The month of March has always been a special month in my life.  Our daughter was born March 19^th and not to disparage my son by any means, Sarah is a very special child of God.  She was a difficult child for my wife to carry and the delivery was very tough on Dee as well.  But her presence in this world has made a world of a difference for Dee and me.  I recall many of the events that led to the moment of her birth and to see this child born healthy and well was a very special moment.

Easter morning holds a very special birth for all of us, the birth of a new covenant with God.  The birth of a new life for us is manifest in Christ’s pouring of His Spirit into humanity to restore and redeem us individually and as a whole through resurrection.  We not only rehearse this moment, but live this moment in our Easter celebrations.  And yet, to celebrate the glory of the resurrection without journeying to the cross prior to this event, may lend itself to a surface celebration, a shallow celebration, a cheap celebration.

I encourage you to consider joining us on a regular basis for our midweek Lenten services.  I do know that many of you work and it is difficult for you to get here routinely.  We do offer a meal in hopes that it will make attendance a possibility.  The midweek Lenten services and the services of Holy Week are designed to bring a depth and richness to Easter in hopes of continuing to develop a deep and rich faith life in and with our Risen Lord.

I remember a story shared by a speaker at one of our Synod Assemblies.  He shared the story of a birthday wish of one of his grand daughters.  That wish was to make a cake, with her mom, for her birthday.  So the mom went and bought the Betty Crocker cake mix and a can of frosting.  The daughter was disappointed because she wanted to make it from scratch.  The mom said, “No problem.”  But there was a problem.  The mom had no idea what ingredients to get in order to make a cake from scratch.  The art of “caking” from scratch is being lost.

We live in a culture and a time in which immediate gratification is our expectation.  We have pre-fab homes, cakes, dinners, etc.  We have microwave this and that.  We have fast food, fast dry cleaning, fast transit, etc.  All this is good and necessary for the lifestyle we are in. And, I will admit, that the church and its leadership are a part of this world and this mentality. There are churches that no longer offer midweek Advent and Lenten services because the services are not well attended. Plus, going to church twice in one week is tough on busy families and people who work.  It’s as if these services no longer serve God’s people. God’s people will settle for Holy week and that will satisfy God’s people in a busy world.  And, it often does, thanks be to God.

I’m not trying to make anyone feel guilty about their busy lifestyles in a busy culture.  I just want to have us take a moment to consider what God has given and ask, “What is God doing?”  God has given the church many precious gifts in liturgy and worship and my concern is that our lifestyle and culture do not lend themselves for God’s people to fully take advantage of these gifts.  Let’s try not to lose out on how to build for Easter from scratch.  There are insights, events and words for our consideration over the Lenten journey that will enhance and deepen Easter and the impact of our Lord’s resurrection of our lives.