Let Go and Journey with Christ: A Lenten Invitation Shaped by Easter Hope

Grace and peace to you as we prepare to enter the season of Lent, with our hearts

already oriented toward Easter hope.

Next week, we begin the forty-day journey of Lent, walking with Jesus as he is led by

the Spirit into the wilderness. Before the empty tomb, before resurrection joy, there is

the wilderness—a place of testing, stripping away, and deep trust. Lent reminds us

that resurrection life does not bypass the wilderness; it is formed within it.

Lent invites us to let go. To let go of idols—those things we cling to for security

instead of God. To let go of scarcity—the fear that there is never enough. To let go of

appearances — the need to seem strong, faithful, or in control. To let go of despair,

violence, and the false comfort of certainty that leaves no room for faith.

In the wilderness, Jesus released quick power, easy answers, and self-protection.

He trusted instead in God’s word and presence. As we journey with Christ, Lent

invites us to make space—to loosen our grip on what confines us so that God may

do a deeper work within us.

And as we let go, we are also invited to embrace. To embrace the Spirit, who leads,

sustains, and shapes us. To embrace abundance, trusting that God’s grace is never

scarce. To embrace repair, allowing God to heal what is broken in us and among us.

To embrace gentleness, in a world marked by harshness and haste. And to

embrace mystery, trusting God even when answers are incomplete and the path is

unclear.

Though Lent is a season of reflection and repentance, it is never separated from

Easter. The Jesus who enters the wilderness is the same Christ who will stand

among the disciples and say, “Peace be with you.” The wounds revealed along the

journey are not the end of the story; they are the very places where resurrection will

speak.

Because Easter stands before us, Lent is not a journey of despair, but one of hope. It

carries a quiet, resilient joy—the joy of knowing that the wilderness does not have

the final word, that God is at work even in silence, and that new life is already being

prepared.

As we begin Lent next week, I invite you to reflect prayerfully: What might God be

asking you to let go of this season? And where is the Spirit inviting you to make room

for God’s transforming presence?

May this Lenten journey draw us deeper into Christ, opening our lives to the Spirit

who leads us from wilderness into resurrection life. Amen

Rev Joy Mayisiri