Lent 2023

In two weeks, on Wednesday, February 22, we will celebrate Ash Wednesday at a worship service in the Sanctuary at 7 pm. Ash Wednesday begins the 40 days of Lent that leads up to the special days of Holy Week.

Why do we celebrate Lent for 40 days? The answer I found online is consistent with what I have been taught over the years:

The forty days represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry. Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection. In the early church, Lent was a time to prepare new converts for baptism.

How will you spend those 40 days? Will you sacrifice by giving up a favorite food, by abstaining from some activity, by avoiding something else that at other times gives you pleasure?

Will this lead you to spend the time in self-reflection to evaluate your life, your purpose, and the contributions you make to the world around you.

Will you join others to gain a deeper understanding of this time of preparation by participating in a weekly evening bible study that will start on Thursday, February 23, via Zoom?

Whatever you choose to do, make Lent meaningful to you, not just as another 40 days on your calendar, but as purposeful days that mirror Christ in the wilderness.

--Bob Linderman