Whether you are new to the practices of the season of Lent or have engaged them many times before, here is a helpful overview of how we observe and practice Lent at Redeemer.
“The practice of Lent is a means of grace, but grace itself is a mystery that grips us however buttoned-up or sloppy our Lenten practice is.”
Tish Harrison Warren
What Is Lent?
Lent is a 40-day period of Christ-centered devotion between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. The practice of Lent has been observed by Christians around the world since the early centuries of the church.
Why Practice Lent?
The most important reason to practice Lent is to draw near to Jesus Christ and become like him. Lent is a season of intentional discipleship under Christ and with Christ. We also practice Lent to bond more closely with fellow Christians who are on the same journey, not only in our local church but also around the world. Along the way, our sin and enslaving habits are put to death, and we learn to internalize and share in Christ’s resurrection power.
What are ways I can expect to become more like Christ during Lent?
There are some themes that often arise when people describe their experience of practicing Lent. However, this list is not exhaustive; God’s activity in your life cannot be predicted or controlled.
Humility
Humility is the capacity to recognize who we are in relationship to the living God. The path of Lent reveals our mortality, sin and limitations. Often, the Holy Spirit reveals personal and corporate blind spots during Lent. Our hunger pains, headaches and failures during Lent become living reminders of our great need for the salvation offered through Jesus Christ.
Reordered Loves
The gentle harness of Lent is designed to loosen our unhealthy attachments to creation (including food, drink, and money) so that we may enjoy a deeper bond to the Creator. We learn to internalize and enjoy the love of Christ during Lent.
Purity
Soren Kierkegaard said that “purity of heart is to will one thing.” During Lent, we see the incompatibility between our commitment to Jesus and our dabbling in idolatry. We confess our sins and thereby take hold of the forgiveness that is ours in the Gospel.
Joy
As we give ourselves to him in our suffering, Jesus Christ supplies us with a lasting spiritual overflow and the consolation of the Holy Spirit. This is to be distinguished from a spiritual high which cannot be sustained over time or during suffering. Easter Sunday and corporate worship during Lent grant us a taste of heaven.
Renewed Imaginations
As we progress through events of Ash Wednesday, the 40 days of Lent and the drama of Holy Week, we see ourselves and the world as they are in God. The events of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection become for us a window into the new creation (otherwise known as the Kingdom of God) in which we can participate and from which we can receive a secure identity.
Dependence
During Lent, we unlearn the lie that we are self-made, self-contained individuals. We learn to draw upon the life of God and the bonds of affection with our fellow Christians.
Invitation to Practice Lent at Redeemer
To the extent that you are able, practice Lent with your church family. Begin with an Ash Wednesday service and receive the sign of the cross on your forehead—a reminder of your own mortality. Participate in a Small Group and discover that you are not alone in your struggle. Remember to keep the balance between fasting and discipline on Mondays-Saturdays and feasting on Sundays. Plan ahead for Holy Week so that we can walk through Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday together as a church.
What we hope you’ll find is that, as we enter into these practices together, God’s grace for us is more abundant than we previously thought. We’ll try together and we’ll fail together, then we’ll confess our sins together and be forgiven together. When we come out on the other side, into a bright Easter morning, we’ll find ourselves closer to Christ and closer to each other.
A SIMPLE GUIDE FOR KEEPING LENT
In an age of endless tailoring and individualizing, consider keeping Lent the same way Christians have throughout history and around the world. Resist the natural impulse to think of yourself as special thereby requiring a specialized version of Lent. What makes you special is God’s love for you, not your particular struggles. So here is a simple list of ways that many millions of Christians will keep Lent this year. You are invited to join us.
Practices of Embrace (New Things to Take Up)
Prayer
Set aside more time to pray than usual. Consider pausing to kneel in prayer three times daily: morning, noon, and evening.Scripture
Read the Bible with special attention. Consider replacing a meal with scripture reading to remind you that you "do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”Confession
Practice confessing your sins aloud to a priest of the church.Silence & Solitude
Practice the foundational spiritual disciplines of silence and solitude.Giving
Give more away than you usually do - either by giving through the church or directly to one of our Justice & Mercy Partners.Volunteering
Volunteer time to visit and assist the sick, the prisoner, or the outcast.Suggestions: Retreat Doctors Hospital, Richmond City Jail, the Virginia Home.
Practices of Resistance (Good Things to Pause)
Fasting
Fast the whole day on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Fast from sunrise to sunset on Fridays, or (if too difficult) abstain from meat on Fridays.
Give up sweets and alcohol, except on Sundays, which are feast days.
Remember, the purpose of keeping these spiritual disciplines during the season of Lent is to more fully enter into a season of preparation to remember the death of our Lord Jesus and to celebrate His glorious resurrection!
