Roger Wohletz
March 2006
From
the Pastor
Are you prepared for Easter?
“What?” You might be thinking. “What do I have to do to prepare for Easter?” If there is any big holiday that entails a lot of preparation, it’s Christmas. In December, we are busy baking, shopping, wrapping, mailing cards, traveling, etc. For Easter, things are lower key. Six weeks before Easter, you don’t see a lot of countdown signs in the stores reminding you how many shopping days left before April 16. Just pick out a new spring outfit sometime next month, get a new hat, and you’re ready to go for Easter.
Not so fast. There is a lot of preparation before Easter – spiritual preparation. The forty days before Easter is one long season of preparation in the Church. This is the season of Lent. From Ash Wednesday on March 1 until Holy Week starts on April 9, we are in Lent, the time of year when we focus on the meaning of Christ’s Passion – His sacrifice for our sins.
It’s a shame that so many Christians skip Lent and move on right to Easter. But before we can celebrate Christ’s resurrection, we need to remember His death. Before there was an empty tomb, there was a body on the cross. We are saved not only by Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday, but also by His suffering and death on Good Friday.
So I urge you to get ready for Easter. Prepare spiritually by renewing your focus on His Word. Lent is the time to be regular in worship and Bible Class on Sunday mornings. If you’re in the habit of dropping off your kids for Sunday School and then heading home, Lent is the time to start coming to Bible Class yourself. Join us on Wednesday evenings for our Lenten Vespers, as we take a special look at God’s plan for our salvation.
It’s time to get ready. Easter is just around the corner.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Wohletz