"To Observe a Holy Lent"

I know the Christmas pageant was only yesterday, but suddenly, Ash Wednesday is upon this coming Wednesday, and with it comes the Church's ancient practice of inviting us to:
observe a holy Lent; by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's Holy Word. (UMH Book of Worship, 322).

Many of us have grown up in other faith traditions that stress the penitence of the Lenten season, others of us have some vague recollections of ashes on foreheads and giving up chocolate and for some us, Lent is an entirely new experience. So here are a few thing to share with your children about the Lenten season and some practices you may choose to adopt during this season of growing closer to God that culminates in the celebration of the joyous resurrection of our Lord.

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, Lent seasonally makes sense. The word "Lent" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word, "lencten" which means, "as the days grow longer." Increasing light fills our days as we walk the Lenten road, reminding us that although we may struggle now, we are continually moving into the light of Christ that will blaze brightly again on Easter Eve at the Great Vigil of Easter.

The color the Christian church has traditionally used to observe the Lenten season is purple - a color that represents both the kingship of Jesus and the color of penitence. "Repent," the root word of "penitence" is translated three different ways in the Greek of the New Testament. The one we are inviting God's Holy Spirit to work in us during Lent, is "metanoia" - a "turning around." The purposes of reflecting on what we have done wrong is not to make us feel bad about ourselves, the purpose is to create "metanoia" - a refocusing and turn of our hearts and minds to the love and purposes of God. Making a purple paper chain for your kitchen table can be fun to do with your kids and can remind us each day that Lent calls us to "turn around" toward God.

The tradition of giving up things for Lent arose out of the need for a practice to help us turn our hearts and minds back to God, so for generations of the Church, Christians have been invited to let go of the things that separate them from the love of God and the love of each other. The purpose of giving up something is not to make us virtuous, but give space in our lives in which the Holy Spirit might work in us. Try turning off the television, ipods, computers, blackberries,etc. one night during Lent when the entire family is home and see what happens. Some Christians do not find "giving up" things helpful, but rather take on new things that will draw them closer to God or to loving others. This is a good time of year to volunteer with your kids at the local pet shelter or reading to folks at the local nursing home. Often times we meet God in the new practices we begin during Lent and they become habits we keep even after Lent has ended.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. The ashes used for imposition are made by burning the Palm branches left over from the previous year's Palm Sunday celebration. They are marked on our foreheads in the sign of the cross with the words, "You are dust - and to dust you will return." The practice of dumping ashes on the head goes back to the life of the Israelites when ashes on the head were a symbol of remorse and repentence.

Lent last for forty days, but you have to know the trick the Church uses to calculate those forty days because otherwise, Lent is longer! You count only the six days of the week - Sunday is always considered to be a "little Easter," so it doesn't count toward the forty days. And Holy Week which begins on Palm Sunday is not counted either. Does forty sound familiar? The forty days of Lent represent the days Jesus spent being tempted in the wilderness following his baptism, but forty is a biblical number: during the flood, it rained for forty days and forty nights, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years, etc.

So there you have it, the short course on Lent and Lenten practices. What are some of the ways in which your family observes a holy Lent? Be sure to post a comment and share.

Faithfully,
Elizabeth