I don’t know how many of you were raised in a church background that emphasized the season of Lent. I was not. Nevertheless, I believe this traditional observance can be helpful and needful for the church today. Lent begins this week on Wednesday.
Here’s what the Encyclopedia Britannica has to say about Lent:
“Lent, in the Christian church, a period of penitential preparation for Easter. In Western churches it begins on Ash Wednesday, six and a half weeks before Easter, and provides a 40-day period for fasting and abstinence (Sundays are excluded), in imitation of Jesus Christ’s fasting in the wilderness before he began his public ministry.”
Any time spent imitating Jesus is a good idea. But if you don’t know where to begin, or how to make the season of Lent more meaningful for yourself or your family, I have a couple of ideas:
- Family Devotions: Read through Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, or the Gospel accounts of Christ’s suffering. Find a bible reading plan on the YouVersion app and commit to reading daily as a couple or as a family.
- Fasting as a Family: Everyone in the family commits to “fast” from something you love (screen time, soda, coffee, sweets, secular music, etc.). Consider this a sacrificial gift of time and attention toward God.
- Prayer Chains or Journals: Write down prayers daily and see how God answers throughout the season. Particularly consider who you could talk to about Jesus and see if God gives you an opportunity during Lent.
- Acts of Generosity: Set aside money and consider creative ways to bless those who are far from Jesus…Particularly those you’re praying for (see above).
- Devoted Music: Curate a Spotify playlist of the most meaningful songs you can find about our problem with sin and the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus.
- Watch The Chosen. This is not a perfect show, nor is it the same as reading your Bible. But I thoroughly enjoy the way this show reminds me that the followers of Jesus were real people with real lives and problems, living at a real time in history. They encountered Christ and He changed everything. Caution, some episodes are not suitable for small children.
“Lent is about loosening our grip on earthly things so that we might take hold of the One who is truly life.”–John Piper
“They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:18-19).
Lent begins this Wednesday. I hope you’ll consider making this ancient practice a meaningful addition to your family’s spiritual rhythms this year.