Ash Wednesday

For many Christians, today marks the official beginning of the Easter season.  Ash Wednesday marks the start of the forty day period (Sunday’s excluded) before Easter called Lent.  Many prepare for the celebration of the resurrection of Christ by observing this time as a period of fasting, repentance, moderation, and spiritual discipline.  As a young child growing up in the Catholic Church, I can clearly recall Lent as being a time of fasting from meat on Fridays and the personal fasting of something tangible be it candy, certain TV programs or anything that was special to me in remembrance or honor of Christ’s sufferings before and during His crucifixion.  It was definitely a focused time where we looked in earnest at His physical suffering for us.

As I look back at those times, I think I can honestly say that even though I didn’t fully understand the significance of what Jesus did on the cross for us at that time in my young life, Easter tended to be more of an important celebration in my Christian walk than it has throughout most of my adult life!  I read an article from a website called catholicculture.org this morning that began its explanation of the Catholic celebration of Ash Wednesday by stating: “The time has now come in the Church year for the solemn observance of the great central act of history, the redemption of the human race by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”  To me this statement perfectly sums up our modern day Christian celebration of Easter and legitimizes a period of personal introspection for us to look at our individual understanding of and thanksgiving for all that Jesus has provided for us through His finished work of the cross.  This would include what happened on both sides of the cross.

While I may not personally agree with the Catholic tradition and emphasis behind their practices of Lent, I do feel that it is a time to look both at the tremendous physical abuse that Jesus took upon Himself on the way to Calvary as He became sin on our behalf, and then to celebrate all that He has provided for us once on the other side of the cross and seated at the right hand of God in His current role and position.  (See Hebrews 12:1-2)  Once again, there is a balance between our observation of the physical sufferings of Christ that He endured for us on this earth, and the “joy that was set before Him” (Hebrews12:2 NKJV) in His place of victory (and ours!) seated in the place of authority in the throne room of heaven.

So what am I proposing with all this?  Simply that it might be good to do some things over the next forty days before Easter that would cause you to focus with a heart of thanksgiving and praise on Him for all that He did for you.  It might just give you a whole new enriching experience in your celebration and understanding of Resurrection Sunday on March 31^st.  As a Christian, have you ever really taken the time to put into words what and why you believe as you do?  Is it just a listing of what your church believes that is written on the back of your Sunday Bulletin, or is it a personal, life changing message that is alive with the power and love of God pulsating throughout your very existence?  Hummm… something to consider during these days before Easter!  Have a great day.  Stay in tune to His Word and keep asking yourself… “What (and WHY) am I expecting today?”