March 6, 2025
My Beloved – Welcome to the second day of the Holy Season of Lent, the solemn yet joyful period of 40 days (March 5 – April 12, minus Sundays) of preparation before Easter. The word Lent comes from the Old English word lencten, meaning ‘spring season’, the time of year when the days begin to lengthen.
The period of 40 days not only echoes the 40 days Jesus spent being tempted in the wilderness, but also the 40 days of the flood and the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness before crossing the Jordan river and entering the Promised Land. Lent’s precise origin is lost in the mists of time, though it seems to have become an accepted practice by the late 300s AD.
In the early church, Lent was primarily observed by periods of regular fasting. The point was to identify with the sufferings of Jesus on the cross and to prepare oneself for the joys of Easter. This was a period when most people were still subsistence farmers. Hunger was common and death by starvation was never out of the question. Voluntarily choosing to fast was a dramatic, and often painful, way of showing one’s faith!
Today, our fasting is often more symbolic (and less painful). We may choose to fast from deserts, sodas, fast foods, or even skip supper on Wednesday (the middle of the week) or Friday (the day Jesus was crucified). Others may choose fasting from negative attitudes or criticism. Some may want to give up sexual relations, television or their phones. Of course, none of these equals the agony of crucifixion. Their point is to keep Jesus’ suffering near the front of our minds.
Other people choose to prepare for Easter by adding a spiritual practice. Increased Bible study, prayer, worship attendance and generosity are good ideas. Others use Lent as an opportunity to downsize – giving away one possession each day and donating it to the poor. I’ve known people who wrote a short note to a friend every day during Lent, thanking them for their friendship and promising to keep them in prayer.
As we do every year, our church is offering a number of ways of making Lent real to us. You can learn more in this email, our bulletin and our website.
However we observe Lent, our goal is always the same: to remember Jesus’ suffering and to prepare for the joy of his resurrection. May your Lent be meaningful and your Easter joyful.
God’s peace to us all,
Pastor Ken.