The church calendar teaches us about Jesus, so we can be faithful disciples. In Epiphany, we focus on the manifestation of Jesus, culminating today in His glorification the Mount of Transfiguration. On Wednesday, we enter the season of Lent, when we re-focus on the suffering and sacrifice of Christ.

Lent is not just an opportunity to learn about Christ’s sacrifice. It is an annual removal of the leaven of Egypt, and thus a practical expression of our participation in the sacrifice of Christ.

Jesus didn’t go to the cross so we could escape the cross. He was crucified so that we who belong to Him can crucify the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24). We don’t purge sin in our own power, or to earn God’s favor by our self-deprivations. We purge sin because, in the crucified Son, we are already in God’s favor.

We clear out the old leaven by placing ourselves under the sacrificial sword of the Lord, which is the word of God, the sword that divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and exposes the thoughts and intents of the heart. We don’t like this. Exposure is shameful and painful, so we shrink back.

One of the first sins we have to mortify is resistance to mortification. Spend the next 40 days opening yourselves with renewed commitment to the light of God’s word. Spend the next 40 days cultivating new habits of prayer. Only when the Lord’s sword has dismembered us can we be healed. Only when His sword cuts us down to the roots can the wilderness bloom like the rose.