Lent begins today in the Catholic and some Protestant denominations and in nondenominational churches such as ours. For many years I practiced Lent, but to be honest, I wasn’t really sure of its origination or its meaning. Anyone else out there like me, celebrating or observing something we aren’t exactly sure of what it means? I had this concept in my head that Lent was a period of time before Jesus was crucified, died, and rose again, for deep meditation on just that.
After doing a little research, it seems I was close in my thinking. Here’s what I found:
“meant to be a time of repentance”
“Lent is a 40 day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday.”
“Lent, in the Christian church, a period of penitential preparation for Easter.
“Lent is a period of fasting, moderation, and self-denial traditionally observed…”
“Lent is the six week period leading up to Easter.”
“It’s one of the most important times of the year for Christians around the world.”
“Lent is a forty-day penitential season spent in preparation for the highest holy days of our Christian faith,”
As you can see, these are all fairly close in explanation and this is just the first page of Google. You can look for more. But, my very favorite explanation of Lent is…
“A time of renewal.”
I love that. Although Lent is not mentioned in the Bible, and you may not be part of a congregation that observes Lent, it nevertheless may be a good time to revisit those New Year’s resolutions that may have waned just a few months in. Bible reading. Prayer. Service. Fellowship. Christ.
Spring is right around the corner, and why do we anticipate Spring so? It is a visible rebirth, revival, and renewal. But it can also be a spiritual rebirth, revival, and renewal. Hallelujah!
The seasons move quickly, and it seems we only recently celebrated Jesus’s birth and now we are preparing to observe His death and resurrection. It could be that it’s time to renew those last season commitments. Getting into The Word more consistently. Praying more consistently. Fellowshipping with believers more consistently. Experiencing God more consistently. Living for Christ more consistently. Proclaiming Christ more consistently.
However you choose to observe the period of Lent, or not, I urge you to choose Christ. He came to save us, that’s what his name means, the Lord saves. He came to do something that we absolutely cannot do for ourselves. If anyone says different, that’s not Truth. He came to save us from everlasting death, for everlasting life. Only Jesus can do that. He died for me. He died for you. He arose for me. He arose for you. He paid the penalty for my sin. Yours too. His sole purpose for coming was my salvation. His sole purpose for coming was for your salvation. That certainly warrants some serious thought between now and Easter Sunday.
And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21
If you want renewal, restoration, rebirth, revival or if you’ve never responded to His call to “come,” now’s the time. If you’re tired of trying to do it on your own, if you’re weary, strung out, beat down, exhausted and worn out by trying to go it alone, now’s the time. The old us can be gone, and can be replaced with a new righteous us, made holy by Jesus.
I think that’s what this period of Lent really is. A time to thank Jesus for His sacrifice, His death on that cross and to ask Him to take control of our completely out of control lives that are completely out of control because we’ve tried to do it on our own, and we just can’t. When we admit that and “come,” that’s when renewal, rebirth, restoration, revival begins, that’s when the blood is applied to our hearts. Thank you Jesus!