Day 2

Harder than Day 1, that's for sure. I don't think I'm really going to hit a stride with this whole Lent thing until somewhere around day 10 or so (PLEASE, God!). Until it starts to become more natural, its going to be constant struggle.

Tonight was Satellite, and Jason Neese started into a series on Lent. As Beau was talking during one of the table conversations, something dawned on me - Jesus only did the 40 days in the desert ONCE. And He was perfect! Lent is something people do year after year! Lent is far from being a reasonable observance.

Regardless, Jason did bring to light an excellent point. Because Easter does not fall on the same day each year, it often times ends up sneaking up on us. This year is different, though. With me actively giving up things in my life for Lent, I'm going to be VERY aware of when Easter is coming, and exactly how far away it is. In fact, this entire season is going to be more vivid because I'm observing Lent.

This morning's scripture reading was in Exodus 1:1-22 (basically, the whole first chapter). In Exodus 1, it speaks of the transition from the Israelites in Egypt who were known because of Joseph to a much larger collection of Israelites who were living in Egypt under a pharoh who did not know of who Joseph had been, and the special relationship that had existed. Several generations had passed, and the 70 people who were Israel upon entering Egypt (v.5) had multiplied and grown so "exceedingly strong" in number that they filled the land (v.7, ESV). So after several generations, the relationship between the Phaoroh and Israel had degenerated, and Pharoh was afraid that the people of Israel would rise up against him. Filled with fear, he enslaved the people of Israel. He also commanded that their sons be killed, and that only the daughters would be allowed to survive childbirth.

Thanks to some crafty and God-fearing midwives, the sons were allowed to live, and Israel continuted to multiply. Thats when the Pharoh commanded that the newborn sons be cast into the Nile (start thinking Moses).

The slavery that we read about today is meant to symbolize sin. Just as Israel was enslaved physically by an opressor known as the Pharoh, we as humans living broken lives on this earth, separated from God, are enslaved by our sin.

This is an interesting metaphor for our times, and from it we can extract the timeless truth from within the historical narrative. By turning the physical slavery to a metaphor for God's people, we find present-day meaning in this text.

Going back to Satellite, it was a good evening, and it had a very different feel to it this evening. The decorations were different, with the cross illuminated in the center of the room. Nathan did a great job of leaing worship, and we had an amazing turnout. Jason only began to breach the topic of Lent, but he did cover some bases as to what we are going to be looking at, as well as giving some perspective on what the observance is all about. My prayers go out to all of the Satellite leadership team, Jason included, that as we continue to study Lent each Thursday night, that it will be treated with the proper reverence and respect that this holy observance deserves.

2 days down. 44 to go.