Regeneration Summit

the Lenten Narrative

Lent.  Talk about a narrative that engages all narratives.

Have you ever seen a really super awesome movie trailer and then after you spend all the money to go see it in the theaters felt betrayed… deceived… maybe even a little used?

Isn’t that the worst!  Many times I will declare, “That’s a renter!” just to avoid that kind of crushing let down.

Movie trailers that inspire excitement then don’t deliver are terrible.

A story that sounds inspiring and then finishes poorly is a let down.

A narrative that draws you in with promises and then leaves you lost is deceptive.

A delivery of the Lenten narrative that doesn’t deliver hope isn’t the Lenten narrative.

 

Many people I talk to about Lent, that are not Christians, don’t really seem all that impressed with it.

Intentional despair?  Weeks of Sadness?  No BACON!  No thanks, I’ll pass.

Are we telling the story… the entire story?  Are we doing a good job of it?

What kind of Lenten trailers is the Church showing the world?  How about your church?  Your family?  You?

What snippets of the story are we proclaiming?

 

At the risk of sounding nerdy… is the trailer approved for all audiences?  Is it only approved for audiences of church people?  Does the trailer change the story?  Does it inspire hope?

 

People need hope.  As Christians we know the Lenten story delivers the only hope.  Why does Lent sometimes look so hopeless?

It’s the churches privilege to speak that Lenten narrative of hope into peoples’ lives.

This one isn’t a “renter”!