Lent: Prelude To Easter

Whenever I attend a concert, a sporting event, a worship service, or go to hear a speaker, there is always an introduction, a “prelude” to the main event. The prelude prepares us for what is to come. So it is with Lent!

For Christians, the main event has always been Easter. From the time of Christ’s death and resurrection, Christ’s people have celebrated His triumph over Death. Once every year, Christians celebrate Easter Sunday; in earlier times, Christians celebrated every Sunday as a “little Easter” because it was on a Sunday that Christ rose from the grave.

Lent is the 40-day season (not counting Sundays) leading up to Easter Sunday. The 40 days of Lent symbolize:

• The 40 days Christ spent fasting and praying in the wilderness, preparing himself for ministry

• The 40 hours Christ spent in the tomb, awaiting his day of victory.

In the time immediately following Christ’s resurrection, and ascension into Heaven, the church was growing rapidly. As thousands of new converts clamored to join the Christian community, the church was very particular about whom it would allow to become members. New converts, or confirmands, were required to go through a 2-year time of training before being admitted into church membership. Confirmands, during those two years, could attend worship services, could join in the singing and praying. Confirmands could not receive the sacraments of baptism and holy communion, or hold a position of leadership in the church. At the end of that two-year-trial period, confirmands were permitted to join the Body of Christ, with full rights and privileges. Lent was set aside as a 40-day period for those desiring to be baptized and join the church. These 40 days were a season devoted to special studies, fasting, prayers, and spiritual and physical disciplines. Confirmands imitated Christ’s 40 days in the wilderness, and celebrated his 40 hours in the tomb — a reminder that we are to “die” to our human nature before we can be resurrected to new-life-inChrist.

First-century Christians fasted on the day prior to Easter Sunday as a way of preparing themselves for that most Holy Day. Later, the time of fasting, prayer, and penitence was lengthened to six days, or Holy Week. Much later, this season was extended to the 40 days leading up to Easter.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Christ’s people come together to sing and pray and seek forgiveness of their sins; they receive the bread and wine of holy communion; then, as they kneel at the altar, the pastor/ priest marks the sign of the cross on each one’s forehead with ashes — symbolizing the person’s repentance from the “old way of life” and their commitment to Christ’s “new way of life.”

So, let the words of Charles Gabriel be our prayer-of-preparation:

“More like the Master I would ever be,

More of His meekness, more humility;

More zeal to labor, more courage to be true,

More consecration for work He bids me do!

More like the Master in my daily prayer,

More strength to carry crosses I must bear;

More earnest effort to bring His kingdom in,

More of his spirit the wanderer to win!

More like the Master I would live and grow,

More of His love to others I would show;

More self-denial, like his in Galilee,

More like the Master I long to ever be!”

AMEN!