Tower and Town, March 2022

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Clergy Letter

Lent – redeeming the days, one at a time.

‘Even now,’ declares the Lord,
    ‘return to me with all your heart,
    with fasting and weeping and mourning.’
Rend your heart
    and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
   for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
   and he relents from sending calamity.
(Joel 2.12-13)

We Christians are inclined to regard Lent primarily as a period of abstinence and ‘the performance of less’. We are tempted – yet again – to think that the depth of God’s approval depends somehow on us.

New York pastor Revd Dr Tim Keller addresses this head-on:

In religion we only are sorry for sin because of its consequences to us. It will bring us punishment - and we want to avoid that. So we repent. But the gospel tells us that sin can't ultimately bring us into condemnation (Rom 8:1). Its heinousness is therefore what it does to God - it displeases and dishonours him.

Thus in religion, repentance is self-centred; the gospel makes it God-centered. In religion we are mainly sorry for the consequences of sin, but in the gospel we are sorry for the sin itself.

Furthermore, 'religious' repentance is self-righteous. Repentance can easily become a form of 'atoning' for the sin. Religious repentance often becomes a form of self-flagellation in which we convince God (and ourselves) that we are so truly miserable and regretful that we deserve to be forgiven. In the gospel, however, we know that Jesus suffered and was miserable for our sin.

We do not have to make ourselves suffer in order to merit forgiveness. We simply receive the forgiveness earned by Christ... In religion we earn our forgiveness with our repentance, but in the gospel we just receive it.

It’s not that we aren’t called periodically to repentance, as in Lent – it’s just that our repentance doesn’t earn the forgiveness of God. This is what Tim Keller means by ‘religion’. Rather, God’s forgiveness is His gift to His children who wish to put their relationship with Him right again.

The essence of Lent is not physical or emotional self-abasement but rather, a change of direction. This is brought about by our desire to align ourselves with God’s will and way, and then to do so with His help. There may well need to be weeping and mourning; to deny that is to do ourselves harm. But the grace of God, free and actually a bit scandalous in its graciousness, shows us that this will give way to peace and joy. And fasting is not an end in itself – but rather a way of refocusing.

May your journey through Lent allow you to know that He loves you, and more than that, to know Him. Be blessed in these spring days and evenings.

In Christ, with you in Marlborough.

Revd Pete Sainsbury is Team Vicar and Worship Director in the Marlborough Anglican Team

Pete Sainsbury