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Lenten worship is a season for personal and corporate spiritual renewal.  It is a time for intense study of God’s Word, for prayer and fasting, and for self examination.

What is Lent? Lent is a period of forty days sanctified (set apart) by the church as a period of repentance and spiritual preparation for Easter.  It begins on Ash Wednesday, the traditional day of repentance and fasting, and continues until Easter.  Sundays are not counted as days in Lent because they are feast days in honor of the resurrection of Christ.  The word “Lent” comes from the Saxon word lenchthen, which refers to the days of Spring.

When did Lent begin? As early as the third century Christians began to set apart forty hours before Easter to fast as preparation for the Easter celebration.  Later that time was extended to seven days, known as Holy Week.  By 325 the church officially set apart forty days before Easter as a season of repentance and special spiritual devotions.

Why should we observe Lent? The season of Lent corresponds to the solemn assembly of ancient Israel (Joel 2), a time when the nation fasted and prayed for repentance.  It also corresponds to the temptation of our Lord Jesus in the wilderness where he fasted and prayed for forty days (Matthew 4:1ff).  For those who observe Lent, it is a time of self examination, a time of repentance, a time of sanctification.  Lent is an opportunity to share in the passion of Christ; it is walking to Jerusalem to suffer and die with Him.  Lent gives us an opportunity to focus on the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, and devotion to the study of the Holy Scriptures.  The observance of Lent can bring us closer to Christ by concentrating upon the cross, what led to it, and what its deeper meanings are.  Lent is observed because there cannot be a true and meaningful Easter without Lent.  If there is no cross, there can be no crown.  If there is no dying in Christ, there can be no rising with Him.  Lent is observed because it calls for a closer walk with God and a deeper relationship with Christ through the cross.

How is Lent observed? Prayer is essential to the observance of Lent.  The Gospels tell us that on several occasions Jesus withdrew from the people in order to spend time alone in prayer to the Father.  During the Lenten observance we should be challenged to pray three times each day – morning, noon, and evening.  This time of prayer should be a time of confession, repentance and submission to the will of God.  Our prayer time should be directed by the prayers of Holy Scripture, so it would be good to search for these prayers and recite them, allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart.  Fasting is the focus of the Lenten observance.  Fasting is the spiritual discipline of abstaining from those things which might distract us from searching the heart of God.  The Lenten fast is for forty days, Sundays excluded.  Suggestions for the Lenten fast could be abstaining from certain foods such as meats or sweets.  Another idea could be abstaining from television viewing.  We should understand that we do not fast in order to earn favor with God or to demonstrate our own holiness.  The purpose of the fast is to separate ourselves from the passions and desires of this world so that we may focus on His kingdom and His righteousness.  Also essential in the observance of Lent is devotion to the reading of Holy Scripture.  Each day we should purpose to open our heart and mind to the Word of God.  Because the purpose of Lent is a call to repentance and renewal, special consideration should be given to the reading of the Psalms and the Gospels.

What is the theme of Lent? During Lent we look upon the cross.  We go to Jerusalem with Jesus where He suffered and died.  We relive the tragedy of His last days and we share the experience of His agony in Gethsemane.  We shudder as we stand at the cross with his few loyal disciples.  To share in this experience we attend special Lenten services, practice special Lenten devotions at home, increase are daily Bible reading, and give more time to prayer, meditation, and reflection.  As we keep the cross before our eyes for forty days, we come to Easter with a new appreciation of God’s love for us in Christ.

What is the proper attitude for the observance of Lent? The color of Lent is purple, the color of repentance and meditation.  The season of Lent is a time of sober reflection and solemnity.  It is a serious time because our dear Lord was tried, condemned and crucified during this time.  This should fill us with horror and shame, for we too share in this tragedy by our own sins.  When someone we love is suffering and dying, especially in your behalf, it is not a time of lightheartedness, frivolity or pleasure.  Lent is the most serious time of the church year.  Jesus’ obedience to God was tested in Gethsemane.  Lent is a time for tears.  Judas was filled with remorse for his betrayal of the Lord.  Peter wept bitterly after his denial of the Lord.  In sympathy, women wept for Jesus as he carried the cross to Calvary.  Above all, Lent is a time of dying.  It is a time of being nailed to a tree, for having a crown of thorns put upon one’s head, for the agony of thirst, for the desolation of loneliness, and for a spear in the side.

What are the benefits of the Lenten observance? The season of Lent can bring us to a deeper faith in God.  It is a time of sanctification wherein we have cleansed ourselves of sin.  It can be a time of growing in the knowledge of the Lord, a time when we may have a new appreciation for the sufferings of Jesus.  This results in gratitude, which motivates us to take up our cross daily and follow him in love, obedience, and service.  Then Easter comes, in all of its glory, and we share in the victory of the resurrection because we too have risen out of death into life in Christ.

By Cameron Fisher, Church of God Communications

According to Rev. Douglas LeRoy, Church of God general director of World Missions, the death of Haitian overseer Joseph occurred when a 20-foot wall collapsed on the vehicle in which Joseph was a passenger. Joseph was returning from the Port-au-Prince airport with former Haitian missionary Lloyd Frazier and former General Director of World Missions Lovell Cary and his wife, Ginny. The group had just arrived in the country and were on their way to a hotel in anticipation of the Haitian National Convention which would have been held this week. Frazier and Lovell Cary were bruised, while Ginny Cary was hurt when a portion of the wall fell on their car. Her injuries are not life-threatening and as of Friday morning, the three had been transported to the neighboring country of Dominican Republic by the U.S. Coast Guard where Mrs. Cary was receiving treatment and arrangements were being made to return the group back to the United States.

Dr. Joseph was a leading pastor and had served the church as national overseer on two occasions. He is survived by his wife and children.

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