Lent is a season in the Church Year which focuses upon the Passion (suffering and death) of Jesus to accomplish our salvation. Lent is often called a “penitential” season because of the emphasis on repentance. Remember, however, that “repentance” also includes faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. So the emphasis in Lent isn't US and OUR sins, but JESUS and His giving Himself as the Lamb of God to take away our sins.
Historically, Lent has had different meanings and purposes. At one time, it was a period of “discipline” for those who had sinned publicly and were waiting to be publicly absolved and readmitted to the fellowship of the church. In other times, it has had a Catechism emphasis, being the time when catechumens were instructed in the faith in preparation for Baptism and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil. The best understanding of Lent is that it is about Jesus and what He suffered to save us. In worship, we forego the joyous sound of “alleluias” until Easter and our hymns will concentrate more than ever on Jesus' saving work as the sacrifice for our sins.
The Season of Lent is 40 days long. (Sundays in Lent are not counted and neither are Good Friday and Holy Saturday). These 40 days remind us of the 40 days of the rains of the Flood, the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert, and the 40 days Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted, among other “40s” in the Scriptures. These times remind us especially about the battles we face in this life and that we trust in the Lord to fight for us against our enemies and provide for us until we reach the safety of eternal life.
Three particular Christian practices are emphasized in Lent. Lent is seen as a time of extra prayer. During Lent and throughout Holy Week, the Church has extra times for worship so that we can give more attention to the preaching of Christ and the Sacrament of His Body and Blood. Lent is also a good time to practice daily prayer in our personal devotions. A simple order of prayer is available right in the Small Catechism (p.327 in the hymnal).
Fasting or abstaining is another Lenten discipline. Fasting means not eating for a length of time. Abstaining means not eating certain foods or, as is the more modern custom, “giving something up.” The point of these practices is NOT to deny ourselves some pleasure but to remind ourselves that Christ is our true bread and that the food of this world does not last. Sometimes meat (which really includes fish, too!) is not eaten on Fridays as a simple reminder that our Lord suffered in His flesh on a Friday. It's a devotional reminder of our Lord's suffering, again, not to deprive ourselves, but to focus our attention and meditation upon our Savior.
Almsgiving or works of charity are another type of Lenten practice. Here we learn again to crucify our own sinful flesh and its desires by remembrance of our Baptism and instead use our time or money for the benefit of our neighbor. You might take money that you would otherwise spend on something for yourself and use it for your neighbor in some way or practice loving your neighbor by helping them in some way.
Remember, the purpose of Lent is never to make ourselves miserable or focus on how sorry we are. When Lent is about US, then it's a gloomy season indeed! Rather, there is a subtle joy in Lent because even though the suffering and death of Jesus are quite awful and caused by our sins, it is exactly to save us from our sins that He underwent His Passion. Therefore we don't have to mope or seem subdued in Lent. Rather we can smile and be happy, knowing that Lent is all about what our Savior accomplished!
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, the day we are reminded that the curse of sin is death, and that we will one day die and become dust once again. Yet this very reminder of our mortality because of sin kicks off a season in which we hear with great joy the work of our Savior Jesus to rescue us from sin and death. So Happy Lent, because of Jesus!
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