What is Lent?

Lent can be an intimidating season for a lot of us. Some of us grew up hearing that it was a Catholic tradition. Some of us envision harsh days of fasting and long, uninterrupted hours of prayer. Some of us have never heard of it at all! No matter where you fall when it comes to Lent, we see you…and we get it! 

We’re willing to bet that if you picked up this guide, you’re at least curious about it. Maybe you’re looking to grow in your spiritual walk. Maybe you’re looking for a new way to observe Easter with your family. Maybe you’re looking for some practical accountability for your daily time with God. Whatever your reason, we have some good news for you: Lent doesn’t have to be complicated!

Simply put, Lent is a season all about the Gospel. Therefore, it’s a season that all Christians can observe, enjoy, and benefit from. It is a time where we come together to focus our minds and our hearts on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus as we approach Easter Sunday. It’s a time where we’re challenged to turn from our sins and the things that distract us from God in order to focus fully on Him.

The Lenten season lasts for the 40 days (excluding Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. 40 is a significant number in the Bible, popping up all throughout the Old Testament in events like the flood (Genesis 7), Moses’s intercession for Israel (Deuteronomy 9), Jonah’s prophecy to Nineveh (Jonah 3), and many others. However, the one that is most significant to the season is found in Matthew 4—Jesus’s 40 days of testing in the wilderness. 

Historically, Lent began as a requirement for baptism in some of the early churches. Today, we celebrate it symbolically as a time for each of us to follow Jesus into the wilderness of testing and trial. It includes fasting, self-denial, and most importantly…prayer! It’s not about giving things up just to say that we did. Rather, it’s about intentionally creating room in our daily rhythms so that we can be filled with more of God. 

While Advent gets more and more hopeful as we approach the incarnation, Lent gets more and more solemn as we approach the cross. Our prayer is that this guide would be a catalyst for radical spiritual growth and heart change as we dive into the full and glorious gift of Christ, lament His crucifixion, and rejoice in His resurrection!