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“Lent? Who has the time????”

It’s fair to say that we are a busy people. I recently came across a quote that sums this up pretty well saying, “If the devil doesn’t cause you to sin, he’ll just keep you really busy.” And right away I was inspired & I thought, “Well, dang doesn’t that just describe my struggle with Lent? I mean, seriously, who has the time nowadays to fit in more prayer, more faith practices?”

Lent is the season that we set apart for prayer, sacrifice, & fasting. Did you know that one definition of the word “holy” is set apart? Lent is a holy time, set apart. But if you’re anything like me & the people I’ve talked to the setting apart doesn’t come easy. Even in this holy season there’s work to be done, tests to take, laundry to do, kids to be deposited at various activities. How do we slow down in all of this & truly set apart time for prayer & deep breaths & life-giving conversation? Which, after all is what Jesus spent his time doing.

I would have made a horrible Jesus. If I knew that I had just 3 years to spread God’s message of love to the world in such a way that it would last for all time I would have been going crazy. Something like this, “Alright disciples let run down this week’s schedule once more: Peter, you & James go & explain to the Pharisees one more time why its Ok to cast out demons on the Sabbath, try to use some sort of metaphor, that usually keeps them busy for a few days. John, Andrew, & the other James there are a bunch of lepers in Galilee who could use some healing, take care of that will ya? Mary, can you confirm our dinner plans at the tax collector’s house on Wednesday? Good. Let’s see what else? John the Baptist is still in prison, Lazarus just croaked, we’ve to clean out the Temple, my mother wants some help catering a friends wedding, we’re hosting a mountaintop picnic for 5,000 on Saturday. Judas seems to have wandered off some where again. Mark, can you go find him? Tomas, stop doubting! As I have explained before, “If God is for us who can be against us?” Clearly a ministry like that would have burned out in a few short months.

Instead, Jesus modeled the gift of spending quality time with those he loved. This includes time set apart to be with his Father in prayer. Immediately after being baptized Jesus spends forty days in the desert before beginning his baptism. He sets this time apart before setting out to proclaim the Gospel message. This is what Lent is meant to be for us as well, a time set apart in preparation to renew our Baptismal call, that we may live out the Gospel message more fully.

Did you ever notice how often when Jesus prays he does it on a mountain or some remote location? Think about it, climbing a mountain or going on a pilgrimage is a sacrifice. Mountaintops are so darn high & difficult to get to. It’s a serious commitment to setting time apart. In next Sunday’s Gospel Jesus & his disciples are on a mountaintop. They get away from the craziness of their life to follow God’s will. As difficult as these journeys are it is on the mountaintop that miraculous things happen. That is where God’s will & glory is revealed.

I’m not suggesting that we all need to spend this Lent wandering a desert or climbing mountains looking for glowing apparitions of prophets. But I do know that I want my life to be seeped in God’s will & glory. What I am suggesting is that prayer can be one way to achieve this. Sometimes for us with our crazy schedules, spending time in prayer with God is like climbing a mountain. First, you have decide to set apart the time when perhaps you can think of 50 things that sound more fun, easier & appealing than climbing a mountain. It takes discipline to climb a mountain, just as it does to set apart time with God. If you’re out of shape the way to the top can be incredibly grueling. If you’re out of practice with prayer this can be a frustrating thing. How do we find our way back to God? But the Scriptures remind us that God never leaves us.

Prayer is not about calling God back to us. God hasn’t moved. Prayer is about turning ourselves back to the Lord. If this is difficult for you, if the second you set yourself down for a quiet moment you either fall asleep or your mind immediately fills up with thoughts of this world, take baby steps. Don’t try to jump right into prayer. Simply seek the silence. Listen to your breath, that breath is our connection to the Holy Spirit who lives & breathes in us. This is your path to the mountaintop of the Lord. And the mountaintop is where God’s glory is revealed.

This Lent let us sacrifice that which, while it does not cause us to sin, keeps us too busy to visit the mountaintop of the Lord. Let us pray to see God’s glory in the quiet moments of our lives.

For up to date thoughts on Lent check out my musings on theIntersection Teen Ministry site.