NOW Culture
Understanding Lent
by Brian Radcliffe
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To encourage us to consider the benefits of self-denial.
Preparation and materials
- None required.
Assembly
- Ask the students, ‘How patient are you? Or, to put it another way, what makes you impatient?’
Pause to allow time for discussion in pairs or small groups. - We live in what I would describe as a NOW culture.
Use examples from the earlier discussion to justify this statement.
Whereas previous generations grew up expecting that it would take time to achieve things or enjoy some particular aspect of life, many people today expect immediate results. There are obvious reasons for this. - First, technological advances have increased exponentially. Inventions from a decade ago are now obsolete. We seek to change our phones almost annually to keep up with the newest developments. We’re impatient.
- Second, online shopping offers delivery within a day, if not hours. We can have what we want almost immediately, so we become impatient.
- Third, we can have what we want without having the money to pay for it . . . yet! Credit cards and short-term loans mean that our parents or guardians can order for us and give us time to raise the cash. It’s all about NOW.
Time for reflection
We are in the middle of the Christian season of Lent. It began on 22 February, a date known as Ash Wednesday, and will end in the first week of April. I want to suggest that Lent is an antidote to NOW culture.
Lent lasts for 40 days. It is the period in the Christian calendar that leads up to remembering the death of Jesus on Good Friday, and celebrating his resurrection on Easter Sunday. During Lent, many Christians take part in three activities.
First, Lent is a time to concentrate on prayer and meditation. What’s life really all about? If there’s a God, how does he affect our life? What does the resurrection of Jesus really mean? These are the kinds of questions that many Christians focus on through Lent.
Second, Lent is a time to practise self-denial. People give up different things during Lent. Often, they do this in connection with food and drink, such as giving up meat or chocolate. Some adults decide to give up alcohol. There are others who adjust their lifestyle, such as spending less time looking at a screen, not buying any new clothes or getting up earlier in the morning.
Finally, Lent is a time for service, for generosity. The old-fashioned term for it is ‘almsgiving’. This is about finding out who needs help and providing it, whether it be jobs, company or advice, or showing our generosity by buying gifts for others.
So, in many ways, Lent is the complete opposite of NOW culture.
- NOW culture is all about focussing on ourselves and what we’d like. Lent is about focussing on others and how we can help them.
- NOW culture is about getting what we want NOW. Lent is about showing ourselves that we can wait, that we’re not addicted to immediate gains.
- NOW culture is about living in the moment. Lent is about taking a broader view of life, of thinking it through, of mindful meditation.
The beauty of Lent is that it’s not forever. It only lasts 40 days (and we’re partway through it already). At Easter, we can enjoy our chocolate eggs and other treats without feeling guilty. But be warned, during those 40 days of Lent, we may find out some life-changing facts about ourselves.
Song/music
‘Getting on with life’ by Philippa Hanna, available at: https://youtu.be/dmbQ9IT6iAY (3.44 minutes long)
Extension activities
- Discuss with the students what they would find it hard to give up for a day or a week. Issue a challenge (with a reward) for them to do so.
- Suggest that the students take part in one act of generosity each day between now and Easter. No reward is to be expected except the gratitude of the recipients.
- Initiate a period of one minute’s silent meditation each day for students to think about the areas covered in the assembly: self-denial, generosity and thoughtfulness.
