Here comes Lent

Actually, here comes Easter.  Easter is literally seven weeks away.  As I reminisce Easter past in my lifetime, I can only pull up a couple significant memories.
The first one I remember is roughly middle school.  I had a new set of clothes on.  Girls in my age group, whom I was beginning to notice, were also wearing new dresses.  Everybody was looking new and fresh.  The sun was shining, the grass was green, and there were beautiful pink blossoms growing.  I made a connection between Easter and new things.
A special tradition that my mom gave me was a box of peeps:)  I remember Easters with yellow peeps.  Even in college and after being married and having children, my mom still got me yellow peeps.  There is something special about white marshmallow, yellow sugar, and rabbit shapes from mom.  I made a connection between Easter and gifts of love.
Easter 2007, we headed for Berlin Mennonite Church, and lunch with Bruce and Jocelyn Hamsher.  It was the last kick in the pants that we needed to faithfully follow the call on our lives to leave Ohio, head for Hesston, and wind up in beautiful Nebraska.  Suzanne was convicted to let God and I out of the box that she had placed us both in.  I was convicted of my lack of faith in stepping out to follow God's leading.  I lost my last excuse.  I made a connection between Easter and giving up ones life to gain another.
Pre Easter 2009, I was given the opportunity to speak in chapel at Hesston College.  I spoke on Lent.  I didnt' know anything about lent.  So, I learned about lent, and I realized that it was an ancient practice of early Christians.  A way to revive and retell the story of Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection.  The idea of lent is that we suffer (give up things), die (surrender ourselves to Jesus' lordship), and rise again (become transformed into the image of Christ).  I made a connection between Easter and God.
How quickly we consider plain, the extravagance of Jesus' life, death, resurrection.  It happens every year.  We celebrate it at Easter... for 1-2 hours.
Here's the deal.  By beginning Ash Wednesday, to purpose to forget the resurrection, we can fully experience the pain, suffering, death, and hopelessness of the end of Jesus' life.  And then, and then, only then can we fully appreciate and celebrate the resurrection!  Woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!