Holy Week

As we have been journeying through Lent this year I have been using a devotional reading, which combines scriptures with reflections by Henry Nouwen (Renewed For Life). I have to admit, I sometimes struggle with the idea of Lent...It's not that I don't understand the theological meaning of it (Lent is our own journey of taking up our [cross/struggles] and following Jesus towards the cross). We are often told that as we deny ourselves we more fully understand our need for dependence upon Christ and I cannot disagree with this. However, like so many other times, Nouwen has a way of shedding new light on the subject. From his perspective, Lent is also an intentional time that we meditate upon God's great love for us as the beloved of God, "If you dare to believe that you are beloved before you are born, you may suddenly realize that your life is very, very special. You become conscious that you were sent here just for a short time, for twenty, forty, or eighty years, to discover and believe that you are a beloved child of God." Christ did not turn towards the cross...enter Jerusalem because he was coming to appease an angry God that demanded "blood". No Christ turned towards Jerusalem, and his inevitable death on the cross, because of his great love for us. As we gathered together this past Sunday we reflected upon what does it mean to be "Truly loved". Not because we are able to accomplish great things or prove our love for God, but what does it mean to be loved deeply and purely by the one that has created us and knows us best of all? This is a little intimidating to think about, because so many times we have difficulty loving ourselves. How would it change our perspective of Lent, the Christian calendar, and maybe even God if we looked at these events as a "Love story" in which God is reaching and embracing us?