Scriptures: Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8
Key Verse: I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Philippians 3:12
As we are approaching the end of Lent, I feel bittersweet—something I have never felt before during this time. How can a season of repentance make me feel this way? It could be that my soul has been nurtured and nourished by a series of stories in the past four weeks. The church where I serve as interim pastor has been blessed with hearing what we call the Lenten Story. Each story, shared by a congregation member, reminds us of a time when we felt distant from God but found our way back and got closer to God, who actually has never left us. Yes, we all can’t wait for the Easter Celebration, especially this year since the pandemic still seems to keep dragging on in many countries around the world.
At the beginning of the pandemic, many thought it would be over soon like a flu season and decided to wait until it was over, which didn’t happen. Then unwillingly and helplessly, people began to accept the mask mandates and later some vaccination mandates. Meanwhile, we saw a portion of people resist either or both of these two requirements—both of which have saved many lives, though not enough. Then we hear stories of regret from those who got infected circulating on social media about how serious the virus was. And now, many continue to suffer from lingering symptoms long after their initial infection, called Long COVID, a term used by medical practitioners.
The term Long Covid makes me think of Lent. The word ‘Lent’ is an old English word meaning 'lengthen.’ This is because of the time of year when it happens, as this is when the days start to get longer as we approach summer. Lent isn’t a popular season like Easter because it is time to reflect on our regrets and to repent for what we have done and ask for forgiveness. The reality is that we all have regrets from time to time. It is easy to regret or repent inwardly or privately for most people. We might convince ourselves that as long as God knows and I know, it should be sufficient. Or we might forget about it if we bury it deep enough in our hearts. However, I have learned that taking time to reflect or even talking about it with someone has the power to make our soul grow stronger and healthier.
Have you had any regrets that you have overcome? Or any regrets that you have buried deep inside your heart and haven't found the courage to deal with it? St. Paul said in Philippians 3 that since Jesus had made him as his own, he wanted to know the power of Jesus’ resurrection and experience his suffering in his death, through which somehow he might attain the resurrection from the dead. Paul’s goal was to press on and to make the resurrection his own. So, his goal is ours, too. May we have courage to die fully by repenting wholeheartedly so that the Easter Celebration is not just about Jesus but also about us - a new life, a gift from God. Amen.
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