Dear Northside
This Wednesday (14th Feb) is not just Valentine’s Day, it is also the start of Lent and is called Ash Wednesday. What is lent you may ask?
The purpose of Lent is to draw closer to God through prayer, repentance, and self-examination. During Lent, many Christians choose to fast or give up certain indulgences as a form of self-discipline and penance. This may include abstaining from certain foods, activities, or habits.
Just as we set aside time to spiritually prepare for Christmas, it makes sense to set aside time to prepare for the two most important days of the Christian year – Good Friday and Easter. Lent is a time that offers us an opportunity to come to terms with the human condition. Lent is a time to open the doors of our hearts a little wider and understand our Lord a little deeper so that when Good Friday and Easter come, it is not just another day at church but an opportunity to receive the overflowing graces God has to offer.
Prayer is a significant focus during Lent. During the 40 days, we seek God’s forgiveness, accept His love and mercy, and repent or turn from our sins. Fasting or abstaining from something, like our favourite food or activity, not only gives us time to pray but reminds us of Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice.
Unlike the childlike joy associated with the season of Advent, with its eager anticipation of the precious baby Jesus, Lent is an intensely penitential time as we examine our sinful natures and return to the God we have, through our own rebelliousness, hurt time and again. Lent is also an opportunity to contemplate what our Lord really did for us on the Cross – and it wasn’t pretty. But ultimately, the purpose of Lent does not stop at sadness and despair – it points us to the hope of the Resurrection and the day when every tear will be dried (Rev. 21:4).
Although the nature of suffering is not one that offers itself to easy explanations or pat answers, the answers we seek seem to make the most sense in light of the Cross. There is nothing in the world – no religion, philosophy, or material comfort – that offers such a powerful answer to life’s toughest questions as the two slabs of wood on which our Saviour died. Although I was drawn to Christianity in search of joy, it’s the Cross that keeps me coming back day after day, year after year. It is this time of year, known as Lent, that I am reminded of what Jesus did for me.
When I look into the eyes of our suffering God, I’m in awe – suddenly the complexity of our Lord, the love of our Lord, the humanity of our Lord shows through. I realize God is not just some nebulous energy source or a grandfather sitting in the clouds – He is so much more. The Cross is where our faith stands when all other faiths fail. Christ’s sacrifice and His subsequent resurrection are the true “cruxes” of the Christian faith. Without one there would be no salvation, without the other, no hope. This is why Good Friday, and the following Easter Sunday are the most important dates on the Christian calendar – even more so than Christmas.
God bless, Pastor Gary