Giving Up Everything

Isobel Akers

Last week many of us may have enjoyed Pancake Day. The other name for this day perhaps doesn’t sound quite so appealing…. Shrove Tuesday. The day when traditionally people would seek to be “shriven” when they, as the dictionary describes “present oneself to a priest for confession, penance and absolution. In short to be free from guilt.”

Shrove Tuesday used to be known as the day when pancakes would be made with all the “fine ingredients from the household larder.” These were to be consumed on that day, allowing abstinence from delicacies of all kinds until the end of Lent which would begin the following day, on Ash Wednesday.

This was the day when penitents would present themselves to the priest at church to be marked on the forehead with a sign of the cross with ash derived from the burnt Good Friday straw crosses of the previous year.

Some churches still have Ash Wednesday services, and it is humbling even if a little embarrassing to walk with the charcoal cross on your head.

What a reminder of the huge depth of love our Saviour Jesus showed, as He was willing to sacrifice not only His pride, but was willing to give up everything for love of those who didn’t love Him.

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!
Philippians 2: 6-8

Truly we have much cause to say, “Hallelujah!!! What a Saviour!!”

Somehow anything that we might think of giving up for Lent pales into insignificance, and serves only as a reminder to think of how much Jesus gave up for love of us.