They were people like you and me.
That is why we keep Lent. It’s not because we aren’t good ‘church people,’ but precisely because we are. It’s not because we are strangers to virtue, but precisely because we are familiar with its allure. Lent is a reminder that even though we are not Sith Lords, it is only by the grace of God we do not find ourselves shouting, “Crucify him!” The observance of Lent is discipline we take upon ourselves, a pilgrimage into the depths of our own humanity, a voluntary plunge into the well of repentance from which the waters of grace flow.
As John wrote, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). Lent is a search for that truth about ourselves. And in our post-truth world, this is a truth we need to know. It helps us stay humble enough to live out our Savior’s call for justice, mercy, and compassion (which is desperately important in these turbulent days). And even more profoundly, knowing the truth about ourselves brings us to the foot of the cross ready to receive the saving grace of our Lord. It is only our own powerful reception of His grace that renders us able to share it with others.
As a part of St. Andrew’s, there are many opportunities available to observe this season of Lent. Seriously, check out the beautiful Lent page Tim put together on our website.
Finally, I want to encourage you to consider taking on the traditional Lenten discipline of fasting, not as a regimen for the body, but as a practice for the soul. One can fast desserts, or from alcohol, or from meat on Fridays. One can also fast from social media, leaving the tv news on in the background, or trips to Starbucks.
Whatever you fast from, fasting is about acknowledging — and trying to break — the dependence we develop on the good things in our life that are not God. And as we do that, fasting has a remarkable way of revealing the ungodly things that have a hold on us, things like anger, bitterness, jealously, lust, envy, and pride. Fasting helps peels back the spiritual covers on our own lives and make room for God's grace to get in there.
At least, consider giving it a shot?
Whatever your Lenten observance, tomorrow is day one. Day one of forty. I pray you, and all of us at St. Andrew’s, have a holy Lent.
In Christ,
Fr. Andrew
