Knox Now…
Wilderness – Finding Yourself in the In-Between
A Podcast Series
with Richard
Life is full of wilderness moments—seasons of uncertainty, transition, and transformation where we find ourselves in between who we were and who we’re becoming. In this series, we explore what it means to navigate change, let go of what no longer serves us, and step into the unknown with courage, trusting that the wilderness isn’t just something to survive—but the place where we are remade.
The Breaking Point
Episode 6
Sometimes, before something new can begin, something else has to end—so why do we hold on so tightly to what we know, even when it’s time to let go?
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What is LENT?
Have you ever wondered what people are talking about when they say they’re giving something up for Lent?
Lent is the 40 days (not including Sundays) from Ash Wednesday to the Saturday before Easter. Lent is often described as a time of preparation and an opportunity to go deeper with God. This means that it’s a time for personal reflection that prepares people’s hearts and minds for Good Friday and Easter.
What Are the Key Days During Lent?
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. You may have noticed people with a smudged, black cross on their foreheads. Those are ashes from the Ash Wednesday service. The ashes symbolize our grief for the things we’ve done wrong.
Maundy Thursday is the day before Good Friday. It commemorates the night before Jesus died, when He shared the Passover meal with His closest friends and followers.
Good Friday is the day Christians remember Jesus’ death. The “Good” reflects how Jesus’ death was a sacrifice on our behalf so we can receive God’s forgiveness for our wrongs, or sins.
Easter Sunday is the joyful celebration of Jesus rising from the dead to give us the opportunity of eternal life. While people still die, Jesus made the way for people to have a relationship with God in this life and to spend eternity with Him in heaven.
What Happens During Lent and Why?
The three main things people focus on during Lent are prayer, fasting (abstaining from something to reduce distractions and focus more on God) and giving, or charity.
Prayer during Lent focuses on our need for God’s forgiveness. It’s also about repenting (turning away from our sins) and receiving God’s mercy and love.
Fasting, or giving something up, is a very common practice during Lent. The idea is that giving up something that’s a regular part of life, like eating dessert or scrolling through Facebook, can be a reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice. That time can also be replaced with more time connecting with God.
Giving money or doing something good for others is a way to respond to God’s grace, generosity, and love. For example, some people spend time volunteering or donate the money they would normally use to buy something, like their morning coffee.
Jesus sacrificed Himself on Good Friday to bear the punishment for all our wrongdoings and offer us forgiveness. He was raised from the dead on Easter Sunday to give us an opportunity to have a relationship with God for eternity.
Easter Symbols
Easter is a time that is both solemn and full of joy – and as such, it is also a time that is surrounded by different symbols that are seen almost any where you look this time of year. You can probably think of some of the most common right off the top of your head like eggs, baby bunnies and chicks; but have you thought about any of these lesser known symbols and where they come from?
Easter Baskets – Did you know that this tradition started in Germany and was brought to America by German immigrants? The tradition is called Osterhase and started as having children create their own nests to entice the Easter Bunny to lay his coloured eggs in. This slowly morphed into baskets with chocolate and goodies but it still carries the same symbol of fertility and new life.
Easter Outfits & Bonnets – There is an age-old tradition of wearing new outfits or a new Easter bonnet on Easter and many believe it brings good luck into the coming season or even year. As time passed a tradition added for many was to create elaborate Easter bonnets. Some people continue to this day to celebrate by holding bonnet parades or competitions.
Check out More EASTER SYMBOLS Here
Easter Trivia
Next Worship
April 20, 2025
at 10 am
Legacy of Resurrection
Reading: John 20: 1-18
with
Rev. Dr. Richard Chung
How to make a Palm Cross ...Lenten Sermon Series
Legacy: Living What We Leave Behind
Sermon Series : March 9 to April 20, 2025
with Rev Dr Richard Chung
As we move from Embracing the Shift into the season of Lent, the question naturally follows: What kind of legacy are we building? Lent is a time of reflection, surrender, and transformation—an invitation to let go of what no longer serves God’s purpose and embrace a new way of living. Jesus’ journey to the cross was not just about sacrifice; it was about shaping a lasting legacy of faith, love, and redemption.
This series invites us to explore how our choices, relationships, and faithfulness today shape the legacy we leave behind. As we journey through the texts of Lent, we will reflect on the kind of imprint Jesus left on the world and how we are called to do the same.
Lent & Easter Appeal
This year, Knox’s Lent & Easter Special Appeal will support Doctors without Borders / Medecins sans Frontieres Canada. https://www.doctorswithoutborders.ca/
DWB / MSF works in locations of humanitarian crisis, such as Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and Democratic Republic of Congo. They provide emergency medical humanitarian care to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. They provide assistance based on need, regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion, or political affiliation. They also speak out about the suffering witnessed while carrying out their work.
Please give generously during this holy season to support DWB / MSF in their work. More than 97% of this group’s good work comes from individual and private donors.
Daily Meditation
By Rev Dr Richard Chung
Read by Members of the Knox Congregation
The upcoming Daily Meditations for 2025 can be found HERE
PRINT Daily Meditations for the Week of April 13 to April 19, 2025
Easily catch up on or review the Daily Meditations any time. Share them with family and friends. Always find them in video, text or printable format…
The Colour Purple
Why do we wear purple, and decorate our communion table and lecterns with this colour during Lent?
- The use of purple during Lent reminds us of:
- the Royalty of Christ,
- His passion and death for our sins,
- and the coming of spring (renewal).
PURPLE Particulars
If we go back to our per-historic existence, our ancestors probably never saw a purple fruit, flower, bird, fish – or any living thing – because purple is very rare in nature. This is hard to imagine in today’s connected world.
Purple is the hardest colour for the eye to discriminate.
Research tells us that the colour purple represents the balance of red simulation and blue calm. In stained glass the colour purple or violet are seen as the uniting of the “wisdom” of blue and the “love” of red and symbolizes justice.
Even though it has a long history of association with kings and rulers, purple is rarely in modern national flags. Only one country, Dominica, uses it in their flag.
Our oceans appear to be purple, but there is just too little purple light coming from the sun. Water is blue as it is absorbs longer wave length lights such as reds, oranges and yellows but shorter wave lengths such as blue is reflected, making the water appear blue (or sometimes a more green colour). If you changed the physical properties of the water to make it better at absorbing these longer wave lengths of light, it would start to appear purple.
Purple is the most powerful wavelength of the rainbow
The Custom of Giving Easter Eggs
The custom of giving eggs at Easter celebrates new life. Christians remember that Jesus, after dying on the cross, rose from the dead. This miracle showed that life could win over death.
For Christians the egg is a symbol of Jesus’ resurrection, as when they are cracked open they stand for the empty tomb. No one actually knows when eggs were first used as symbols at festival times but it was long before Jesus’ time. Eggs were always thought to be special because although they do not seem alive, they have life within them especially at springtime when chicks hatch out.
Long ago people gave gifts of eggs carved from wood or precious stones. The first sweet eggs that were eaten were made in the last 100 years from sugar or marzipan. Since then chocolate eggs have become popular and these are given on Easter Sunday.
Cultures each have their own traditions when it comes to decorating the eggs. In Canada, we dye hard boiled eggs that are often hidden for an Easter Egg Hunt. In Austria the eggs are hollowed and then pieces are punched out to make patterns. The Hungarians paint hollowed out eggs and string them up on branches to make an Easter Egg Tree. The Danish paint on wooden eggs and display them in their flower pots. Perhaps the best known Easter eggs are the Psanky the Ukrainians make using hollowed out eggs with natural dyes and wax.