Lent is a season of preparation for the joy of Easter. This year, we’re journeying through Lent with a series called Prep Time: 40 Days Through the Gospel of Mark.

Think of it this way. When you host a meal, you don’t just show up and serve it—you spend time preparing for your guests. You clean the house, prep the food, set the table, maybe even iron the cloth napkins! You prepare, you plan, you anticipate. Long before anyone sits down, hard work and careful attention have already been given.

Of course, you don't have to do all that work. A quick, microwaved burrito fills our stomach just the same. But the meals we remember are intentionally prepared.

Lent invites us into that same kind of intentionality. We prepare not because we have to, but because it betters the celebration. The more space we make during Lent, the fuller and more abundant the joy of Easter becomes.