Romans 5:8 “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for
us.” It
is truly amazing to know that God didn’t first put us on a 30-day trial period
to see if we could “handle being a Christian” before he would save us.
In
fact, he sent his Son, Jesus, to us with the risk knowing there was a good
chance that he would be rejected and not one, single person would accept his
offer of salvation. It was quite a sacrifice. It is what we focus on during the
season of LENT.
LENT comes from
an Anglo-Saxon word meaning “Spring.” What happens in Spring? Well, for one, we
“Minnesotans” are at least hoping the Winter snow melts away. But, most
importantly, the earth comes back to life! Grass becomes green, trees bud and
the leaves return, and flowers grow and bloom.
That
is what Lent is about…about making sure we are spiritually and mentally prepared
(ready) for the “coming back to life” of Jesus after he died on the cross! It
is making sure we have made a conscious decision to acknowledge our sinfulness,
to repent, reconcile our hearts with Jesus to be our Lord and Savior.
Lent is a 40
day period
that starts on Ash Wednesday (March 6, 2019)
and ends on the Saturday before Easter Sunday (April 20, 2019). We use this time to focus on the condition of our
soul and the current depth of our relationship with God. We, like Spring, want
our spiritual lives to “come back to life” now and after we die. So, we use the
time of Lent to focus on our mortality and our sinfulness with special
attention placed on self-denial, penance and prayer.
We
use the time to learn about all the things Jesus went through…all the things he
taught us…all the things he suffered so that, if we want to, we can be “born
again” and begin to come alive spiritually with Jesus, and to anticipate living
in his presence forever in heaven. Christ in us and the Holy Spirit empowering
us, we can begin to live victorious lives each and every day as people of God.
If
you are not sure where to start, I suggest getting the New Testament book of John, and begin making your way through
chapters 11-19 to hear about the Lord’s passion and death…this will give us
a better understanding and greater reason to celebrate and be joyful on Easter
Sunday when we hear about how Jesus rose from the dead, defeated death, walked
away from the grave and now lives again….forever!
So,
for the time that remains in Lent, let us think about Jesus and all that he
went through and offered up for us in order to die on the cross for us. Let us
be mindful that we will not live forever in our human earthly bodies…but
because of Jesus, just like the grass, trees, and flowers in Spring time…after
we die, we’ll “come back to life” in Heaven with Jesus where we’ll live forever
and never, ever die. That is very good
news!