Show Notes
In today’s episode, Derek explores the powerful season of Lent, kicking off with Ash Wednesday on March 5th. He reflects on his own journey embracing ancient Christian traditions like fasting, repentance, and self-reflection. Learn the deeper meaning behind Ash Wednesday and the symbolism of the ashes. Derek also shares his top picks for thoughtful Lenten readings, diving into theological books that uncover the mystery of the cross and Jesus’ death. Whether you’re new to Lent or a seasoned observer, tune in for practical insights to prepare your heart and mind for this sacred season.
Scriptures mentioned in this episode:
Isaiah 58:5
Daniel 9:3
Hebrews 12:1-2
Books mentioned in this podcast:
Violence, Hospitality, and the Crossby Hans Boersma
The Crucifixionby Fleming Rutledge
The Day the Revolution Began by N.T. Wright
N.T. Wright and the Revolutionary Cross by Derek Vreeland
Cross-Shattered Christby Stanley Hauerwas
The Wood Between the Worlds by Brian Zahnd
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Transcript
Narrator: Welcome to Peaceable and Kind, the podcast where we explore the transformation. Power of living out Jesus’ call to peace and kindness in our everyday lives. Each week your host, Derek Vreeland, will delve into the stories, scriptures, and practical steps that help us embody these essential Christian virtues.
Derek Vreeland: Welcome back to another episode of Peaceable and Kind. Thank you for joining me for this episode. My name is Derek Vreeland. I am your one. Man host here on Peaceable and Kind. And if you are new to us, I would love for you to subscribe wherever you are listening to this podcast. And if you enjoy the kind of content that I’m creating here, if you could leave a rating and review, I do appreciate that. And I’m excited to announce that I am starting a new podcast series. here on peaceable and kind, that will focus on the cross through the season of Lent So next Wednesday, March 5th, is Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent, and for the next seven Thursdays. I will be talking about the death of Jesus. Now, these episodes will, of course, Include Bible study and scripture. On some episodes, we might do a little bit of a deep dive on some scriptures that communicate to us the meaning of the cross, the meaning of the death of Jesus. I’ll have at least one interview. I’ll be having a conversation with a theologian friend about what the cross means. And of course, we’ll be talking about atonement theory and atonement theology. Atonement is the Christian word for how the death of Jesus saves us from our sins. And so I’m looking forward to this series because peaceable and kind, we kind of jump from topic to topic. But I think the season of Lent is so important that I want to dedicate seven episodes to be really focused on the cross, on the death of Jesus. And I’ll go ahead and set your expectation bar properly in saying that over these next seven episodes, I probably will not answer. every question that you have about the meaning of the death of Jesus. You know, for all of us Christians, we believe that the cross is at the very center of what we believe. We all believe that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Now, how the death of Jesus saves us is a question that Christians have debated for decades and centuries. Can I say millennia? Because while we believe in the centrality of the cross, the Bible, and throughout the history of the church, there have been different metaphors that have been employed to describe how Jesus saves us through his death. And I like to say first and foremost that the cross is mysterious. It’s mysterious in the sense that we’d never really get to the bottom of it. We will not be able to answer every question. But for me, the cross is a mystery that invites us to explore. It’s not a secret that God keeps to God’s own self and Because God doesn’t want to tell us how the death of Jesus saves us. It is a mystery that beckons exploration. And so we’ll be doing that for the next seven episodes. I am really looking forward to that. But today I want to help you prepare for Ash Wednesday, which is coming up next Wednesday. And perhaps you are like me, and you didn’t grow up in a church that observed things or practiced things like Ash Wednesday, Lent, Easter tide, Perhaps language like that is very foreign to you. I certainly didn’t grow up with those traditions. These are things that I have Incorporated into my faith later in life. My wife and I have three sons. Our older two boys were born pretty close to each other. in 1999 and 2000, and then my youngest son was born in 2009. So there is this 10-year gap between our older two boys and our and our younger son. And my older two boys, they grew up at a time when I was just discovering these ancient traditions. So they really had to add it into their life like I added it into mine because I didn’t grow up this way. And when my older two boys were younger, we didn’t incorporate that kind of language in how we worshiped My younger son, however, has grown up knowing about the church calendar with all of its seasons. This is just normal for us I grew up in a context of people who loved Jesus and loved the church and loved the Bible but did not give as much attention to the ancient traditions. And Ash Wednesday is one of those older traditions. So maybe I should begin with a little bit of an introduction. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. Which is that forty day season on the Christian calendar that prepares us for Easter Now the 40-day period from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday doesn’t include the Sundays during that time just Monday through Saturday because every Sunday is a mini celebration of the resurrection The reason the earliest Christians, those apostles who were all Jewish, the reason they moved our day of worship from the Sabbath, Saturday, to Sunday, was because Sunday was the day that the Lord rose from the dead. Sunday is always a celebration of resurrection. So everything is not doom and gloom necessarily through the season of Lent. Lent is a time for drawing back. It’s a time for repentance and self-reflection and self-examination and confession of sin and fasting and Lent is a season for drawing back, but not everything is doom and gloom because every Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection. But it is a time to prepare. Because what I’ve learned about the season of Lent, which begins next Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, what what I’ve learned is that if we don’t do anything to prepare for Easter, for the Easter celebration, Then Easter rolls around and the focus is on Easter bunnies and Easter eggs and Easter candy. And by the way, I am here for all of it. I am pro-Bunny. I am pro Easter egg. I love all the Easter candy. Years ago on a Sunday morning, I made a comment that I uh that I even love uh the peeps, you know, those sugary, marshmallowy. uh candy treats that we get around Easter time. On a Sunday morning I’d mentioned how much I like those. Now I said that to be kind of funny because you see peeps in the grocery store just piled up. You see them in all the grocery stores. They keep making them, but I don’t know anyone who actually likes eating them. So I made a joke about, hey, I even like Easter peeps. And since that time, every Easter season, I get boxes and boxes of those peeps. And I’ve now begun to tell people, you know, I like them, but I don’t love them that much. So I’m here for all of that Easter celebration. The bunnies, the eggs, the candy. I’m good with all of it. But if we are going to remember and celebrate the entire meaning behind Easter, we need that focus not And so the season of Lent Allows us to enter into the sorrow of Jesus that we might experience the joy of the resurrection of Jesus come Easter Sunday morning And so all of that, that entire season, it’s like six and a half weeks. This entire season begins next Wednesday on Ash Wednesday. Now it’s called Ash Wednesday because ashes are a sign of humility and repentance. You see this in various places throughout the scripture. Here’s just a couple of examples. Isaiah 58, 5 Where the prophet Isaiah speaking on God’s behalf is talking about the kind of fasting that God desires. And it is the kind of fasting that produces humility in order that we might care for others. But here’s Isaiah 58, 5 It says, Is such the fast that I choose a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Now Isaiah fifty eight is talking about the true fast is loving and caring for others. But what’s mentioned here is sackcloth and ashes. Because for ancient Israel, a time of grief or lament or humility or repentance would include wearing sackcloth like burlap uh clothes and either dumping ashes on your head or this speaks of of of spreading ashes under you. because this was a sign of of humility. Another example would be Daniel chapter nine, verse three. Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. So we call this Ash Wednesday because of this biblical tradition. of the symbolic nature of ashes. And Ash Wednesday then becomes a day of fasting. humility and prayer, a a day of repentance, that we might draw near to the sorrows of Jesus in his suffering and death, that we might know nothing among us other than Christ crucified As I mentioned, I didn’t grow up with these traditions, but I have grown to love them because days like Ash Wednesday and seasons like Lent are all about Jesus In fact, if you think about the entire Christian calendar, it starts with Advent, then the season of Christmas, which is a twelve day celebration, Christmas tide, the Christmas season. Then Epiphany, that’s where we’re at right now, which then leads into Lent and Easter tide, which is then punctuated by Pentecost and Ordinary Time. All of these seasons are about Jesus. They are a way for us to keep our eyes focused on Jesus. I’m thinking of those verses in Hebrews chapter 12 that says, since we have been surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Let us set aside every weight and sin that so easily besets us. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. And how do we do that? By keeping our eyes on Jesus. These ancient traditions like Lent and Ash Wednesday help us to keep our attention focused on Jesus And so perhaps that it would be helpful for you if you didn’t grow up with these traditions and you’re thinking, why would I even observe Ash Wednesday? I’d like to encourage you to think about observing this tradition. Because you want to keep your eyes focused on Jesus. Now, during the season of Lent, it is common to give something up Now, there are no rules in the season of Lent. There’s no rules around Ash Wednesday, just lots of traditions. So if you are the kind of person that that you want the rules, you want to do Ash Wednesday right, I hate to disappoint you. But there is no right way to recognize Ash Wednesday. There’s just lots of traditions. And so a common tradition is to give something up during the season of Lent, to give up desserts, to give up adult beverages, to give up watching sports on TV for 40 days all the way up till Easter. Now, that one’s easy for me. That’s not much of a sacrifice for me because the football season is over. But you pick something that you find pleasurable and you say for 40 days, I’m going to give that thing up. Now, don’t make the same mistake that I did. One year during the season of Lent, I said, beginning on Ash Wednesday, I’m giving up coffee. And I got about three or four days uh into no coffee, and my wife was like, you need to make yourself a cup of coffee if you still want to live with me. So think about what you want to give up if you want to practice this tradition, because it will start next Wednesday on Ash Wednesday. But think about what you’d like to give up, but be reasonable about it And because the Sundays during the season of Lent don’t really count, if you’re giving up desserts or sweets during Lent, on Sundays you can enjoy your dessert after your meal. But let’s talk a little bit about fasting. By fasting, I mean not eating solid food. Now, I am going to be honest with you that I do not particularly like fasting I really enjoy every meal that I have. And I’m not a super like food lover. I’m not watching the Food Network. I don’t cook a whole lot. I’m pretty simplistic with the meals that I eat, but even the eggs that I ate this morning. I eat eggs almost every morning for breakfast, and I enjoy every bite. So for me, not eating solid food, that is, fasting for a meal or a day or multiple days, is not anything I would choose to do Which is why Lent is so good for me. I need these traditions that remind me That it’s okay to deprive myself of things. I tend to want to snack all the time, and I know it drives my wife crazy. But I even before supper, we’ll be cooking together and I’m snacking the whole time on whatever I can get my hands on. And so I’m not naturally self-controlled uh when it comes to food. And this is why Lent is such a gift to me, because traditionally Ash Wednesday is a fasting day. And again, there are no rules, just traditions. You don’t have to fast on Ash Wednesday. You can fast one meal or multiple meals. Normally I try to fast all three meals, breakfast, lunch, and supper. on Ash Wednesday. And I just come to the dining room table with my water bottle, and the family knows, okay, uh dad’s just having water, he’s probably fasting today. And again, there’s no rules, just traditions. And so if you choose to fast, I would encourage you to consult your doctor if you’re Taking any medications. And then you decide if you’re just going to skip one meal on that day or you’re going to skip all the meals. That’s up. for you to decide, but just recognize that your body is going to have a reaction to not having food that day. Perhaps like me, you get a little hangry if you miss a meal. Well, if that’s you, then you’ll need to prepare for that. I do encourage people though to continue to drink water anytime you are fasting, keep hydrated, and then just plan out your day. What I’ve learned about fasting is that when I feel those hunger pains, it prompts me to a sort of holy reminder of my hunger for God. And if I am skipping a meal, I want to add something in to that part of the day to supplement the loss of the meal. So I will replace eating with some kind of special prayer or scripture reading or devotional reading. And on those fasting days, like Ash Wednesday, I let my hunger remind me of Jesus suffering and sacrifice. Of course, skipping a meal or skipping a day of eating, fasting for a day Is not the same thing as the sorrow and suffering that Jesus went through, but it is a way for me to experience a little bit. of suffering, so that I am reminded of the sufferings of Jesus. And let me also say, let the season of Lent which begins on Ash Wednesday, be not only a time of fasting and giving things up, but also a time of adding something Often during the season of Lent, I have picked a longer theological book on the cross that I want to read during the season of Lent, and I start reading on Ash Wednesday. Now my plan has been to pick out a book ahead of time and to map out a reading schedule. So I know I’ll have 40 days during the season of Lent, not including Sundays, to read So I take the number of pages in the book, I divide it by 40, and I create some kind of schedule. Sometimes I will write it. in the table of contents or in one of the back fly pages of the book that every day, six days a week during the season of Lent, I need to read so many pages. And I want to make a few book recommendations of books that I’ve read in the past on the cross that have been so important for me. The first book I recommend is Violence, Hospitality, and the Cross by Hans Borsma. This book was written in 2004 and is a wonderful comprehensive book on atonement theories. on diving theologically into the meaning of the death of Jesus. It is a pretty dense read. It’s only 260 pages. So if you wanted to read Borzma during the season of Lent, that’s seven or eight pages of day. That’s not too bad. Um two years ago during the season of Lent, I read The Crucifixion. by Fleming Rutledge. This is a book that came out in twenty fifteen. And I have to say that the crucifixion by Fleming Rutledge has become my all-time favorite book on the cross Now, this is not an easy read. It is 612 pages. And it’s uh it’s a theological book I think Rutledge talks about uh spending about 20 years researching and writing this book. But if you want to do a deep dive on the meaning of the cross during the season of Lent. I cannot think of a better book than The Crucifixion by Fleming Rutledge. 612 pages means you have to read between 15 and 17 pages a day And that’s reading academic theology. And so that might be a bit daunting, but I do recommend it. I did it two years ago during the season of Lent. I actually posted online that I was going to be reading this in the season of Lent and I took a picture of my handwritten reading schedule and I said, Anybody want to join me? End up having over a hundred people respond to me. This is in 2023, that they wanted to uh read this book with me, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Excellent book. The next book I’d recommend is The Day the Revolution Began by N. T. Wright. This book came out in 2016. And for those of us who have been influenced by Wright, this is a book we had been waiting for. Those of us who have been influenced by N. T. Wright had been waiting for this book to come out Because Tom had not really spoken directly about what he believed concerning atonement theories Because Wright is not so much a dogmatic or systematic theologian. He’s more of a biblical theologian. And so in this book, The Day the Revolution began, he walks through the scriptures. um helping us see with fresh eyes what scripture is saying about the meaning of the death of Jesus. Now this is not necessarily an academic book, but it is four hundred and twenty pages. It’s pretty dense reading. But if you wanted to read this book during the season of Lent, that’s about 10 pages a day. And I am here to help you with this book. I wrote a reader’s guide to the day the revolution began. It’s a 90-page summary guide through Int. And my little reader’s guide is called N.T. Wright and the Revolutionary Cross. And this is a guide that can help you through Wright’s 400-page book. And you can find links to these books in the show notes. But these would be substantial kind of books that you could You could add during the season of Lent, and again starting on Ash Wednesday, as a spiritual practice to again keep your eyes focused on Jesus. Now, if these three books seem a little bit daunting, there are two shorter books that I would recommend to you. One is Cross Shattered Christ by Stanley Hauerwass. That book came out over 20 years ago, I think it was 2004, and it’s written by a theologian, but it’s written more as a devotional. I really enjoyed that. The other shorter book I’d recommend is The Wood Between the Worlds by Brian Zond. This book came out in 2024, and it’s a book that gives a kaleidoscope view. of the meaning of the death of Jesus. In other words, the meaning of the death of Jesus cannot be summed up in one way, but there are many different biblical and historical perspectives on how we see and view the cross. BZ wrote this book last year. I think it’s fantastic. And it’s it’s it’s written by a pastor, and so I think it would be an easier read. So you have options if you’d like to read something during the season of Lint, but you’ll have to make your selections quick. Get those books ordered quick and figure out your reading schedule because Ash Wednesday is right around the corner. But let’s get back a little bit to Ash Wednesday itself. In our church, we have an Ash Wednesday service where we impose ashes in the shape of a cross on the foreheads of people who come. And I know this sounds strange to have ashes smudged on your forehead, but it is a powerful symbol. Years ago, I had a friend who attended a Baptist church ask me about our Ash Wednesday service because she was interested in coming, but she was concerned about the ashes. She said, Well, me and my husband, we’ve we’ve looked through the scriptures and we can’t find anywhere in the Bible where it talks about smudging ashes on the forehead. And my response to her was, that’s true. The imposition of ashes, the smudging of the ashes on the forehead in the shape of a cross. is not recorded in scripture. It’s given to us by the great tradition. I did say, however, there are Bible verses about dumping ashes on your head or rolling around in ashes. So if you want to come and I can dump the ashes on your head, I’ll do that. They decided not to attend, which was, of course, totally fine with me. I always tell people. This is not obligatory. Again, no rules. It’s just a tradition. But it’s a tradition that I have found to be so valuable because when we come together and we’re. The church is gathered on Ash Wednesday. We are reminded of two things. One, that Jesus died for our sins. according to the long and winding story that the scripture tells. And number two, we will at some time all cross the threshold of death. Now, we welcome the first reminder, right? Where, yes, we want to know nothing among us other than Christ crucified. But that second part, the reminder of our own mortality and death, is not something we’re so eager to jump into And I understand Christians have always believed that death is an unwelcomed invader into God’s good creation. God did not create death. Death is not God’s plan. Death indeed is an enemy. But on Ash Wednesday, we are able to pause for a moment and recognize. From dust we have come, and to dust we shall return. That the life that we live here on earth is fragile That it’s fleeting, that our life is like a vapor that appears for a little bit and then disappears Yes, we have hope that Jesus has defeated death, and so for us to cross over the threshold of death is to enter into the presence of Jesus, who fills all things everywhere with himself. But it does mean that the life that we know now will at some point come to an end And we do live in a death-denying culture. We we don’t want to face the facts of our own mortality. And so it’s good to gather and worship on Ash Wednesday, to remember the death of Jesus, and to remember our own mortality. Which causes us to be sober-minded, which then leads into that humility and confession of sins and repentance. So if your church doesn’t offer an Ash Wednesday service, I’d encourage you to look for a Methodist church or a Lutheran church, Presbyterian. Episcopal church in your area that does offer an Ash Wednesday service and I’d encourage you to attend it and make plans for these next 40 days, the season of Lent, to remove something, that is, to give something up, or perhaps to fast on certain days or to fast certain meals, both remove something from your life and add something over the next 40 days. Maybe it’s not reading a book, maybe it’s some extra Bible reading, or maybe it’s incorporating a new kind of prayer rhythm for the next 40 days. Whatever you decide to do, I encourage you to make your plans. Because on Ash Wednesday We enter into a new season of the calendar where we want to remember the cross, where we want to remember our own mortality. And altogether, we want to draw near to Christ crucified. Well, that’s all I have for you today. I hope this has been encouraging and helpful. As you make plans for next Wednesday and the season of Lent, thanks for listening. Go in peace and be kind.
This transcript was generated with AI and may contain errors.