Many of you know that I’m a huge Star Wars fan. But I’m also a Star Trek fan! Not as big a fan of Star Trek as Star Wars, but I definitely love the Star Trek shows and movies.
One of the coolest things in the Star Trek universe is the transporter. That’s the device Captain Kirk uses to get back to the Enterprise when he says, “Beam me up, Scottie.” In a nutshell, a transporter allows a person to disappear from one location and reappear in another location.
Wouldn’t it be great if something like that really existed? We could go anywhere in the world instantaneously!
But the fact is that transporters don’t exist. If you want to get somewhere, you have to take a journey—whether that journey is to the grocery store or to the other side of the planet. You might have to walk. You might drive. You might fly. But the fact remains—to get from here to there, you have to take a journey.
Lent is a journey. And our destination is the resurrection. It’s a journey that begins this week on Ash Wednesday.
A lot of times we think we can skip the journey and still get to the destination. But there is no such thing as an “Easter transporter.” In order to fully experience the power of the resurrection, we need to take this journey through Lent, through the crucifixion, to the resurrection.
How do we take this journey? Traditionally, it’s by giving something up during Lent—making a small sacrifice, fasting from something. This allows us to identify, even in a small way, with the sacrifice of Jesus.
But you don’t necessarily have to give something up. You might take something on. Maybe you’ll read a Psalm a day during Lent. Maybe you’ll say the Lord’s Prayer first thing in the morning each day during Lent. Maybe you’ll go out of your way at least once a day to help someone in need.
The question is, how will you get to the destination—to Easter? Will you try to transport there directly on Easter morning without taking the journey? Or will you embrace the journey over the next 40 days so as to experience the fullness of Jesus’ resurrection?
–Pastor Markus
