5 Reasons Why Christians Should Celebrate Lent
- Michelle S. Lazurek Author
- Updated Jan 25, 2024
As someone who grew up Catholic, my family celebrated Lent. Lent is the period preceding Easter. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and continues until Easter Sunday. It lasts for 40 days and focuses on Jesus Christ’s ministry, death, and resurrection.
As a kid, I took Lent for granted. I focused on easier things to “give up” or “sacrifice” as I was told Lent was to be observed so that we can better understand Christ's sacrifice on the cross. Now that I'm older, however, Lent has a deeper meaning for me. Lent is no longer relegated to merely Catholics. Every faith could practice Lent. Now that I'm older and more mature in my faith, I see Lent in a whole new light. Although I may not observe Ash Wednesday, I understand the importance of it. For example, Ash Wednesday is an observance of God creating Eve from the dust. It reminds us that we were created from dust and to dust we shall return.
I also understand Good Friday and Easter in a new way. Good Friday used to be just another day on the calendar. However, since our church celebrates a Good Friday service, I better understand Christ's death. I understand the significance of Christ’s persecution and his brutal death, and his new body resurrected three days later. By observing Lent, I take my relationship with God more seriously. Here are five reasons why Christians should celebrate Lent:
It Helps Teach Us about Sacrifice
When I was growing up, I was encouraged to give up something for Lent so we could better understand Christ's sacrifice on the cross. In elementary school, some of the more common things to give up were chocolate, television, etc. Sacrifice of temporary pleasures was way more difficult for me to observe as a kid. Now that I'm an adult, I can choose to sacrifice something that I will truly miss for forty days. This can be anything from television to screen time after a certain time, e-mail, etc. Although I need to choose something that is doable and will not affect my work schedule, if I truly want to observe Lent to better understand sacrifice, I should choose something I take for granted that, when not enjoyed, will be missed.
It Gets Us to Focus on Christ
Anyone who wants to know God better will find themselves spending most of their time in the four gospels. However, Lent is a season that lends itself for us to understand Christ better by reading the Gospels in a new way. For example, choose a topic that you most want to read about in Scripture. For example, if you want to better understand how Lent is an observance of God's love for us, read the Bible with this lens. Highlight all the times we see Christ’s love for his people. This can be in his driving out demons, healing the sick, raising the dead, etc. Anytime we see Christ’s love for people, take a highlighter and highlight it in your Bible. After Easter Sunday, go back and see how many how much God loves us. You could also do this with the topic of sacrifice. If you want to see how much Christ sacrifices for us (and not just on the cross), highlight it. It can be his time, his reputation, or anything else. Allow Lent to be a time when you see the verses in the Bible and read them in a new light.
It Helps Us Cling to the Word
Anyone who observes Lent can’t help but think about the events in the Bible leading up to Easter. People may think about Jesus coming to Jerusalem on a donkey and people waving palm branches. This is where Palm Sunday originated. They may also think about Peter's denial of Jesus with the horrific physical and emotional persecution Jesus experienced for our benefit. To celebrate Lent in a more intimate way this year, challenge yourself to read Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection for forty days. Allow Easter Sunday to be the day you read about Jesus' resurrection from the tomb. As we celebrate Lent, we better understand the purpose and meaning behind Jesus’ ministry. No longer will we take the words of the Bible lightly, but we'll understand Jesus' purpose in choosing to spend his time and resources the way he did in preparation for his death and subsequent resurrection.
It Keeps Us in Prayer
One of the most emotional parts of Jesus’ ministry is found in Scripture when he is praying drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. We see Jesus toiling in the garden, begging God to take away his obligation to die on the cross from him. Anyone who has asked God for something and been told no will understand better what Jesus was going through. We will also understand what it is like to pray with such diligence. We may not necessarily sweat drops of blood, but we may weep or allow many negative emotions to flow. When we experience these intimate moments with God, it is then that we know God most intimately. This is the point of Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was not because Jesus wanted to get out of his obligation, but rather to seek the Father's will even when it was not his will to endure it.
It Gives Us Hope
Although Lent is normally seen as a more solemn or melancholy season in Christ’s ministry, it doesn't have to be. Lent is the season (or the months) leading up to the resurrection of Christ. Although some Christians have difficulty reading the persecution Christ went through, without this persecution, we would never understand the hope Jesus’ resurrection gives us. Lent is normally focused on the events leading up to his death, but without his death, there could not be eternal life. Lent helps us understand that Christ’s death paved the way for eternal life for all of us. Salvation, especially for those who have grown up in church, is something we can take for granted. Lent helps us understand that without his sacrifice, we cannot have eternal life. This helps put our salvation and the necessity of knowing God in its proper perspective.
Although Lent is not emphasized by every sect of Christianity, Protestant Christians would do well to observe the season of Lent. It helps us focus on Christ, cling to God's word, pray more deeply, and give us hope in the eternal life promised to us by Jesus’ resurrection. By observing Lent, we can no longer take our salvation and Christ’s sacrifice for granted. Instead, it forces us to understand the true meaning of the season.
As a kid, Easter got pushed aside by Easter bunnies and chocolate candy. Now, as an adult and a deeper person in the faith, I understand that without the season of Lent, there would be no eternal life. Therefore, I could never know God in the way that I know him now. By observing Lent, I can give God thanks and appreciation for what he did on the cross in a new and exciting way.
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