Ash Wednesday, Lent, and the Easter Season

For several years now, our church has joined in with believers all over the world in observing the season of the church calendar known as Lent. For some, this may be a familiar refrain, something that you have participated in year after year in churches you have been a part of in the past. For others, this may be completely new territory for you; as a new believer or someone who grew up in a church that didn’t participate in a more traditional church calendar, it might be easy to misunderstand the purpose or reason that we observe this season. Regardless of where you find yourself, we hope that this message can be an encouragement to you to dig into the meaning of the season. My hope is that the idea of fasting or receiving the mark of ashes at the Ash Wednesday service would not be a barrier to thoughtful Lenten participation for you, but an invitation for each of us to “rend our hearts” (Joel 2:12) as we contemplate the sacrifice of Jesus.