In my time at Zion, Albert Lea, MN, the pastor’s office overlooked the church’s driveway. I was fascinating in how, week by week, the lengthening days changed my view of the cars arriving for the Lenten service. One Wednesday I became so enthralled, that I hadn’t donned my alb, cross and purple stole, when the bell began ringing. I managed to get vested and into the chancel without any undue delay. But I digress. At the start of lent all I could see were floating headlights approaching up the driveway. Eventually, there came the week that I the autos took on a shape. By late lent, I was able to identify both the make and occupants of those autos.
Once more the church is out of step with the world as it was at Advent/Christmas, when we proclaimed the coming of the Light into the world, even as the light of the world dimmed toward the winter equinox. Now the world marches on toward increasing light, even as the church marches into growing darkness. The church ignores the lengthening days. Never mind that daylight saving time begins on March 14. The church has a greater day in mind. We are not about saving time, but saving people and redeeming the time. The church ignores the coming of spring on March 20, for we are moving toward the day when we celebrate Jesus’ springing from the grave.
However, first we must move toward the darkness until we come to that Friday when the darkness of noon announces creation’s mourning over what the darkness of our sin has caused God to do to His own Son. By the time the sun emerged at 3 pm, Jesus had entered into the darkness of death. As the light from that Friday failed again, he was taken from the cross and the Light of the world will be buried in the darkness of a tomb.
It will not be until Sunday morning when, as the sun is about to arise in the east, that the Son, the Light, rises from the grave marking the day true salvation, the time of everlasting life.
Lent is the time when we look at the darkness within ourselves to see more clearly those things in our lives that put Jesus into the darkness. But we do not do so in abject hopelessness. We look not only at ourselves, but as the author of Hebrews encourages us, “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed-that exhilarating finish in and with God-he could put up with anything along the way, cross, shame, whatever.” (Message)
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