Dear Rose Park,
There’s a lot of symbolism in the bible. For example, any time scripture mentions water it’s a safe bet there’s a connection to baptism. Any time scripture mentions fire it’s a safe bet there’s a connection to the Holy Spirit. This symbolism isn’t limited to physical things, it also includes numbers. There are seven days of creation, seven churches listed in Revelation, and seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. There are twelve tribes of Israel, twelve apostles, and Jacob even had twelve sons. Needless to say, biblical numbers are important.
During the season of Lent, the number that is prominently meaningful is 40. There are 40 days in the season of Lent (excluding Sundays) which coincide with the 40 years of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness and the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert being tempted by the enemy prior to His earthly ministry. Today marks the first day of Lent. So, 40 days from now (again, excluding Sundays) we’ll be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.
But before we smell the scent of Easter lilies or wave palm branches shouting, “Hosanna in the highest!”, we celebrate Ash Wednesday. According to the Worship Sourcebook, the aim of Ash Wednesday is threefold:
To meditate on our mortality, sinfulness, and need of a savior; to renew our commitment to daily repentance; and to remember with confidence and gratitude that Christ has conquered death and sin.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and it does so by reminding us of our mortality and pointing us towards Jesus. We live in a world that tries to hide our mortality and yet at the same time it brutally reminds us of our mortality as well. Commercials attempt to sell us products to keep us young forever, yet global headlines remind us of death and pain constantly. Ash Wednesdays graciously reminds us that from dust we are created and to dust we shall return (Ecc. 3:20) and at the same time it points us towards everlasting life in Christ.
This is all to say, how will you spend these 40 days? Will you embrace your mortality by giving up some earthly thing you think you can’t live without? Will you consider your call to daily repentance every time you wash your hands or turn on the faucet? Or will you be too caught up in the preparation and logistics for Spring Break to give Lent any thought at all?
I hope you create space in your life to reflect on your mortality. I hope you take the time to humbly confess your sins before God. I hope you anticipate the celebration that will occur on Easter Sunday. And I hope you embrace the assurance of eternal life that Jesus offers to us all.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark
Photo by Matt Palmer on Unsplash