What is Lent?

Do not bother looking for Lent in your Bible. There was no such thing in biblical times. There is some evidence that early Christians fasted 40 hours between Good Friday and Easter, but the custom of spending 40 days in prayer and self-denial did not arise until later, when the initial rush of Christian adrenaline was over and believers had gotten very ho-hum about their faith.

When the world did not end as Jesus himself had said it would, his followers stopped expecting so much from God or from themselves. They hung a wooden cross on the wall and settled back into their more or less comfortable routines.

Little by little, Christians became devoted to their comforts: the soft couch, the flannel sheets, the leg of lamb roasted with rosemary. These things made them feel safe and cared for -- if not by God, then by themselves. They decided there was no contradiction between being comfortable and being Christian, and before long it was very hard to pick them out from the population at large. They no longer distinguished themselves by their bold love for one another. They did not get arrested for championing the poor. They blended in. They avoided extremes. They decided to be nice instead of holy, and God moaned out loud.

So the early church announced a season of Lent, from the old English word lenten, meaning "spring" -- not only a reference to the season before Easter, but also an invitation to a springtime for the soul. Forty days to cleanse the system and open the eyes to what remains when all comfort is gone. Forty days to remember what it is like to live by the grace of God alone and not by what we can supply for ourselves.

[the historical record above is from Barbara Brown Taylor]

So that is one way of describing how the Lenten season came to be a time of giving up things. It was a way to remember our utter dependence upon God for all that we have.

I have another suggestion for things to give up during the Lenten season. Perhaps we can give up: gossiping, lies, anger, envy, over-indulging, selfishness, apathy and a sense of entitlement.

Giving up those is probably even tougher than giving up chocolate :) …but what an impact it would have on our world. Jesus help us! Amen!