Sunday, April 2
Our minister is doing a Lenton series entitled, "Behold the Man." This morning, he talked about Jesus as the 'man in between.' Jesus was both part of and at the same time between two worlds... the heavenly and the earthly. He was between His Heavenly Father's command and his earthly family's wishes.As this Lenton season has progressed, I've thought about Jesus's journey to the cross. For me, the point of participating in Lent is to remind me of the sacrifices Christ made on my behalf. Now, in no way is me giving up candy the equivalent of dying for my sins. But there is no way for me to sacrifice in the same manner as Christ, and this has done its job... it's kept me focused on Jesus.
In the beginning, I missed afternoon candy, and it was almost distracting at times. The idea of candy was always beneath the surface of my consciousness, lurking there, reminding me of what I wasn't having. I wonder if Jesus found it hard to concentrate sometimes as he anticipated what would be his destiny. I wonder if it was always there with him, something he didn't think about but also couldn't not think about.
As the weeks wore on, I became more comfortable with the lack of candy, but now that we're close to Easter, it's really tempting to quit. And yet, I've made it this far. I can't quit now.
I know that Jesus asked his Father to take the cup from him if it was at all possible, so I know he must have wanted to quit, to end his journey early. But he didn't.
I think about how late in a pregnancy, a woman almost always wishes it was over. But she's stuck... no choice in the end date. So she keeps going because that's her only option.
But Christ had an option! He chose to continue on the journey. He chose to suffer for me. And that is humbling. And every time I want an M&M, I remember that He chose to die for me. And that, for me, is the point of Lent.
[ posted by Chel on Sunday, April 02, 2006 ]
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