What Is Lent?
In Western Christianity, Lent is the forty days beginning on
Ash Wednesday and leading up to Resurrection Sunday (Easter). Sundays
themselves are not counted in these forty days, as they are generally set aside
as days of renewal and celebration. Ash Wednesday gets its name from the
practice of placing ashes on foreheads as a sign of repentance. Ashes were used
in ancient times to express mourning. Therefore, dusting oneself with ashes is a
way of expressing sorrow for sins.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are at the very
heart of Christianity. Therefore, Lent is a season of preparation and
repentance during which we anticipate the death and resurrection of Jesus. It
is this very preparation and repentance – aimed at grasping the intense
significance of the crucifixion – that gives us a deep and powerful longing for
the resurrection, the joy of Resurrection!
During the 40 days of Lent, many of us hear the familiar, “What
did you give up for Lent?†I was born into a Roman Catholic family and
therefore have a general familiarity with the practice of Lent. However, for
most of my adult life, I have been part of a Protestant tradition that does not
observe Lent. For those of you who attend protestant, evangelical churches, perhaps
the question, “What did you give up for Lent?†holds no meaning.
Lent is less of “giving something up†and more of a journey
to the cross: meditating on our sin and weakness, looking to Jesus as our
perfect example and substitute, and being heightened in our worship of his
victory over Satan, sin, and death. On the cross, Jesus took our place to appease
God’s righteous anger toward our sin and rebellion. He was separated from God
so that we could experience union with God. He was crushed by God so that we
could be adopted by God. He was raised with God so that we too might be raised
with God.
Lent is one of the oldest observations on the Christian
calendar. It has changed over the years, but its purpose has always been the
same: self-examination and penitence, demonstrated by self-denial, in
preparation for Resurrection Sunday. For many evangelicals, repentance and fasting
is a way to prepare for revival. Therefore, it seems natural that we would want
to observe a time of fasting and concerted prayer during Lent.
I challenge you to participate with me in a heightened sense
of prayer and fasting during Lent. Whether you participate in a full or partial
fast, the point is to surrender certain practices, such as, eating, watching
television, times of intimacy with our spouse, etc, so that we can focus more
intently on concerted prayer. As John Piper puts it, fasting leads to a hungering
for God. Perhaps you will at least agree to fast on Wednesdays through Lent intentionally
seeking God in prayer and meditating on His Word.
I will be using a good resource titled Journey
to the Cross during Lent. You can obtain this free resource at http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/02/11/lent-is-about-jesus-a-free-devotional-guide/.
Please join me in this journey of repentance, contemplation, fasting, prayer
and celebration.