Reading the Gospels 4 LENT~ 44 Days of Drawing Near to God

I was raised Catholic, but I have not observed LENT for many years. This is not an attempt at confession. Instead, I would like to make a statement of faith.

I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe in the Triune God with Jesus as the second person of the Holy Trinity. I believe Jesus is the image of the invisible God and came to earth to win our salvation. I believe everything He said, and everything the writers of the Bible said He did. I believe the Bible is the inspired and infallible word of God, and a reliable account of the historical Jesus and His church. I believe Jesus is the only true way to God, and besides Him, there is no other salvation. I believe to be like Christ, I must know Christ better, and I may accomplish this through reading the Bible, through prayer, communion and fellowship.

With that being said, recently, I read an online article about LENT, which inspired me to write this blog. The last paragraph of the article reads as follows...

"Lent has historically been seen as a time of serious self-denial. In denying ourselves we are able to catch a glimpse of the cosmic self-denial made by the second person of the Trinity for the salvation of mankind. Although the 40-day period may have come about through translation problems, the 40-day period has been influential in the lives of countless saints to redirect our affections toward our Savior. Lent predates every denomination. In whatever way your local church celebrates Lent; let this season break you, wound you, destroy you, and humble you, so Jesus can be the center of your life and not you.”(1)

LENT is a celebration characterized by fasting and denial. In years past, I have known friends to deny themselves favorite things, such as chocolate, in order to connect with the self-denial of Christ. After reading the article and prayerfully considering these things, I decided to perform a LENT celebration of my own and I invite you to join me.

The thought began with the idea of redirecting my affections. There are so many things vying for my attention, and yours, today. I have been a Christian a long while, but I have not arrived. I can always use something to motivate me to draw closer to Jesus. LENT seemed like a good opportunity.

The next thought was about the opposite. Instead of denial, why not do something proactive to bring Jesus to the center of my life and not myself? I had several ideas. Instead of fasting from something for 40 days, why not do something Christ-centered for 40 days? A few ideas came to mind:

1. Share Christ with one person each day for 40 days. Here’s how:

• Intro the opportunity with someone by asking if they know what LENT is all about. A Jay Leno on the street approach.
• Briefly educate them about LENT and how it applies to Jesus Christ
• Present the person of Jesus Christ and why HE is important. Have a discussion.
• Present an opportunity to receive Christ and participate in observing LENT.

2. Write a postcard or letter of encouragement to one person each day for 40 days.

• Send the postcard or letter by snail mail. It will be more meaningful.

3. Determine to pray for at least one person, or ten minutes for several people each day for 40 days.

• Set a specific time when you won’t experience interruptions.
• Find a secluded spot without social or other media distractions
• Begin by thanking God and asking HIM to lead you in prayer.
• Pray for the people who come to mind, or use a list if you have one.
• End with thanksgiving and a time of quietness, or reading the Bible.

These are just a few ideas. I am sure you can come up with other creative, proactive things to do during LENT. If so, please share them here, and we can all benefit.

I don’t know if the following is explained by my being in Japan, but here goes. I have developed an obsession for learning all things Japanese. I have been reading Japanese history, studying Japanese language, cooking and art. In addition, both Dewayne and I have been watching television documentaries, which seem to focus on the World War II period. Following that line, we have checked-out and watched every WWII film we could get our hands on—one at a time of course. In addition, and because the library on base has a Japanese Cultural Room, I have been checking out books about religion and Christianity in Japan. One of those books is Kagawa of Japan by Ciril J. Davey.

Toyohiko Kagawa (1888-1960) was a staunch Buddhist, along with all his family. He was exposed to the New Testament out of a desire to learn English, and with instruction from American missionaries. One assignment was to read the Sermon on the Mount. The character of Jesus, and His love for all people is what most impressed Kagawa. However, he never read the end of the Gospel story. It was not until his teacher returned from a trip and explained, that Kagawa understood Jesus Christ had willingly died for the people, because He loved them. That same night, Toyohiko Kagawa received Christ as his Savior and uttered these words in a prayer, “Oh God, make me like Christ.”(2)

Afterwards, the author says, “The New Testament was a new book.”(3) Toyohiko Kagawa went on to live and work with the poorest of the poor in the slums of Tokyo. He authored books and served in various government positions. At the end of WWII, the humbled Japanese government sought a way to revive its people. They asked Toyohiko Kagawa to help instill the love, which Christ had for all people, into the heart of Japan.

This example sparked the final thought I had for observing LENT. My plan is to read the four Gospels for LENT. If I truly desire to be like Christ, and to know Him more, there is no better way than to read what He said and did.

I have spent many years reading the Bible, and used different methods to do so. For LENT I decided to create my own. I created the Gospels 4 LENT Reading Plan (click POST/link at right) to fit into the LENT calendar this year.

This is a leap year. We have an extra day in February. Typically, the LENT season is 40 days and begins on Ash Wednesday, which occurred on Feb 22, 2012. But I counted the days until Easter Sunday and beginning on Sunday Feb 26 – Easter Sunday, April 8, there are 43 days. Since I don’t really care for odd numbers, I created a 44 day plan, which takes us into Easter Monday, April 9, 2012.

So, I am going to read all 4 Gospels in 44 days. And, I propose you join me. I will blog each day whatever ramblings seem interesting to me and I would love it, if you would participate by leaving your comments and insights.

LENT 2012 can be a time where we can put aside the many distractions of our time and draw close to God. Perhaps we will share our faith with someone, or spend time praying for the needs of others. Perhaps we will echo the words and actions of Toyohiko Kagawa, “Oh God, make me like Christ,” and go serve the poorest of the poor in our city.

Whatever we do, I pray we will each do something proactive to remember and celebrate the sacrifice of our Savior.

BTW, I decided to practice the discipline of self-denial as well. I am fasting from one of my favorite things, something I love more than chocolate, pizza or popcorn. You guessed it, bread and butter.

Join me in observing LENT 2012. Let me know what you decide to do and God bless you as you draw closer to Jesus and make HIM the center of your life.

(1) Kimberley, Tim, online article, February 22, 2012, A Short History of Lent, www.reclaimingthemind.org

(2) (3) Davey, Cyril J., © 1960 The Epworth Press, Kagawa of Japan