The Season of Lent and its Significance

 

Lent is meant to be a season of sorrow and grief in a time of repentance which leads to the glorious celebration of easter. In this period, we prepare our mind and heart for commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus whose life and teachings are the foundation of Christianity. It is a time of reflection and asking God for forgiveness as Christians prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter. Lent lasts for a period of 40 days.

Lent actually starts on the day of Ash Wednesday until its conclusion on Easter. Ash Wednesday as a special church service where we receive ash on our foreheads which reminds us, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”. This season is observed as a time of fasting, showing genuine remorse through repentance and the readiness the seek God’s face.

In this season, we recognize our brokenness as humans and the need for a saviour. As we reflect on the painful death of Jesus Christ it must remind us of how precious we are to God, even as sinners, by his willingness to redeem us by his blood at all costs through his Son, our saviour Jesus Christ.

Fasting is very paramount in our journey as we fast through the Lenten period. When we fast, we demonstrate our willingness to carry the cross of Christ in genuine repentance and it gives us an opportunity to focus on our spiritual well-being. As we fast, we deny ourselves the pleasures of earth so that we can take up the pleasures of heaven. This deepens our intimacy with the Holy Spirit and opens our spiritual senses for deep spiritual encounter and revelation through the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. During last year Lent, I put a prayer request before God trusting him for a testimony. I made it a point to pour out my heart desires unto him as I journey with him, and to the glory of God my prayers were answered. This testimony taught me not to lose faith in God and to trust him to the end.

The last week leading to easter is known as the Holy Week which begins on Palm Sunday. Holy week is also known as the Passion Week, and it marks the last week of the Christian season of Lent. In many churches, during Palm Sunday services, large palm branches are carried in procession which reminds us of Christ’s triumphant arrival in Jerusalem. The palms that are distributed on that day are kept until the next year’s Ash Wednesday as a reminder of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

 As we journey in this period of Lent, I urge Christians to actively get involved by challenging ourselves through daily reflection, genuinely seeking his face, carrying the cross, and performing acts of generosity as a way of putting others first.

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