Lent:

A Season of Preparation.

When Peter, James and John opened their eyes on the mount of transfiguration they heard a discussion they didn't fully understand. They saw Jesus glorified, glowing white like snow and flashing like lightning. Moses and Elijah were there too. As these three, Jesus, Moses and Elijah talked, the subject matter became clear. It was time for Jesus to depart. It was time for his work to be completed. 

Easter is the high point of the Christian church year. It is the time when we celebrate the ultimate fulfillment of God's promise to send a Savior and the completion of Jesus' saving work. The church has long recognized a need to prepare for this celebration, and therefore Lent has been celebrated since the time of the early church.

Lent is a penitential season in which we remember that it was our sin that brought Jesus into this world and caused his death on the cross. In this way, Lent serves as a somber time in the church year, but this somber spirit is always anticipatory. It looks forward to that peace and hope of Easter, and reminds us not only of God's grace, but of our absolute need for Jesus.

In the early church, Lent was the season in which the candidates for Baptism were instructed in the mysteries of the faith, learning the central teachings of Christianity, similar to our practice of confirmation. They were preparing for their Baptism and welcome into the church on Easter. During Lent then we add additional services in which we focus on teachings like sin and grace, and repentance and forgiveness. We explore these central teaching during Lent in order to prepare our hearts once again to receive the message of Easter.

The season of Lent changes the feel of worship. The look changes with the somber colors of purple and black, plus the addition of a cross to the front of church. Along with these visible changes there is also a change in the music. Many of the songs that we sing during Lent try to communicate the spirit of Lent not only in their lyrics but also in the music. Often set in a minor key they feel sad, but this is  by design. They seek to take our hearts on a journey of repentance, transporting us to the foot of the cross, to look up at our savior who is dying there for our sins.

Despite the penitential nature of Lent and the various reminders of the solemnity of this season, we remain focused on the Gospel of Christ, who is central throughout this season. Lent is to serve as a preparation for the celebration of Christ's victory on Easter Sunday. In order to prepare for this celebration we are reminded of our absolute need for salvation and our complete inability to save ourselves. Lent reminds us not only of our need for Jesus, but of God's absolute love for us.

Season: Lent (It comes from the Latin word for "spring.")

Length: 40 days (The first recorded reference to the specific number of days in Lent was in 325 AD by the Council of Nicaea.) These forty days take us from Ash Wednesday up until Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week.

Color: Purple/Violet

The Color Symbolizes: The color purple is a sign of both royalty and self-disciplined responsibility. In ancient times it was an expensive color to produce (requiring the "blood" of snails), and therefore it came to symbolize the "richness" of royalty as well as the self-sacrifice required to purchase it. In this way purple became a symbol of penitence.

Special Days in Lent:

• Ash Wednesday begins the observance of Lent. In the 6th century in France the placing of ashes on the foreheads was practiced, and by the 10th century this had become a universal practice symbolizing penitence and sorrow over one's sin.

• Midweek services have been held by Lutherans for centuries. These services often strive to focus the congregation on the life, suffering, and death of their Savior, Jesus Christ and are markedly different in focus from the Sundays in Lent.

• Sundays during the Lenten season are not "Sundays of Lent," but rather "Sundays in Lent." This means that the Sundays in Lent retain an "Easter" tone and may be less solemn than midweek services. (Sometimes they are referred to as "little Easters.") This is one way in which we are reminded of the centrality of the Gospel of Christ even in the midst of a penitential season.

The Season Preached through Symbols:

In our worship a bare cross stands before us as a vivid reminder of our Savior's suffering and death in our place.

Note the banners and decorations around the worship space. Identify the event or verse in scripture that they are referencing.