Why Observe Lent?
I was in my 30s when I first began to observe Lent. Previously, I held to the Reformation view of Lent. The Reformation of the 16th Century applied the principle, sola scriptura to everything, including the practice of Lent. Sola scriptura means, Scripture only. So, since Lent is not mentioned in Scripture, out it went.
I get sola scriptura, but I have to admit, we do lots of stuff that isn’t in Scripture. Scripture never said anything about having Sunday School, holding Wednesday night prayer meetings or playing guitars and drums in church. Honestly, the things we do that aren’t mentioned in Scripture are still good for us. For me, Lent is one of those things.
The 1st day of Lent is commonly referred to as Ash Wednesday. Many churches offer the sacrament of ashes on Ash Wednesday. The pastor will mark a cross on the forehead of the recipient and say, “Repent and believe in the Gospel; from dust, you came, to dust, you will return.” Ashes are used because, in the Old Testament, Job repented in dust and ashes.
On Ash Wednesday, you are supposed to confess and repent of your sins. Ash Wednesday, day #1 of Lent, is a day of repentance. It’s a day of confession. Well, I don’t want to confess. It makes me feel bad. No, it don’t. Sin makes you feel bad. Confession makes you feel good.
All year long, many of us have walked away from God with tiny little steps. They’re so tiny we can’t even detect how far we’ve moved. It isn’t until we look up that we realize how far away we have gotten. Repentance is stopping in our tracks, looking back, seeing where we are, and turning around.
Jesus told the parable of the 2 sons, a story in which a wayward son finally decides to turn around and come home to his father. One of the most exhilarating moments in the story is when we realize the son doesn’t walk all the way home by himself. Rather, Jesus says, “While he was still a long way off his father ran out to greet him.” The father was looking for the son, longing for him to turn around. Once he did, the father sprinted towards
him to escort him home.
When we repent, we don’t have to walk all the way back on our own. When I finally admit I’m headed in the wrong direction and turn around, all of a sudden I am not alone anymore. God has been looking for me the whole time and when I turn around, He walks with me.