Lent

The Lenten Season

Greetings to all my brothers and sisters in Christ. I hope this day finds you well. Yesterday was Ash Wednesday . Ash Wednesday comes from an ancient practice of sprinkling or applying ashes to the foreheads of people who had confessed their sins. The ashes that were used came from the burning of the previous year's palms from Palm Sunday.

The Blessing and Receiving of Ashes

The priest or minister, depending upon your denomination, would say the following:

"O Lord, Let these ashes be a reminder to us that we are but dust. May this be a mark of your repentance. Bless all those who receive these ashes this day. May they keep this Lenten season in preparation for the joy of Easter. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. As you come to the Lord's Table, you may desire to stop first at the foot of the altar and receeive the sign of the cross with ashes."

Lent

The season of Lent begins on Ash Wenesday and concludes on Easter. It is a 46 day period, if all Sundays are excluded. When Lent occurs is determined by when Easter occurs. In 325 A.D. the Council of Nicea determined that Easter would be obersved on the first Sunday following the 14th day of the Paschal Moon. The earliest that Lent can occur is February 5th. The last time this happened was in 1818 and didn't happen again during the entire 20th century! The latest Lent can take place is March 10th. It will not fall again on March 10th until 2038 A.D.

The entire season of Lent lasts for 40 days, since Sundays are excluded from the count. These Sundays have never been days of fasting so that is why I believe they are not included in the count. This 40 day period of Lent reminds us of the 40 days that our Lord spent in the wilderness before He began His public ministry. Moses prayed and fasted for 40 days and Elijah fasted and prayed for 40 nights.

The word "Lent" is derived from the word "lencten" which is an Anglo-Saxon word that means "srping", a reference to the season in which this observance takes place. The spiritual idea is that Lent is a time for a person to deepen and strengthen their spiritual lives - soul refreshment.

Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday. It is celebrated in many parts of the world. The French refer to it as Mardi Gras and the Germans refer to it as Fasching. It is a feast day, when all the household fats are consumed or used up prior to the 40 days of fasting during Lent when no fat is used.

The Color of the Paraments

For those of you who do not know what a Parament is, it is a decoration for a room, such as a tapestry. The color of these paraments during the time of Lent is Violet/Purple to signify penitence and royalty for all subjects bow penitently before the King, who is Jesus Christ. Black is the color for Good Friday.

The Two Views of Lent

The first view declares that Lent is a time during which a person imposes certain relgious excercises and various activities upon themselves in an effort to improve our godliness. The second view declares that Lent is a time during wihich a person meditates upon the suffering and death of Jesus, that they learn anew the love of God and His blessing of forgivenss and victory over our sins. One view places the emphasis on our own actions and efforts; the other places the emphasis on what the Lord God has done for us. It's clear to me that it is the latter view of Lent is correct, because it gives the victory over sin to Jesus as opposed to us, through self-imposed actions.

It is said that Lent is not a time of fasting or of giving up certain sinful behaviors. The thinking is that if something is wrong on Memorial Day it is also wrong on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday too. If doing something like abstaining from a certain food or activity draws one closer to the Lord, then let him or her fast or abstain. However, if you fast, it should be done in secret, so we do not appear to be like the Pharisees who did good deeds to be seen as righteous in the eyes of the people. I would think that the same thing goes for anything from which you are abstaining. But if you plan on fasting check with your medical doctor first, and people with illnesses such as diabetes should not fast at all.

Activities for Lent

Meditation upon the sufferings of our savior is one activity we should engage in. In spirit we should go with Jesus, "up to Jerusalem". We do this so that we can appreciate the salvation that was obtained for us at such a great cost. When we do this we will realize that we, too, are resonsible for His great trials, suffering and death. The aim is to bring ourselves into a living communion with our savior, whose life is everlasting. We should aslo, search our hearts and feelings, with a Bible in hand, in order to think about and reflect upon the "deep things of God". As we do this, we want to apply the message of the Gospel that we "may grow in the grace and in the knowledge of God".

The Spirit of Lent in Our Everyday Lives

Should the activites of Lent be confined to just one 40 day period, once a year? As for the fasting and abstaining, I would say yes. But the other things, can be applied to our spiritual lives all year round. During Lent and in our every day lives we should:

• Pray every day. Before meals is a good time, when you get up in the morning and before retiring for the night is a good time too. During Lent you can use a Lenten Devotional.
  
• You should worship on the weekend and also during one of the mid-week services. If you can't make it to a mid-week service there are some online that would serve this purpose nicely. You can always download one at iTunes in the form of a podcast or find a sermon online that would serve this requirement nicely.
  
• You should attend a prayer gathering or meeting once a week. If time does not permit you to physically go somewhere you can attend one here in Second Life or at other places online, there a quite a few good ones in both places.
  
• We should always be willing to reach out to those who do not know Jesus and tell them who He is and what He has done for both us and them. Invite them to a service with you or to another Lenten activity if it is the time of Lent.
  
• Show compassion by reaching out to those in need.
  
• Participate in a Lenten project.
  

Doing all of these things during Lent and especially throughout the year will draw you closer to your Lord and Savior, which is what we all desire, isn't it?