As we head into the Lent season and look forward to Easter I want to share about the gift of Jesus’ death. Lent is a season where we acknowledge what Christ has given up for us by giving up something for Him. Typically, it is something costly. Many people change their diets for lent, or give up fast food, or some activity that is precious to them.  Christ gave up the security of heaven for us. He came to live as a Human and suffer all the things that we do because of the curse of sin. He came to conquer sin by living a perfect life and dying a perfect death for us so that we can now be under His covering and have restored relationship with God. Lent is a reflection on this gift from Jesus. Those things that people give up are symbols and reminders of the selfless giving that Christ offer to us. He gave up everything for US: People broken by sin, opposed to His ways, and distant from Him in every way. He made a way for restored relationship by building a bridge to God through the Cross and the Empty Tomb. What a powerful gift.

As we head into this season, what might God be calling you to give up for this season? What powerful gift can you give to God? Is it devotion? Is it prayer? Is it worship? Is it a relationship that needs to be submitted to His will? Ask God what would be a good thing to give up and I am sure that He will answer you.

There is a concept in American football called forward progress. When a ball carrier is stopped and forced back by their opponent the ball is marked at the furthest forward point. This is to make sure that people do not simply pick up and carry the ball carrier backwards. It is a nice idea that keeps the game from devolving into a mad sort of brawl with both teams trying to carry their opponents around the field. As I think about the way our world works and the rules we come up with to help keep it from devolving I find that there is no rule of forward progress. Your bank account does not maintain the highest balance it has ever had. Your cars gas tank does not obey this rule either. Nor does the human stomach stay full. In the game of football, it is easy to see how this rule is useful but in our daily lives there is no comparable rule. We have to keep adding money to the bank, gas to the car, and food to the stomach.

Here is something that may seem controversial but, following Jesus does not have a rule of forward progress either. God’s grace is a wonderful thing don’t get me wrong. That being said we can choose to walk away from Him and He does not have to honor our onetime relationship with Him. The Christian life is one of continuing relationship with Jesus. We get to keep going with Him every day. Forward progress for us is continuing that connection with Him day by day. Being close to Jesus is our goal line.

Emily and I have been in Kansas for a few days now and it has been great! We have enjoyed spending time with family and celebrating Christ’s birth. During our time here we have been staying with my brother Jon and his family. They invited us to stay with them and we gladly accepted. It has been wonderful to reconnect with my nieces and nephews out here and explore their world a bit.

As I reflect on this invitation to stay I am reminded of Christ’s gracious invitation for us to stay with Him for eternity. Christ came to restore relationship between us and God. His invitation to new life is a precious one and just like being with my nieces and nephews I am grateful to experience the world through His eyes when I accept this invitation. This year my hope for you is that you will gladly accept Christ’s invitation and continue to engage with it often.

Psalm 130 – “¹ Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! ² O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! ³ If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? ⁴ But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. ⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; ⁶ my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. ⁷ O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. ⁸ And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.”

Longing for the Lord’s redemption in our lives is not something new! God’s people have longed for Him to take action for them since the beginning. We have a sure hope in the Lord. Those who wait on Him will not be disappointed. Waiting is not a passive thing for us though. We continue to give up our fears and frustrations to the Lord. As we wait we hold on to the promise of God’s steadfast love. In this season of Advent as we wait for the second coming of Christ and celebrate His birth so long ago we continue to hold on to what God has done for us and look forward to what He will accomplish when He comes again.