I have now, for many years, fought what I believe to be a losing battle. I am opposed to the idea that Christmas would be the high point of the Christian year. Rather, it should be Easter, but as we all know, Easter is a blunted celebration in most Evangelical Churches. Some now don’t even celebrate Palm Sunday. No special service is held for Good Friday. Easter Sunday itself becomes a special event, but it is a small matter when compared to Christmas.
Anyone looking at the practices of contemporary church would rightly conclude that the birth of Jesus is more important than the death and resurrection of Jesus. Brothers and Sisters, this ought not to be! We need to celebrate Easter with a greater fervor than we celebrate Christmas, lest we lose the central tenant of our faith.
During the council of Nicaea, in A.D. 325, the Christian leaders of the church faced this same problem. They were looking to magnify the celebration of the cross and the resurrection, and so, they instituted a period of 40 days prior to Easter. It would be a period of preparation.
I write these words on Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of these 40 days of preparation. Ash Wednesday was historically a day in which believers, including those of the Protestant churches, would go to church. They would be reminded of several important Biblical truths. First, Genesis 18:27 tells us, “Abraham answered and said, ‘Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes,”. Indeed, we are dust and ashes, and our lives are sustained and blessed by a God who considers the weakness of our frame.
Second, the Old Testament frequently records times of repentance for Israel, in which they would repent in dust and ashes. Therefore, Ash Wednesday is a time when Christians have gone to church to reflect on their lives, and on all that is in their lives that is displeasing to the Lord. This has led to a time of sober repentance of all known sin, and a call on God to have mercy. They would be reminded that the reason Christ died for us was to forgive our sins and reconcile us to the Father. Hence, we were both to repent and to renew our faith in the finished work of Christ’s cross.
In keeping with the sober events, Christian leaders would then mark all of God’s people on their foreheads with a sign of the cross made up of ashes. With this, the period of Lent would begin. It would be a time of repentance, the practice of the denial of self, the greater urgency of prayer, of reading scripture, of consciously remembering that we were to follow Jesus in all things and to remember Christ’s once for all sacrifice for our sins.
In keeping with the season, let me suggest a prayer that may help us.
“Oh Lord our God, you alone are holy. You are forever blessed and are worthy of all adoration. It is you who has given us life. You have sustained us daily, and through the sacrifice of Jesus, you have redeemed us, and we are yours. But we confess that as we go through the activities that make up our lives, which includes the duties we are required to perform and the activities we often delight in, we confess that we have often forgotten your abiding presence and your love for us. We have fallen into sin. We have left undone those things that we ought to have done, and we have done those things that are unholy and displeasing in your sight. In this holy season, hear our prayers of repentance and contrition. Send your Holy Spirit to awaken us afresh, so that our hearts may turn back to you. Lead us into sincere repentance and lead our lives into your grace. Help us to remember that we are sinners and help us to renounce all known sin. Help us also to remember that you have mercy on all who are sincerely repentant. As we anticipate the glory of Good Friday and of Easter, lead us to genuine renewal and love for Christ. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.”
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