Luke 24:1-2
1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in, they did not find the body.
In one of the worship services on Sunday I rhetorically asked the age old Georgia weather question that seems to apply this time of year; is it winter, or is it spring, or is it summer? Which one is it? We just don’t seem to know. We are living in a mixture of them all. It’s true of our weather and it’s true of our world.
Our world has gotten into the habit of moving us back and forth between “high highs” and “low lows” in the blink of an eye. I don’t like it. Do you? Wouldn’t it be nice to enter a time of intentional preparation for something long lasting rather than feeling like we are flitting about here, there, and everywhere?
That’s why Lent is so important. Lent is intentional preparation.
We will begin Lent this year around the dinner table and the Lord’s Table this Wednesday. But Lent isn’t just a church calendar thing. It’s a soul thing. It prepares us to encounter the Risen Christ. It prepares us to receive the reality of an empty tomb – both His and ultimately ours. It prepares us to proclaim the most earth changing news that has ever passed across human lips.
I know we want to shout “HE IS Risen” right now – but hold on – not so fast.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s allow time to embrace the newness of God’s recreating creation. I know it seems as if winter just does not want to fully surrender. But time is on our side now. The warm days are beginning to huddle up together. The cold days are fleeing in solitude. The calendar has flipped from frigid February to marvelous March. Winter’s grasp is loosening which will allow spring’s warm embrace to literally change everything. Glorious new life will appear all around us! God is very intentional about it.
Might not the same thing happen in our souls? How about an intentional movement from spiritual winter to spiritual spring? Lent begins this Wednesday on Ash Wednesday. Lent moves us to Holy week. Holy Week moves us to one particular Sunday. That’s THE SUNDAY that re-forms ALL SUNDAY’S by glorifying the Re-Creator.
Do you want to leap out of the tomb with Him? Then it’s time to intentionally prepare – like the rest of God’s creation. I pray you have a life giving season of Lent as your Spiritual winter gives way (intentionally) to your Spiritual spring.
