Reflections on Lent

Lent is a season of preparation and repentance during which we anticipate Good Friday and Easter. The observance of Lent dates back to the time of the Apostles, as a period of preparation and instruction of persons for baptism and profession of faith on Easter Sunday. By the third or fourth century, Lent became a practice in which the whole church participated.

The forty days of Lent begin on Ash Wednesday and continue up to Easter. The number forty carries biblical significance based on the forty years Israel spent in the wilderness and Jesus’ forty-day fast in the wilderness. Sundays during Lent are not counted as part of the forty days: like every Sunday, they are “little Easters" in which we gather to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord.

Are Christians today required to observe Lent? The answer, of course, is no: Christians are nowhere required in the Bible to observe Lent. An important outworking of the Protestant Reformation was the reminder that our consciences are bound to Scripture alone. If Lent is approached as a duty, a requirement, or a work that wins us favor with God, we are surely in error.

But is there value in setting aside more focused time for repentance and reflection in these weeks leading up to Easter? Absolutely! One pastor put it this way: Just as a baseball player may work at staying in shape year round but still give special attention to conditioning before the start of spring training, so we may find great spiritual benefits in setting aside a few weeks to give special attention to the state of our souls.

If you so choose, allow these days between now and Easter to be a time in which you meditate on the life of Jesus and his call for us to follow him. Seek the Lord more deliberately in prayer and study of his Word, inviting him to search your heart, test your thoughts, expose your sin, and lead you to repentance and greater trust in him. But as you struggle with sin and strive to walk in obedience before God, remember you do so in light of the victory that Jesus has already won over sin and death – the very victory we celebrate at Easter.