Lent is about the gospel. It is a time to narrow the focus of the Church to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and to turn from our sin and trust in his atoning work. 

The season of Lent lasts approximately 40 days, excluding Sundays, between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. The 40 days have obvious biblical parallels in the flood narrative (Gen. 6-8), the giving of the Law to Moses on Sinai (Exod. 24:12- 18), Elijah’s journey to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:1-12) and Jesus’ fasting and temptation in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11, Mark 1:9-12, Luke 4:1-13). The last of these accounts is most relevant to the season. 

Lent is celebrated each spring as the days begin to lengthen (the term Lent is from a Saxon word meaning “lengthen”). It is marked by periods of fasting and feasting. Each week, participants traditionally fast during the week and feast on Sundays. This pattern continues throughout the season as the Church journeys toward the Holy Week commencing on Palm Sunday. The final period of Lent is often referred to as the Triduum, beginning Maundy Thursday and continuing through Easter Sunday.

Originally a preparation period for those desiring to be baptized, Lent eventually became embedded into Christian tradition as a season for the Church to symbolically follow Christ into the wilderness. It is a time for fasting and self-denial, though not for denial itself. It is a period to empty ourselves of lesser things so that we might be filled with the greater things of the gospel. 

Whereas Advent is a season of ever-increasing light awaiting the incarnation of Christ, Lent is a season of ever-decreasing light approaching the cross. 

In our context, it is easy to get lost in the cultural expectations of Easter and miss out on the meaning. Lent is a reminder that the resurrection only occurred after the crucifixion. Rather than skipping over the ministry and crucifixion of Christ, Lent is a season to prepare ourselves for the joy of Resurrection Sunday as we enter the sorrow and pain which preceded it.

Each week, we have suggested an area of fasting to apply to our lives. These weekly fasts give us opportunities to pursue greater communion with Christ. By emptying our lives of commotion, clutter, and noise, we hope to find greater room for him to speak through his Word. Rather than simply subtracting something from our lives, this is an opportunity to add something greater. May we begin to prepare our hearts accordingly. 

Each fast represents a common comfort where our culture runs for distraction and dependence. Our hope is that in the season of Lent we would unplug these noises and leverage this silence for communing with the Lord. 

The majority of the weeks will encourage you to abstain from something in its entirety. However, there are two weeks (1 and 7) that are an exception, and we’d particularly encourage you to plan ahead and consider a method that is best and wisest for you to participate. To be clear: Weeks 1 and 7 should not be absolute fasts. You’ll find some suggestions on the ways you could participate in a limited way during those weeks.

Additionally, there are a few ways to consider the fasts: You can view each weekly fast as a standalone fast for that particular week, or you could consider the possibility of building each week upon the next. For instance, you could continue the Week 1 fast into Week 2 and so forth to eventually do all seven fasts together. These fasts are not intended to be a burden, but rather an opportunity to create intentional inconvenience, likely discomfort, and extended margin to commune with God. At the same time, each fast, particularly food and sleep, should be stewarded wisely as your personal circumstances allow.

In many ways, communion is a theme of the Lent season as we read and reflect, fast and pray, and gather for worship on Sundays. We want to create greater personal and corporate space for communing with God, and to consider together the great sacrifice that Christ made through his life, death, and resurrection for this communion to be made possible. Each Sunday of the Lent season, we’ll have the opportunity to partake of communion together in our corporate gatherings. 

During this time, we’ll reflect on the past week’s fasting invitation, respond to what we have heard from God’s Word, and confess together our dependence on and gratitude for Christ. May we always remember with thanks His body broken was for us and his shed blood is our cup of salvation.