What are you doing for Lent?
This year Lent begins in March. Lent is a season of forty days, not counting
Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Lent
comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means "spring." The forty days
represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan
and preparing to begin his ministry.
Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a
time of self-examination and reflection. In the early church, Lent was a time to
prepare new converts for baptism. Today, Christians focus on their relationship with
God, often choosing to give up something or to volunteer to do work for the church
or other charity work.
Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty days because each Sunday represents
a "mini-Easter" and the reverent spirit of Lent is tempered with joyful anticipation of
the Resurrection.The choice to observe Lent is a personal one—the whole point is
to focus your heart and mind on Jesus during the journey to Easter. There’s no requirement to observe it, nor should you feel guilted into participating. However,
millions of Christians around the world do observe Lent each year; if you’ve never done so, why not give it a try?
Whether you observe Lent in a small or major way, you’ll be amazed at what
happens when you devote a part of each day to reflecting on Jesus Christ and
God’s Word.
This year Lent begins in March. Lent is a season of forty days, not counting
Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Lent
comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means "spring." The forty days
represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan
and preparing to begin his ministry.
Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a
time of self-examination and reflection. In the early church, Lent was a time to
God, often choosing to give up something or to volunteer to do work for the church
or other charity work.
Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty days because each Sunday represents
a "mini-Easter" and the reverent spirit of Lent is tempered with joyful anticipation of
the Resurrection.The choice to observe Lent is a personal one—the whole point is
to focus your heart and mind on Jesus during the journey to Easter. There’s no requirement to observe it, nor should you feel guilted into participating. However,
millions of Christians around the world do observe Lent each year; if you’ve never done so, why not give it a try?
Whether you observe Lent in a small or major way, you’ll be amazed at what
happens when you devote a part of each day to reflecting on Jesus Christ and
God’s Word.