Easter and After

Spring cleaning is never a pleasant task, but it is a necessary one. Sometimes we can no longer consider a room, garage, or even a house a livable space unless we engage in the practice of deciding what to keep and what to throw away. Only then can the spring cleaner see what needs to be cleaned. Removing the junk has a way of unveiling corners with cobwebs, revealing dust bunnies requiring dispatching, and sometimes finding long-forgotten treasures. The origin of the word "Lent" comes from the Anglo-Saxon "lencten" and literally means "spring." Since the season is one of spiritual preparation-examining our devotion to the Christ whose life, teachings, and ministry should guide and shape us-one approach to these Lent-Easter sessions is to think of them as a sort of spring cleaning.To see Jesus as the Gospel of John sees him, as "the light of the world," means first allowing light to shine into our own selves. To continue with the spring cleaning analogy, the light is able to fill a room more readily if the windows have first been cleaned and the mirrors shined to reflect the light into all corners. So it is with our lives. If we are first prepared to receive the light, then it can be reflected to others and indeed light the world.For centuries, the church has engaged in the practice of "giving up" something for Lent. In its purest form, it is a conscious recognition that not everything we have taken into our lives is necessary. This unit helps us continue that Lenten practice by reflecting on John's portrait of Christ during the time of his Passion, examining the empty tomb, and moving on to the early preaching and ministry of the Christian church. By focusing on all of these Lent-Easter aspects, we can come to a more holistic understanding of Jesus the Christ.To see not only the painful aspects of Jesus' life but the transcendent power and presence gained by his earliest followers is the goal of our unit. The hope is that by engaging in this study and using it to deepen your own spiritual journey, you can usher in spring