The following is an excerpt from Seasons of Worship: A Spiritual Calendar for the Church Today.
Have you ever heard the term “spring cleaning”? Each year in the spring we look around our homes and say, “I should really get rid of a bunch of this stuff. It’s time for some spring cleaning!” Well, maybe not those words exactly. But we all go through the cycle of cleaning out the clutter in our homes, bedrooms, or dorm rooms. This is what Lent is about. It is a “spring cleaning” for our souls. We search within to find all the stuff that really doesn’t need to be there, or shouldn’t be there, and we empty them from our lives, inviting Christ to dwell in their place.
Lent is a 40-day season for both personal and corporate spiritual renewal. During this season, the Christ follower is to look within and ask, “Am I living my life as though it were worthy of someone to die?” The history of Lent unveils traditions rich with meaning including times of intense study of God’s Word, meditation, prayer, and self–examination.
An authentic journey through Lent leads to repentance—to turn away from sin and to turn to God. Our lives are shaped internally through external disciplines as we spiritually prepare to experience the power of the resurrection in our own lives. Lent provides an opportunity to be spiritually formed through the external disciplines of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.
The tradition of giving up something during Lent, like chocolate, soda, or social media, has its roots in the historical practice of fasting. Fasting was observed by Moses, Elijah, Daniel, and many others in the Bible. Jesus himself fasted for forty days, which is why Lent also lasts for forty days, as it symbolizes his focus on his mission and journey to the cross.
Fasting helps us prioritize what truly matters, and the hunger pangs we experience during our fast serve as a reminder of the sacrifice required by our faith. It aids in developing discipline and character. As we have witnessed, fasting is not solely about giving something up but also about embracing something, or more accurately, someone else. We relinquish something to adopt a greater likeness to Christ and deepen our relationship with God.
Regardless of how one feels about the season of Lent, followers of Christ should strive to be more like Jesus in every word and deed. The season of Lent provides the church the opportunity to ask God to cleanse us of what should not be within, and to make us more like Jesus.
©2024 Steven D. Brooks, Wipf and Stock Publishers
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If you would like to read more about Lent and the Christian year, and it’s spiritual impact upon the lives of worshipers, you can find more in Seasons of Worship: A Spiritual Calendar for the Church Today by Dr. Steven D. Brooks.