By way of introduction, I want us to pause and consider this thought: The important events in our lives are often carefully planned. Long before the wedding, there’s the courtship, the proposal, arguments with the mother-in-law, pre-marital counseling, finding a wedding coordinator, arranging the rehearsal dinner, more arguments with the mother-in-law, planning the honeymoon, and a finally, walking through a carefully choreographed rehearsal. Graduations, baby showers, anniversaries, birthdays, vacations, retirement parties are all important events in our lives that are usually carefully planned.

Illustration: George Bernard Shaw once visited the studio of the famous sculptor Sir Jacob Epstein ). Shaw noticed a huge block of stone standing in one corner. "What is that for?" he asked. "I don’t know yet. I’m still making plans," said Epstein. "You mean you plan your work? Why, I change my mind several times a day!" Epstein looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "That’s good and well with a four-ounce manuscript, but not with a four-ton block."

Usually, meaningful events don’t just happen. They are planned. The only meaningful event that happens by accident is the arrival of our air luggage. Today is the third Sunday before Lent. That means we have three weeks to prepare ourselves for Lent. That mean’s during the next three weeks we will make up our minds how much we’ll grow during the season of Lent.

During Lent we fast. We abstain. We do acts of penance. We meet on Ash Wednesday. We meet every Friday during Lent to say the Stations of the Cross. We meet on Holy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and finally Holy Saturday. It makes me tired just saying it. But those of you who have devoted yourselves to Lenten disciplines know how joyful Easter can be.

Some of the most joy-filled moments of my ministry have been had right here in this sanctuary, when the black draperies have fallen from the cross on Holy Saturday and the triumphant shout rises from the congregation, "Halleluiah! Halleluiah! Halleluiah!" And the brass bells we borrow from First Presbyterian ring and bounce of these brick walls.

Ah, but not yet. First there’s the arduous season of Lent. Before we rejoice, there’s preparation, there’s labor and disciplined living. To experience all that God has for us during Lent and Easter we must begin planning now.

Illustration: Some of you may remember Shannon Faulkner. In 1995 she made news by crusading to become the first female cadet at The Citadel, an all-male military academy. After a prolonged court battle, she finally won the right to enroll. But the world soon found out that she couldn’t endure the exercise program required of all cadets. So a few days later she dropped out.

Shannon Faulkner wanted the glory of being a cadet but she failed to prepare herself for that important event in her life. To bask in the wonder and joy of Easter we must first walk the Via De Larose with Christ. And that takes planning. So, beginning today, we’re going to spend some time preparing ourselves for Lent.

In the Epistle lesson for today, St. Paul writes the following, "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.²⁵And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.²⁶ Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.²⁷ But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."

Here, the apostle says the Christian life is like a race. But it’s not a sprint. Runners in a sprint run as fast as they can for a short distance and speed is the critical factor. That’s not what the Christian life is. The Christian life is a marathon. It’s a marathon that takes a lifetime to complete. And endurance is the critical factor.

The New Testament is full of ways to illustrate the fact that the Christian life requires stamina and fortitude. "Strive to enter by the narrow gate" (Luke 13:24). "Labor for the food that endures to eternal life" (John 6:27). "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord" (I Cor. 15:58). "Let us not be weary in well-doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not" (Gal. 6:9). "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 3:12).

As we prepare for Lent it will help us if we realize that Lent is a marathon within a marathon. It’s not a sprint. It’s eleven long weeks of heightened devotion, when we act out our contrition. This is good to know before we set out on the long journey.

Now, St. Paul tells us that races aren’t won automatically. Athletes who win must train their bodies. Mark what he says in verse 27, "I discipline my body and bring it into subjection." Athletes who win understand there are bodily appetites that must be controlled if they’re going to win the race.

The athlete who wins controls his body. He masters the impulse to do things that will sabotage his chances of winning the race. This is a fundamental principle of competition. The person who wins is the person who masters his body.

But some people never learn this. Their lives are one impulsive spasm after another. If they lust, they look at pornography and satisfy their desire. If they’re angry they vent their emotions in a fit of rage. If they’re feeling contentious, they backbite and spread rumors. They may be on the track, but they’re not running the race. St. Paul says, the Christian that’s running for eternal life trains his body.

That means our bodies serve us. We aren’t subservient to our bodies. We train our bodies so we can live an ordered, rational, self-control life.

Now why is this important for us to understand as we prepare for Lent? During Lent there will be times when we abstain from pleasure. During Lent there will be times when we deprive ourselves of food. During lent there will be times when we extend ourselves beyond the limits that are normal for us. To do these things we must have our bodies under control.

This is what Daniel Goleman wrote about self-denial. "The essence of emotional self-regulation is the ability to delay impulse in the service of a goal. The importance of this trait to success was shown in an experiment begun in the 1960s by psychologist Walter Mischel at a preschool on the Stanford University campus. Children were told that they could have a single treat, such as a marshmallow, right now. However, if they would wait while the experimenter ran an errand, they could have two marshmallows. Some preschoolers grabbed the marshmallow immediately, but others were able to wait what, for them, must have seemed an endless 20 minutes. To sustain themselves in their struggle, they covered their eyes so they wouldn’t see the temptation, rested their heads on their arms, talked to themselves, sang, even tried to sleep. These plucky kids got the two marshmallow reward. The interesting part of this experiment came in the follow-up. The children who as 4-year olds had been able to wait for the two marshmallows were, as adolescents, still able to delay gratification in pursuing their goals. They were more socially competent and self-assertive, and better able to cope with life’s frustrations. In contrast, the kids who grabbed the one marshmallow were, as adolescents, more likely to be stubborn, indecisive, and stressed."

Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman, Bantan Books, quoted in Reader’s Digest, January, 1996

In the Bible, there are nearly 100 detailed biographies. Dr. Howard Hendricks, professor at Dallas Theological Seminary studied them and concluded that only 1/3 of them ended well. The other 2/3 ended poorly. They ended in immorality, drifted away from the faith or died in a backslidden position.

At the end of his life St. Paul could say this about himself, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." II Timothy 4:7

May that be said about us as well. Amen