It is a season which calls us to reflect on who we are and who God is- and to anticipate the rescue and abundant life which is delivered in Jesus.
We are according to Scripture formed of dust. 'The LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.' [Genesis 2.7]
Life came through God, but sin puts a finite boundary around our eternal potential. '...for dust you are and to dust you will return.' [Genesis 3.19]
Our dusty days are limited but we are in Christ more than dust. We travel the dusty road to Easter, preparing to die to our life of clay and to live to the life of the Spirit that is ours as we follow Jesus through the cross into resurrection. 'If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.' [1 Corinthians 15]
I am hoping to confront the reality of the dusty road this Lent. To speak to God openly about my limitations and to find resource in him.
Let's walk....
God, this is a hard time. The focus of Lent is on the pain and suffering of Jesus and our own need for penitence. It is a time of gathering darkness. But we would rather skip this part and go straight to Easter. We would rather ignore the suffering—in you and in the world—and avoid the hard work of true self-examination. Forgive us for wanting this to be bright and painless and easy, when we know that Jesus did not take the easy way, but chose the path of the Cross. Teach us the true meaning of penitence, so that we use this Lenten season to humbly seek a clean heart and a renewed spirit. We pray in the name Jesus Christ. Amen.
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