Season of Lent
Author:
February 23, 2023
This week kicks off the season of Lent, and the countdown to Easter Sunday and the celebration of our King’s resurrection. While most people tend to associate Lent with the Catholic Church, we believe that the principle of fasting and preparing our hearts for Easter is important regardless of denomination.
So what is Lent? It is a 40-day period of fasting and preparation for Resurrection Sunday, modeled to mirror the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness without food. Typically, we associate Lent with fasting and “giving something up.” But here’s the challenge we want to give you in these few weeks leading up to Easter: what does the Lord want you to add to your life?
As a church, we’ve just come out of a season of very intentional fasting and prayer, so we all know (and have hopefully experienced) the benefits of fasting and what God can do through it. But, rather than focusing on 40-days of giving up, let’s see what we can incorporate.
Here are some intentional things to add to your life this season of Lent to prepare our hearts and minds to fully celebrate Easter Sunday and what our savior did:
The Word of God: Just like we crave chocolate or a warm cup of coffee, God wants us to crave scripture and His word. As we prepare to celebrate Easter as a church, dive into the scriptures and stories of Jesus’ life. Work to truly know Him better! It will make this season so special.
Intentional time with family, centered on Jesus: Find ways to connect with the Lord as a family during Lent. This could look like studying the life of Jesus together, attending church together, serving together. Anything you can do to be in the presence of God with your family is HUGE! Take this time of Lent to press into the heart of God as a family!
Reflect! I know that we tend to think of the end of the year or New Years to reflect on our life, habits, and rituals, but I think these 4o days can be an incredible opportunity to really seek what God has for you. Maybe there are things in your life that are distracting you from the Lord’s calling on your life, or aren’t adding value. Rather than just fasting something, truly ask the Lord to reveal areas of your life that you need more of Him!
I am so excited for these next several weeks leading up to the celebration of Easter, and what our precious Jesus did for us on the cross! But as we prepare for that time, let’s lean into Christ and seek what He has for us!
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