"Lent, Day 40: DIE"
For the final day of Holy Week we will use the writings of Rev. Trevor Hudson of South Africa, Pauses for Lent: 40 Words for 40 Days (Upper Room Books, 2015).
“Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:24)
In the verse above, Jesus is primarily speaking of his own death. At first his death will appear as a tragedy, but in the end it will be a triumph. His death will be the ultimate victory of the resurrection power of God over the forces of evil, sin, and death.
Though Jesus’ death is unique, he invites his followers to die as well. Like a seed that is planted in the ground and dies, Jesus invites us to die to ourselves in order to bear good fruit. We are asked to lay down our lives in love to be raised to new life.
The breathtaking message of Good Friday and Easter Sunday is that life comes out of death. The big question facing us as we journey into the events of the cross and the resurrection is this: What do we need to die to this Easter in order to enter more fully into the new life Christ wants to give us?
Daily Practice
Write down your answer to the question above on a small piece of paper, tear it up, and then bury it in the ground. (Trevor Hudson, Pauses for Lent (Upper Room Books, 2015) p. 62.)
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