Dried Up and Burned to a Crisp

Maybe you missed starting over on New Years Day. It's tough to start resolutions on a holiday. Then again, maybe you already failed at that particular fresh start. Let's try a different one.

Ash Wednesday is a good day to renew yourself. It marks the beginning of the church's season of Lent, which ends on the day before Easter. Many people "give up" something for Lent, as a reminder of the much greater sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for all humanity. Lent is a season of preparation, as we get ourselves ready spiritually and mentally to comprehend the wonder of Easter.

Consider the palm branches used in the celebration of Palm Sunday, one week before Easter. We wave the branches and call out or sing, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" It's a kind of reenactment of the first Palm Sunday. Those crowds did not fully comprehend what Jesus was about to do for them, but we do, and our hearts can't help but celebrate.

The same branches are gathered up after the worship service, and are left to gradually dry out. Months later, when they are thoroughly dry, they are burned completely to ashes. We save these ashes to use at the beginning of the next year's season of Lent, when as a sign of repentance we receive them as a cross on our foreheads.

That's often the cycle of our Christian lives, in a nutshell. We start out 'green,' full of life and celebration. Our devotion gradually dries up, becoming nothing more than ashes that are a faint reminder of our faith at its highest point. In repentance, we seek God and a fresh start. God responds, until we again reach a point of celebration and nearness to God.

Why can't Easter last all year?