Unlike New Year’s, Christmas, Halloween, St. Valentine’s Day and other pagan holidays that are celebrated by the secular, non-religious world, the Lenten season is observed by dedicated and faithful religious believers.
From Ash Wednesday to Easter, many will begin their Lenten journey by coming to FCC on Wednesday morning, March 6, at 11:30 AM with a fellowship lunch gathering afterwards to humbly begin the observance of the Lenten season. During the Ash Wednesday service we will solemnly mark our foreheads with ash. The ashes are burnt palm leaves that represent the sins we have and the death we will face (as in, “for dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return.” Genesis 3:19). The Ash Wednesday service is the start of a 40-day journey where we have the opportunity to choose to observe, discipline, and conduct ourselves much like Christ did during his 40 days of temptation.
Many faithful believers choose to fast or abstain from certain foods or pleasures or habits in honor of what Jesus did during those 40 days in the wilderness just as our Savior resisted the temptations from the devil. But we must always remember that there is no amount of personal fasting, abstaining from physical pleasures, or any other form of self-denial that can spiritually purify us or cleanse us, apart from the work of Christ. For the Bible says that we are purified, cleansed, set apart and made pure in God’s sight by the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ. “By his own blood he entered once for all into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” (Hebrews 9:12) “Without the shedding of His blood, there is no remission of sins.” (Hebrews 9:22)
Many of us see the Lenten season as a way for us to draw closer to God, and personal sacrifice is just one facet of getting to know God’s desire and will for our lives. That’s why I encourage you to not only look at sacrificing human pleasures and lust, but to also look at spending more time studying the scriptures, being in an attitude of prayer, or maybe perhaps volunteering more in community or church ministries or helping others in need.
During this Lenten season, personal sacrifice, assessment, and reflection of one’s own faith can surely help our faith walk be more focused on doing God’s work. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” (James 4:7-8)
But finding a way to sacrifice your personal time in order to help others know Jesus Christ as their personal savior is also a great way to honor our Lord Jesus Christ. “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (James 4:10)
“They that understand and know me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, compassion, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:24)
Pastor Mark