05 Apr Making Room During Lent

I didn’t grow up observing Lent. I loved my Presbyterian church family with all my heart, but there was nothing particular I remember about the time leading up to Easter.  It was Palm Sunday and then it was Easter. And that was that.

As a Protestant Christian, I celebrate the Cross of Christ all year long, day in and day out. I come daily before the throne of grace to receive mercy and grace to help me in my times of need. I’ve studied the Reformation with my kids and we are benefactors of the courageous act of Martin Luther who nailed his 95 Theses to the Castle Church in Wittenburg. We have been saved by grace through faith alone.

And yet, in my opinion, in our zeal for the Gospel, we Protestants have severed ourselves from many church traditions that can actually serve to deepen our appreciation for the Gospel and our love for our Lord.

I am grateful for my Messianic Jewish, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and Catholic friends and family who have introduced me to such spiritually meaningful traditions as Advent, Lent, and the Passover Seder, among other things.

Can the “low church” take a stance of humility before the “high church” and say that we have much to gain from each other? I think the answer is an emphatic “yes!”

Making Room During Lent

Here’s a great definition of Lent for those (like me) who haven’t previously observed it:

“Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means “spring.” The forty days represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry.

Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection. In the early church, Lent was a time to prepare new converts for baptism. Today, Christians focus on their relationship with God, often choosing to give up something or to volunteer and give of themselves for others.

Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty days because each Sunday represents a “mini-Easter” and the reverent spirit of Lent is tempered with joyful anticipation of the Resurrection.”

For the last few years, our family has participated in Lent by choosing to give up something (last year it was complaining – now tell me that isn’t awesome when you have four kids?!) and taking time as a family to participate in the Stations of the Cross, which I highly recommend.

This year, I wanted to take it just a little deeper and get a book that would help me talk to my kids about Lent. I found a great resource in this book by Laura Alaray called “Make Room: A Child’s Guide to Lent and Easter.” 

With lovely photos and poetic language, Alaray discusses waiting for Easter not as a passive act but as an intentional time to prepare our hearts. Jesus took 40 days in the wilderness to prepare for the work His Father had for him to do.

This book provides in inroad to talk to our kids about the importance of solitude, seeking the Lord, and focusing more deeply on the life of Christ; Why we make time and space to be with God and hear from Him.

It also discusses how we can use the season of Lent as a time to eat more simply in order to provide for those in need as well as making more room by de-cluttering our lives from excess clothes, toys, or even activities that may crowd out time and space from the Lord.

Do you observe Lent? If so, what has made this a meaningful time for your family? What has been particularly impactful for you or your kids in preparing your hearts during this special season?

My prayer for us all in this special season is that our hearts would go deeper into the love of Christ that passes knowledge that we might be filled with the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:17-19).