An Explanation of Lent

I don't know if it's because Easter is so late this year (Apr 24), but Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season crept up on me suddenly. Going into Advent this year, I wanted to experience the fullness of the Church Calendar Year as a way to relive the story of the Gospel afresh. Like a drama with several acts, I committed myself to experiencing the drama of Advent, Epiphany, and now Lent. Before I lead my family through this, I thought that it would be worthwhile to experience it myself.

I never really grew up celebrating the Church calendar thinking that it was only for Catholics or overly traditional/liturgical 'high church'. None of my pastors growing up ever taught on Advent or Lent - it seemed that the only 'holidays' that mattered for my Christian pilgrimage were Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter. It's only when I started serving with my senior pastor, David McDowell, that I sensed a richness to the Church calendar that I was largely ignorant of. So if you're like me, let me give you a brief introduction as to why Lent matters and what it stands for. I'm indebted to Bobby Gross' succinct explanation of Lent in his book, Living the Christian Year. It's a very helpful look at the entire Christian year, its significance, and practical ways to observe it. It also comes with devotions that follow the Christian Lectionary.

So here are some of my thoughts about Lent.

1. Lent is a time of introspection and preparation. One Orthodox theologian called it a time of 'bright sadness'. It's a time of penitence recognizing the sinfulness that has alienated us from God, requiring the greatest and most precious of all sacrifices, Jesus the Son of God. But it is also a time of hopeful preparation precisely because the sacrifice has been made, and Jesus has risen from the dead.

On Ash Wednesday, the officiant will usually say something like, "From dust you came and to dust you shall return." It reminds us of our own mortality as well as our own moral culpability.

2. Lent is a time of deeper reflection on the lasting impact of Jesus' life and death and life again on our own lives today. CNN's belief/religion blog put a poll out on what people were giving up for Lent. One of the recurring sentiments was how the period of giving up something was to better oneself or to detox. This approach to fasting or giving something up is missing the point of introspection and preparation. It's precisely because we could not better ourselves that Jesus came. The purpose of Lent is to spend a 40-day period intentionally examining the dark places of our soul and recognizing that Jesus' death covers that too. Lent leads me to repentance, to an awareness that I need a Savior today, and that my waywardness cost Jesus his very life. I can't improve myself. I'm dead without Jesus. I need saving not improving.This is related to my third thought about Lent.

3. Lent is a time to fast and break our physical/social/emotional enslavements to our bodies and/or the things of this world. I've realized in my own fasts how much my body/mind/soul are dependent on things other than God, how much those things control me. In essence, fasting recalibrates my need for the thing(s) given up. As it relates to Lent, I fast because I see that I am still in need of the grace of Jesus today to break me free from the things that enslave my heart. In giving up coffee, Internet, Facebook, or whatever else, I recognize that those things don't have the power to save me, but they do have the power to control me. It is sola Christus - Christ alone. If we relegate the practice of fasting to some religious activity that we use as leverage against God, "God, I'm fasting from this so that you need to do this," or even some humanistic agenda, "I'm fasting so that I, by my sheer willpower and self-discipline, can make myself as better person," then we've missed the point. Fasting shows us how weak and needy we continue to be, and is a means to remove whatever obstacles keep us from real life. It's a statement that declares how much we want to desire Christ more than those things even as those thing continue to battle against us.

4. Lent is a time to engage in humble service. As we look inward, we also look outward. Meditating on Jesus' resolution and determination to go to the cross for us causes us to break out of our own selfish patterns and habits. Fasting and giving up the distractions and obstacles causes us to see clearly what really matters in this world - the advancement of God's kingdom among all peoples. As I give up myself because Christ gave up himself, I realize that I have been given so much to give to others.

5. Lent is a time to return to God. By repentance, meditation, and fasting, it is a time to humble ourselves knowing that our merciful God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Lent affords us the opportunity to walk through the valley, and end up at the cross, and even better, the empty tomb!

I reflect. I repent. I recalibrate. I return. What an opportunity to experience the power of the Gospel in the drama of the doctrine. If you've shrugged off Lent, or written it off as an outdated stuffy church ritual, I hope that you'll not pass up on this opportunity to experience the Gospel afresh.

Thoughts on the End of the World

I was recently pointed to this CNN article about a band of Christians who claim that the end of the world is going to be on May 21. Leaving their lives behind, they have formed a caravan that is going around the country warning people of the coming judgment. This is not the first time a small sect of Christians with an over-realized eschatology have pronounced a 'turn or 'burn' message of impending doom (not even the first time from the leader of this group!) I have several criticisms about their message and something I'm challenged about at the same time. First, my criticisms.

1. The members of this group have no assurance that they are going to be among the elect. One person was quoted, "If I'm here on May 22, it means that I wasn't one of the elect." What a distortion of the doctrine of election! The way that the article makes it sound, election is just a fanciful whim of God not based at all on the saving work of Jesus and faith. I find it very troublesome that a person could have such conviction about the veracity of the end, but no confidence that he/she will be on the winning side.

You have no way of knowing that you are part of the elect until the event actually happens?! Though unconditional election may be founded in the heart and mind of God, the evidence of that election certainly is not. Holiness, the fruit of the Spirit, and good works - these are signs of regeneration which is a sign that you are the elect. On a practical note, if even leaving my entire life behind to join this crusade doesn't guarantee me rapture, then why bother?

2. Their mission is not to save anyone, but only to warn? What good is a warning if there is no offer of deliverance or salvation? Imagine that you're driving down a road, and your brakes are out. Is it enough of a duty to just tell you that the bridge ahead of you is out? Just a warning? That doesn't seem very compassionate at all.

3. There's no mention of Jesus, atonement, or resurrection. In everything that was reported about their message, there's no talk of the cross, the victory won there, or atonement. Only that Christ will return. No wonder that these folks have no assurance that they'll participate in the rapture. Theirs is wishful thinking, not at all based on the objective work of the cross.

4. Any claim to specialized knowledge (whether from study of the Scriptures or angelic announcements or visitations) needs to be scrutinized and subject to a larger body of witnesses especially if that knowledge is said to be for the world (or even a church). While I am open to the Lord giving visions to individuals concerning personal salvation, Harold Camping's claims smack of Gnosticism, a 2nd-3rd century heresy in which those who are saved boast of a secretly revealed knowledge. How is it that Camping had such clever insight when no one else does from the same Scriptures? Any sort of claim to privatized, subjective, specialized revelation needs to be cautiously examined.

On a related note, this story reminds me of the tension we see in Scripture concerning the end times. On one hand, the Scriptures say that no one knows the hour of the Lord's return likening it to a thief sneaking up on you in the night (1 Thess 5:2-4; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 3:3, 16:15 among others). On the other hand, the Scriptures also suggest that there will be signs to accompany the Lord's return (eg: Matt 24; Mark 13; 2 Thess 2). What to make of this dilemma?

Some scholars have suggested that Paul's own eschatology changed as his early expectation was the imminent return of Jesus. Upon delay, Paul revised his eschatology to look for signs. I don't have space on this post to exegetically treat these topics. I've written a paper to resolve Paul's apparently contradictory teaching in 1 & 2 Thess. Email me, and I'll send it to you. I would also point you to some good Gospel commentaries to think about how Jesus saw his own return. What we do need to recognize, however, is that there is a tension, and this tension should inform our ethics now. Which brings me to the lesson I was reminded of by these would-be prophets.

For all that I disagree and disapprove of, I love that their belief that the Lord's return is only about two months away has caused them to act. Think about it. If our world knew the end was coming on May 21 and really believed it, would they spend it trying to warn people and live holy lives or would they spend it on themselves, wantonly pursuing a lifestyle of hedonism and nihilism (eat, drink, be merry, for tomorrow we die)? However mistaken these folks might be, this much is true - they are acting on it.

The end is informing their life NOW. And isn't that the way all Christians are to live? Isn't that Paul's argument in 1 Cor 15? That if there is no resurrection (a physical resurrection that all those who are in Christ will participate in as He is the firstfruits), then our lives should be pitied? Observe also how Paul concludes his grand and intricate discussion of the resurrection in 1 Cor 15. "Therefore, my brothers, stand firm, let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

That's it! In light of the resurrection, don't just toss in the towel. Don't just put your head up in the clouds. Don't just pursue your own fancies here. Live for Jesus in the now knowing that his coming again is as certain as the fact that he's raised from the dead.

So in a strange way, I'm challenged by the over-realized, end times, doom-and-gloom prophets. I think they're dead wrong, but I'm challenged to live out my faith in obedience, mission, and deliberate intention as I wait for and usher in, the return of Jesus.

Are you typical?

A fun and interesting picture of the globe's ever changing population.

The Power of God's Word

Ever since college, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the translation of God's Word for the more than 340 million people in the world who don't have the Bible in their heart language. I remember when I was an intern in Papua New Guinea with Wycliffe Bible Translators. We went on a three-day canoe journey upriver to a logging camp to buy some lumber for our village. While there, we ran into some natives from a village further upriver (another two days travel). Mark, one of our village leader's sons, explained to the leader of the other village who we were (two white dudes and an Asian aren't all that common in the jungle of Papua New Guinea). He explained that we were there translating the powerful words of Almighty God for them. At this, the village leader was stunned. "Someone has come to give you the words of God?! How can we get someone to come?! We will pay pigs! We will build a house! Will someone come?! Will you come!?"

At this, I remember watching the missionary we were with lower his head in shame saying that no one could come because there weren't enough people. The village leader's countenance fell dead. He just turned and walked away with the other men who had come with him. I never saw him again.

Watching this video today reminded me of the power of God's Word and the importance of translating the Bible. It brought me to tears. I hope you will rejoice with me.

Why everyone should play more video games

Though I don't agree with Jane McGonigal's presentation on how gaming can affect the real world, I think her talk represents one of the growing trends among young adults and youth today - the need for myth. Every culture needs myth: simply put, we may say that myths are ways of explaining the world and interpreting it. The idea of a myth does not mean something necessarily false or true - it might be a metaphor or illustration, or it might be a straightforward definition. For most of human history, these myths were transmitted in the form of oral culture - stories, fables, or tales told to explain deep principles about the world we live in.

More recently, movies have been and continue to be a way to communicate myth. These days we are seeing the rise of video games as the next great medium for communicating and even experiencing myth. What I mean by experiencing myth is the idea that every good myth has some story element to it, some way of incorporating the listener as a participant or potential character in the story. Think about it. The last movie that really resonated with you or spoke to you did so because you identified with something about the story. It struck a chord with you.

Video games become popular as they allow you not to just play the game, but to participate in its world. It's no longer about just moving a character around, you identify with it, develop it, and hopefully succeed with it. Even sports-themed games have the opportunity to develop a team, a player, a franchise. First-person, shoot 'em up games are similar.

Jane talks about the contrast between a guy who is about to have an "epic win" and what we often feel about our own lives. She shows two pictures - one of elation and confidence, the other of a sign saying, "I'm not good at life." She makes the right observation that we are not motivated to do something that matters, that we are not confident, feel defeated, and cynical about life.

She notes that the sheer amount of time that gamers put into games (~10,000 hours) is making them good at something. That is, something is drawing them to the game world over the real world. Four values describe this 'something':

1. Urgent optimism - the passion and urgency to do it now. They believe they are capable of changing the fantasy world.
2. Tight social fabric - the shared experience one has with someone you game with whether physically or virtually.
3. Blissful productivity - we are happier working hard.
4. Epic meaning - gamers want to be attached to awe-inspiring mission, building an epic story.

The fantasy world that a video game provides ensures these four values to come together with guaranteed success because it is exactly that, a fantasy world. The real world is downright disappointing, scary, and too huge so gamers retreat to this world. Real life is just not satisfying.

Although her observations are very insightful, her proposed solution is not. She concludes that since we are more willing, more confident, and more 'productive' in our video games, that we must play more games, and that if the games simply had more realistic elements, the same video-gaming skills could be used to solve real problems.

I find this solution to be problematic for several reasons.

1. She overlooks the fact that our addiction to video games reveals the deeper need for myth, a myth that has largely been dismissed by our naturalistic, materialistic worldview. The popularity of video games (and its subsequent social withdrawal) seems to be the result of our own doing. In breaking down everything phenomenon into its component, mechanistic parts, we have lost the sense of myth.

2. Her solution that we take the genre of the video game and simply fill it with more realistic details rests heavily on the optimism that humans can make a better future if they treat it as a myth. She ignores the deep-seated factors that make the real world so disheartening that gamers would retreat to a video game in the first place.

3. No matter how detailed the game, is it possible to truly simulate the complexity, unpredictability, and sometimes senselessness of the world we live in?

4. Who is going to waken the gamers up to reality? Do we just continue to deceive them into participating in reality without them knowing?

What McGonigal is offering is really the call to an epic story. She is calling gamers to be part of a myth, and instead of making that myth rooted in fantastical, escapist realms, we must call them to live out a true myth that is rooted in the real world of sin, suffering, hope, peace, and love. The Gospel is such a myth (and a true one at that), and it is not based on the optimism that we can make the future, but that the future is precisely in the hands of the one who calls us to partake in it.

I am grateful for McGonigal's talk because it reminds me that we all have the desire for an epic adventure, hard work, development along the journey. This is nothing less than discipleship - taking up your cross, denying yourself, and following him. Let's pray that gamers recognize there's a real adventure waiting for us if we'd only break out of our fantasy world and see.