Introduction to Lent
Introduction to Lent
The word “Lent” may conjure up various thoughts and feelings, depending on your background or experience. Fat Tuesday… Dread… What should I give up?… Solemnity… Refocus… Study… Maybe you are asking, “What IS Lent?”
There is a detailed explanation on the Covenant Church website, but here are a few basics.
- Lent is a season of the church year, not a Biblical mandate or time period. It comes from the word lencten, which means spring, and to lengthen (longer days).
- Its 40-day length was developed by the early church to begin on Ash Wednesday and end with Easter. Mathematicians may notice that is actually 46 days, but Sundays are not counted as they are considered a weekly celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection.
- Some traditions also connect the 40 days to Jesus’ 40 days in the desert before beginning his ministry (see Luke 4).
- In more recent centuries, Lent became viewed as a time to “give up” something as a reminder that Christ gave his life for us. Or, in some traditions, people who acknowledge Jesus as their Savior and “give” their life to Christ are then baptized on Easter.
Though none of our activities or traditions help us earn or deserve salvation, the practices of Lent can make Jesus’ death and resurrection much more meaningful. So, whatever your experience has been, we hope you will use this devotional series during the 2021 Lenten season to learn more about the trans-forming power of Jesus both in the Bible and in our lives today.