Sometimes I will stray from my theme for February, since there are more days in February than the gifts Paul wrote about in his letters. So today I want to talk today about the “Gift of Lent”.

Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday. Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty days because each Sunday represents a “mini-Easter.” This is why you will see the designation “Sunday in Lent” rather than “Sunday of Lent” in the naming of these Sundays. So on each Sunday in Lent we have the opportunity to take a break from our Lenten disciplines to give ourselves the joyful anticipation of the Resurrection.

Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, meaning “lengthen” and refers to the lengthening days of spring. The forty days matches the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry.

So, why Lent? Lent is a gift to us – it truly is. We all need time to reflect – and in this day and age it is hard to find quiet time. They say that the average adult today hears 20,000 messages in one day – between radio, television, internet, billboards, and the like. So, if we are to make Lent all it can be, then we need to slow down and live into this paschal mystery – even the darkness of Lent – and nothing is darker than the ashes of Ash Wednesday. 

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 began as a period of fasting and preparation for baptism by new converts and then became a time of penance by all Christians. Today, Christians focus on their relationship with God, growing as disciples and extending ourselves, often choosing to give up something or to volunteer and give of ourselves for others. So as we move into the darkness of Lent, we must find ways to live into the paschal mystery.

To make the most of Lent, you need to take Lent seriously, both in your individual faith, and in your participation in Lenten services and disciplines. The devil is lurking always, to lure you away from your focus on G-d. Face down the devil by focusing on your faith for the next forty days.

Pastor Dave