Fat Tuesday. Ash Wednesday. Fasting for Lent.
Perhaps you have friends who use these terms in conversation. Or possibly you have started attending a fellowship that observes these days and the Lenten season, and you’ve wondered what they mean. How are they connected?
More importantly, you might be considering how you should get involved. If you’re new to the tradition, here are 7 Lent considerations for newbies.
1. Understand the Purpose of Lent
Lent is more than a time we give up chocolate or social media. During the 40 days leading up to Easter, Lent leads believers through a time of reflection and transformation. It is an expectation for Holy Week just as Advent takes us to Christmas.
The early church observed a time of Lent decades before the rise of the Roman Catholic church. At first, the 40 days prepared new disciples for baptism during Holy Week. Over the years, all Christians started participating in this time to examine their hearts, repent, and draw near to God. The 40 days of Lent comes from Jesus’ time of fasting and temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Through prayer, fasting, and charity, we create margin for God to speak and work in our lives.
Lent is more than religious tradition. The spiritual disciplines of prayer, giving, and fasting connect our hearts to the Gospel of Christ, expressed in the death and resurrection of Jesus at Holy Week. We should approach Lent with an open heart, preparing us for the joy of Easter through meditation. God came for our transformation, bought with his death, and he gives us hope in the resurrection. When we engage with Lent intentionally, it becomes a journey to strengthen our walk with Christ, as Christians have discovered over almost two thousand years.
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