Once again, it is time to enter the season of Lent through the door of Ash Wednesday. Some might wonder why we do this to ourselves: Why do we gather each Ash Wednesday (this year, March 9) to be reminded of such unpleasant truths as our mortality and our sin? But just as Jesus began his ministry with the invitation to repentance, so we hear again his call to return to the Lord. Pleasant? Perhaps not. Necessary? Absolutely.

Lent asks us to live honestly, without denial or pretense. This is the only way to freedom and new life in Christ. Self-examination and confession prepare us to receive new life in those areas of our lives where we had denied Christ. By trusting God’s mercy, we are able to set aside the failures of the past and lean into who we are yet to become by the grace of God.

After we have entered Lent through the door of Ash Wednesday, Lent becomes a time for spiritual growth, deepening faith, richer prayer, and a renewed sense of God’s presence. We find that the door, which at first seemed too difficult to open, swings freely on hinges of grace. And Christ welcomes us into his house of love.

This love is not sentimental, however. Subjectively, we think we need sympathy and comfort, while what we really need is clarity, and cleansing of the abyss of sin within us. This is not condemnation, but right diagnosis. What a relief to finally admit that we are in need, not only of forgiveness of past sins, but the healing of our hearts, which is a lifelong process.

The freedom of Lent is that while “weeping at Jesus’ feet, we [discover we] have nothing more to conceal, no more self-justification, no more self pity. We are fully known, even in the depths that we ourselves cannot see, cannot bear to see. Instead of hoping that God will love us for our good parts and pass over the rest, we know that he died for the bad parts, and will not rest till they are made right. The depth of our sin proves the height of his love, a height we cannot comprehend until we realize how desperately we need it. We are fully loved, and one day will be fully healed. . .” (The Illumined Heart, Frederica Mathewes-Green)

If you hesitate to enter into the Lenten disciplines, because you are afraid of what you might find out about yourself, hear Jesus say, “Do not be afraid. It is I.”

I’ll meet you at the door.

 

Pastor Stephanie