Ha! How often do you hear that phrase in a sermon?!? Not only did it catch my attention to read the word "arouse" in a Christian devotional, but this understanding of Lent hit home for me as well. There's just something uninviting about thinking about death and denial for forty days...something that drives you to crave indulgence even more than you might during the rest of the year (like the guy from Iowa who gave up sobriety for Lent). But arousal - that seems like something Christ would want from us. Arousal of the Life Abundant. For me, it has never been the knowledge of sin that has driven me to Christ, but the reverse. The desire for something more - for something good and perfect and whole and in control - is what points me to the divine, and then this God of Love and Truth and Justice reminds me that I have oh-so-far to go to measure up - both to Him/Herself and to the person I was created to be.
I think I have also struggled with the traditional concept of Lenten sacrifice because it doesn't do much to shake the foundations of my biggest sins - the sins of omission and non-action. I am lazy, and I have more of a tendency to under-do the good rather than overdo the bad. As the Robert Herrick poem in this chapter points out, "Tis a fast to dole thy sheaf of wheat and meat with the hungry soul." Rather than starving myself, how can I keep others from going hungry? I mean this in both a literal and a spiritual sense...how can I awaken myself and others to the knowledge of God's limitless grace this Lent? I am convinced that if sin is about "missing the mark"(its literal meaning in Greek), then Lent should be about finding that bulls-eye once again. And as with any task set before us by God, this one is not ours to tackle alone. We must arouse ourselves - open our eyes, raise our bow, focus our attention - but the Lord will be with us throughout our attempt, standing behind us, guiding our stance and telling us exactly when to release the arrow.
Let's hope I do better this time than I did in archery at the Wii Resort!
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