The Season of Lent
"Lent" comes from an old English word for springtime, perhaps connected with the lengthening of days in this time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The season of Lent is a time for growth in faith - through prayer, spiritual discipline, and self-examination in preparation for the commemoration of the dying and rising of the Lord Jesus Christ. In ancient Christian practice, Lent was a time of preparation for the celebration of Baptism at Easter. In many churches, it remains a time to equip and nurture candidates for Baptism or confirmation, and for the whole community of faith to reflect deeply on the theme of baptismal discipleship. Reconciliation is a key theme in the season of Lent - reconciliation with God and with one another through the grace of Jesus Christ.
Lent is a period of forty days - like the flood of Genesis, Moses' sojourn at Sinai, Elijah's journey to Mount Horeb, Jonah's call of repentance to Nineveh, and Jesus' time of testing in the wilderness. The Sundays in Lent are not counted among the forty days, as every Lord's Day is a celebration of Christ's resurrection. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and concludes at sunset on Holy Saturday, at the start of the Great Vigil of Easter.
COLOR: purple (until the sanctuary is stripped on Maundy Thursday)
- from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship (2018)
Lent is a period of forty days - like the flood of Genesis, Moses' sojourn at Sinai, Elijah's journey to Mount Horeb, Jonah's call of repentance to Nineveh, and Jesus' time of testing in the wilderness. The Sundays in Lent are not counted among the forty days, as every Lord's Day is a celebration of Christ's resurrection. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and concludes at sunset on Holy Saturday, at the start of the Great Vigil of Easter.
COLOR: purple (until the sanctuary is stripped on Maundy Thursday)
- from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship (2018)