Dear Christian Friends:
As we progress into the penitent season of Lent, you may be wondering: “why name a season out of that flammable stuff I pull out of my dryer?” First, it is the season of Lent, not the season of lint! Although, that would make for an interesting forty days… In all seriousness, Lent is an abbreviated version of the old English word lecten which means “spring season”. We can be thankful it doesn’t still go by the old Latin name for it which was Quadragesima. Try asking your friends what they’re planning on giving up for Quadragesima and you’re guaranteed to get weird looks.
The observance of the 40 day period before Easter can actually be traced all the way back to the 4th century AD. (That’s less than 300 years after Paul was writing his letters!). Originally, it was a season of fasting where Christians would restrict their diets heavily to focus on prayer and reflect on what Christ gave up in order to free us from our sins. Today, we still carry some of this tradition as many Christians also fast from one thing or another as part of their Lenten observance.
“But Why!” You might ask. After all, Christ has absolved us from all of our sins! Every day we are to die to sin and rise again with Christ. Why should these 40 days be any different from the other 325 days of the year? The truth is Lent is not a requirement for a proper Christian life. You are certainly no more or less sinful during this season, nor are you any less forgiven of your sins. Still, setting aside 40 days a year to really focus on how helpless we are in the face of sin is a beneficial practice, and it’s not completely foreign to us either.
We set aside time every year to celebrate birthdays, although we are no less alive any other day of the year. Similarly, we celebrate anniversaries, though we are no less married any other day of the year. We do the same for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentines Day, and the list goes on. The truth is, we don’t have the time on any given day to focus and reflect on all the things we should focus and reflect on. We cannot dote on our mothers or fathers every day of the year, or have a party for the fact that we are alive every day, so we set aside one day to demonstrate how truly important these things are.
The season of Lent is no different. It is a scheduled 40 days of the year where we are to remind ourselves of things that should always be very aware of: the damaging wickedness of our own sin. Praise God He did not leave us in this state, however. Rather than awarding us the eternal hell and damnation we deserve, He sent His only Son to take on our flesh, die our death, and rise again as the first of the resurrection. This season of Lent I invite you to set aside time to reflect on the terror of sin, that you may also hold fast to the beautiful love show for us by God in that, while we were yet sinners, He sent His Son to die for us.
In the love of Christ, Vicar Simmons