What's Lent All About?

           

Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) and Ash Wednesday are coming up next week, kicking off the season of Lent. So what's up with all that, anyway?

Traditionally in the church universal, Lent is the period of 40 days prior to Holy Week (the time in which we commemorate the week of our Lord’s earthly ministry in which he was crucified, buried, and raised to life).  It gets its name due to the time of year in which it occurs—“Lent” is an Old Saxon word for “spring.”

As Advent is a season of anticipation for the coming of Christ, both past and future, Lent is a season of preparation to participate in the saving actions of Christ.  The number 40 is significant in the Bible; it represents a time of testing and preparation.  Early on (2^nd century), the church used this period as a time to prepare converts for baptism, and soon it became a time for those already baptized to remember their baptismal vows, repent of sin, and recommit themselves to their calling.

              

By the 5^th century, the beginning of this season became known as Ash Wednesday, due to the practice of applying ashes to one’s forehead as a sign of a penitent spirit.  Some Christians still do this practice today. Mardi Gras celebrations are not necessarily all that edifying, as the roots of its tradition are grounded in overindulging in pleasures and passions the night before the season of Lent---to "store up" these pleasures in preparation for a season of fasting from them. While I encourage people to experiences Lent, other than the good New Orleans based cajun and creole food, I do not recommend a deep dive into the seedy underbelly of Mardi Gras.

WHY DO PEOPLE GIVE UP THINGS FOR LENT?

Lent should not be looked upon as a season in which to give up something, but rather as an opportunity to gain something new.  Lent helps us to regain our focus on Christ, helps us to take our own moral pulse, and helps us to draw nearer to God through acts of repentance, charity, and discipline.  As Don Saliers puts it, “It is time for putting aside the sins and failures of the past in order to journey toward who we are yet to become by the grace of Christ in baptism.”

            

“Giving up” something for Lent should be the result of gaining one of three things:  (1) abandoning a habitual sin, (2) being able to spend more time with God, or (3) helping those in need with the money that was saved by giving up something.  When this approach is taken, we are not giving up something as much as we are gaining something far better.

IS LENT FOR ME?

            

The answer to that question lies with you.  The season of Lent, like all the facets of the Christian year, is a tool for spiritual discipline, and all spiritual disciplines have one aim:  to draw us closer to Jesus in relationship and in likeness.  If you think observing the season of Lent can help you achieve those ends, I encourage you to embrace it.  If you’re not sure, give it a try; you can always walk away if it isn’t helpful.  And if it’s not for you, that’s all right; find some other tool for a spiritual discipline that will help you achieve a closer friendship with and resemblance to Christ.

If you’d like to have a special time of Scripture meditation during Lent, below are some suggested passages to give you a jump start.

Suggested 2020 Lenten Season Devotional Readings

2/26	John 17:1-8	3/18	Genesis 45:16-28
2/27	Amos 5:6-15	3/19	Psalm 86
2/28	Psalm 80	3/20	1 Corinthians 9:16-27
2/29	Philippians 4:10-20	3/21	Mark 7:1-23
3/1	John 12:44-50	3/22	Genesis 48:8-22
3/2	Genesis 37:1-11	3/23	Psalm 132
3/3	Psalm 45	3/24	1 Corinthians 11:17-34
3/4	1 Corinthians 2:1-13	3/25	Mark 8:11-26
3/5	Mark 2:1-12	3/26	Exodus 1:6-22
3/6	Genesis 40:1-23	3/27	Psalm 102
3/7	Psalm 138	3/28	1 Corinthians 13:1-13
3/8	Romans 6:3-14	3/29	John 8:46-59
3/9	Mark 3:7-19	3/30	Exodus 4:10-20
3/10	Genesis 42:1-17	3/31	Psalm 121
3/11	Psalm 72	4/1	2 Corinthians 2:14-3:6
3/12	1 Corinthians 6:12-20	4/2	Mark 10:17-31
3/13	Mark 4:35-41	4/3	Exodus 9:13-35
3/14	Genesis 43:16-34	4/4	Psalm 42
3/15	Psalm 96	4/5, Palm Sunday Luke 19:41-48
3/16	1 Corinthians 7:25-31
3/17	Mark 6:1-13

Suggested Readings for Holy Week

4/6	Mark 11:12-25
4.7	Mark 11:27-33
4/8	Mark 12:1-11
4/9, Maundy Thursday	Mark 14:12-25
4/10, Good Friday	John 19:38-42
4/11, Holy Saturday	Romans 8:1-11
4/12, Easter	Luke 24:13-35