Prepping for Easter

Ash Wednesday? Lent? What is it all about? These are the questions I began asking this week when I found out our church was doing their first Ash Wednesday service. My initial thoughts went back to seeing my Catholic high school friends with cross ashes on their foreheads. Was it for show? What was purpose? When I hear Lent I think of people giving up chocolate or fast food for 40 days in hopes to lose weight. Or others only eating fish or no meat at all. I didn't think much of Lent honestly, but rather I had categorized it in my head as a legalistic tradition some Christian denominations partake in.This was unfair.

So all that to say I began reading some articles, devotions and background on Ash Wednesday and Lent. Where I landed is it can be beautiful tradition used to refocus our hearts in corporate and private worship. A sweet time to reflect on our human depravity and restore our relationship with God through repentance.  A time to learn to hate sin, to war against it, and remember how we are forgiven. That is the good news. God knows we are dust (Ps 103:14) and delights to meet us in the ashes and meet all our needs including rescuing to eternal life. 

What does the word Lent  mean? It comes from the word lengten which means "spring" or when the days lengthen and new life forms. But it is more like winter because it is still freezing in Cleveland with snow on the ground! I'm kidding (kinda). It is like winter in that it is the chilling, dark time before the new life. A time to anticipate the light of Christ that conquered death and darkness. (John 1:5). C.S. Lewis says it is a season of "happiness and wonder that makes you serious".

What about the ashes on the forehead? Well our church left it up to the individual as to whether they wanted to participate. I think it was most people's first time receiving ashes on their forehead at our service Wednesday honestly (I mean our church is associated with NAMB and Southern Baptist Convention). Wes and I decided to participate as we wanted to worship with our church family. We prepped the kids prior to the service, explaining that we remember that we don't last forever and that we too are dust... our bodies don't last forever and we live in a  dying world. That because sin came into the world, so did death. So they (and us) can feel the weight of sin and how this leads to eternal death without Christ. Not to be morbid but to prepare our kids for death in the context of the gospel. Regular pondering and preparation of death can lead us to hold to the essentials, abiding in Christ. It increases our understanding and appreciation of the gospel that actually frees us from the weight of the dark world.

The service was sweet with songs, prayer, and a time of silence to reflect and pray. With Leighton being the oldest, during the prayer time I prayed quietly next to her so she could hear my thoughts/prayers/repenting. It was sweet as soon as I finished, she just began repenting and praising God next. Praise God! Please continue to pray for her little heart (and Sadie's and Levi's) to be softened to the gospel at a young age, early and always!

Sadie saw the ashes on our forehead and said "hey the ashes are in the shape of a cross!" I confirmed her observation. It was a great use of symbolism to share the gospel with them and remind them it was ultimately the ashes that gave way to new life. Jesus death and resurrection that gives us eternity with the Creator.

 Lent is a season of waiting, longing, mourning (our sins and Jesus' death). While also a time that ends in rejoicing in the resurrection and hoping to His return. 

 As for giving up an item/food/habit/etc for 40 days I think that depends on each person's heart. I think it can be a good time to fast from something that distracts us from God. A time of discipline to refocus. I wouldn't say using lent as an accountability excuse to refrain from some type of food to lose weight is the intent. But I do think the idea that you give up something that competes in our hearts with God. This is so when tempted to turn to the thing we've given up then we have a tangible reminder of how often we turn to something to make us whole that is not Christ. It can then be replaced with a time of prayer or study.  For me, I have given up my social media account (Instagram) as the habit of scrolling on my phone is something that comes as second nature/habit whenever I am sitting around.... basically a lot of wasted unfruitful time.

At home we decided to treat the season of Lent like we treat Advent leading up to Christmas. We do daily Advent devotions preparing for Christmas, so looking to prepare our hearts for Easter in a similar manner. Our family decided to do a "Lent devotion" each night until Easter. We are using Tim Keller's that you can find free HERE. 

Repentance without guilt, deep conviction without devastating shame, thus all leading to a renewed awe of our great salvation.

(Pictures are from the 1833 church building our church rented out for the service)