You may have noticed that Sundays during Lent are said to be Sundays in Lent rather than of Lent. I wouldn’t make too much of the distinction, but you discover that the only way to count forty days between Ash Wednesday and Easter is if you don’t include Sundays. This reflects a practice of some Christians in the fourth century of relaxing the Lenten fast on Sundays.

Repentance is a major theme of Lent. As I noted two weeks ago, baptism calls on us to let the sinful self die daily through contrition and repentance. So in a very sneaky way, I’m back to discussing being in, not of the world.

Repentance is something not of this world at all. In order to repent, someone has to do something wrong, and there is no wrong anymore, only getting caught. And if you do get caught who’s to say what’s right or wrong and besides, it’s not my fault. I watched too much TV or ate too many Twinkies or my evil twin did it. No repentance required.

Not so for the Christian. We need to review our lives from time to time reflecting on what we’ve done and left undone. Being in the world, we have to examine how we have treated others and whether we have worked for the sake of those in need. Where we have failed, we express regret and the repent, turn our lives around, try to do better. And, most important, we are forgiven by the gracious life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Read Matthew 4:17 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne