Explore the Season of Lent
What is Lent?
As we approach Easter there are many Christian church denominations that incorporate the observing of Lent as part of their worship experience.
Although I was raised going to a Christian church and by Christian parents, my church and my family did not observe Lent.
I really wasn’t aware of it until later in life. My exposure to Lent was always hearing people saying, “Oh I gave up chocolate for lent, or coffee for lent or candy for lent”. It always seemed like people gave up something that wasn’t good for them—like a New Year’s Resolution.
However, as I began to investigate this practice I was intrigued by it and I began to see the value of it when you truly understand it’s purpose.
The 3 pillars of Lent
Lent was built on 3 pillars: Sacrifice, Prayer and Generosity towards the poor.
It was to challenge the participant to deny themselves as Christ denied himself for the Church, to spend time in prayer and communion with God through Jesus and to give to those in need as Christ gave of Himself to meet our need for a savior.
On our website is the brochure we handed out on Sunday, Explore the Season of Lent for anyone that might want to participate in this practice of Lent.
In this brochure you have some information about Lent and also some creative ways to participate. You will notice that these choices are not just about 40 days of sacrifice but also about giving time to your relationship with Jesus and/or giving to others over the next 40 days.
The page I like the most is the 10 Questions to Ask Yourself. These questions will allow you to examine why and how you will participate in Lent so that it is not just an “Easter Resolution” but rather an “Easter Transformation”, where, perhaps, the habit of the next 40 days leads to a lifetime habit of sacrifice, prayer and/or generosity.
The brochure and it’s ideas are really for inspiration. I would challenge you through prayer and self-examination to decide what you want to sacrifice, how you want to develop your devotional/prayer life and how you might give to those around you, especially to the poor and needy of our world.
Giving to the Poor and Needy
In our Explore the Season of Lent brochure we also provide 10 Creative Ways to Give Up AND Give Back.
Many of us buy too many clothes, spent too much on dinner out, click on Amazon too readily, indulge in our favor coffee, etc. How about we pick one expenditure that we’ll Give Up during Lent and then Give the money we would usually spend to our Missions Ministry for our upcoming Conference in Haiti? This conference is one of the highlights of the year for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. For $20.00 we can provide participation for someone to enjoy a much needed meal and participate in a day of prayer, worship and fellowship.
Text-to-Give
We have made it really simple for you to give!
- Send a text to number 84321.
- In the message field, enter the amount you wish to donate to the Lent Fund.
- The system is setup for this specific campaign, the amount will be followed by the campaign name, “LENT”. In this case the message would be “25 LENT”
- If your number isn’t set up for text-to-give, a setup link will be sent back.
- If it is setup, you’ll receive a confirmation and you’re done. Either way, simply follow the on-screen instructions.
Here is some additional information on our Text-to-Give system.
Whether you observe Lent in a small or major way, you’ll be amazed at what happens when you devote a part of each day to reflecting on Jesus Christ and God’s Word.