Lent: History and Themes

HISTORY

Lent is one of the liturgical seasons of the church calendar that precedes Easter. The name of this season originates from the Anglo-Saxon lencten meaning "spring." The origins of Lent are controversial. Traditionally it is understood as an intense season of preparation for "Catechumens" (converts under training) who were preparing to be baptized on Easter. By the Council of Nicea, A.D. 325, it officially referred to Lent as "forty days" and made it immediately precede Easter. Sundays are not counted as part of Lent, since Sundays are reserved for celebration. The Season of Lent now officially begins with Ash Wednesday because of the imposition of ashes on the foreheads of Christians. This practice is dated back at least from the late-eleventh century.

THEMES

Lent carries in its tide a number of biblical themes, stories, and structures. Again, Lent was a season that the early church used to prepare catechumens—new converts WHO wished to join the church through baptism, which was typically accomplished at Easter. The catechumens were encouraged during the 40 days to engage in regular times of repentance and confession and to seek reconciliation with those whom they had sinned, and been sinned against—the very spiritual disciplines that every Christian should engage in daily. (Matt. 5:24, 2 Cor. 5:18) Now, you don't need a special season to do this. But there also is a benefit in setting aside a specific time to focus on these things. Throughout the history of the church, many believers have benefitted from using the Lenten season to do just that.  (From Mars Hill)

Continuing on in the history of Lent and in my time of discipline. Today is Sunday and therefore a celebration, the Sabbath. But, when you are in ministry, the Sabbath rarely feels like a celebration. Derek gets paid to go to church on Sunday's! I, however, as the ministry sidekick, do not. Sunday's are my time to support and encourage Derek, to be fed spiritual milk and to try hard to find the time to clean our home. In writing this I realize that I really need to give a Sabbath day to the Lord. So, for the remainder of Lent I'm going to practice the Sabbath, a time of receiving and acknowledging God's blessing in my life and a time of rest. Derek's Sabbath is on Friday's. This is his only day of the week off and his time to study, rest and "date me." Friday's are our favorite day of the week because it's the day when we do our married devotionals. It's also our coffee shop day when we sit back with good coffee and read.

As I walk through Lent this year, I keep getting this idea that IN EVERYTHING, do it ask if Jesus himself, personally, asked you to do it. So, when I'm washing dishes, Jesus asked me to take care of them tonight instead of Derek. When I'm playing with the dogs at work, Jesus asked me to tenderly love them and rehabilitate them. When I'm planning devotionals for my youth girls, Jesus asked me to speak his Gospel over his daughters. When I'm too tired to talk to Derek, Jesus asked me to lovely respond to Derek and to cherish him as Jesus himself does. Today, my prayer over each of you is that in all things you will do it as if unto the Lord. Today, you will feel the call of Jesus to do everything as if he asked you to and you will take JOY in doing it.

Lent: Confusion

CONFUSION ABOUT LENT

There is much confusion in the American Evangelical Church regarding Lent. To be sure, the Bible doesn't require us to recognize seasons like Lent or even Advent. In Romans 14:5, Paul writes that the celebration of holy days is a matter of Christian liberty. Paul continues, "The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord" (Rom. 14:6). Therefore, any recognition of Lent must be done in a way that honors God. As Jesus made clear when he quoted Isaiah to the Pharisees, external actions void of heartengagement are not honoring to God. Well did Isaiah prophecy of you hypocrites, "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." Therefore, any special attention to the Lenten season that honors God must include heart-level repentance and real faith, not external obedience to church tradition. So the Lenten season and its encouragement to take an extended time to focus on the death and resurrection of Christ provides us with an opportunity to honor God as well as a temptation toward sin. There can be a real value in marking this season, but only if done with a heart that seeks to honor God.

In the book of Isaiah it says, All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. 64:6. To me, this is why we need heart-level repentance. With real faith and not only external obedience to church tradition we can have joy in what the Psalms proclaim. In the Psalms we read, "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit." Psalm 32:1-2 Read the next 3 verses of the Psalm:

When I kept silent, 

my bones wasted away 

through my groaning all day long.

For day and night

you hand was heavy upon me;

my strength was sapped

as in the heat of summer. Selah

Then I acknowledged my sin to you 

and did not cover up my iniquity.

I said, "I will confess

my transgressions to the Lord" - 

and you forgave 

the guilt of my sin. Selah

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" Psalm 34:8 A taste of the Lord is good, but imagine the security and peace of dwelling in him. I'm learning what "to dwell" means. The dictionary defines "dwell" as:

1.to live or stay as a permanent resident; reside.

2.to live or continue in a given condition or state: to dwell in happiness.

3.to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought, speech, or writing (often followed by on or upon ): to dwell on a particular point in an argument.

4.(of a moving tool or machine part) to be motionless for a certain interval during operation.

Now, what does it look like to dwell in the Lord? To be a permanent resident in his presence; to live or continue in the joy of his love, peace and understanding? King David writes in Psalm 27:4, One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple...for in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling...

So, my prayer for each of you and myself today is that we would have a heart that would seek to honor God in our worship of him. Not for ourselves, not for our salvation, but to love and adore God because he is God. I pray that as we go through the season of Lent that God would create in us a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within [us]...Restore in [us] the joy of our salvation and grant [us] a willing spirit, to sustain [us] (Psalm 51:10,12).  I pray also that he would teach us to dwell in his presence.