Wednesday, March 12, 2008

The intensity of Lent

I love the intensity of Lent. I love the rush of getting sermons ready, one after another. I love having multiple services to prepare, the fact that confirmands buckle down because they realize 2 years of work is coming to fruition. It's the time of the Church Year that feels like the Gospel of Mark - where we are thrown into our next task instead of leisurely strolling.

There are times when intensity is a good thing. You can't have it all the time, otherwise you break down - but so much happens, so much comes together in Lent, that if you dive in yourself, you see the connections. Palm Sunday leads to Maundy Thursday which leads to Good Friday - it's all interconnected, it's all the same thing. The steps in Jerusalem are the same steps that lead to Gethsemane, the same steps upon the Via Delarosa, the same steps of Joseph and Nicodemus carrying the lifeless Body of our Lord to a tomb.

Lent, especially Holy Week gets rushed - but when you are in it, things slow down - because all that you point to, all the separate things that much be hurriedly addressed - they all are nothing but Christ and Him crucified. Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord - The Son obeys the Father's will. He kneels to wash the feet of the disciples - A servant's form like mine He wore/ to lead the devil captive. He institutes the Supper - as oft as ye break this bread and drink this cup, ye do show forth the Lord's Death 'til He do come. He prays in Gethsemane - Learn of Jesus Christ to die. He is mocked and scourged - All this I suffer for your good. God Himself hangs upon the Cross and does not come down -He has for us the Law obeyed and thus the Father's vengeance stayed.

At Lent, like no other time, do we see so clearly Christ Crucified. The intensity, the pressure collapses everything down to this singular point - Christ Crucified. God grant that this is where our focus would always be, in times of intensity or in times of relaxation!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Eric,
A blessed Holy Week to you and your bride and your church family - DFD

Past Elder said...

Via Delarosa? A typo for Via Dolorosa?

The point of the post though is spot on! Felices pascuas!

Rev. Eric J Brown said...

I'm a Cubs fan - Mark DeRosa. It's Spring training.

Past Elder said...

Cool. I'm a member of Red Sox Nation living in the Diaspora, so I understand now.