Each year we look forward to Christmas with great anticipation. We decorate, celebrate, and anxiously look forward to the season of Advent. The arrival of the Christ child is an amazing time. It is an event that helped shape the world. But Christ did not come to just be a child. He came to be a sacrifice. His death on the cross is the pivotal moment in time.
That moment is remembered on Easter. A day of remembrance for the love God had for all mankind. Without the humility of Jesus to die the indignant death of the cross, we would have to no hope for an eternity with God. It may seem morbid to celebrate and anticipate the upcoming commiseration of Christ's death, but it is the single most important day in the history of all mankind. So how do we anticipate and celebrate? Like Christmas and the season of Advent, Easter and the season of Lent serves as an aide to prepare our hearts for the special day. Lent is associated with self-sacrifice through fasting, prayer and solemn reflection. Not quite the tinsel and lights of Advent, but equally important. Consider these verses:
Philippians 3:10-11 - "I want to know Christ, yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participate in his sufferings, becoming like him in death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
Joel 2:12-14 - "Even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate.
Who, as Christians, would not want to know Christ more? And while we long for the day of resurrection and glory of his return, we can join in his glory of sacrifice and humility. By spending more time in prayer, scripture reading, or denying ourselves of something we find joy in, we identify with Jesus and his time here on earth. After all, he set aside the riches of heaven so that he could walk this planet with us and die in our place. So setting aside a favorite food or past time to allow ourselves more time to focus on him and his love for us is pale in comparison to his trials here on earth. The Lord desires pure hearts, not just clean presentable outward appearances. That type of holiness requires time and preparation. It requires a season. A Season of Lent.
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