Lent begins today (March 5 through April 17). One of the aspects of Christianity, and the rituals we have that I have come to appreciate, is that there are seasons of faith during the year.
We don’t have a lot of rituals as Protestants because Jesus seems to have not given a lot of rituals – a lot of acts that must be done by the worshipper.
Jesus gave us the ritual of communion to remember Him, His sacrifice, and the ritual of baptism. That we are to go out and baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and to teach others about Jesus. But in the early years of being followers of Jesus rituals seemed to come up to help people through the year, so that some days are special – some days are for remembering certain aspects of faith.
So the Easter celebration comes just after the Jewish Passover celebration. Christmas comes each Dec. 25. Neither of those are in Scripture.
And quite honestly the season of Lent is also not in Scripture.
But relatively early on, at the council of Nicea in 325 AD, the season of Lent is mentioned. Forty days to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. Forty, as you might know, is an important number in the Old Testament: 40 years of wandering in the desert; 40 days in the ark; Jesus fasted for 40 days before beginning His ministry. The early church thought that 40 days of preparation would be good before celebrating Easter. That ritual has been passed down to us. I don’t enjoy Lent but I have found it is good for my growth as a follower of Jesus; 40 days to think about Jesus heading toward the pain and loss of the cross. Forty days to specially remember how much I am loved by God; all the way to the cross, into the grave and death, and then out again for me, a frequently disobedient sinner but one deeply and truly loved by God.
So if you have never participated in Lent, giving up something, spending a bit of extra time in prayer thanking Jesus over these 40 days, I encourage you to try it. I have found it helpful to focus on Christ more over these days, in a world that seems to actively distract me from Jesus. And even if you just want to sort of experience Lent, come to the Ash Wednesday service. I think – I hope – it will be a blessing to you. 6 p.m. March 5 at Union Presbyterian Church of Los Altos, 858 University Ave.
I have begun a preaching series for Lent; if you are interested, search “Union Presbyterian Church Los Altos” on YouTube.
David Moore is pastor at Union Presbyterian Church of Los Altos.
