What is Lent?

Yesterday marked the beginning of Lent. “What is Lent?” you might ask. Lent is the period of 40 days leading up to holy week, when we celebrate the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Lent is a time for confession, repentance, and fasting. Some churches associate the 40 days with Jesus’ time in the wilderness, when he fasted and was being tempted by Satan. “To confess” in Greek literally means “to say the same thing.” Confession simply means to recognize our sin and tell God what we have done wrong- which God already knows. It is to see our sin as God sees it. Repentance means to turn away from our sin with a sense of sorrow and turn to Christ for forgiveness. Fasting is the practice of abstaining from something (usually food) in order to remind ourselves of our need for God. People can fast from particular foods, television, computer games, or any other activity. Again, the purpose of fasting is to give us a physical reminder of our need for God. Many times in life we do not fully appreciate God’s grace until we see our own sin for what it is- rebellion against God. The Bible says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” (2 Cor. 7:10) Sometimes we are sorry for sin just because of the consequences or harm it causes. But godly sorrow is the kind of sorrow that brings repentance. And when we turn to Christ again- that is when we experience his grace in a new and fresh way. Would you join me in making this season of Lent a time of fasting and prayer? I’m going to fast from soda during this next 40 days. (You all can help hold me accountable!) I am sure that during the next 40 days God will bring each one of us to new levels of repentance and trust in him. Let us pray that as we see our sins that Jesus died for on the cross, we drink even more deeply from the fountain of life- the living water that Christ gives to each one of us. Love in Christ, Pastor Jim