Lent is Coming

2/8/23

Lent is Coming

The season of Lent is the forty days preceding Easter. The church established this time for spiritual preparation for the celebration of the resurrection- the pinnacle of the Christian year. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday- a time of reflection on our mortality. The following 40 days (excluding Sundays- because Sundays are always a celebration of the resurrection) have historically been marked by penitence, by giving something up and focusing on our need for redemption.

This Lent, rather than giving something up, I encourage you to try something new. While our faith can (and should) at times focus on our lack, faith can also lead us into new practices to develop and deepen our spirituality. This Lent, I will be writing weekly devotionals (separate from Pinnacle articles) that will identify and introduce historic Christian spiritual practices. Each week, I will focus on a different practice, giving us a spiritual toolbox, so to speak. I encourage us all to put into practice a new spiritual discipline as a way to discover the depth of this penitential season.

My hope is that we allow ourselves to feel the rhythm of the Christian calendar, to allow Ash Wednesday to remind us of our shortcomings, to allow Lent to shine a light into those darker places in our souls, to allow the rejoicing of Palm Sunday to turn sour in the somber meal of Maundy Thursday and then the darkness of Good Friday. And then may our hearts rejoice in the wonder and glory of Easter Morning when our “Alleluias” carry the heartfelt exuberance that comes after our long journey to the cross.

Posted by Scott Hovey with