Lent is a season of the church calendar, the forty days leading up to Easter. It is characterized by prayer, fasting, and reflection as the Christian community leans into central questions such as, “What does it mean to be a Christian?” or “What things are holding me back from a deeper, more meaningful relationship with Christ?”
The beauty of ashes (acknowledging our human self), recognized on Ash Wednesday, leads into new growth and life, celebrated on Easter Sunday.
Where Lent represents death to our selves – Easter represents life to the fullest, through Christ.
Lent is characterized by a proverbial holding pattern, as the church “waits” for Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday.
As I’ve been reflecting on the recent experiences of social distancing, due to the pandemic, COVID-19, it has felt to me like the world is experiencing its own season of groaning. The anguish, the darkness, and the loss have been ever-present in minds and hearts across the globe, on the forefront media. While COVID-19 is a heavy reality, symptomatic of our struggles as humanity, as a world we are still experiencing another burden, the need for redemption, freedom, healing, and hope. Just as the church longs for Christ’s resurrection, coming on Easter Sunday, I believe the world is unknowingly “waiting” for the hope and healing that only Christ can bring.
In the process of mulling these thoughts over, this passage from 2 Corinthians 1:2-5 came to mind.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.
With this beautiful parallel in mind, in combination with the verse above, I believe that we as believers have an incredibly unique opportunity in this season to share with others the hope, healing, and comfort that can be obtained through Christ’s death and resurrection! We are not living without hope in this time, as we know the beauty of Christ’s presence.
Friends, I encourage and implore you. Share this news with others! Encourage your friends and your family during this season to seek out The Way, The Truth, and The Life!
Happy Homestead 