The Lenten season is a very special time for Christians to focus on Jesus. Some of us enjoy watching videos that help us imagine what it would have been like to be part of the story while Jesus was on earth and others prefer reading scripture and thinking about how scripture can be applied to our daily life. Still others of us want to experience Jesus by serving others. It is common to make the choice to fast or abstain from something that is important to you. The call of Jesus Christ requires us to act and respond. There are many ways we can do that during these 40 Days of Lent. Below are some suggestions to encourage you to connect with Jesus during this holy time.
The Season of Lent | Click Here
What is Lent? | Click Here
What was crucifixion like? | Click here
The Chosen scene: Jesus heals the paralytic | Click here
What does it mean to give up something up for Lent?
Lent is the 40 days (not including Sundays) from Ash Wednesday to the Saturday before Easter. Lent is often described as a time of preparation and an opportunity to go deeper with God. Lent is a time for personal reflection that prepares our hearts and minds for Good Friday and the extraordinary event of Easter.
What Are the Key Days During Lent?
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. Ashes which are burned remains from last years palm branches are smudged as a black cross onto our foreheads or onto the tops of our hands. The ashes symbolize our grief for the things we’ve done wrong and the resulting division of imperfect people from a perfect God. It is also a stark reminder that from ashes we have come and to ashes we will return.
Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphant entry as Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. This event represents the way Old Testament kings entered into the holy city as their anointed king who was a man among the people. Palm branches were waved in the air as a sign of celebration as people shouted, “Hosanna!” Which means “Save us!”
Maundy Thursday is the day before Good Friday. It commemorates the night Jesus was betrayed by Judas while He shared the Last Supper or Passover meal with His closest disciples. We also remember Jesus’ retreat to Gethsemane, the disciples sleeping in the hour of Christ’s need and the arrest of Jesus.
Good Friday is a complicated day for Christians as we remember Jesus’ trials by the Jewish Sanhedrin and the Roman officials. We remember the scourging of Christ with 40 lashes of the cat-of-nine-tails. We remember Jesus being paraded through the busy Passover holiday streets of Jerusalem, his climb to Mount Calvary outside the city and finally his death. The “Good” reflects how Jesus’ death atoned for our sin. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice on our behalf so we can receive God’s forgiveness for our sins.
Easter Sunday is the joyful celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ rising from the dead claimed his victory over death and opened the opportunity to accept the gift of eternal life. While people still die, Christians believe there is life after death and there is joy in resurrection living here and now—by being given a second chance. Jesus made the way for people to have a relationship with God in this life. He lived the perfect life and died the perfect death as he sacrificed himself for us. He atoned for sin. He rescued us from sin and death and invites all of us to spend eternity with Him in heaven.
What Happens During Lent and Why?
It is common for people to focus on three main things during Lent: prayer, fasting or serving.
1. Prayer and repentance or penitence during Lent focuses on our need to humble ourselves and confess where we fall short and sin. It is time to become aware of our need for God’s forgiveness. It’s about our personal repentance (turning away from our sins) and receiving God’s mercy and love. We then also practice forgiveness with others. As Jesus has already done so with us, we then forgive others.
2. Fasting, abstinence or giving something up for the 40 days of Lent, is a very common practice during Lent. Making the choice to think about Jesus instead of satiating our craving, allows us to enter into a sense of personal suffering. We prioritize Jesus and our relationship with him. Suffering happens to everyone. Making the choice to give up something that’s an important part of our life such as specific foods, watching television or a physical practice can be a reminder of Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice. Fasting replaces luxury with a sense of lack. We all have way more than we need. Luxury dulls our senses and eases our minds. Fasting awakens our soul to our need. Most people won’t fast for more than one day—let alone 40 days. Fasting is still a common practice for the season.
3. Serving or doing something good for others is a way to respond to God’s grace, generosity and love. Some people spend time volunteering or donating money they would normally use to buy something for themselves. Serving others puts us into a posture of servanthood as Christ himself demonstrated. He came to serve—not be served. Stepping outside our comfort zone can put us into contact with people in jail or prison, sick or dying, homeless or abused. Serving puts us face to face with the suffering of others and allows us to share in their misery. We can then share in their joy as the risen Christ opens our minds and hearts to a new way of interpreting true life.
It’s important to note these practices can never help us earn or deserve Jesus’ sacrifice or a right relationship with God. People are sinful, eternally flawed and will never be holy enough for a good, perfect and beautiful God. Only Jesus has the power to rescue us from our individual and collective sin. Jesus sacrificed Himself to bear the punishment for all our wrongdoings and offer us forgiveness. He was raised from the dead on Easter Sunday to give us an opportunity to truly live and have a relationship with God for eternity. Invest time during Lent to pray, fast and serve. Allow Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to impact your life in a profound and transformational way.