Dean Robert Munday of Nashotah House seminary posted an excellent comment about Lent at the blog Stand Firm. His words provide a great perspective on what Lent should really be all about:
We would do well to remember the purposes for which Jesus spent 40 days fasting and praying in the wilderness. He had no sins for which he needed to atone. We have no sins for which we are capable of atoning. If we could, what He did for us—what He had to do for us—would not have been necessary.
In a holy Lent, we need to spend time being reminded of our need to trust in the providence of God (“Do not put the Lord your God to the test”), the supremacy of God (“Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only”), and the sufficiency of His Word (“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”).
So Lent is really much more about what God adds to our lives as we spend intentional, focused time with Him rather than what we give up, because the Gospel is always about what God has done for us, not about what we do for Him.
You can read the full comment (and the original article and other comments) here.
Update: Dean Munday expanded on his comment in a post at his blog. Here’s the link to his entry.
