Our Journey to the Cross

This month of March marks the beginning of the most solemn time of the church year. It is the season we call Lent (Lent comes from an old English word which means lengthen, referring to the lengthening days as we approach springtime – Easter, the conclusion of Lent, is always in the spring of the year).

During the season of Lent we focus our attention on the passion of our Savior. His passion refers to His suffering and death for our sins. The word also has the idea of a deep love for someone. And that, of course, is what Jesus has for you and me. He has a love so deep that it thirsts for our salvation. That is why He was so willing to humble Himself and become obedient to death, even death on a cross for our sins.

Our readings for Lent (especially our special midweek services) are based on some of the saddest moments in the history of the world. Our hymns for Lent are also more solemn, reflecting the mood of the season. But while we view our Savior on His way to the cross to suffer and die in our place, we must also do so in anticipation of His glorious victory over sin, death and the grave with His resurrection from the death on Easter morning. It is only when we see what our Savior was willing to go through for us that we will truly appreciate the victory celebration of Easter and its foretaste of our even more glorious victory celebration forever in heaven.

The Lord bless our journey to the cross and beyond this month of March.

Pastor Balza