The season of Lent is a symbolic time meant to represent Jesus' withdrawal into the wilderness for 40 days before his crucifixion. It originated as a time of preparation for Easter. I've read that it was a time when the faithful rededicated themselves and converts were taught the faith and prepared for baptism, which was only performed during the Easter season. It is now traditionally considered a time of soul-searching and repentance and reflection. Because Lent was begun by the ancient church, it is traditionally only observed by Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, Anglican, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.
The time of Lent has several parts which are fasting, prayer and repentance. Like myself, you're probably more familiar with the fasting aspect. Originally, Lent participants abstained from all animal byproducts (meat, eggs, milk, etc.) throughout the 40 days (Sundays are not included as they are a time of celebration and relaxed from the guidelines of Lent), and only one meal per day was allowed. Although those conditions were quite strict, our Western culture requires only no meat on Fridays, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Also, fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday is observed, which means only one meal on each of those days.
You may have seen many people yesterday, Ash Wednesday, with the black marks of ash on their foreheads. That means they attended a mass or service in observance of Ash Wednesday. The ashes are made from the burning of the previous Easter's blessed palms and are a symbol of our mortality (Then the Lord God formed man out of he dust of the ground...-Gen 2:7). The ashes on the head is an Old Testament custom seen in the books of Esther, Job and Jonah and is a symbol of penance and sorrow for our sins. The most interesting part (to me) of the Ash Wednesday observance is the final reading from Joel 2:18 (Rend your hearts, and not your garments). It defines to me the motivation the Lenten season. I am spending a time solely giving my heart (i.e. time, energy, efforts) and not my outward acts (Bible studies, home groups, church functions) to God.
Although I have observed aspects of Lent a few times previously, we have never observed it together as a family. However, we have approached Easter differently than we grew up. We don't participate in egg hunts or make mention of the Easter bunny. I'm quite ashamed at what our secular culture has made of the Easter season and that our churches and Christians have glommed onto those secular views. Somehow plastic eggs and chocolate bunnies don't exactly tie into my Savior bleeding and dieing for me on a cross, and I don't want to teach that lie to my children.
The brief reason the modern church does not observe Lent dates back to the 16th century when Calvinists discarded all Christian holy days on the basis that they were Roman innovations. It is also easy to understand that as a Christian, my participation in Lent is not required of me by God because of Easter. His sacrifice on the cross freed us from the law, and we are not working or striving to get to heaven. I know that my belief in Christ Jesus and love for him and life of following him is leading me to eternal life in heaven with him.
I have mainly thought in the past that the Lenten season was a pointless outwardly act, which I'm sure it can be to many. However, as with any act within a relationship, the motivation is self-determined and can not be judged by man, only by God. I am excited at the prospects we have within our own home during this time to draw us closer to each other as we draw closer to God and re-focus our relationship and work to get further from apathy towards God. We've chosen to fast from cable TV because it is, on many levels, something that separates us from our relationship with God. It fills our minds with many subjects that are not edifying and takes away our time that would be better spent in prayer and with each other. We are excited at the idea of having time to read (I've just started reading Captivated.), go to bed earlier, have family devotionals, prayer time and, essentially, be more quiet, less distracted and more focused on what God wants to show us during this time.
The brief reason the modern church does not observe Lent dates back to the 16th century when Calvinists discarded all Christian holy days on the basis that they were Roman innovations. It is also easy to understand that as a Christian, my participation in Lent is not required of me by God because of Easter. His sacrifice on the cross freed us from the law, and we are not working or striving to get to heaven. I know that my belief in Christ Jesus and love for him and life of following him is leading me to eternal life in heaven with him.
I have mainly thought in the past that the Lenten season was a pointless outwardly act, which I'm sure it can be to many. However, as with any act within a relationship, the motivation is self-determined and can not be judged by man, only by God. I am excited at the prospects we have within our own home during this time to draw us closer to each other as we draw closer to God and re-focus our relationship and work to get further from apathy towards God. We've chosen to fast from cable TV because it is, on many levels, something that separates us from our relationship with God. It fills our minds with many subjects that are not edifying and takes away our time that would be better spent in prayer and with each other. We are excited at the idea of having time to read (I've just started reading Captivated.), go to bed earlier, have family devotionals, prayer time and, essentially, be more quiet, less distracted and more focused on what God wants to show us during this time.
We had been discussing and debating whether this was the right step and whether our motivations were in the right place when I heard a song Sunday morning on the way to church, we then sang it in the worship service and then heard it again on the way home from church. The line "I Will Rise" repeats many times in the song, and my less than deep thoughts kept telling me that God is calling me to rise up and I can't rise up if I'm sitting on my rear end in front of the TV.
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