Slideshow image

We are in the season of Lent. Lent is a seaons of about 6 weeks before Good Friday and Easter.

The season of Lent is meant to be a very powerful, meaningful and formative season of the year.

Unfortunately, in the past, I must confess that I have not paid much attention to Lent. To be honst I am not really sure why.

Lent is a little bit like Advent--days and weeks of preparation before the celebration of a great Christian holy-day. During Advent we are preparing for Christmas. In the case of Lent we are preparing for Good Friday and Easter.

Lent should be a great season for the church because it is a season full of the great themes of the Christian faith. Let me just focus on 6 of these great themes:

1. Repentance: “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). Without repentance there is no Kingdom of God nor any good news in our lives.

2. Sacrifice: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship" (Romans 12:1). Sacrifice is the way we live as followers of Jesus.

3. Forgiveness: "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Matthew 6:12). There is unbreakable connection between forgiveness with God without forgivessness with others.

4. Humility: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves" (Philippians 2:3). Humility is the counter to selfish amtion and vain conceit and the way to live like a true human being.

5. Service: "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love" (Galatians 5:13). Freed through Jesus in order to serve each other.

6. The cross: "Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me" (Matthew 10:38). What a difficult saying of Jesus! May God help us!

For the sake of impressing these themes more deeply into our hearts let's do much to nurture these themes during the season of Lent.