Lent: Our Journey Toward Easter

So here we are in the midst of our journey toward Easter, also known as Lent. This is the season in the church year when we pause to think about Jesus Christ's suffering and death and what that means for us.

Christians observe Lent in many different ways. Some take part in the rituals of the season: ashes on the forehead on Ash Wednesday, Seder meals on Maundy Thursday, and slamming the Bible shut on Good Friday. Others use Lent to simply meditate on the gravity of what Christ endured, contemplating their sins that brought him to the cross. Others still partake in self-imposed "sacrifices" or give things up as a reminder of Christ's sacrifice. For those who participate in that tradition, the desired outcome is a closer, more focused connection to God and His ultimate gift of love. I typically observe Lent with a combination of all of the above. In years past I tried fasting, praying more, or giving up things I love like red meat, coffee, or even Facebook. But, without fail, the same thing happens each year... a week or so into my self-imposed forty days of sacrifice... I give into the cravings. I end up focusing more on what I'm depriving myself of than on Christ's supreme sacrifice.

I think if we're honest with ourselves we'd realize that Jesus could care less if we go forty days without coffee or red meat or Facebook or whatever else we think we're sacrificing. God's take on the whole thing: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice..." (Hosea 6:6). What Christ really wants from us is EVERYTHING! He's asking for everything. To quote C.S. Lewis, "Christ says, 'Give me all. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want YOU. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it...'" (from Mere Christianity). Somehow I doubt we'll ever see that on an Easter card. Yet, as followers of Christ, we know Lewis is right and that the act of dying to one's self continues every hour of our lives. Lent gives us the opportunity to experience Christ's death and resurrection in a deeper way - and with it, our own need for ongoing death and resurrection.

Now, I'm not saying that giving up something for Lent is wrong... in fact, there are many who have grown closer to God and more aware of His love through abstaining from those things. What I am saying is that our sacrifice should never trump the sacrifice of God's only Son. It's not about us! If it were, we'd fall short every time. The popular Lenten hymn "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" says it all...

Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an tribute far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all

Nothing we give up can ever compare to what God gave up. Jesus Christ, on the cross, should be our focus during this season... and every season, for that matter; because, with that singular act of love, he rescued humanity and now we have redemption and forgiveness and hope of eternal life.

I'll leave you with a passage from Brennan Manning's classic "The Ragamuffin Gospel." For me, this passage sums up what Lent and the journey toward Easter is all about...

"The cross accomplished way more than revealing the love of God. The blood of the Lamb points to the truth of grace: what we cannot do for ourselves... God has done for us. On the cross, somehow, someway, Christ bore our sins, took our place, and died for us. Jesus Christ bore our sins and bore them away. We cannot wash away the stain of our sins, but He is the Lamb who has taken away the sins of the world."