Author: Wick

So here we are…tomorrow begins the season of Lent, or preparing our hearts for the Celebration of Easter. The word “lent” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for March “lenct”, which became the word “lencten” (the season around March), and as March is pretty much the main month for the 40 day (minus Sundays) preparation for Easter, it took the name of that season….thus we have “LENT”, or the Lenten season.

Throughout scriptures, there are times where God used a 40 period. In Noah’s ark, they watched as it rained for 40 days/nights. Jonah gave Ninevah 40 days to repent. God spent 40 days with Moses and Elijah in the wilderness. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness preparing for his life of ministry. And the Hebrews spent 40 years wandering before they could enter the promised land. It would appear, that every time the number 40 is used, it is a time of trial, of struggle, and of humility preceding some great thing that God is doing.

Maybe each of these things really were 40 days. Or maybe 40 was chosen so that as these stories were passed down through the generations, we would remember the purpose of each of them…humility/trial comes before something great God is doing. Or maybe both. Maybe God directed each of these events to be about 40 days, to help his left-brained followers have a way of organizing the things God does by remembering certain numbers.

In any case…so it begins tomorrow. A time of 40 days of remembering where we stand in the grand scheme of God’s Kingdom. We stand as living dirt. We stand as walking dust. We stand as fallen sinners. We are in need of God, and His mercy. His Love. For this chunk of living mud, Christ died. Because He Loved/Loves.

It’s an aspect we can not forget, or leave out of anything we do in regards to God. We are so completely unworthy of the Holiness He offers to cleanse and dress us with. But He offers it wholly before even knowing our response.

Easter is a celebration of all that is encompassed within the resurrection of Christ. Have I been living that celebration with all that I’ve been this past year? I’ve tried. But I’ve fallen in many areas. I’ve been selfish. I’ve been “fleshy”. Could I just wait…not do anything…..and celebrate Easter, thanking God that I’ve been forgiven just the same? Sure I could. And the candy would still taste good.

But how much more incredible of a celebration will Easter become, if I’ve used the previous 40 days as a season of realizing how “in need” of Easter I am? How crucial to my very being it is that Christ lived/died/and was ressurected out of Love for me!

For every major event, it helps and enriches the experience to have a time of preparation. A time for us to reflect on who we are before that event, and to look forward at what can happen in/to us. The month before school starts….back to school shopping/talking to friends…the exciting anticipation of it all. The season of engagement before a couple take their wedding vows….nervous, excitement, hopeful dreaming, etc. The nine (ten really) months before a baby arrives…..anxiety, planning, joy, love building, etc…

And so it is with Easter. This lent season, use these 40 days (minus Sundays) to prepare your heart to truly celebrate Easter this year. Beyond the peeps and the chocolate bunnies. To truly thank God with your entire being for everything He’s done for you, and all He offers your for eternity. How can Easter become a more satisfying experience? In these next 40 days, give up something that you enjoy/love. Spend the resources you would usually devote to that thing on someone else or increase your tithe that week. Ask yourself these questions:

How have I lived since last Easter? Have I lived a celebration of Christ?

Who am I without God? What am I without God? What would eternity be, without God?

Search out opportunities to be humble. Serve that guy/girl who picks on you. Do the dishes when it’s your brothers/sisters’ turn. Take out the garbage without being asked. Do something unexpectedly nice, and do it without expecting any recognition at all. May God bless you this lent season…and may we all look forward to celebrating Easter. 🙂

I was ready.

There I stood, pen and notebook in hand; every contraction from the past 4 hours written down on paper. All the signs were there. They had started at 6 minutes apart, and moved all the way to 2 minutes apart, and stayed consistent for the past 2 hours. All the signs were there. Time to move. We headed home, grabbed the bags that were already packed and by the door, called the doctor, and headed to the hospital.

Once at the hospital, they hooked Sarah up to the monitors and we saw that we were right; contractions every 2 minutes consistently. This is it. All the signs are there. Addison is coming.
She didn’t come that night. After contracting for 2 more hours, and being tested, the nurses told Sarah and I that perhaps this was a “false labor”. Addison was not coming when we thought. We would have to wait. We could wait there at the hospital, or go home on our own. But either way, we had to wait.
It was tempting to stay at the hospital. It was tempting to go home and sit on our hands, waiting for any more signs that Addison had decided to come. Unfortunately, all the experts say that’s one of the worst things you can do. So what do they recommend? Live your life as normal as possible. Remember Addison is coming, and allow your life to point towards that, but don’t give up living to worry about it. Continue to prepare for her.
As frustrating as this all was, it’s given me one stellar illustration for a sermon. And I’m gonna let it out here, so if I preach and use this…pretend you’ve never heard it.

It’s the year 2006. War is once again heated up in the Middle East. Leaders of Nations are rising and falling. Earthquakes, floods, and other large events are spreading suffering and destruction. All the signs are there. Funny, this sounds familiar.
The truth is, all the signs have been there time after time after time. From those who read Revelation as a timeline to Armegeddon, all the way to those who think Jesus is gonna come back in a limousine (not many people hopefully), people have been watching to try and figure out when God will usher in His Kingdom. 100AD, 1000AD, 2000AD, Nero, Hitler, the fall of Rome, the Soviet Union, the Y2K crisis, and many events in between these have been looked at before their occurance as “God’s return”. All the signs were there. Thoughts like these spark great living, but also dangerous living.

If Sarah and I had stayed at the hospital that night, fully expecting Addison’s arrival, we would still be there 3 days later. Instead, we went home, and lived our lives in continued preparation for her.
To hope and pray for God to usher all of creation into His Kingdom is an incredible thing. To forget to live this life because we hope He will come tomorrow is a misuse of all we’ve been given. As His creation, we have been in the birth pangs of the Coming Kingdom for centuries. We have had many “false labors”, and the truth is, we will probably have many more. Does that mean we go home, and forget that God is even coming? Not at all!!! It would have been easy to be so disappointed, that we went home, and pretended we weren’t even having a baby. But then what? Addison would’ve come anyway, and we wouldn’t have been ready at all.

Instead, we realize we’ve been given more time to prepare!!! Friends, we HAVE been given more time to prepare this world for the Coming Kingdom of God. Maybe days, maybe weeks, years, maybe even millennia. But that doesn’t negate the fact that God IS returning! He has given us that promise throughout scripture. We find just one of the many references in Acts chapter 3:

“…that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets…”

So here we are with a choice. What can we do to prepare for His arrival? What can you do this week? What can you do with your life? The answer is: LIVE IT. A statement I heard when I was in college put these things in a great perspective for me. If God doesn’t bring His completion until the year 10,000; the years we’re living right now will be seen as the “beginning” of Christianity. How are we affecting the world from that perspective? Are we? Or are we sitting at the hospital, doing nothing with our life, just hoping God will come tonight?

Well, were finally on our way. Sarah would probably smack me for saying that, because frankly weve been on our way for over 9 months now. (did you know it actually takes 10 months for a baby to develop?) But something has happened that finally gives me that final kick in the pants, and makes me realize Addison will be here SOON!!
I wont go too far into prenatal education. But I will say for those who are unaware, in order to have a baby, certain things have to happen. Theres a goal of number 10 to reach. A week ago, we were at 0, and it didnt look like we were moving yet. Yesterday we visted the doc, and found out were at 2!!!! AND it appears as if moving to the next numbers will be done VERY easily. We could be seeing our daughter THIS WEEK even!
Mental lists began being made the moment I heard this. What was left to pack? Who was left to call? What are their numbers? What needs to be done around home? Are we baby-ready? How many more times can I go to Panera at 6am?
We played hookie from LaMaze last night, and had some close friends over who have had a baby about 8 months ago. They helped us clearly think about what we would need as the moment approaches. I went out and picked up some things from the store that I normally wouldve turned RED from embarrassment. But I am preparing for my daughter. No embarrassment here. Pride. Pure Pride. And Love
Thats another thing Ive been thinking, as I prepare my heart, mind, soul, and life for Addison..I love her. They say that being a parent is the closest we can get to understanding even a sliver of the Love God has for us. I am beginning to understand it a bit more. I consider myself a loving person. it comes easy to me. I attribute this to God, because well its the only way it could’ve happened. I love people. But even those I love the most, there was a way they earned that love. Now, I understand we all are supposed to have a love for all people. I got that. But Im talking about a close, relational, I would die for you Love. Agape love. My family, we had to endure things together, and as I was raisedgrew to love them. My closest friends, we hang out, weve been there for each other, weve done life together. Ive learned to love them. Even my wife I didnt just jump off the cliff of love on meeting her. We dated, she couldnt resist me and as we grew closer, we came to share this love we still have today.
But Addison. My Daughter. Youve done nothing to earn this. You have no measuring stick that Im holding you up to. You have no certificate to earn. Theres no test. Im not waiting until I see how beautiful you are. Im not waiting to see how intelligent you are. Im not even waiting to see if theres anything wrong with you. I Love You. Without condition. Without prerequisites. Without reserve. I would die for you. There is nothing you can do to escape this loveand there is nothing that could ever take this love away from you. I Love You.
If this is even a millionth of the Love that God has for us.and lets say that the Kingdom of God is when we realize fully that entire amount of love..whew. My friends; be ready for the greatest love-trip youll ever experience. We are loved in such a way by our creator. This is reason to wake up early.