Preparing for death and resurrection of Jesus

We are now in the time of the church year in which we prepare ourselves for the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our word "Lent" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for "spring," the season of preparation for celebrating Easter. Around 230 A.D., groups of Christian converts began fasting for the 40 hours leading up to Easter to prepare their hearts for that joyous celebration of baptism. Soon, the idea caught on. Years later, people extended that time to seven days of fasting and they called it Holy Week. By 325 A.D., the church officially made Lent forty days, representing Jesus' forty days of testing in the wilderness of Judea, and it became a time for penance by all Christians. The imposition of ashes are a sign of repentance. It is an experiential way for us of participating in the call to repentance and reconciliation with God. Lent is a time to remember that we are a sinful people. We enter a process of taking 40 days for self-reflection and commit ourselves to allowing the Holy Spirit to convict us that we are a prideful people, more than we would like to admit. The time of Lent calls us to repent of those sins and submit ourselves in all humility before a righteous, merciful, and grace-filled God. As you continue in Lent, take the time to read Psalm 51, David's confession to God. He throws himself at God's feet knowing that only God can restore a clean heart to him. Let this be our song of confession, too. I wish you a blessed time of Lent as you recommit yourself to a spiritual journey that leads to the blackness of Good Friday but still allows us to look ahead with blessed hope to the future light that comes with celebrating Jesus' Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Rev. Dr. Brian C. Oglesbee is pastor of Norwalk First United Methodist Church.