What is Lent?

The Lent tradition began in the 3rd and 4th centuries of the early church as a period of 40 days (a season) of preparation and repentance in anticipation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Day. The word "lent" comes from the Latin word meaning “dawning of the sun.” This early church practice was born out of the biblical narrative of Israel wandering in the wilderness for 40 years and Jesus' temptation the wilderness for 40 days; the church adopted 40 days of preparation for Easter’s “dawning of the sun”— Jesus Christ’s triumphal resurrection from death, when God’s light of the world triumphed and dawned upon all of the brokenness and darkness of His creation.

Lent is a season for the church to reflect and examine the darkness that lies within our own hearts and the darkness of our world. It is a season of repentance and a cry for God to restore and redeem, all with an eye and heart anticipating Easter Day, when a crucified Messiah would powerfully resurrect and usher in His redemption. Lent is a time to enter into mourning, to ask God to help us see our own frailty and brokenness, to help us mourn for our neighbors, this city, and our world, crying out for deep personal and corporate repentance

Why Lent? If you grew up in a church tradition, it’s possible you grew up with one of two postures towards Lent:

1. Observed Lent every year. Perhaps you observed just because you were supposed to, and Lent became perfunctory and lost its potency.
2. Never observed Lent. Perhaps you grew up in a tradition that didn’t observe any of the church calendar/seasons because the church felt like every day was supposed to be lived in light of the whole gospel story (i.e. Christmas and Easter).

During the season of Lent, many Christians will give something up and take something up. We encourage you to embrace this practice as a form of personal growth and spiritual formation:

1. Give Something Up – In doing so, we allow ourselves to experience the hunger and longing that draws us closer to God. By intentionally sacrificing something that holds significance to us, we are invited to feel the void, prompting us to seek God more deeply in our moments of loss. Whether it’s a certain type of food or drink, time spent on technology or social media, or even spending money on non-essential things, the act of giving up creates space for spiritual renewal.

2. Take Something Up – By taking something on, we shape the direction of our hearts, guiding our affections toward what truly matters. When we dedicate ourselves to a new practice, we cultivate a deeper love and devotion. This could be committing to daily prayer at specific times, interceding for others, embracing gratitude, or celebrating moments of joy. Whatever you choose, this intentional act will strengthen your relationship with God and refine your heart.

Through these practices, we are not just sacrificing or adding tasks, but intentionally aligning our hearts and lives with God’s purpose for us.

How will we celebrate Lent this year? Lent begins on Wednesday, February 14th, which is Ash Wednesday. It is the beginning of this season of mourning and repentance. It is often marked by the imposition of ashes on the forehead to remind us of the frailty and brokenness of our world, the mourning we enter into, and the hope that we have because Christ took on our mortality and was raised from ashes so that we might share in His resurrection life.

May we all grow in this season of mourning and reflection as we anticipate the triumph of Easter morning.