This week begins the most solemn fast of the Christian liturgical calendar known throughout the world as Lent. Growing up in a non-liturgical tradition, I did not observe the Lenten season. It was not until I was older that I was exposed to the broader celebration of Lent. Even then, I didn’t observe it in any meaningful way. My thought was that Lent was something that other Christians did, but it was not necessary for me. As my family and I have come into a liturgical tradition, we see the beauty and meaningful nature of observing Lent. I am very much looking forward to walking through these next forty days with humility and fresh eyes as we anticipate the celebration of the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Although Lent is familiar to many, there is some confusion and misunderstanding about the season of Lent and its function in the Christian life. We will address some of these and provide a brief overview of the Lenten season in this article.
What is Lent?
One of the most basic questions about Lent that can help us better understand the importance of this liturgical season is to ask what is Lent? The word Lent comes from an Old English word meaning “spring season.” This name is fitting because the season of Lent occurs during Spring, at least in the northern hemisphere.* At its core, Lent is the forty-day period of fasting that precedes the high feast day of Jesus’ resurrection, also known as Pascha or better known as Easter. Lent is a season of penance and reflection that serves as a means to prepare one’s heart to celebrate the glorious resurrection of the son of God. During this forty day period, Christians all over the world fast from a particular item or activity (i.e. from a specific food or drink, etc.) in an effort to focus their attention on the nature of their own sin and the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, a day set aside to contemplate mortality and the nature of sin. Traditionally on this day, Christians will gather for prayer and to receive ashes on the forehead from their priest or pastor. This ritual helps to recall that mankind is made from the dust of the Earth (Gen 2) and because of sin, to dust all men shall return (Gen 3:19). Thus the saying, “ashes to ashes and dust to dust.” Yet even in this solemn ritual there is hope. In light of Jesus’ work on the cross and resurrection, this death that all must face is not final. One day we will rise from the dead, just as Jesus did, and enjoy eternal life. However, during the season of Lent, the focus is on mortality and repentance from sin as we look forward to the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.
The season of Lent culminates with Holy Week which commemorates Jesus’ passion beginning with Palm Sunday and continuing with Maundy Thursday, the day that Jesus was put on trial by the Jews and by the Romans. The week climaxes with Good Friday, the celebration of Jesus’ death on the cross, and Holy Saturday, the day that Jesus lay in the tomb, as the anticipation grows for that most glorious Sunday!
That is the “what” of Lent. Now let’s take a look at why Lent matters.
Why Lent Matters?
For centuries, Christians have celebrated the season of Lent as a means of preparation for the celebration of Jesus’s resurrection on Easter Sunday. Lent is a season that helps us focus on what it truly means to be a Christian. For those who live in modern Western society, we live in a fast-paced culture. Lent reminds us to stop, slow down, and to focus on what is most important. Baked into modern Western society is the notion that more is better and that we should always gratify the desires of our heart. We are encouraged to “be ourselves” and “live to our full potential”, even if that means living contrary to Scripture and the tradition of the Church. Lent, however, teaches us to mortify the flesh and to focus on things beyond this world. For this reason, Lent has much to teach the modern Christian. We would do well to celebrate Lent with great piety and passion. To do this, one need not fast in excess to reap the benefits of the Lenten season. Lent must be taken seriously in order that our hearts focus on Jesus.
If you are new to the faith or have never celebrated Lent before or if it has been a long time since you have, let us extend a warm welcome! This Lent will be my first time to experience the season within a liturgical tradition. I have been familiar with Lent for years and have celebrated aspects of it, particularly Good Friday and, of course, Easter Sunday. Yet I am looking forward to experiencing this great season of the Church with fresh eyes and renewed appreciation. If you would like to know more about how you can celebrate Lent this year, start by considering what you can give up for the forty day period in order to tune your heart to Christ. Secondly, Google is your friend. Look up churches in your area that will be celebrating the Lenten season. Likely these churches will be from a liturgical tradition such as Anglican, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox (Greek, Antiochian, etc.), or Oriental Orthodox (Coptic, etc.). However, there are Protestant/evangelical traditions that also celebrate Lent, so you should be able to find somewhere near you to help you participate.
For a list of resources to help you celebrate Lent at home, please see below. There you will find a brief, yet helpful, list of books and devotions to guide you during the Lenten season. May the Lord bless you this Lent as you mortify the flesh and focus your attention on the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Editor’s Note: Alex Saloman also contributed to this article.
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*The seasons are the opposite in the southern hemisphere. For Christians below the equator, Lent occurs during Fall.
Collect (Prayer) for Lent
Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made, and you forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and
make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (taken from the ACNA Book of Common Prayer, 2019).
Bible Reading
Isaiah 58:1-5
“Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD?
Recommended Resources:
- The Liturgical Home: Lent by Ashley Tumlin Wallace
- The Liturgical Home: Easter by Ashley Tumlin Wallace
- O Sacred Head Now Wounded by Jonathan Gibson
- Daily Liturgy Devotional: 40 Days of Worship and Prayer by Douglas Sean O’Donnell
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