Lent- what’s it all about?

As we approach Lent- starting with Ash Wednesday- here’s some helpful information about it’s background…

The Christian community put in place many practices to help us reflect on the life, death and resurrection of our Saviour.

The Season of Lent has been practised in its current form since the fourth century and is a custom that spans 40 days (not including Sundays) between Ash Wednesday (Feb 14) and the Saturday (March 30) before Easter. Those 40 days were designed to reflect Christ’s 40 days in the wilderness. The word ‘Lent’ means ‘lengthen’ and stands for that time in spring when the days grow longer. (Northern Hemisphere).

At one stage, Lent was the time of preparation for those seeking baptism, a time of concentrated study and prayer which concluded at the Easter Vigil. Since these new members were to be received into a community of faith, the entire community was gradually called into preparation. This also marked the time when those who had been separated from the church prepared to rejoin the community.

Today, Lent is still marked by a time of prayer especially penance, repenting for failures and for sin, focussing on our need for God’s grace.

It is a preparation to celebrate God’s redemption at Easter and the resurrected life in Christ that Christians live and hope for.

Why not use this Lent as a time of reflection on God’s immense love- shown to us in His Son?

Join us for church during Lent- our regular services are Sunday 10.30am (classic Anglican) and 10.30 RENEW (multicultural contemporary family service)