Preparing Our Hearts for Easter: Why Lent Matters

Lent is the Christian liturgical season, like Advent is to Christmas. It begins with Ash Wednesday and leads up to Holy Week. Lent tends to get a bad rap from some people. I think one of the reasons that Lent gets a bad rap is that people say it’s not commanded in the Bible so we shouldn’t practice it. Advent isn’t in the Bible either but many people practice it. The problem happens when it is practiced as an empty ritual not empowering our walk with the Lord. Honestly, anything can become an empty ritual. So I want to encourage you to consider, as a Christian, how Lent might come into your other disciplines and begin to shape you as a follower of Jesus Christ.

See historically, Lent has been used by the people of God for thousands of years to turn their attention to Jesus heading towards Jerusalem to die for our sins. It's a way that the church has prepared its heart for Easter to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ after His sufferings on Good Friday.

The 40 days of Lent are modeled after the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness. The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, and he fasted for 40 days. So regardless of where you are in life, what is something you would be willing to give up between now and Resurrection Day in order to be reminded of the sufferings of Jesus Christ for your sins and to be drawn into the Gospel story.

The goal isn't just to give up things just for our own earthly benefit, but to do it in order to reorient our heart in this season to remember the sufferings of Jesus Christ for my sins, so that on Easter Sunday morning, I will rejoice in a way that I would not be able to rejoice if Easter snuck up on me.

You and I both know the world in which our lives are playing out, the pace of things is light speed. So, before we know it, we're at Sunday morning of Resurrection Day, and our hearts haven't been prepared, our spirits haven't been prepared. You may not practice Lent; I don’t do it every year. Still, we all can benefit from taking time each day and in this season to remember all the blessings we have in Christ: grace, mercy, forgiveness, hope, to belong to the body of Christ, to worship in all God’s good gifts and share them with others. It’s not to late to give it a try this year and see if the Lord won't bless you.

Grace and Peace,
Brian Frank