Lent

It is the season of Lent. When I joined Kleipot in 2006 the concept of Lent seemed foreign to me.

When I first mentioned my community celebrating Lent to my family they were almost shocked by the "strange" things I embraced until I reminded them of Lydenstyd in the church I grew up in. (I added some links on Lent, please look at it if you are not familiar with Lent)

Sure, we did not observe Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) or Palm Sunday, but there was a time of preparation before Easter. This year I could not attend our Ash Wednesday service (on 21 February), but I observed the day.

Traditionally the ashes for Ash Wednesday are prepared by burning the palms of the previous Palm Sunday. This year, two of our friends kept the palms at their house and when they moved house, the palms moved with. The palms were delivered to Tom & Lollie’s house in time for Ash Wednesday.

Crosses are marked with the ashes on the foreheads of believers and only removed after sunset. In the Bible, a sign on the forehead indicates ownership. A cross implies that Jesus is my Owner, I am His slave. Ashes are a Biblical sign of penance and mourning. The ashes also remind us of our mortality.

Ash Wednesday is also the first day of the Lent fast. Throughout the ages Christians abstained from something during Lent. Lent is forty days long (excluding Sundays because on Sundays we celebrate the resurrection of Christ). For forty days Christians around the world will abstain from various things. The purpose is to focus our attention on Jesus.

Some of my friends gave up coffee, chocolates, tea and TV. I chose to give up apples this year. Instead of having a cup of tea or coffee, watching a favorite program or having an apple, we are reminded of Jesus and His sacrifice. It is a bit of self-renunciation. A bit of focusing on the Kingdom of God… May Lent be a time of preparation for you too.