Lent is here and without giving it much thought, we’ve probably found something to “give up.” After years of Lent, this is a common attitude. But will our penance be a sweet sacrificial offering to God, or a superficial response given from our surplus and spurious half-hearted piety? What will motivate us to take a giant leap of faith?
I had the privilege of hearing the Rev. Billy Graham preach about 20 years ago in Cincinnati. At the time, Dr. Graham was around 80 years old and clearly in frail health. He came to the podium and commenced to speak, but the crowd of young people, stirred up by the Christian rock bands who had performed earlier, was restive and inattentive. Graham paused, folded his hands and quietly said, “Let us pray.” With that, a stadium of 50,000 people fell silent. Once a spirit of reverence held sway, the preacher resumed. I remember thinking, “What an old pro!”