Hello, friends! Last week, I neglected to write a blog post for you. But I have some cool stuff coming up, so get excited! Each week during Lent, I'm going to blog about how Lent is coming into my daily life. Here's what I'm thinking about today!
Random fact about myself: I love writing puppet scripts. I started loving this during my time at Concordia, and I still love it now, even though I have no opportunity to perform the scripts at the moment. One of my goals (which might be accomplished in the next few months) is to write a puppet script for each part of the church year.
Last week, I decided now was an appropriate time to write some scripts for Lent. My two characters are very confused. Why the funny-looking crosses on our foreheads? Why can't we eat chocolate? What does "repent" mean? What's Monday Thursday? And finally, why is Good Friday good? As I wrote these scripts, trying to come up with some ways young children might misinterpret Lent, I realized that I was coming to a better understanding of it myself.
In particular, I understand better why we have Lent. This can seem like a sad part of year, and it is, sort of. It's sad to remember that Jesus had to suffer and die for us. It's sad to realize that we needed his sacrifice so desperately. But it's also a happy time, because Lent isn't the end. We have Lent, a time of repentance and fasting, to remind us of how amazing Easter truly is. We need both Lent and Easter; one without the other is meaningless. We need the fast and the feast.
One without the other is meaningless, but they can't come together without the great conjunction, as Pastor Jay said last night. Jesus is our And. He relates the suffering of Lent and the celebration of Easter in a way we could never have come up with on our own. Because we have Jesus, Lent doesn't have to be sad. Lent can be filled with joy as we consider what is coming next.
Happy Lent to you!
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