A Mess, God Wants To Bless!

Now technically – you’re to give up things for Lent.  

Right?  

But one thing -- I’ll confess – that’s difficult for me to give up during any season – including the Lenten season – are sweet things.   And for good reason: Lent often coincides with a string of birthdays in our family – which feature sweet things.  Now frankly the sweetest thing we have at birthday celebrations is one of my favorite things – carrot cake.  Anybody here love carrot cake?   Why it’s a staple at many of our celebratory events – including Robin’s birthday celebration recently.   

But it’s ironic that carrot cake brings such joy – since carrot cake – or any cake for that matter – is created out of a lot of travail.  I mean a glorious carrot cake begins with a mess of ingredients – all slung out over a kitchen preparation area.  Ingredients like white sugar – all-purpose flour – baking soda – and vanilla extract.   But ‘at the heart’ of a great carrot cake – are four particular ingredients:  carrots, of course – eggs -- cinnamon – and pecans.  But not just any carrots – eggs – cinnamon – and pecans.  But grated carrots – cracked eggs – ground cinnamon – and chopped pecans.  Translated:  ingredients – that are sliced down – cracked open – pulverized – and even wounded a bit.  But that’s the nature of a great outcome:  sometimes things need to be whittled down to size – traumatized -- humbled – bruised – even broken open.

Lent is ultimately about a great outcome, for literally Lent means:  spring tide -- anticipatory of Easter -- and a victorious, renewed, tasty life.  

But the process of preparing a tasty life -- requires -- a batch of traumatized ingredients – that are sliced down – cracked open – pulverized – and broken.   

Frankly brokenness is the hardest part of Lent -- as we’re called to confess to the Lord that indeed we are wounded, messy, sinful folks.  

Now technically the process of confessing is called penitence – contrition – or remorse.  Frankly it’s a sorrowful – sober exercise – as we ‘fess up’ – we really are a mess – but a mess -- that wants to be blessed -- by God.  The result?  God does bless – for as prophet Isaiah reminds us:  “these are the ones I look on with favor:  those who are humble and contrite in spirit, who tremble at my word…”  (Isaiah 66:2). 
         

Frankly the church has been trembling for a long time – for remorse, penitence has long been a part of Lenten observance and tradition.  Now for years, penitence required mortification -- that is literal pain, hurt and injury to the body.  For example St. Dominic Loricatus performed penitence by chanting 20 psalms and enduring 300,000 lashes over six days.   St. Francis of Assisi literally received the stigmata --- that is the wounds of Jesus -- reenacted and inflicted on his own body.  And St. Ignatius of Loyola wore a hair shirt and a heavy iron chain, along with a cord tied below the knee.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortification_in_Roman_Catholic_teaching.   

But friends I have good news:  remorse, penitence – biblically -- does not require mortification; we don’t need to wound and injury our body.  Rather -- biblically -- remorse, penitence requires heart-felt sorrow – that ‘says out loud’ – the four hardest words in the English language – I was really wrong.  Then the three hardest words in the English language – I screwed up.   Then the two hardest words in the English language – I sinned.  And then the hardest word in the English language – help!    

I don’t know about you but I don’t like to ask for help.  But when you’re wrong – when you screw up – when you sin – you need help.  And friends:  God is more than willing to indeed help; 

I mean it really is true:  when we confess we’re a mess – God does bless!  

And so this Lenten season confess – you’re a mess – and then – expect the blessing of the Lord.