This week I have been asked what resources we have for children to do with Lent, I have been asked what I have given up for Lent, and I have done a Shrove Tuesday assembly at a local primary school. I was also talking with an Anglican vicar who had just come from his kitchen where he was busy turning palm crosses to ash in his oven.
If you want to find out about Lent, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, pancakes etc. don't go looking in your Bible. These are traditions that have grown up around the church and have been affected by culture and society - which could also be said of a lot of other things we do, by the way. And this is partly the reason why different parts of the church do things differently - and why some churches may do nothing at all. Also churches in different parts of the world may have a different view on Lent depending on their culture. For example, churches in parts of the world where Ramadan is a prominent feature in the annual calendar may be much more likely to see Lent as a time of fasting than churches in other parts of the world.
But what most, if not all, of the customs will have in common is that they see Lent as a time of preparation and reflection in the lead up to Easter. The forty days, comes from the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness, fasting and being tempted.
Lent (in the western church) begins on Ash Wednesday (which was 9 March this year) and runs for 40 days (not including Sundays - which are days of celebrating the resurrection) up to and including Easter Saturday.
Many people will use Lent as an opportunity to fail again at their new year's resolutions by giving up chocolate, television or Facebook. But many churches promote the time as a time of learning and preparation - not through giving something up (although that may be beneficial) but through taking additional time to read and reflect on parts of the Bible.
One online resource, and part of the Bible Fresh initiative (as is E100 which we are already following as a church) is called the Big Read. It encourages us to read Matthew's gospel together (either as groups who actually meet together, or by making use of groups on the internet with chat rooms, forums and blogs etc.)
I know we're already three days into Lent, but maybe this is something you might want to get involved in.
To find out more click here
