Sunday, March 3, 2002
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Sunday, March 3, 2002 |
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Understanding Lent By JUSTIN KOLLMEYER
Two guys are walking down the street. One turns to the other and says, "Let's do steaks on the grill tonight!" The other replies, "Oh, we can't do that! It's Lent." The first guy responds emphatically, "Well, get it back from whoever's borrowing it so we can cook those steaks!" Thus it is with things often misunderstood! Many of us in our churches are about halfway through the six-week time before Easter we call Lent. And yes, it is often misunderstood. And that's O.K. Not everyone must "celebrate" Lent, of course. But in case you were wondering, here's a quick Q&A about it. Q: Where did Lent get its name? A: The word "Lent" originally meant "springtime" because the days "lengthen" (modified in Old English to "lent") as winter gives way to spring. Since the church season always fell at this time of year, the name came to apply to it as well. Even after the word "Lent" was no longer used for spring, it was still used by the church to describe the season before Easter. Q: Why does Lent last forty days? A: The early church celebrated Lent only for a few days before Easter. Over the centuries, the length of the season grew until it was several weeks long. In the seventh century, the church set the period of Lent at forty days (EXCLUDING Sundays) in order to remind people of the duration of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13). Q: How did the tradition of "giving up something for Lent" start? A: Lent began at a time of purification and preparation. In the early church, baptism was only performed on Easter Sunday. An entire year's worth of converts to the faith would be baptized and brought into the church that day. Lent was the time before Easter in which these converts would fast and pray, preparing themselves to be members of Christ's church. Over the centuries, the church began to baptize and confirm people on days other than Easter Sunday. Lent was no longer a time of preparation for these events, but it remained as a special time of fasting. After the Reformation, the discipline of fasting became unpopular. Thus, as a way of preserving Lent as a time of self-sacrifice, the church leaders encouraged people to give up something during Lent that they enjoyed. Q: Why are pretzels associated with Lent? (YES! They are!) A: Folded pretzels are a symbol for Lent because they look like arms folded in prayer. Yes, ARMS folded across the chest was an ancient "prayer posture" that has now been replaced for the most part by folded hands. Q: How do Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday relate to Lent? A: Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday") is the last day before Lent. Since Lent was traditionally a time of fasting, the day before it began was always a feast day. People had to use up eggs, butter, sugar, and other perishables that would not last through the Lenten season, and "Fat Tuesday" was celebrated with many traditional (and tasty) baked goods. The next day, Ash Wednesday, was the official beginning of Lent. After much time in prayer, people would have their foreheads marked with ashes as a sign of their repentance and humility. This practice continues still today in many of our churches. Q: (Perhaps the BEST question!) What does Lent mean for us today? A: Lent is the church season in which we prepare for Easter Sunday. It is a special time of prayer and reflection, of confession and self-sacrifice. It is a time to remember the temptation, the suffering, and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Most of all, it is a time to ready ourselves for the humble thankfulness and sheer joy of Easter morning it is a time to ready ourselves to meet our risen Lord once again! Maybe it could even be called The Lutheran/Catholic/Episcopal/Liturgical "Revival"! "Amen!" "Hallelujah!" No disrespect intended! Now, maybe if you're "guy number one" and a friend of yours tells you that you can't do something because "Its Lent", you won't think something has been borrowed. May the blessings of Lent be yours as we journey through these forty days together! (Kollmeyer is Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on Hwy. 314 between Lowes and The Pavilion in Fayetteville. He invites anyone without a church home to visit a Sunday Service either at the 8:00 Early Service, the 9:30 Contemporary Service, or the 11:15 Traditional Service. For more information please log-on www.popdove.com or call 770-461-3403.)
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