A guide to Lent for the MERCYhouse Community
What is Lent?
Lent is a traditional Christian season of fasting that lasts 46 days (40 days minus Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. This period of time is one of purposeful reflection of habits or tendencies that might be distracting us from worshiping God and relying on Him as our greatest source of spiritual joy and sustenance. (For a deeper study on Biblical fasting, we recommend reading Isaiah 58 and taking time to identify the type of fasting which pleases the Lord, and the type of fasting that does not.)
Why should I participate in Lent?
Lent can be a helpful experience of spiritual discipline and sanctification for the Christian participating. It can be a time where we prayerfully discern and recognize things in our lives that we might be relying on which are preventing us from relying on God. Lent can be a time when God helps us fast (or take a break) from things with the goal of experiencing deeper fellowship with Him.
Participating in Lent, as with any fast, is a great way to remember our ultimate need for Christ by practically placing everything else– even good things that we enjoy and delight in, as secondary to the surpassing worth of Christ our Lord (Philippians 3:8). Sometimes when we do this, we provide the space in our lives to experience God and receive from Him in fresh and new ways. Lent is a great way to prepare our hearts for the work of Christ which we celebrate during Holy Week and culminating on Easter: the day that our King Jesus defeated sin and death and accomplished His great victory which made our salvation possible.
What is Lent NOT?
Lent, contrary to the traditional sacramental Catholic belief, is not a means to receive blessings from God; God’s Grace is to be received as a gift (Romans 5:17) and not something to be earned through any type of work (Ephesians 2:8-9). Lent is not about giving up sinful behaviors for a period of time– sin is something that should be regularly repented of during all seasons of Christian life (Luke 3:8–14; Acts 3:19). While there might be superficial benefits of giving things up for 40 days, Lent is not primarily a means for better physical health or greater self-discipline.
How do I participate in Lent?
Participating in Lent means making a deliberate choice to forgo something for the duration of lent (46 days) and breaking that fast on Easter Sunday. We encourage anyone who wants to participate to do this prayerfully, in community, and with the ultimate goal of developing a deeper relationship with God.
Here is a general guideline to help frame the experience for you. There is no exact formula for Lent, but we hope these suggestions bless you during this coming season leading up to Easter.
Preparation (Leading up to Ash Wednesday)
Pray about what you can give up during Lent.
Ask the Lord for Him to reveal what you should give up. If nothing comes immediately to mind, exercise wisdom and discernment by asking yourself, “what do I spend a lot of time doing? What takes up a lot of my attention and focus on a regular basis? What are things I rely on for rest, comfort, or happiness?” (Some common examples: film/shows/media, social media, shopping, news consumption, dessert/treats/beverages, video games, etc.)
Choose what you’re giving up, and let someone know.
First, let God know! Pray to him and tell him what you’re giving up– and why! Ask him to help sustain the endeavor, and bless it so that it would yield spiritual fruit in your life.
If you’re a part of a Midweek or are in a discipleship relationship, let others know what you’ve decided to give up. Tell your spouse, your roommate– perhaps even your non-Christian coworker. This will provide an opportunity for accountability, encouragement, and even evangelism!
Make a (simple) plan.
It will be difficult to give up something that is integral to your daily routine. Consider how you will handle this and what you will do instead. Don’t replace the distraction you’re giving up with another distraction– plan (and commit!) to run to the Lord when you feel the “pangs” of what you’re giving up. Resolve to read God’s Word, spend time in prayer, or listen to worship music. Remember, the end goal of Lent is a deeper relationship with the Lord!
Participation (During Lent)
Stick to your plan above.
Use the extra time and attention that you gain from what you gave up to spend more time growing in the Lord.
Pray and ask for prayer.
Struggling to be disciplined? This is not about white-knuckling through the experience, or completing it with perfection. Let this time humble you as you learn how weak you are in your flesh. If you give in, don’t throw it all out the window! Repent from not keeping your word, experience Grace, and press on! Pray that the Lord would sustain you and meet you personally in your desires and longings. Ask for others (who you originally let know what you decided to give up) to pray for you.
Support others.For those who shared with you what they decided to fast during lent, encourage them throughout the experience. Pray for them– not just for the self-control to keep the fast, but that they would grow in their faith and experience God in new ways during this time. Hold others accountable and celebrate their growth.
Proclamation (Easter Sunday)
Celebrate Christ!
Before you break your fast on Easter, proclaim to God and to the world how much better He is than whatever you gave up! Be honest if it has been difficult but embrace the reality of Jesus’ surpassing worth.
Enjoy with Thanksgiving.Break your fast with a thankful heart with those who you experienced this journey with (1 Timothy 4:4-5). Appreciate the Lord, the giver of all good gifts and blessings.
Proclamation (Easter Sunday)
Celebrate Christ!
Before you break your fast on Easter, proclaim to God and to the world how much better He is than whatever you gave up! Be honest if it has been difficult but embrace the reality of Jesus’ surpassing worth.
Enjoy with Thanksgiving.
Break your fast with a thankful heart with those who you experienced this journey with (1 Timothy 4:4-5). Appreciate the Lord, the giver of all good gifts and blessings.
Process (After Easter Sunday)
Consider the reintegration.
Lent should not be an experience of fasting and indulging. If you gave up movies, maybe don’t have a movie marathon. If you gave up soda, don’t drink a 12 pack on Easter. Take time to prayerfully consider what place the thing you fasted should have in your life moving forward. As Christians, we should not be enslaved to anything (1 Corinthians 6:12) and this might be an opportunity to walk in new freedom, by His Grace.