For God’s Sake
Mardi Gras’ origins are in a medieval French celebration called Boeuf Gras, “Fatted Calf,” that was first celebrated on these shores in the 18th century. The familiar Italian version, Carnival, which one travel guide calls “a debaucherous prelude to Lent,” dates to the 12th century. Its name may derive from the Latin caro vale, which means “flesh, goodbye!” or “goodbye meat!” The thinking is “Enjoy it while you can!”
The impetus for these over-indulgent celebrations is the ascetic character of the event they precede – Lent. Part of the Christian liturgical calendar, the forty days of Lent mirror Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness without food or water before being tempted by the devil. Though physically weakened, Jesus was unwavering in his obedience to the will of God the Father. It is a common practice for those who observe Lent to give up certain foods or activities, a way of bringing fleshly desires into submission to the will of God.
But the season of Lent is not just about abstaining, it is also about adding redemptive activities to one’s days, like prayer or Scripture reading, and times of introspection; starving the flesh, yes, but feeding the soul. It is in these pursuits, often neglected, that the beauty and, yes, the joy and fulfillment of Lent are found.
The self-indulgence of Mardi Gras betrays a wrong understanding that to surrender one’s life to God means living an austere life, stripped of pleasure. Though we acknowledge the gospel as good news and life-giving, Christians often portray the life it offers in terms of what we no longer do. Yes, turning from sinful pursuits is essential, but to what do we turn instead?
In my first semester of seminary I was given as a reading assignment the book Desiring God, by John Piper. Piper introduces a provocative, paradoxical label for a centuries-old understanding of the Christian life – Christian hedonism. A hedonist is one whose understand life’s purpose as the pursuit of physical pleasure, the Mardi Gras mindset. A Christian hedonist, Piper suggests, is one who understands life’s purpose as pursuing the pleasure of knowing God. This understanding is expressed in a centuries-old confession of the faith, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him,” and Piper concludes, “God is most glorified when His people are most satisfied in Him.”
Turning away from sinful pleasures to pursue God is not a turning away from a life of joy, but a turning toward a life of unparalleled joy and satisfaction. “We are half-hearted creatures,” writes C.S. Lewis, “fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
Are you looking for joy in life? “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!” (Ps.34:8).