The Color and Clues of lent
Lent is a time for preparing for Easter.
It is the time immediately before
Easter.
Neither the words Lent nor
Easter were words known in Jesus' time. Neither words, Lent or Easter appear anywhere in the
Bible! Christians adopted these words over time - as well as the names of the special days within this season, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
Lent lasts for 40 days (you exclude Sundays). It reminds us of the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert being tempted by the Devil. 40 is a special number in the Bible - it rained on Noah and the Ark for 40 days and 40 nights, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. When we observe Lent, we are walking with Jesus for 40 days to turn our hearts back to God. We think about how our relationships with God, our families and our community. Lent is an opportunity to turn back to God and away from the things we have done that are wrong or that stand between us and others. Some people keep Lent by giving something up, others add something special to these 40 days to keep them focused on living God's way. It is a good time to begin daily family devotions if this is not a practice your family has tried before or if your family has gotten distracted from praying and learning together about God. The word Lent comes from an Anglo-Saxon word lencten which means "as the days grow longer." In the Northern Hemisphere, Lent is observed as we move toward spring.
The seasonal color for Lent is purple. Purple is the color for getting ready or preparing in the Christian Church. It is also the color of kings and reminds us that Jesus the King is getting ready to die on Good Friday and return on Easter Sunday.
Lent lasts for 40 days (you exclude Sundays). It reminds us of the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert being tempted by the Devil. 40 is a special number in the Bible - it rained on Noah and the Ark for 40 days and 40 nights, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. When we observe Lent, we are walking with Jesus for 40 days to turn our hearts back to God. We think about how our relationships with God, our families and our community. Lent is an opportunity to turn back to God and away from the things we have done that are wrong or that stand between us and others. Some people keep Lent by giving something up, others add something special to these 40 days to keep them focused on living God's way. It is a good time to begin daily family devotions if this is not a practice your family has tried before or if your family has gotten distracted from praying and learning together about God. The word Lent comes from an Anglo-Saxon word lencten which means "as the days grow longer." In the Northern Hemisphere, Lent is observed as we move toward spring.
The seasonal color for Lent is purple. Purple is the color for getting ready or preparing in the Christian Church. It is also the color of kings and reminds us that Jesus the King is getting ready to die on Good Friday and return on Easter Sunday.