It's Never Too Late
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24, NIV)
We are in the season of Lent, a Christian tradition that I’ve never practiced or fully understood for most of my life. I remember certain relatives and friends who observed Lent. Most of them were protestant Christians, like me, and I respected their faith, but I had never read about Lent in the Bible, so I never placed an emphasis on it.
The fact is that neither the word “Lent” nor the practice of Lent is described anywhere in Scripture. However, the “spirit’ of Lent is woven throughout the pages of both the Old and New Testaments. Lent is about self-denial and sacrifice, practices we don’t hear much about in many Christian circles today. But the call to follow Jesus is a call to pick up our cross, deny self, and experience both the pain and freedom that comes to those who choose to live the crucified life.
That to me is the power of the Lenten season: Through the observance of Lent, Christ asks each of us to deny our flesh or self-life. To make tangible sacrifices and commitments that we can see and feel. And the promise of the gospel is that when we do that we will experience the true joy and freedom in life that is found only in Jesus Christ.
It may be a bit of a late start - three days late to be exact. Many of you may already be observing Lent. Others may be like me, you’ve never practiced this long-standing practice found in many Christian traditions, just not yours.
Still, I’m wondering how many might join me in making some self-sacrifices this Lenten season. If so, let me ask you a question: What are some tangible sacrifices that you are willing to make as you reflect on the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for you?
This may be a good time to recommit to your daily Bible reading. It may be a time when you practice fasting or times of quiet meditation and prayer. (all of which we will be talking about in the days ahead) Or maybe, you can volunteer at a homeless shelter or some other ministry in your community.
As Jesus reminds us in this passage from Luke, it is only when we are willing to “lose our life” that we find it.
In Christ,
Dan