Mid-Week Musings
February 14, 2024
We’ve entered into a new season in the Christian church year: the season of Lent. Sadly, however, it’s season many might not understand or even care about. The Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday, February 14 this year, and it concludes on the Saturday before Easter. It’s considered a 40-day season, but the season actually begins 46 days before Easter Sunday. The church doesn’t count the Sundays in Lent since they are considered mini celebrations of Easter and the resurrection of Jesus.
In Scripture, the number 40 often marks something significant. It rained 40 days and nights during the flood. Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness. Jesus stayed on earth forty days after His resurrection before returning to heaven. Maybe because of the significance of this number in the Bible, the church has long observed 40 days of Lent.
The Lenten season is not only a time to reflect on Christ’s suffering and death in preparation of celebrating His resurrection, but it is also a time to consider one’s commitment to Christ, one’s need for His forgiveness, and one’s need to confess and repent of sin. Consequently, the season encourages times of introspection, self-examination, and repentance. Especially during the season of Lent, maybe it would do us all some good to consider where in our lives we need to “get in shape” spiritually. Even the most pious Christian is not a spiritually fit as he or she could be. For each of us, maybe something needs to be given up and maybe something needs to begin. The season of Lent is a particularly appropriate time for an honest self-assessment.
In the fast-paced and technologically advanced world in which we live, it seems the season of Lent often gets overlooked, or has even been forgotten altogether in a culture that seems to be increasingly secular and less spiritual. This year, may each of us rediscover, or perhaps discover for the first time, the true meaning of the Lenten season and may the Spirit of God help each of us grow spiritually as we move through the season on the way to Easter!
May each of you have a blessed Lenten season!
Pastor Ron
(On Sunday morning, February 18, we’ll begin a new sermon series titled Jesus’ Words from the Cross. In the series, we’ll be considering the words Jesus spoke while He was on the cross. On Sunday morning, February 18, we’ll be considering His words, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” The Scripture lesson will be from Luke 23:26-34.)