The season of Lent began last month on Ash Wednesday, February 18 and continues through this month of March. The word “Lent” comes from the Old English word, lengten, meaning “spring,” the very season in which the days begin to lengthen. Lent is a call to repentance; to turn away from sin and return to the Lord our God. During the season of Lent, signs and sounds of rejoicing are removed from our worship: the Alleluias in our liturgy and hymns are not sung; there is no hymn of praise; there are no flowers on the altar – only greens; the cross is draped in the penitential color of purple; and the beauty of the altar is hidden beneath the flax-colored drape.         

The season of Lent is a period of forty days, not including Sundays. This 40-day period prepares us for the coming joy of celebrating Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday, which is the high festival of the entire year for Christians. This year, the date for Easter is Sunday, April 5. During the Lenten season, Christians are encouraged to refrain from rich foods and eat sparingly – “eat simply so others may simply eat.” Many choose the Lenten season to practice special acts of charity, or works of love. In place of going to the movies or other entertainment, many choose to focus on the needs of others.  Using time and money that would be spent on oneself, these resources are now directed outward to the hungry, the homeless and others who are in need. It is a traditional Lenten discipline to voluntarily give up something that is near and dear to us — a particular food or an enjoyable hobby. Simplifying our lives is something that many people are seeking today, understanding anew the truth that less is more.  As Christ freely offered himself as the sacrifice for our sins, we are motivated to freely offer all that we are and have for his purposes.

Here are some ideas of things that can bolster faith during the Lenten season:

Prayer and Worship

• Pray before meals whether at home or away.
• Take time for daily devotions. Special Lenten devotions are available at Lent - Lutheran Hour Ministries, and Portals of Prayer are always appropriate. Daily Scripture readings are also provided in Lutheran Service Book (see “Daily Lectionary” on pages 299ff.).
• Attend worship services at church. Special midweek Lenten service are held on Wednesdays at 12 noon. If you are unable to attend in person, these services are livestreamed and you can watch and worship later on at www.sjlc.com/live. Discover what is different in worship during the Lenten season.
• Make time in your daily schedule to turn off all the noise and spend quiet time with God. Your Lenten fasting might be fasting from social media and screentime.
• Discover the rich treasury of prayer resources through “Daily Prayer” found in Lutheran Service Book beginning on p. 294. The traditional prayer times of morning, noon and evening, as well as the close of day, are found here and can be done alone or with others.

Service

• Make a commitment to do something for someone else each day. It doesn’t have to be something grand or glorious. Simple acts of kindness can be a great blessing.
• Volunteer to serve the poor through a local ministry. In my own area, that would be Food Pantry And Clothing Closet, Emergency Financial Aid With Counseling - The Koinonia Foundation, Inc. - Alexandria, Va. Take a bag of groceries to a homeless shelter. Donate canned goods. Many are struggling with putting food on the table. Remember that little is much in the hands of Jesus.
• Help an elderly neighbor with tasks that are difficult for them to do. Find out who your neighbors are and how you can help them. Be Christ to your neighbor and see Christ in your neighbor.
• Research new ways to serve in the community around you. Many not-for-profit organizations are looking for people who want to serve!
• Make a monetary donation to a service organization. Consider supporting those serving in mission work state-side or overseas. For ideas, please consult the website of LCMS World Mission: www.lcmsworldmission.org
• Cook a meal for someone who is ill, grieving, or overwhelmed with life.

Christian Education

• Make a commitment to read part of the Bible each day. Read a psalm, read the parables of Jesus, or start reading that part of the Bible you’ve always wanted to understand better. Involve yourself in Christian learning opportunities. Lenten small groups are forming in my own congregation and a new Sunday morning Bible study is underway. Contact the church office if you’re interested (office@sjlc.com).
• Read all or part of a story from the Bible each evening.
• Talk to your children about what they’re learning in Sunday Morning Children’s Ministry. Talk to them about what you’re learning in your own class.
• Obtain a book of devotions, read them, and allow for quiet time afterward to reflect on the devotion.
• Talk to one another about who Jesus is and what he means for our lives today. Read (or re-read) Joining Jesus On His Mission, by Greg Finke, and discover the five mission practices and their attending questions for everyday discipleship.

Other Spiritual Disciplines

• Try fasting or eating a very light meal once a week during Lent. Friday is a good day in honor of the day on which Jesus gave his life on the cross. Complete fasting (abstaining from all food) is sometimes difficult for people, but don’t be put off by this. Fasting can take many forms. Consider meatless meals on Wednesdays and/or Fridays (traditional days of Christian fasting), or eating less at all meals. How about skipping desserts for the whole of Lent, or giving up a favorite food for the Lenten season — whatever would be a true sacrifice for you. Donate the money saved to an organization that provides food for those in need.
• Forgive someone for something small. Forgive someone for something big. Forgive yourself.
• Meditate on where God may be calling you in your own spiritual journey and in your service to others.
• Give up anxiety and other destructive behaviors. Trust in the Lord that He will give you what you need.
• Go on a nature walk once each week and marvel at the handiwork of God’s creation. Watch for changes in the natural world that unfold before your eyes. Observe signs of the coming spring, and realize that these signs point us to the new life we have through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

When all is said and done, Lent is not what we can do for God. Rather, Lent helps us to realize anew how much God in Christ has done for us. Lent calls us to consider again the great cost which Jesus willingly paid for our salvation; giving his very life for us on the tree of the cross. Whatever your Lenten observance might look like, may it do three things: honor Christ, bless your neighbor, and strengthen your faith.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).