Lent is the span of time in the church calendar that starts
with Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter Sunday. Ash Wednesday commemorates the
beginning of Jesus’ 40-day fasting and temptation in the desert, and Easter
Sunday commemorates Jesus’ resurrection from the grave after his crucifixion.
Lent, then, is generally observed as a time for Christians
to reflect, repent, and pray as a way of preparing their hearts for Easter. It
is commonly observed by many Christian denominations—Catholic, Anglican,
Lutheran, and others—although not every Christian church or denomination does
so. Because Lent is not officially instituted in Scripture, observing it isn’t
in any way a “requirement” of Christianity. However, Christians from many
different theological persuasions choose to observe it as a way of focusing
their thoughts on Jesus Christ during the Easter season.
How does one observe Lent? It differs from person to person
and church to church, but some of the things Christians opt to do to observe
Lent include:
> On the first day of Lent (Ash Wednesday), some
Christians mark their foreheads with ash as a symbol of sorrow and mourning
over their sin. (See Job 42 for an example of ash used as a symbol of
repentance.)
> Special worship services, or additions to regular
worship services, that focus in various ways on man’s need for repentance. This
often takes the form of extra Scripture readings and prayer.
> Some Christians choose to give up a habit or behavior
during Lent as an exercise in prayerful self-denial. This might range from
something as simple as not drinking soda during Lent to a full-blown program of
fasting.
> Some Christians commit to a special devotional activity
during Lent—for example, daily Scripture reading, regular prayer for a specific
person or topic throughout Lent, or volunteer work in their community.
The choice to observe Lent is a personal one—the whole point
is to focus your heart and mind on Jesus during the journey to Easter. There’s
no requirement to observe it, nor should you feel guilted into participating.
However, millions of Christians around the world do observe Lent each year; if
you’ve never done so, why not give it a try? Whether you observe Lent in a
small or major way, you’ll be amazed at what happens when you devote a part of
each day to reflecting on Jesus Christ and God’s Word.
See this full article and gain access to Lent devotionals
at: http://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2012/02/what-is-lent/
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