An important part of what we do as “church” is to mark time and make space. There is, perhaps, no more obvious season to recognize and renew this practice, than the season of preparation for Easter, which we call Lent. It begins with our participation in ancient Israel’s symbolic cleansing of fat and yeast for Passover that we call Fat (or Shrove) Tuesday, followed by the somber reminder of our mortality that comes with Ash Wednesday’s worship and Eucharist.

April 16, 2006 will come, as sure as day follows night, but the arrival of Easter is a different matter. Don’t get me wrong; marshmallow bunnies and chicks, chocolate eggs, family meals, colorful hats and outfits will not be denied. But the question of whether Easter will surprise us in all its mystery and power depends on how and if we allow ourselves to be prepared.

It is essential, especially during the time of preparation for Easter, for us to mark time in intentional and counter-cultural ways. The marks we need are not frantic “X’s” on the refrigerator of life (or even the Blackberry), counting us down to Easter Sunday, as if nothing else matters but arriving unscathed and on-time. We need, instead, to remind ourselves of the gospel story and of Israel’s salvation history; to follow Jesus through healing miracles, crowd-feedings, cryptic parables, and confrontations with institutional power and control, and to ask ourselves how this journey speaks to the people around us and the daily choices we make.

We also need to make sure that this time-marking is not just another brick piled into our already-sagging wheelbarrow. The time we mark needs to be accompanied by space to breathe. Last week I watched some friends build and tend a fire over the course of several days. Each time the wood began to burn well, it would eventually collapse into a smoldering heap with no space for air between the logs. In order to feed the flame, the fire-tender had to separate the partially-burned logs, making room for air to circulate.

Our preparation for the coming of Easter needs the same kind of intentional space, so that God can breathe into us, bringing the life-giving oxygen of God’s Spirit to the fire of our souls. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, and ends with Maundy Thursday, both of which are observed with the ritual of Eucharist, as we break bread together and share a common cup around the Lord’s table. Following Maundy Thursday’s worship, the Easter Vigil begins. Let us dare to mark time and make space with deliberateness, as we ask God to open the Easter mystery to us again this year.

© 2006 Todd Jenkins