7 Things to Consider before Your First Lent
Share
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.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/FREDERICA ABAN
2. Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday happens at the beginning of Lent. The day before is Shrove Tuesday, sometimes called Fat Tuesday, the last day before the fast of Lent. Many Christians in liturgical churches eat pancakes on Fat Tuesday.
On Ash Wednesday, churches hold services where priests or ministers put ashes on congregants’ foreheads in the shape of a cross. The ashes are supposed to be made from burned palm branches of the previous year’s Palm Sunday, although some churches use general ashes.
The ashes symbolize mortality and our need for repentance unto eternal life. As the ministers make the sign of the cross on the forehead, they often say, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). We humble ourselves with this, remembering we are the creation, and we should turn from sin and seek the Creator wholeheartedly. The service usually includes Scripture, prayers, and moments of self-reflection.
Many begin their Lenten commitments to prayer or fasting on this day. A few Christians might do their own Ash Wednesday observation at home, maybe with family.
For newcomers, Ash Wednesday services can be a powerful introduction and teaching on Lent and its purpose.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Pro Church Media
3. Fast with Meaning
All spiritual disciplines have purposes beyond the acts themselves. Disciplines like prayer or reading the Bible engage with the unseen to hear God’s voice and better follow him. Therefore, fasting is more than skipping meals or avoiding screen time. Fasting deepens our faith and teaches us how we are completely dependent upon God, even more than food.
Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness, and when he was tempted to turn a rock into bread, he confessed that the continual, present word of God has more substance for humanity than food. The food we eat has its ultimate source in the Creator who loves us, and he holds all creation together with the word of his power. Fasting for a time expresses our first reliance upon God’s voice. Whatever we give up, we fill that time with other spiritual discipline.
For Lent, some people fast for part of the day. Others abstain from things like sweets or caffeine. Many have started fasting from social media, TV, or other types of distractions. Before starting the fast, pray and seek God’s heart about what he may want you to give up. The Father is faithful to give wisdom to any who ask. Let him lead you through the observance.
Fasting doesn’t prove our devotion. Rather, it intentionally seeks to humble us for more grace. In this, fasting draws us into closer relationship with Christ.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/eddiestock
4. Add, Don’t Just Subtract
Lent isn’t only about giving things up. When we abstain from watching TV or scrolling on social media, we now possess the margin to add new spiritual disciplines. These new disciplines can build new habits over 40 days that can last for the rest of our lives.
The main biblical disciplines are reading the Bible, meditation, prayer, fellowship with the saints, preaching the Gospel, acts of service, and singing praise to God. Choose one from the list and come up with a reasonable and achievable goal. Maybe read one chapter a day or find a devotion for Lent to connect with the stories of Holy Week. Choose to meditate on the Scripture for five minutes, asking God questions about the reading.
Attend church more regularly and sing praises to God in a group. Join a Bible study with others and focus on the meaning of Lent. You could even open your home for a community worship night.
Lent should lead us to transformation, not only abstaining from something. Adding a new spiritual discipline or habit helps us move beyond checking boxes or observing a ritual into a deeper faith for the rest of our live. And when we do this each year, these disciplines become foundational for our growth and maturity over time.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Tutye
5. Prayer and Repentance
Repentance is the main part of Lent. Jesus began his ministry by calling people to repent and believe the Good News of the coming Kingdom (Mark 1:15). During Lent, we think about our lives, examining our hearts in light of the Holy Spirit. As God reveals things to us, we confess our sin and rest in the strength of God’s grace. Repentance doesn’t mean we’re sorry; we must change our minds and direction. We must let God lead us in repentance, as he will reveal where we need to change for our good and his glory.
The apostle Paul instructs us to pray without ceasing, which doesn’t necessarily mean we vocally pray every moment, but it does include intentional and extensive times in prayer, as we see often in Scripture. Jesus, Paul, David, and others made prayer a priority, proving its power. During Lent, we set aside time each day for intercession. Beyond bringing personal requests, we should meditate on Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection. Take passages about Jesus and the cross (Luke 22-24, Philippians 2:5-11), and let them shape our prayers, thanking him for his love and power to save.
Repentance and Jesus-centered prayer makes the Lent season more Christ-centered. When we focus on him and his work, we find miracles in our everyday life. God reveals more of himself to us through these times.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Thitaree Sarmkasat
6. Participate in Giving and Service
A huge part of Lent includes charity and serving others. As we sacrifice certain luxuries or foods for 40 days, we have more time to show love to others in tangible ways. Jesus taught how faith will express itself through love and generosity (Matthew 15:35-40). Christ also exemplified this, as he healed the sick and fed the hungry, giving hope to the marginalized and the powerless. During Lent, we have a real opportunity to live out the Gospel through meeting others’ needs.
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. When we focus not on what we sacrifice but what we can give, we become more like him. We start by looking for ways to serve our neighbors or people close to us, whether our family or coworkers. Great suggestions include volunteering at a food pantry, visiting the elderly, or supporting a struggling family with food or gift cards. We can even do small things like writing letters of encouragement to people we love. A host of ways exist to show God’s love in everyday life.
Giving isn’t just about money. We can offer our time, skills, or simple relationship with the lonely. If we fast from something like coffee, consider redirecting that money toward a charity or someone in need. Use extra time to reconnect with old friends. Service puts our faith in action, and Jesus meets us there.
Photo credit: Pexels/Julia M Cameron
7. Remember the Attitude of the Heart
More than anything, transformation begins within. We act from our beliefs, motives, thoughts, and feelings, so while we observe the outward services and disciplines of Lent, we must remember the focus of our heart.
Jesus often challenged the Jews who followed traditions without real devotion. He could easily point to the Old Testament prophets who said much the same. Remember, these traditions and rituals were instituted by God. Jesus wasn’t against spiritual discipline, but he warned against fasting or praying just to appear holy to others (Matthew 6:1-8). God desires sincerity, devotion from the heart. Rituals can be good and useful, but they can also tempt us to pride and feelings of moral superiority.
Lent is about humility and repentance. Let the Lent season unify our hearts and actions with a complete worship of God, submitting our hearts to him without reservation.
The Bible tells us to examine the motives of our hearts, so we should humbly ask ourselves why we observe Lent. Do we fast or pray because we feel obligated or want to look spiritual? Or do we genuinely seek Christ? Devotion flows from love, not duty. Whatever we do — give up something for 40 days, add spiritual disciplines, or serve others — may our motivation always be an expression of love for Jesus and others.
Peace.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Nata Bene
