As a child, my excitement over Easter stemmed from eggs. Plastic ones filled with candy (or money), marbleized ones, or chocolate, in a basket, in the form of an egg. I never got the parallel between Easter Sunday at church and the eggs that we would hunt, but I always thought there had to be a connection since it all ran together. In all honesty, the whole church thing often got blurred by the excitement of running through the yard hoping to find the "perfect egg". I may go to Sunday school, in a super uncomfortable dress, and hear about the crucifixion and how Christ rose again, but honestly all I wanted to do was get out of the pantyhose that were screaming at me and find some candy. Many parts of Christ, his sacrifice, the miraculous events that took place around his crucifixion, and him returning was lost on me.
Now, having a little one of my own (and one on the way), will we hunt Easter eggs? Yes. Will we marbleize some and eat them? Yes. However, will I try every which way to make this completely secondary to the blood that was shed, the sacrifice that was made, and the promise that was given to us when he rose again? YES.
Jesus voluntarily gave himself up to pay the price for our sins. As Jesus hung from the cross scripture says, "It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two" (Luke 23:44). According to the study notes found for my NIV, the temple had three parts: the courts for all of the people; the Holy Place, where only priests could enter, and the Most Holy Place, where the high priest alone could enter once a year to atone for the sins of the people. The ark of the covenant and God's presence with it rested in the Most Holy Place. The curtain that was torn, during those last moments on the cross, was the one that closed off the view to the Most Holy Place. When Christ died and took his final breath, the barrier between God and man was destroyed. This signified the door being opened for people to approach God directly through Christ. It is amazing to think that during the crucifixion that "darkness came over the whole land" for three hours in the middle of the day. The Earth stood still and mourned the loss of Christ.
The story of Christ, his birth, his life, and his crucifixion have been with me from such an early age that I know that I often take it for granted. I doubt that I will ever fully grasp it in the way I need to while living here on Earth, but I desire a deeper understanding.
Before being tortured on the cross Jesus endured ridicule from many. He endured temptation from the devil in the desert (or wilderness) for forty days. He went without food for FORTY DAYS. Was he led by the Spirit to the desert? Yes. Did he have a choice? YES. He was God and Spirit. He made the choice, as God in human form, to experience the temptation that we face each moment. However, where we often fall short, Jesus resisted this temptation. He resisted Satan.
I came across this blog posting and guide for Lent the other day which gave me a renewed perspective on what Lent is and how it can draw us nearer to God through obedience and purposeful thought and action. For whatever reason, I have always thought Lent was just for Catholics and it did not really apply to me. I could not have been more wrong.
The following is taken from the blog post:
"Lent is about the gospel. It is a time to narrow the focus of the Church to the work of Christ, in particular His life and death, a season to turn from sin and trust in His atoning work.
It is easy to get lost in the cultural caricature of Easter and miss the meaning. Lent is a reminder that the resurrection only occurred after the crucifixion. Rather than skipping over the ministry and crucifixion of Christ, Lent is a season to prepare ourselves for the joy of Resurrection Sunday as we symbolically enter the sorrow and pain which preceded it.
The season of Lent lasts approximately 46 days, including Sundays, between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. The 40 days (excluding Sundays) have obvious biblical parallel in the flood narrative (Gen. 6:00-8:00), the giving of the Law to Moses on Sinai (Exod. 24:12-18), Elijah’s journey to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:1-12), and Jesus’ fasting and temptation in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11, Mark 1:9-12, Luke 4:1-13). The last of these accounts is most relevant to the season.
Originally a preparation period for those desiring to be baptized, Lent eventually became embedded into Christian tradition as a season for the Church to symbolically follow Christ into the wilderness. It is a time for fasting and self-denial, though not for denial itself. It is a period to empty ourselves of lesser things so that we might be filled with the greater things of the gospel.
The Village Church also published a guide that helps you walk through the season of Lent. It has devotionals along with an example guide of things you could give up each week.
The weeks are as follows:
Week One: Food-Of course, don't give up food entirely, but take away a meal a day, or even one of your favorite snacks that you eat habitually!
Week Two: Television and Movies
Week Three: Social Networking and Internet
Week Four: Caffeine and Sweets
Week Five: Radio and Music
Week Six: Shopping for Non-Essentials
Week Seven: Sleep--meaning, wake up or stay up an hour or two early or late to get into the word or pray
We have started the "no television part" and I went ahead and paired Facebook in with that as well. This is HARD for me. Facebook has been easier than I expected, but it really has become such a habit. I check my email and then click on Facebook. I scan through status updates and get off for the most part. It takes no time at all, but I do it ALL of the time. I plan on posting this to Facebook through Blogger, but I will not be getting on FB to check comments until after this period of time is done.
We are not huge television watchers, but it is something we use to unwind. Adam gets home, we eat dinner, and watch our shows. It has become part of our daily life. If I need to get something done around the house and Reese is attached to me I turn on Word World, which she LOVES. I was so tempted yesterday as she kept saying, "Word World? Word World?" because she wanted to watch it. I kept thinking, "Well, what would a few minutes hurt while I cleaned the kitchen or I folded some laundry?", but we fought it. I also use the television as company during the day. There is something comforting about having Rachael Ray or the Chopped judges talking in the background. However, every time I was tempted it was a stark reminder of Christ. Not that my temptation or sacrifice is anything like his, but it is a constant reminder throughout my day of Him and how much He loves me.
So, I will let you know how the coming weeks go, but so far so good :) Last night, when Adam got home, we had the TV off and even though we do not have a problem talking to one another, we talked even more. Then, he played games on his phone while I read. It was a quiet evening and it was nice. Our focus was continually being redirected to Christ because every time we thought of what we were sacrificing (television) it brought us right back to Him.
Since I always like to have pictures in my posts here are some pictures that are completely unrelated :) She's getting so big!
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