I remember this past Advent season. As we prepared for the birth of Christ and the celebration of Christmas from a 'church' perspective, my husband and I were preparing for the birth of a different child- our child. I thought of all of the preparations we were making to make our home and hearts ready for this little one. It was a different way of being a part of the Christmas season.
Now, as we move towards Easter, we are no longer waiting for our little one to come; we have lived through labor and delivery, we have made the announcement of the birth and name of our little one, we have introduced her to friends and family. The only thing I look forward to now is when I can announce that I have slept more than an hour and a half at one time (that will be a glorious day, by the way!).
Announcement seems like an interesting way to start the season of Lent if we focus on the actions before Easter. Are we announcing the coming death? Are we announcing the suffering of our Savior? That doesn't seem very joyful.
But, perhaps we are announcing the coming of our salvation through the death. Perhaps we are announcing the hope that is present. Perhaps all of this is an announcement of the coming Risen Lord. I am drawn to the prophecy in Isaiah:
"A voice of one calling: 'In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken." Isaiah 40:3-5
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