What is Lent?
Lent is a forty-day journey of preparation, self-denial, repentance, and renewal. It begins on Ash Wednesday and continues through Holy Saturday, when we await the burst of resurrection life that is Easter Sunday. The lenten journey echoes Israel’s forty years in the wilderness and Jesus’ forty days of testing in the wilderness. The wilderness has a way of softening our hearts and quieting the noise outside us and within us. It’s an opportunity to more deeply commune with God and give our attention to Him. It isn’t for the spiritually self-satisfied. Every ordinary disciple of Jesus is encouraged to set aside this time to fan the flame of God’s grace in their hearts through community practices. We will be walking through our Lent Guide together as a church, which you may grab a hard copy of during Sunday service, as well as find below.
FOOD AND FASTING
One of the time-honored traditions of the church involves fasting from food. In a fast, we deny ourselves the necessities of food and drink in order to experience a physical lack that points us to our fundamental need for Christ. Sundays always celebrate the resurrection and therefore are never fast days. During Lent, we participate in two types of fasting: The Lenten Fast involves abstaining, for the entirety of Lent, from some food or drink item we normally enjoy (such as meat, caffeine, alcohol, etc.). The low-grade hunger we feel points us daily to Jesus, the true giver of joy and satisfaction. A Total Fast is practiced at the beginning and end of Lent. On Ash Wednesday, we fast for the entire day. The second total fast begins on the evening of Maundy Thursday until breakfast on Easter Sunday. During the total fast, we experience real hunger pains, allowing us to turn our attention to our longing and hunger for Christ.
Lent & Holy Week Schedule
Ash Wednesday // March 5 @ 6:30
Palm Sunday // April 13 @ 10 am
Maundy Thursday // April 17 @ 6:30 pm
Good Friday // April 18 @ 6:30 pm
Easter Sunday // April 20 @ 10 am
Lenten Resources
LENT FOR EVERYONE BY N.T. WRIGHT
SACRED SEASONS BY DANIELLE HITCHENS
Songs For Creative Response Times
Scan the QR codes below for playlists of suggested songs to play during the creative response time.
Lent FAQ
When is Lent?
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (this year it’s on March 2) and ends at sunset on the Saturday before Easter Sunday. The 40 days of Lent do not include Sundays, which remain "feast days" or "little Easters." Even in Lent, Sunday is a feast of the Resurrection.
What is Lent?
Traditionally, the 40 days of Lent draw their inspiration from Jesus’ time being tempted in the wilderness. During this time Jesus prayed and fasted before being tempted by Satan to abandon God’s will and serve his own. As we celebrate Lent, we join Jesus in prayer, fasting and self-giving. In Lent we are invited to be honest before the Lord, confess our sins, and receive God's saving love. The goal is not to make yourself suffer. The goal is to be mindful and attentive to the Lord.
If you are wondering, the word “lent” comes from an Old English word that means “long” because the days begin to get longer this time of year.
Why do we observe Lent?
The Gospel helps us to see that we can save ourselves. Our rescue, freedom, and forgiveness comes through what Jesus has done for us in his death and resurrection. He conquered death and sin by dying in our place. Through faith in him, giving him our love and loyalty, we are made members of His Kingdom, united to Him, filled with His Spirit, and promised a place in the Resurrection.
So we don’t do anything in Lent to earn our salvation or love from God. But as followers of Jesus life is not just about being made right with God, its about living with God now and forever. It's about turning to him and trusting him more. It’s about listening to him and obeying him. It’s about repentance and holiness.
The problem is it is so easy to forget that. To become distracted and self-absorbed. To forget God! Lent helps us bring our attention back to him. It’s an invitation for our hearts to return to our first love. It’s about becoming more and more like Jesus as he draws us nearer to him. It’s about being changed and being part of how God is changing the world.
Who is Lent for?
All of us! It is for all those in Christ, his people, his body, his disciples. It's not just something we do alone, we do it together. It is for the Church. God is making us into a holy people, set apart for himself. Lent is an opportunity to come together as God’s family!
How should I observe a holy Lent?
Ask the Lord what you should do. Traditionally people have observed Lent through prayer, fasting and giving. There are some great resources listed here and at anglicancompass.org.
But there is no hard and fast set of rules about how to observe Lent. It’s really about the posture of our hearts before Jesus. Ask God to help you focus your attention on him through whatever disciplines or habits of self-denial you want to take up this Lent. Ask him to make it less about you and more about him and he will.