As we are now in the midst of Lent it is good to remind ourselves of the spiritual opportunities and insights the season affords us. Taking hold of these opportunities can help us to grow in our walk with Christ.
The season of Lent is often thought of as a season of repentance, a season of letting go sinful behaviors. For many people this then often becomes a kind of spiritual New Year celebration where we give up things or make sacrifices like a series of end of winter resolutions. Too often these ideas are more self-serving rather than Christ serving.
The word metanoia is the Greek word translated in the New Testament as repent or repentance. Often it becomes focused on as a turning away from our sinfulness and sinful behaviors. In contrast, the opposite is true when we understand its origins. Metanoia is more of a turning to something, specifically, turning to God. Metanoia in its root meanings from the Greek means to directed to or to have a higher mind or higher knowing. It is for one to be filled with the will and knowledge of God.
So instead of turning away from our sinful self-desires with no clear place or idea of where or what we are turning to among the myriad of possibilities we instead are turning to God and divine wisdom and insight for our lives. Beginning with Jesus baptism by John in the Jordan and the temptations in the wilderness our Lenten lessons point us to God as our source or life and knowledge of how to live in a hostile and dangerous world.
Consider this example. A person struggling with addiction may know their life is in complete chaos, broken and not working. They may again and again attempt to stop abusing drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, eating or whatever in their life holds them captive. Again and again they fail and return to their physical, emotional and spiritual captivity. In the Gospel of Matthew this very idea is put forward. 12: 43 "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. In the insights above we can expect this failure because they are only attempting to turn away from something; they are not turning to anything. Instead we need to turn to and be filled with the Spirit and Word of God.
Metanoia points us and the addict to the idea of turning towards God and trusting that God’s love is sufficient to free us, keep us, and hold us safe from our past and our failures. Metanoia means finding a higher knowledge and allowing that new way to become our way.
How does this happen? It can happen through daily reading scripture privately. It can be by participating in Bible Study and Sunday School in community with other Christians. It can be through conversations with people like pastors. And it can be through rededicating ourselves to participating in worship and the means of grace remembering our baptism in confession and receiving God’s forgiveness in the promises of the Lord’s Supper.
One thing I can promise you is that if you are truly repentant in the sense of metanoia it must be about receiving a new mind and a higher wisdom. Simply trying to walk away for our past and our sins is a recipe for failure because it receives nothing new. Only God who is the source and power of all creation and makes things new. He promises us a new heaven and a new earth and that you are, also, made new in Christ.
This Lent start now discovering ways to learn about and to receive this new life, every day and every way. Grace and peace to you from the one who makes all things new.