What Is Lent?
Lent is a 40-day season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. Lent is a period of preparation. It is a time of solemnity and self-reflection where Christians confess their failings and resolve to live a better life.
Lent is a season of 40 days, not counting Sundays. The word lent comes from the old English word lencten that means lengthen – referring to the season of spring and longer daytime. The length of Lent represents the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness before beginning His ministry. Lent is a time of spiritual renewal and reflection in preparation of observing Good Friday, the death of Jesus, and celebrating Easter, the resurrection of Jesus.
Lent offers us an opportunity to come to terms with the human condition we may spend the rest of the year running from, bringing our need for a Savior to the forefront. Lent is a time to open the doors of our hearts a little wider and understand our Lord a little deeper so that when Good Friday and Easter come, it is not just another day at church but an opportunity to receive the overflowing graces God has to offer.
Prayer is a significant focus during Lent. During the 40 days, we seek God’s forgiveness, accept His love and mercy, and repent or turn from our sins. Fasting is abstaining from something like our favorite food or activity, and not only gives us time to pray but reminds us of Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice. We could pray Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Prayer – Father, thank you for the gift of this season. Thank you for knowing our hearts and for drawing us into a deeper communion with you throughout the coming 40 days. Though we may be made from dust, and our bodies will return to dust again, we can live in eternal glory with you through the blood of your son. Amen.
Matthew 4:1-2 – “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And He fasted forty days and forty nights.”
By the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Images: Slava Stupachenko, Katherine McCormack & Ahna Ziegler, courtesy of Unsplash
