An Interesting Number - 40

This is the liturgical season of Lent. For the western church, this is the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday (excluding Sundays).

Most of my adult life, Lent was a time of prayer and fasting. Lent was a time of soul searching. Lent was a time of giving things up and a commitment to starting others. I never really associated Lent with the number 40. It was just 40 days.

Here are a few other events that happened in the Bible that associate with the number 40;

• Noah and the flood – 40 days and nights (Gen 7)
• Moses on Mt Sinai for 40 days (Ex 14)
• The Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years (Num 4)
• Elijah on Mt Horeb for 40 days (1 Kings 19)
• Ninevah had to repent in 40 days (Jonah 3)
• Jesus was tempted after 40 days in the wilderness (Mat 4)
• Jesus was in the tomb 40 hours (traditional belief)

Looking at that list puts a whole different perspective on the importance of 40. Is God emphasizing something with 40?

Maybe 40 is the right number of hours / days / weeks / years that it takes for God to break through to our hardened hearts. Maybe 40 is taking what is in the world (4 seasons, 4 corners of the earth, etc) and multiplying by God’s divine perfection (10) so that we are “in the world but not of the world”.

Maybe it’s just enough time for us to break old habits and to be transformed into a new way of living.

Here is one more interesting fact …

On Shrove Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday) , some people call it Carnival. Sounds like a party! Sounds like the last day before we go into the season of Lent. The word carnival in Latin means - farewell to meat. Consider giving up meat for Lent. Giving up the flesh. Giving up yourself.

And the greatest of these is Love

History indicates that there are at least three Saint Valentine’s recognized in the Roman Catholic Church. The Latin name Valentinus is derived from the word valens which means worthy. During the reign of Claudius II in the second century, a Roman priest was arrested and imprisoned for marrying Christian couples. Helping Christians, during that era, was considered a crime. The priest, Valentinus, was beaten, stoned and beheaded on February 14^th.

Like so many other days on the Church calendar, the remembrance of St Valentine has been romanticized and commercialized over the years. What was a commemoration of a martyred priest for spreading the gospel and marrying couples in the faith, has become chocolate, flowers, candy and hearts.

Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:7, “for God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline”. It is interesting that he chose those specific words.

Maybe this year you might consider those words as they relate to St Valentine and his work as it may apply to you live in a fresh and new way.

Power and active not passive and timid

Stop to notice others

See the wonder of the small and the beautiful

Listen to the story of others

Say I love you more often

Loving not lacking

Sing like nobody is listening

Dance like nobody is watching

Love like you have never been hurt

Give like your life depends on it

Disciplined life that is Kingdom purposed not self purposed

Be about the Father’s business

His work. His presence

Give thanks in all things

Glorify Him in the small and the large

Walking and living in the spirit requires discipline.

Discipline to let go.

Discipline to focus on Him.

Discipline to be poured out.

Discipline to know you’ll be filled up.

Discipline to live in Faith, Hope and Love.

And the greatest of these is Love.

Happy Valentines Day.