Lent 2012 | Introduction & Reading Guide | Christ Church Davis
An Invitation to Follow Christ | Lent 2012 By the fourth century the Western church determined that the Lenten period of fasting and renewal should correspond to Christ’s forty-day fast, and, by counting forty days back from Easter (excluding Sundays, which remain “Feast” and Resurrection Celebration days), arrived at the Wednesday seven weeks before Easter. At one time Lent was primarily viewed as a period during which converts prepared for baptism on Easter Sunday, but later the season became a general time of penitence and renewal for all Christians. The sacrament of baptism will take on a special meaning within our congregation this year as we explore together what it means to die and rise with Christ. Join us at Christ Church as we experience Lent together, looking forward to our culminating Easter Baptismal Service on April 8, 2012.
Brief History of Lent | What Is Lent?
Practices of Lent | How do we commemorate Lent?
The celebration of Lent can be traced back to at least the year 130 AD. It was used as a two or three day fast and preparation for those who were entering the Christian faith through Baptism. By the year 325 AD, around the time of the Council of Nicaea, this preparatory fast would last 40 days and soon after, not only were prospects for baptisms participating, but also entire congregations, including those already baptized. Lent is a season of community-wide reflection that lasts 40 days (excluding Sundays) preceding the celebration of Easter. The 40 days are reminiscent of Moses 40 days on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 24:18) as well as Jesus 40 day fast and preparation for his public, Spirit-filled ministry (Matt. 4:1-11). Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, so named after a tradition of marking participants with ash, a sign used in the Scriptures to denote mourning and repentance. Many congregations hold an Ash Wednesday gathering and participate in this custom. The final week of Lent (Holy Week) is marked with several observations. The first day of the week (Sunday) is Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus entry into Jerusalem where the people confessed and praised him as the Savior King. In less than a week, the same people will be crying out, “crucify him, crucify him.” Maundy Thursday commemorates the Passover meal, the final meal Jesus shared with his disciples. Passover was an observance of God rescuing his people from slavery in Egypt and was highly important for Jesus to keep and point to the new covenant he would make with God's people, rescuing them from spiritual slavery to sin and death. This was the point in Jesus' ministry where he washed the disciples feet and instituted the Lord's Supper, which is celebrated weekly in many congregations. Good Friday is a commemoration of Jesus substitutionary death on the cross to appease the wrath of God for the sins of the world. Finally, Easter Sunday is a commemoration of the victory of God over sin and death through the resurrection of Jesus. This is the most important of all Christian celebrations as the Apostle Paul points out:
Baptism
“If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ… And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (I Cor. 15:15-17). Participants of Lent are, in a sense, being annually refreshed for the result of the Easter resurrection celebration, namely, a spirit-filled lifestyle.
The main purpose of Lent was to prepare the catechumen (the newly converted Christian) for baptism, which was performed during the Easter service. Therefore, Lent and Easter is our return every year to our own baptism, our identity in Christ, our death in him, our life in him. Easter is the rediscovery and the recovery by us of what we were made through our own baptismal death and resurrection. If you haven’t been baptized, consider being baptized at our Easter Baptismal Service! If you have been baptized, use the Lenten Season as a time to remember the promises signified and how you have been marked by that sacrament.
Fasting and Prayer Fasting and prayer are two traditional focuses of Lent. Fasting, joined with fervent prayer and reading of Scriptures, is a spiritual discipline of humbling ourselves in abstinence before God to turn away some tragedy, or for obtaining of some special blessing. Fasting is traditionally the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a limited time. Some people give up a certain behavior or habits during the season. We fast (not just during Lent) because Jesus told us to do so (Matt. 6:16, Mark 2:20). We fast because we continue to see the pattern of fasting practiced in the Church (Acts 13, for example). We fast because it is one of the means God uses to break the power of sin in our lives, prepare us well for prayer, and humble us before him (for unlike God, we need food to live). The act of self-denial can be a helpful tool in your Christian growth. There is nothing magic about it; however it can be a helpful reminder of your deep need for Jesus and the way that Jesus meets and satisfies your every need.
Almsgiving Often the money that is saved from giving up something for Lent is given to help the poor and oppressed (giving of alms). As we fast, we are reminded that we have a savior who is rich in mercy. In response to this mercy, we follow the pattern set by the one who became poor for our sake, so that we, by his poverty, could become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). As we give of our resources (time and treasure) to those in need, we remind ourselves of Jesus’ self-giving mercy and we demonstrate to those in need the kind of Savior we serve.
Study Historically, Lent was a time when recent converts would learn the fundamentals of the faith in preparation for Baptism at Easter. Use the Lenten Season as a time to read the story of Jesus, especially his journey to the cross.
Scripture Readings | A reading guide Five readings for each week. An OT Reading, a Psalm, an epistle, a Gospel Reading, and a bonus! Meditate on each reading and allow the Word of God to guide your own prayers as you put off self and put on Christ. WEEK ONE – February 26 – March 3 Monday: Genesis 9:8-17 Tuesday: Psalm 25:1-10 Wednesday: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Thursday: Mark 1:9-15 Friday: 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10 WEEK TWO – March 4 – 10 Monday: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 Tuesday: Psalm 22:23-31 Wednesday: Romans 4:13-25 Thursday: Mark 8:31-38 Friday: Mark 9:2-9 WEEK THREE – March 11 – 17 Monday: Exodus 20:1-17 Tuesday: Psalm 19 Wednesday: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 Thursday: John 2:13-22 Friday: Matthew 17:1-9 WEEK FOUR – March 18-24 Monday: Numbers 21:4-9 Tuesday: Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 Wednesday: Ephesians 2:1-10 Thursday: John 3:14-21 Friday: Psalm 38 WEEK FIVE – March 25 – 31 Monday: Jeremiah 31:31-34 Tuesday: Psalm 51:1-12 Wednesday: Hebrews 5:5-10 Thursday: John 12:20-33 Friday: Psalm 25 WEEK SIX (HOLY WEEK) – April 1 – 7 Monday: Ezekiel 37:1-14; Isaiah 50:4-9a Tuesday: Psalm 31:9-16 Wednesday: Philippians 2:5-11 Thursday: Mark 14:1-15, 47 Friday: Mark 15:1-47