The thing about Christianity that strikes me as the most profound is that it is more about descent than ascent. Let me explain. 

Jesus came into the world and humbled himself. He could have built an army, but he blessed the meek. He could have rose to political power, but he humbled himself to the point of death . . . even death on a cross. 

We often think it is our job to ascend . . . to be become bigger than ourselves . . . to garner acclaim or praise . . . to climb our way to God’s good graces. This Path of Ascent says if we do the right things, say the right prayers, and climb the ladder of morality, then we can achieve spiritual success. 

We may not be cognizant of this, but just about every church and every Christian everywhere falls into this trap. We think if we can get more people showing up giving more money than God will love us more and bless us more, as if our production equates our worth. This Path of Ascent assumes our faith is contingent on our influence. When when fall into this trap, we start assuming our actions, our beliefs systems, what we invest in intellectually and technologically, is what fuels spiritual growth. Just come ascend with us, and we’ll experience God’s graces together. 

But this is backwards. 

What Lent reminds us is that the more spiritual path is not one of ascent but descent. So much of what happens on earth cannot be fixed or even explained . . . but it can be felt and suffered. Real, authentic Christianity understands that we must, along with Jesus, agree to feel, to descend, and to suffer the pain of this world. 

To do this . . . we must become less, not more. Less rigid, less controlling, less self-seeking . . . not more. We must let things go. Become less materialistic. Less comfortable. Less ignorant. We have to shed the egoic mind that markets a false sense of self or church. What Lent reminds us is that spiritual growth happens more by subtraction than addition. Descent over ascent actually leads to God. 

This Lenten Season, we must take the Path of Descent. Isaiah 61 tells us that when we do, we’re given beauty for ashes. In other words, we become redeemed. Paul, in his Letter to the Romans, tells us (in all manner of ways) that Jesus took this path and it led to salvation. When we, in turn, take this Path of Descent too, when we become crucified with Christ, we inevitably enter into suffering . . . but thanks to the Christ’s descent . . . suffering leads to endurance which leads to hope which leads us to the unconditional grace of God. 

It may seem backwards . . . but in Christ . . . down is up. Less is more. Subtraction is really addition. Descent is beauty. Ascent is sin. Join us this Lenten Season as we explore these topics . . . and prepare our souls . . . to take the Path of Decent . . . to let go . . . to imitate Christ . . . and in so doing . . . find our true selves connected to God. 

March 1 | Romans 5.1-11 | Beauty for Ashes: A Path of Descent 

Scripture says, “God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” Jesus takes the Path of Decent to bring us out of our sin . . . and we must do the same. Our path is one that starts with suffering which luckily produces endurance which produces character which produces hope. We get to hope through taking a Path of Decent starting with our suffering. 

March 8 | Romans 5:12-21 | Beauty for Ashes: Grace Abounds 

When we take the path of descent seriously . . . we see a theological truth that surpasses understanding: Grace. Like Adam who came into the world and introduced sin . . . Jesus came into the world and introduced grace. Scripture says, “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many.” In other words, when we move towards Christ . . . grace abounds. 

March 15 | Romans 6:1-14 | Beauty for Ashes: Crucified with Christ

The Path of Descent is best described through the ritual of baptism. When we go through the waters, we descend . . . dying to our old selves . . . crucifying our sin unto Christ . . . and rising in grace. Our ashes become redeemed when we become crucified with Christ. 

March 22 | Romans 7:15-25 | Beauty for Ashes: The Inner Conflict

It’s hard to go down this Path of Descent and to claim Beauty for Ashes. Our flesh wants to hold on to sin. Paul goes as far to say we are enslaved to this pattern. “For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right but I cannot do it.” To truly become more like Christ, we must wrestle with this inner conflict and realize when left to our own devices, we sin and fall short. 

March 29 | Romans 8:6-11 | Beauty for Ashes: Nothing Separates us from the Love of God

The Path of Descent leads us to the Spirit of Christ. And as Paul says, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” When we pursue God . . . there is no condemnation. Paul says, “We become more than conquerors through him who loved us” which means we experience unconditional grace.