Intro to Lent

It is not the stuff you find in your pocket. Lent is a season of the liturgical calendar that precedes Easter. It is 40 days long and is a time of reflection and waiting. Why 40 days? We remember when Jesus spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness fasting prior to the start of his ministry. (Matthew 4:2).

What’s the point?

All around us is the temptation to press fast forward. When we get to one holiday, we already see ads for the next one. Culture pushes us out of the present and into the future. Liturgical seasons slow us down and ask us to sit in the present by reflecting on both the present and the past.

During Lent, you ask questions like:

“Lord, have I been faithful to you in my parenting, my marriage, my work?”

“Do you have my whole heart?”

“How does the truth of your resurrection impact my life? Should I be different?”

For those of you with kids, afterschool events, work that is on call, your natural response may be “who has time for that type of reflection?”

Insert fasting.

Fasting

Fasting is how you make time. It is the act of sacrifice. It is removing things from your life that are not necessary, things that take away time from being with God. But it’s not just about removing things from life. Fasting is also just as much about the replacement of busyness with time with God.

When you fast, you intentionally say to God, “I’m listening. I’ve turned off the noise. Here I am.”

Biblically, you skip a meal and commune with God during that time. Practically, you “give up” social media, food(s), sugar, the snooze button, or anything that will give you an opportunity to spend more time with God. Maybe you wake up earlier and read. Maybe you log out of social media (forever) during Lent. Whatever you choose to remove, intentionally replace it with prayer, scripture, or silence in God’s presence. You should begin to notice a difference.

FAQs-When does this start?

Tuesday

Before the season of Lent begins on Wednesday, there is a party on Tuesday called Shrove Tuesday! Historically, It was the day when the church would prepare for the fast by using all of their fatty foods like flour and sugar to make Pancakes. (This can be done as a family or as a community.)

This annual pancake party not only allows us to share a meal with plenty of sugar, it brings us together as we prepare our hearts and mind to be in a season of prayer before the resurrection of Jesus.

Ash Wednesday

“Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent: a time of penitence, fasting, and prayer, in preparation for the great feast of the resurrection. The season of Lent began in the early days of the Church as a time of preparation for those seeking o be baptized at the Easter Vigil. The forty days refer to our Lord’s time of fasting in the wilderness; and since Sundays are never fast days, Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Lenten Fast.” – BOCP

The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is this upcoming Wednesday. If we were gathering, we would come together in the evening and have a small service where I invite you to “self-examination and repentance.” I would take the palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday and burn them, taking the ashes to make the sign of the cross on your forehead. I would say to you “Child of God, from dust you came and to dust you shall return.”

We would leave the service quietly and would begin our time of fasting and reflection.

So I have to go 40 days straight?

Nope. Every Sunday is always a Feast Day, so on Sundays, you can “indulge” in whatever you’ve sacrificed. It’s a break and a time to rest. If you want to keep going on Sunday, have at it.

When does this end?

Lent ends on the Saturday before Easter. Holy Week would begin to focus our attention on the narrative of Jesus’ death, crucifixion, and on Easter morning we would completely change the tune of worship from lament, sacrifice, and reflection, to celebration and joy to the truth that Jesus is no longer in the tomb. (More details to come as we approach this season.)

So what’s the summary?

On Tuesday, celebrate with Pancakes as a community as the season of sacrifice approaches. On Wednesday, remember that you will return to dust. If that were sooner than you thought, would you hear “Well done thy good and faithful servant?” For 40 days, pray during the time you would have done what you’re sacrificing, or pray more in general. Rest on Sundays. Know that we’re only days away from the greatest miracle in the defeat of death by Jesus.

Are we recreating his death? Idolizing it?

No. We’re simply remembering it, and forcing ourselves to do what is not natural: slow down and sit in each portion of the life of Jesus and not just the good parts. We need to experience sacrifice as well, not because it gains us points, but because the awareness of our shortcomings shows us how to redirect our hearts to Jesus.

So since we’re a church plant, does this apply?

Yes. Next year we will be a community walking through Lent together. Even though we aren’t an established parish yet, that doesn’t mean that we can’t fast and pray. Actually, it will be best for our plant that we are all fasting and praying even beyond Lent, as we discern how God will use us for the Kingdom. So yes, this is good for us.

May you have a blessed Lent.

Additional Resources

Sometimes it’s helpful to have devotionals to read or that help you learn more about Lent. Below are some suggestions.

• Lent – The Journey from Ash Wednesday through Holy Week – This is a great book to read where fellow Anglicans reflect on Lent, myself included! Great first Lent book!

• The Good of Giving Up – If you want a devotional that feels like an easier read, this seems to be your choice!

• Lent For Everyone – N.T. Wright – This is a thicker option! N.T Wright is an amazing thinker. This book will dive you into scripture! If this isn’t your first Lent, this may be for you!

• Anglican Compass Guide to Lent – This is a great rookie guide to Lent! Check it out!