First Friday of Lent

 Read: Isaiah 58: 1-9; Matthew 9: 14-15

As we begin today, we are reminded of why it is we fast. We make a sacrifice. Sacrifice. A word we see so much of during the Lenten season. It is because all that we deny ourselves brings us closer to Jesus, who made the ultimate sacrifice. It reminds us of that sacrifice. How small what we deny ourselves compared to what Jesus did. 

With that being said, Friday is also about redemption. We need to be reminded that we are sinners, and for that there must be a way for us to atone for our sins. We need to step out of ourselves and see the bigger picture. We need to walk in our faith. We need to humble ourselves at the foot of the cross. Isaiah 58:9 tells us "Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer, you shall cry for help, and He will say: Here I Am!" It seems a lot to be asking of us. And it is. But that is precisely the point of the whole thing. We are saying that we are imperfect. We are saying that without Jesus to guide us, we become creatures of the flesh. 

When we bring our suffering to Jesus, when we call out for His help, He meets us where we are, and takes up our offering, combining it with His own. And with this we are redeemed and renewed in His love and forgiveness. We are redeemed through His blood that He shed for us. We rejoice in this, and we are reassured of His ever lasting love. 

Be humbled today. Remind yourself that what you are giving up is so much more than the physical. You will walk in His beauty and light. "Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday" (Isaiah 58:10)