The Christian Church has already entered the Holy period of Lent that commenced on Ash Wednesday, 14th February 2024. This period of Lent continues through to Maundy Thursday, 28th March the day before Good Friday.
Lent is traditionally a time of fasting, of making adjustments in our lives and reflecting on the events leading to Christ’s crucifixion. Lent is a time of preparation for the great Easter event.
In our “busyness”, it is so easy to forget the Christ who was crucified and rose miraculously from the grave. And so, it is good that the period of Lent provides us with the opportunity to make our personal preparations for the Easter season.
Thinking about the need to prepare in advance, reminds me of the story I read about a ship’s captain who was commanding a war ship called the Hyacinth. They were sailing near Barbados in 1831.
The captain had been up on deck in the finest weather you could ever imagine in that climate. He had just been admiring the beauty of the evening. Looking out to the horizon, the sky was perfectly clear with no clouds in the sky.
Going below to his cabin, he cast his eye on the barometer. It was a time when he would not have thought of checking the instrument. However, he observed that the mercury was falling. He could not believe his eyes! He checked again, and sure enough the mercury was dropping rapidly. He went up on deck, but the weather was as lovely as before.
The captain called his first lieutenant and master and told them what he had seen. These officers were emphatic there could be no storm, given the magnificent weather. Nevertheless, the captain ordered everything to be tied down. The officers and ship’s company were surprised and still incredulous but obeyed the captain’s directions.
An hour or two had gone by and the captain was satisfied that he had prepared for the worst. Suddenly a storm did come on and reached its fury almost at once. The ship rode the storm, thanks to the perception and preparation of the captain.
Towards the end of His ministry, as Jesus journeyed with his disciples through the hills and valleys of Galilee, He repeated what He had already begun to tell the disciples about His impending death and resurrection. He tried to prepare them for this coming event. He used words such as:
“I go to prepare a place for you”.
“Yet a little while and the world will see me no more”.
“I will no more drink of the fruit of the vine with you, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom”.
But still, this information was too difficult for them to grasp and they “were afraid to ask Him”.
Sometimes, we can be like the crew of the Hyacinth, or like Christ’s disciples. We are blind to the signs around us which are showing us that something is about to happen. Or we are not sensitive to the words or signals coming from those around us.
During this period of Lent, we have the opportunity to reflect on being more alert and work on being prepared to celebrate Easter. May God’s Spirit continue to challenge you in this way is my prayer, Amen.
Bill Gillard