Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lent.  We are joyful as we start new family traditions to commemorate this sacred time.  Growing up, celebrating Lent was not a part of our faith community's practices.  But since then, Justin and I have come to appreciate it as a time to fully prepare our hearts for Easter, the day of Christ's glorious resurrection.  We sacrifice some of our earthly pleasures as a way to empty ourselves and be filled up with more of Him.  For us, in doing so, we are able to approach Easter with a posture of joy, gratitude and sweet relief that Christ is indeed risen.  Moving through each of the 40 days, grieving along with the disciples as they learn of Jesus' coming death and then rejoicing together that his death is not an ending. Rather, it's the very beginning of the hope that we cling to.  The hope that keeps us fighting the good fight until the day when we'll be caught up with Him.  Lent has a way of teaching us over and over again that this life has never been and will never be about us.  Jesus's immaculate display of love through His suffering stands in stark contrast to my depravity, revealing itself a little more each time I'm in His presence.  His grace covers it all.  So tonight, as we take communion, as we bend our knees, bow our heads and hearts; as we confess and repent, pray and praise....we remember.  We remember that the Crucifixion was because of us.  We were the ones that nailed Jesus to the Tree.  We were the crown of thorns on His head.  We were the ones that caused Him, for the first time, to be completely separated from His Father as He took upon the full weight of our sin.  And despite all of that doing, we are the ones that are FORGIVEN.  Our God, who is Love, brings absolute redemption and knowing that truth, how could we do anything but let our lives speak thankfulness in response?