“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

MARK 1:15

 

Lent is a season in which all of us can recapture our love for God and his kingdom and cast off those things that easily lead us away from him as we prepare to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.

 

This is a season of repentance and preparation modeled on Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness and Israel’s 40 years prior to that. In many churches, it is a time when those who will be baptized prepare for their new life with God. It is a time when those who have been estranged from the church can be reconciled to the body of believers. It is also a time for all of us to think about the ways we have drifted from the faith. It is 40 days of preparation through repentance, abstinence, and fasting. The common theme uniting these three functions of Lent is that they all involve a turning toward God with intention and reflection on the past.

 

In the West, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. The calendar for Lent is tricky. It’s six weeks which adds up to 42 days.  Sundays are not counted as they are sabbath rests, so we have 36 days. Somewhere in church history, they added Ash Wednesday as the start giving four additional days and a total of 40, a Biblically relatable number as we’ve already shared. 40 is a number for preparation and testing.

 

Fasting is a significant aspect of Lent as it was in scripture. Nehemiah fasted and repented as his people had turned from God. Jesus fasted as he faced temptation from satan in preparation for his ministry. Some may have experienced giving up meat on Fridays and choosing something to give up for the forty days. We practice a traditional 24-water-only fast once a week for the six weeks of lent. During this time we ask God to remind us of the suffering of others, as what we experience for 24 hours is a constant reality for many. 
 

We also allow this time to remind us that we are more than a body with a demanding stomach, but that we are body and soul, made for life on earth and in heaven. As we deny the body, we desire to awaken the soul. Finally, we use the additional time we usually spend thinking about food, eating food, or cleaning up from food to meet with God and invite him to speak to us.

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What PAG is doing during Lent:

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Ash Wednesday Service February 22nd at 7pm: 

We will join together in remembering that from dust we have been made and to dust, we will return.

 

One a Week 24h Water-Only Fasts: 
Each week from Tuesday evening to Wednesday evening we will participate in a 24-hour water-only fast. During this time we ask God to remind us of the suffering of others, as what we experience for 24 hours is a constant reality for many. We also allow this time to remind us that we are more than a body with a demanding stomach, but that we are body and soul, made for life on earth and in heaven. As we deny the body, we desire to awaken the soul. Finally, we use the additional time we usually spend thinking about food, eating food, or cleaning up from food to meet with God and invite him to speak to us.

 

Lent Prayer Nights:
On Wednesday evenings we will come together for a one-hour prayer night at 7pm in the sanctuary as we break our fast. 

 

Weekly Lent Devotionals:
As well, we will be providing you with a weekly devotionals for you to spend time in reflection and prayer throughout your week. This will be available in your weekly church email (subscribe below) and on our audio podcast Tuesday Mornings.