February 28: Introduction to the 2017 Lent Project
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the 2017 Lent Project. Sacrifice is the focus of this year’s journey together. The word sacrifice has come to mean the giving up of something precious or valuable or doing without something that has been a meaningful part of life. During our time together we want to meditate on two distinct aspects of Christian sacrifice. The bulk of the project will be devoted to dwelling on the sacrificial life and death of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. His surrender to the Father’s will at a cost we cannot fathom, proved to be the greatest sacrifice ever made. When he shed his blood on the cross he provided that perfect sacrifice God required to atone for sin.
Christ’s earthly life was one of sustained and continual giving. At one point he said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.” Christ’s example is the model we strive to follow in our daily lives as his children. We are called to be imitators of Christ and to follow in his footsteps. Holiness in Christian living is intimately linked with the notion of personal sacrifice. So we will spend a number of weeks looking at some of the many sacrifices his followers offer back to Christ as tokens of deep gratitude and thanksgiving for his amazing love for us. Author Elisabeth Elliot once wrote, “The greatest symbol of Christianity means sacrifice and no one who calls himself a Christian can evade that stark fact.”
The sacrificial season of Lent is a time for us to purposefully go deeper with Christ through reflection, action and renewal. Its structure offers practical ways to increase our devotion and love for Christ. If the church is indeed a hospital for the sick and wounded, then it follows that Lent is its yearly physical and annual tune-up. Lent has been observed by the vast majority of Christians since the earliest days of the Church. It’s a time to cleanse our wills, realign our spirits and strengthen our dependence upon God. It’s a period of genuine repentance, of concentrated reconciliation with others, of fasting from all that distracts us, and recommitting our lives to Christ in love and service.
As usual, we are most grateful for all of the illustrators, artisans, fine artists, videographers, poets, authors, composers and musicians who have contributed to this project. The multiplicity of styles, cultures, and wide range of denominations represented, creates a full-bodied meditation on the marvelous things that God has done and is doing in the hearts and lives of those who seek him. We are also most grateful to those readers who have contributed financially to this unusual endeavor. It is your support that continues to makes these projects possible. Our team has spent dozens of hours culling through hundreds of videos, musical compositions and works of art and poetry in an attempt to bring a heartfelt worship experience to our participants.
The contemplative and imaginative nature of the arts solidifies and calls forth a self-examination appropriate for this special time in the church year. Through the layering of Scripture, prayers and the arts, The Lent Project offers a wonderful opportunity for daily reflection, an occasion for us to pray with our eyes and ears as well as our hearts and minds. It is of immense comfort to know that we are on this great Lenten pilgrimage with brothers and sisters in Christ from many sectors of Christendom! May we journey well together over the next eight weeks and with great anticipation prepare ourselves to ever more adore and magnify Christ on his “festival of festivals!”