Do you celebrate or recognise Lent? Do you do anything special or significant to prepare your heart for Easter? Maybe you haven’t given it a lot of thought. So, what is Lent?
The season of Lent is traditionally the 40 days leading up to Easter. The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry. For many Christians, Lent is a time for self-examination and reflection, a time to prepare spiritually for Easter.
Lent offers us an opportunity to again acknowledge our sinful nature and our need for a Saviour. It’s a time to repent of our own rebelliousness, and return to God. Lent is also an opportunity to contemplate and reflect upon what our Lord Jesus endured on the Cross to achieve our redemption.
I must admit that some years Easter sneaks up on me and I find I’m not as spiritually prepared for it as I’d like to be. Other years I do intentionally spend time reading Scripture or commentaries, reflecting and praying in the weeks leading up to Easter. And I find that in those years, the message of the Cross comes alive for me again.
For those of us who have been a Christian for a long time, the account of Jesus’ death and resurrection is very familiar. This familiarity can mean the passion and emotion of what Jesus went through becomes less potent in our hearts and lives. Have you ever listened to a new believer speak with great emotion of what Jesus did for us on the cross? Or maybe you remember that first love for yourself? Time spent reading Scripture and praying to our Lord is invaluable for growing that relationship and reigniting the flame. James 4:8 tells us “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
This Lent I am reading through a John Piper book, “Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die”. It’s a wonderful resource. And there are many, many wonderful resources available online or from a Christian bookstore. Can I encourage you to use the coming weeks to spend time examining your own life, reflecting on all that our Saviour endured on the cross, and the wonderful hope that we all share because of the resurrection?
Caroline
