I was talking with a friend the other day and she quipped, “We’ve all given up far more than we wanted to for Lent this year!” My guess is that none of us declared a fast from getting together with people on Ash Wednesday; yet, now several weeks into the Covid-19 crisis, we find ourselves practicing social distancing as our new norm. Perhaps you’ve recently gone without some creature comforts as you’ve found grocery shelves bereft of things like pasta, butter, or bread. Or worse, some may have experienced a brief moment of terror when you couldn’t find toilet paper anywhere! Who would have thought during Lent we would even have to “fast” from attending church in our beautiful sanctuary on Sunday mornings? We have been “forced” to give up many things we are accustomed to having.
Yet, in this season of “journeying toward the cross,” perhaps we are learning more about the true meaning of Lent, which has been defined as “a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Lent is marked by fasting, both from food and festivities.[1] While in the past some of us have chosen to give up things like chocolate or soda, perhaps this year, we are better understanding how fasting can be quite difficult. (Especially when we feel forced into a fast we didn’t choose!) I was struck by how Lent is described as season of “withdrawal into the desert,” to prepare our hearts for Easter. How might this season of withdrawal be preparing your heart for Easter?
Drew has reminded us throughout this season that we fast from certain things during Lent so that we can feast on the goodness of God. This is what we prepare our hearts for during Lent. This is where we are headed as we move into Holy Week. As we journey with Jesus toward the cross, we invite you to take a closer look at the chosen path of sacrifice Jesus took. He willingly allowed himself to be arrested, beaten, and to die an agonizing death on the cross in order to demonstrate his incredible love for us, and to grant us the gift of our salvation.
Throughout Holy Week, we have several opportunities for our Kairos community to enter into the story of Jesus’ journey toward the cross. We invite you to enter into the story of Christ’s sacrifice, so that the good news of Easter, where we proclaim Christ’s victory over death, will be one of great celebration! While our “feasting” and celebrating on Easter morning might look a little different this year, we look forward to rejoicing together in Christ’s victory over the grave, and the hope of eternal life through Christ, as we joyfully proclaim together, “Christ is Risen!”
– Miriam