Most people live with routines. We eat at a particular time and brush our teeth a certain way. Without thinking, we habitually go about our day.
Rituals are very similar. Like routines, they help us structure our lives. Unlike routines, we often share these practices with others and infuse them with spiritual meaning. Worship, confession, corporate prayer, and more are some of our favorite rituals. Just remember the times in life when you welcomed a new pastor or remembered a deceased loved one. Each occasion has a ritual.
Rituals help us connect with others, find order during chaos, reflect on the past, mark significant milestones, and make meaning when life is joyful or challenging. Rituals can slow down the sense that life is flying by. They help us remember, reflect, and signify.
The scripture readings for Lent and Easter invite us to consider three rituals for this season. They mark the time when God removes the shame of the past, releases the people who opposed us, and focuses our attention on the most important things.
1.) Removing reproach (Joshua 5:9). At Gilgal (a word that means to “encircle”), God removed the reproach of slavery from the Israelites. They were no longer considered prisoners in Egypt. He circled up the people and declared that the past was no longer valid in their lives. They were no longer considered the enslaved ones, or the “Hebrews,” a name that literally means “no-people.” God gave them a new identity as his people and a new place for those people to live. They were no longer dependent on manna to fall from heaven. The land God gave them now produced the crops they needed to survive. These Israelites did not just receive a fresh start.
2.) Saying goodbye (Acts 13:43-52). Paul and Barnabas used a departure ritual when they left Antioch of Pisidia. Many people here rejected their message, but God didn’t forsake them. Shaking the dust off their feet signified, “We’re not rejecting you, but we’re accepting that our responsibility is fulfilled here. This place needs more time, and we have a new assignment.” The ritual calms the changes happening and gives us control over the response.
3.) Forgetting the past (Philippians 3:8-14). Lent causes us to inventory what we consider to be a “success.” When we renew our focus on Christ, we recognize that awards and recognitions from personal achievement can become nostalgic idols. Paul literally counted everything from his past as “loss,” or to paraphrase his letter of Philippians he threw his past successes in the garbage.
What changes are you experiencing this season? Has God forgiven you from a past wrong, are you leaving behind a job that did not appreciate value your gifts, have you found new meaning by focusing on Jesus? Invite some friends to join you to mark these changes.
1.) Erect a monument or altar of stones to signify a new beginning in the land of forgiveness. Your past no longer defines who you are or the future God has for you.
2.) Shake the dust off your feet and leave room for God to continue to work in the lives of people who said “no.”
3.) Throw away the trophies, certificates, ribbons, and merit badges of the past. Save the pictures of people who have influenced you, but let go of the tchotchkes. The only thing that matters is Jesus and his resurrection.
Arthur Brooks tells the story of a clinical psychologist with a thriving practice in New England. At 45, he was at the top of his profession, but he was going blind from type 1 diabetes. At first, he lived in denial and continued to drive—until the neighbors complained he was running into their mailboxes. He was angry with God for a long time then one day received a call from a famous woman. She desired anonymity and specifically requested a blind psychologist. He realized he could develop a new kind of practice for people visually impaired. The process allowed him to embrace his suffering and drop his defenses toward his weakness. He had to stop practicing psychology as he had in the past to embrace a new future that God had for him through his suffering.[1]
God has already marked these moments. How will you meet him?
[1] Brooks, From Strength to Strength, 175.