Exposed

Simeon makes it clear that Jesus will be a controversial figure (see Luke 2:34-5). He will be a sign that is spoken against, and the thoughts of many will be laid bare. I suspect that many sermons and academic papers could be written exploring these words in the context of Jesus’ life, but I want to focus on the last point: that the thoughts of many will be laid bare. Whatever is meant in the original context, these words seem appropriate as we reach the midpoint of our Lenten fast. They remind me, also, of John 3: 18-21. It seems that Jesus, and our response to him, is what judges us, not some angry, condemnatory God. It is in seeing Jesus that our thoughts will be revealed.

It is more complicated than that, and it is important that we do not use these verses out of context. But I think that this is part of what Lent is about: to reveal our hidden thoughts, to lay bare what we keep from ourselves, that our response to Jesus may be more and more about him, and less and less about us; that we may increasingly expose ourselves to the love God has for us, and allow ourselves to be redeemed and transformed into who God created us to be. Yes, Lent is a penitential season, but that can be a reason for rejoicing; it is not a negative season, unless we want to make it so. It can be helpful to give something up for Lent, but Lent is about far more than not eating chocolate for six weeks; it is an opportunity to spend time in the presence of God, and allow God to penetrate the secret thoughts of our hearts, bearing in mind that God knows us through and through anyway. The secret thoughts of our hearts are those which we hide from ourselves; those which we think we hide from God; those which we cannot acknowledge.

Of course, that process will take far longer than Lent; it is not something which we are pressured to do, for God understands that we are not always ready to expose those secret thoughts; also, that it may well take much hard work, with the wise counsel of others. There may be, indeed almost certainly will be, some thoughts which are still hidden in our hearts when we die. God understands that. This is not about becoming perfect, which is impossible in any case; it is not about exposing parts of ourselves to others when it would not be appropriate to do so; it is not about forcing ourselves to see what is hidden, especially when, in some cases, there may be good reasons why it hides away. Lent is a season, where we engage with God, and allow the season to draw us closer; that may well involve exposing the secret thoughts of our hearts along the way, but it will never be a complete process. We still get to keep Lent the following year as well! It is about acknowledging that we are not where God would like us to be, that we have further to go on our journey. It is about allowing Lent to move us closer to God, however gradually.

How that happens, and what disciplines it involves, will look different for each person, and will change at different life stages. There may well be health reasons why we cannot give up food, for example; if we are busy, how we keep Lent may be far more limited than for someone who has more time. Giving up something for Lent can involve a helpful discipline, which allows us to ensure that we are not held captive by (food? Social media? or whatever); it can also be a help to take something on. Take an extra bit of prayer time, do a kind deed for someone, look out for what traps you. On top of that, there are Lent books, and often churches will run Lent groups, or extra services. Keeping Lent involves some preparation in advance, if we are to celebrate it properly.

But how is all this helpful for now, when we are half way through Lent? We will already have made those preparations; we will already be doing Lent. I wonder if it can be helpful to spend some time in this fourth week of Lent taking stock of what we are doing and why we are doing it. Are we keeping Lent as a ‘tick-box’ exercise, where we give something up, and read something extra, but are not really engaging with the season? Are we finding what we are doing difficult, in which case can we look at why? As we move towards the last weeks of Lent, and an increasing focus on Jesus’ passion, are we prepared for what is to come? Are we able to give ourselves the space to live through Holy Week? Where is our keeping of Lent in terms of our own spiritual journey? Has it exposed any ‘secret thoughts’ – and, if so, what can we do about that?

A true keeping of Lent, however limited that might need to be, will be a proper preparation for the celebration of Holy Week and Easter; to live through the events of Jesus’ passion, and to come to his resurrection, with all the glory that reveals. Liturgically, Lent can involve barer churches, with no flowers, for example; some churches are stripped down to the bare essentials for Good Friday, involving an absolute simplicity, with the glory of the Resurrection is celebrated in splendour. However we celebrate it, the Resurrection is not separate from Lent, but it’s true culmination. As we continue to our Lenten journey, may we use this time as space for God, space that can enhance our celebration of Easter, and inform the rest of our lives.