"Weak Season"

One aspect of life here at Briercrest that I've found to be rich is daily chapel. From Monday to Thursday we gather together as a school and spend time worshiping God and hearing from His Word. Today's message, from our chaplain Cal McFarlane, introduced the Season of Lent that begins today on Ash Wednesday.

As an illustration for Lent, Cal brought his pet Labrador on stage and showed how excited and preoccupied his dog was from concerning itself with its master. The dogs tail wagged hysterically while it quickly paced back and forth on the short leash it was given. Cal rightly observed that the dogs mannerisms often reflect the spastic pace of many of our Christian lives. We are in a constant state of preoccupation with the things we invest in and the reality is that often God is pushed aside or wedged into the middle of our engagements.

After getting a hold of his dog, Cal put a muzzle on the dogs snout whose mannerisms became suddenly different. Instead of its spastic energy it was calm, attentive and humble.

This is what the Season of Lent is intended to produce in us as we prepare for Easter Sunday. Since our culture and churches are becoming increasingly secularized, this discipline of Lent is a helpful means in which we can stop, sacrifice our time and passions, and consider the weight of our sins. This is a time where, just like the muzzled dog, we can shut up, confess our total inadequacy before God, strip ourselves of pretense of righteousness, of pride, perfection tendencies and remember how needy we are for Him.

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin" Psalm 51:1

This produces a quiet expectation and a sanctification of the Holy Spirit to purge the things that do not reflect the character of God and build us up and make us more into who we truly are, a creature made by God intended to respond to Him.

I hope you can take this season of Lent as an opportunity to be receptive and cooperative with the Holy Spirit. Let us be still and concern ourselves with the heart of God and repent of the things He exposes in our lives that aren't from Him.

It will be on Easter Sunday, as Cal shared, that we will truly be able to celebrate the resurrection of the Son of God who takes away the sins of the world.

"You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:16-17