Lent offers renewal of faith through sacrifice 

Every year Fat Tuesday comes to an abrupt end at midnight. New Orleans police shut down the Mardi Gras festivities promptly at midnight in reverence for Ash Wednesday.
At the stroke of midnight is the moment Bourbon Street revelers must give it up.
Sadly this year, because of concerns about spreading the COVID-19 virus all Mardi Gras activities in the Big Easy have been suspended or drastically curtailed to keep the city’s residents safe.
Like those former Mardi Gras revelers, we always think of “giving up” something for Lent.
Some people give up meat. Others give up sweets, or alcohol, or television or social media.
If you want to face a real Lenten challenge, try giving up your cell phone for 40 days.
But even that might be enough to get you in a true Lenten mood.
Preacher Kimberly Long tells this story at the beginning of one of her Lenten sermons.
Entering church on Ash Wednesday, Nora Gallagher encounters a friend who, when asked what she is giving up for Lent, quips: “Anne’s giving up drinking, Terri’s giving up chocolate, and I’m just giving up.”
Ever feel like that? Just giving up?
Because of the past year and all the things that we have been asked to “give up,” many are feeling that way.
I think us in America and people all around the world are looking forward to the things hopefully we’ll be giving up in the near future with the vaccine becoming readily available to all.
We look forward to giving up six-foot separation out in public, masks, gloves, hand sanitizers, limited social and church engagements, and especially limited visits with our family at home and especially those in the nursing care facilities.
Some 2,000 years ago, “Just give up” was the Pharisee’s advice to Jesus.
They said, “Herod is after you. He has you marked for death. Get out of town quick. Give up your mission here.”
When Jesus heard this warning, he surprises those Pharisees by both disregarding and embracing their message.
Jesus dismisses the threat of Herod with a flip and a quip.
Herod is nothing but a “sly fox,” Jesus replies, forever plotting powerless against God’s mission in the world.
Jesus has his own schedule, his own agenda, his own mission to fulfill, and the time-frame has already been divinely determined.
But Jesus also asserts he will give up.
Jesus will give himself up. Jesus will travel to Jerusalem and meet head on the traumatic tradition of that city captured in the phrase, “Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it.”
Jesus will give up everything, his very life, in order to fulfill his eternal mission of salvation.
As we begin our Lenten journey to the Cross, what are we willing to give up to draw closer to Jesus?
Jesus’ message is that anyone who wants to be Jesus’ disciple must count the cost first.
Jesus tells us to surrender or give up everything when we become His disciples. Our money and families are not ours.
But are we like the rich young ruler when he asked Jesus about the eternal?
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he was very rich. Matthew 19:21-22
Everything we own and possess we give to Him.
In our hearts we say “goodbye” to everything and give it to Jesus.
We consciously recognize that all we have belongs to Him and He now has first place in our lives.
We give money to our church as Jesus Christ desires.
We spend our time and our money to advance the gospel.
But do we give up our lives totally to Jesus?
We are Jesus’ hands and feet and voices in the world today.
Sometimes when God speaks to us there is a conflict between what we are willing to give up and what we will not.
Sometimes there is a conflict between attending church versus staying home to watch the Mizzou basketball game on Sunday morning.
Do we go to church rather than stay home to watch the game?
During this season of Lent, what are we truly willing to give up in order to get closer to Jesus and the kingdom and be prepared for Easter morning?
Jesus was willing to “give it up” so that we might “get it all.”