Experiencing Lent Fountain of Life Covenant Church Easter 2009 I. What is Lent Origins Lent is a 40-day period before Easter. It originated in the earliest days of Christianity as a time for the faithful of God to rededicate themselves to his holy purposes in preparation for Easter. In the Western church, the forty days do not include Sundays, a traditional day of feasting and joy which celebrates the resurrection. In 2009, Lent begins Wednesday, February 23. The Lent season will end on Saturday of Holy week. Forty is one of the great numbers in the Bible. The people of God spent 40 years in the wilderness. Moses spent 40 days in communion with God on Mt. Sinai. The Lord made it rain for 40 days and 40 nights as he brought the great flood. For the Christian, the 40-day period of Lent is to imitate Jesus’ withdrawal as he spent 40 days in the wilderness. Lent is a season of soul searching and repentance. Just as Jesus prepared for God’s great ministry ahead in the wilderness, we are given the same opportunity to prepare for the resurrection on Easter Sunday. Jesus overcame all of the temptations of the devil. Luke teaches us that Jesus left the wilderness stronger spiritually than he had ever been before. Luke 4.14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. Lent is an opportunity for all of us to enter into a season of self-examination, to grieve over our sinful nature, to put to death our flesh, to embrace the promises of God, and to emerge more powerful in the Holy Spirit. II. Preparing for Easter Lent Today Today, many Christians embrace Lent as a choice for holiness, rather than an obligation. Historically, there were three thrusts to draw close to God during the Lent season: prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor. Today, many choose to give up a vice, make a conscience choice to draw near to God, and give away money saved from living a simpler lifestyle. As you consider Lent, I would encourage you to approach it with two images in your mind. The first is that of being at a crossroads. Our life is full of choices. By way of human nature and with our cultural influence, we will likely choose the easy path of ease and comfort. We must remember that there is no Easter celebration without Good Friday suffering. We must choose to tame the desires of our flesh and walk the lonely road of self-sacrifice. Every one of us must stand at that fork and make significant decisions. These next seven weeks could be a great test of making hard choices for Jesus. Experiencing Lent February 2009 The second image I would ask that you keep in mind is that of fruit from Galatians 5. Paul teaches us that self-control is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. It is God’s work to birth in our lives the very self-control that Jesus wielded and enjoyed. We would all do well to mortify our flesh and learn to yield to God and his tender work through the Holy Spirit. I can think of no better way to prepare for Jesus’ great victory over death, than to enter with him into his sufferings. For some of us, what we give up for lent will be a great sacrifice. I am confident this solemn season of the Church calendar will prove to align our hearts with Jesus and prepare us to be stronger witnesses for the Kingdom of God. III. Getting Practical For some of us, FOL is the first church that we have called home. Church traditions might be new for our family. This would be an excellent time, whether old or young, married or single, with or without children, to establish Easter traditions in your life. Here are a few practical thoughts: 1. Family Devotions The Lent season is a wonderful time to focus in on devotions together as a family. It could be great to read to your children passages from the gospels, divided up by verse, and end with Easter morning. It is also a great idea to have Easter based books and music on hand. 2. Candles It could be a powerful visual to set up seven candles. For each Friday between Lent and Easter, at a weekly dinner, one candle can be put out. It deepens the understanding that the Light of the World emptied himself to pay for our sins. By Good Friday, all of the candles will be out. Sunday evening, however, on Easter, relight all seven of the candles. It will be clear that the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it! Church Family Traditions As a young church, I love that FOL is like wet-cement. The traditions and values that we build into our life together will serve our children and families in the years to come. Please share with our church any traditions or practices that you enjoy. I am sure we are all eager for good ideas! May the Lord bless you richly as together we enter into a season of reflection and spiritual preparation for Easter! I am eager to have us all grow in intimacy and understanding as we approach the empty tomb. May we commune with the Lord who defeated the devil in the wilderness! In Grace upon Grace, Pastor John Experiencing Lent February 2009 .