Lent, 2017

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. (John 1:14-16 ESV).

Today is known as Ash Wednesday in the Christian community. It is also the beginning of Lent. In the church’s calendar the 40 days that precede Easter has been known as Lent. Since Easter falls on a different Sunday each year, so Lent moves a bit each year. Some will begin this season with a very traditional service in which they will have ash placed on the foreheads in the form of a cross. There is so much symbolism surrounding this time of the year. In the Scripture, the number 40 has been significant. It relates to the period spent in the ark by Noah, the period spent by Israel seeking the Promised Land after the Exodus, and the amount of time Jesus was in the wilderness after His baptism and prior to the beginning of his ministry. For us, the season of Lent should be an invitation to renewal; after all, “Lent” means “spring.” It should also be a time for us to prepare ourselves to celebrate the Gospel and the capstone of our faith which is the resurrection. There are many who have come to use the time for more intentional times of prayer, fasting and sacrifice. This is certainly the root of the practice of “sacrificing” something for Lent. For example, some people will give up television, others will give up eating meat, some will give up sodas or coffee, while others may give up some common sin like gossiping. While there is certainly nothing wrong with making such changes in our lives, my encouragement to you is that you make a different sacrifice this Lenten season. Instead of giving up something, add something. For example, instead of sacrificing your daily morning coffee, add fifteen minutes to your daily devotional with additional Bible reading or prayer. I find it altogether appropriate that this time of the year should call us to great celebration, not judgment and sacrifice. The whole reason we celebrate is that Jesus has already taken our judgment and condemnation in his sacrifice. It should be a time of a deeper realization of the great gift that he has secured for us through the cross and resurrection. For the days ahead, I will use Morning Devotionals to help us concentrate on that great grace which is now ours. I hope you will share this “grace upon grace” with others.