{"id":1040,"date":"2010-02-24T03:01:23","date_gmt":"2010-02-24T03:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/02\/live-blogging-lent-lent-is-odd.html"},"modified":"2010-02-24T03:01:23","modified_gmt":"2010-02-24T03:01:23","slug":"live-blogging-lent-lent-is-odd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/02\/live-blogging-lent-lent-is-odd.html","title":{"rendered":"Live Blogging Lent: Lent is Odd"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 2 of series: Live Blogging Lent
\n<\/em>Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nLent is odd.
\nThere are several reasons for this. One has to do with the length of Lent. If you were to ask people how long Lent is, you\u2019d probably hear \u201cforty days.\u201d This period of time is usually connected to Jesus\u2019 sojourn in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry, which lasted forty days (Mark 1:13). The length of Jesus\u2019 wilderness time is itself based on the forty years in which Israel wandered in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land (Exod 16:35). So Lent is a kind of wilderness experience for Christians, a forty-day period of focusing and fasting, a time of preparation for something momentous.
\nBut if you were actually to count the number of days in Lent, beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter, you\u2019d get a total of forty-six days. You might wonder if Christians are really so bad at counting days as it seems. In fact, the Lenten season does include forty-six days, but the six Sundays during Lent are not counted in the number. There are different reasons for this odd enumeration of Sundays. The one I\u2019ve heard most commonly is that Sunday is a day for remembering and celebrating Christ\u2019s resurrection, and this means that Sunday\u2019s don\u2019t really reflect Lenten themes.
\nLent is also an odd season because it\u2019s not correlated with anything in popular culture that sets it apart. This may well be for the best. But it means that Lent doesn\u2019t get much attention. By contrast, the season of Advent contains plenty of reminders that something special is on the way, namely Christmas. Lent, on the contrary, is largely ignored in our society. You don\u2019t tend to hear Lenten carols playing in the malls during the month of March. Stores aren\u2019t expecting much of a boost in sales because of Lent. No economic stimulus here. (Some restaurants do promote special Lenten fare. I noted the following sign last year at the Luby\u2019s in Kerrville, Texas. This Luby\u2019s is now closed. I guess the Lenten promo didn\u2019t work well enough.)
\nMost of us won\u2019t be hearing Lenten music in our homes, either. In fact, most of us probably don\u2019t own recordings of music for Lent. We might not even be able to name any specifically Lenten music. And if we could identify music that\u2019s suitable for Lent, it might not be something we would want to hear for an entire forty days (or forty six, counting the Sundays). You don\u2019t get to do much decking of the halls in Lent. No joy to the world, either.
\nLent is odd in the sense that it is culturally peculiar. It\u2019s different from what our culture deems worthwhile. You don\u2019t find many ads on television, for example, that encourage you to rest, reflect, and repent. Pop culture wants to fill our lives with stuff and noise and activity and acquisition, the very things Lent encourages us to let go of. Fasting doesn\u2019t get the spotlight. And, if we take Jesus seriously, it shouldn\u2019t.
\nLent asks us to do odd things, like give up something we enjoy, or spend more time in quiet reflection, or invest our time in something that is for others rather than ourselves, or consider our sinfulness, or wait without expectation of instant gratification. In a world of noise, Lent invites us to be quiet. In a world of activity, it offers stillness. In a world of self-promotion, it asks for repentance. In a world of self-reliance, it calls us to lean back into the strong arms of God.
\nLike I said, Lent is odd. I don’t mean this in a bad way. Sometimes odd is good. But odd is rarely easy or pleasant. Odd takes intentionality and effort. Just like Lent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 2 of series: Live Blogging Lent Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series Lent is odd. There are several reasons for this. One has to do with the length of Lent. If you were to ask people how long Lent is, you\u2019d probably hear \u201cforty days.\u201d This period of time is usually…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holy-week-easter"],"yoast_head":"\nLive Blogging Lent: Lent is Odd - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1040"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1040\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}