Running Toward Sunday

Not so fast!  Wait, slow down!  The temptation is there, you know, to bump from one moment to the next, one holiday to the next, from Christmas to Easter.  But not so fast!  Resurrection Sunday (Easter) is never a day that should sneak up on us.  We ought to proceed with caution, with expectation, with reverence, and ultimately with hope.  But is that the case?  Well, no, not usually.  We are typically enmeshed in our daily affairs, busily hurrying from one appointment to the next, anxiously weighing the demands on our lives against what seems like an ever deficient amount to time.  Then we arrive and we say, “Is it Easter already?”  The moment that question is asked, the weight of Easter is emptied.

We can’t run toward Resurrection Sunday.  We must slow down.  How?  Early in the life of the historic church, they established a practice of preparation.  It’s called Lent.  Lent is the season of the church year that prepares us for the dawning of hope found at the end of 40 days.  Lent is readjusting, reorienting ourselves to the gospel of Jesus, its demands and promises.  Lent is about diving deep into the story of Christ and allowing that story to shape our lives.  How?

1.)     40 Days of Fasting:  Traditionally Lent is viewed as a time of fasting.  It’s a season when we voluntarily give up something that demands our time, that distracts us, that gets more of our attention than it ought.  It’s a time when we set aside something so that we can more fully focus on our relationship, calling, and mission with/from/of God.  Like what?  Some folks give up food of some sort, a kind of food, a meal a day (note this isn’t a diet).  Some folks give up TV or Facebook.  You have to answer that for yourself.  It is something generally understood as a sacrifice.

Then what…

2.)    Something Intentional:  Lent isn’t just about giving up, it’s about putting something in its place.  A fast is ultimately about making changes, drawing closer to God, getting more involved in what God’s up to in the world.  It can be to deal with some looming issue of sin in your life.  It can be about becoming more active in the life of the church or the community.  If I give up that latte I purchase every day, I might save up that money and give it to the Pregnancy Resource Center at the end of the 40 days. 

3.)    How Long?  Lent runs from Ash Wednesday…today…until the Saturday before Easter.  I know that’s more than 40 days.  It is every day except Sunday.  Sundays are a day when you can break your fast as you celebrate Sunday as a day of rest and expectation.

4.)    What do I do?  During Lent, I will post daily from a devotional I have written to help lead and guide you through this process.  It will have a Scripture, a writing, and perhaps a question or a prayer.  Take the time to take the journey. 

5.)    What’s the big deal?  Resurrection Sunday is perhaps the single most important day of the year.  It celebrates the day when God conquered death, when the old age passed away and the new age came.  However, we make ourselves ready through repentance, reorientation, reconciliation, and restoration.  This journey will lead us to Holy Week…the Thursday before Easter (Maundy Thursday), Good Friday (the day of the Cross), and Holy Saturday. 

This is a journey we will take together.  If you take it seriously it will reshape the way you experience Resurrection Sunday.  I invite you along as we allow Jesus to “Flip the Script” on us through Lent.