What Is Lent?

Daniel 9:3, “3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in  prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.” - NLT

As Methodists we have traditions that make us very similar to the orthodox church. We have been known to celebrate the season of Lent, with some differences than other denominations. So what is Lent?
Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. The English word “Lent” comes from the Anglo–Saxon word lencten, which means “lengthen” and refers to the lengthening days of "spring." In many other languages, the word used for this season refers to the 40-day length of the season (cuaresma in Spanish and Tagalog, carême in French, quaresima in Italian) or to the fasting that characterizes it (Fastenzeit in German, fastan in Swedish, paasto in Finnish, posta in Russian). The season is a preparation for celebrating Easter.

Historically, Lent began as a period of fasting and preparation for baptism by converts and then became a time for penance by all Christians. The First Sunday describes Jesus' temptation by Satan; and the Sixth Sunday (Passion/Palm Sunday), Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem and his subsequent passion and death.

Methodism founder John Wesley wasn't content to limit fasting only to Lent. He fasted twice a week - on Wednesday and Friday. His fast did not involve abstinence from food altogether, but allowed for limited consumption of food and drink. Wesley also advised moderation because he didn't want Christians to fast so severely that they damaged their health.

For Wesley, Lent was not a season of giving up simple, temporary things. Rather, Wesley was likely to find himself fasting and abstaining from things all the time, not just at Lent. Wesley also criticized the common Lenten practice in 18th century England of abstaining from pleasant food. Wesley was not a big fan of giving up chocolate for Lent. My prayer for you is that you utilize this Lenten season to deepen your relationship with God through fasting and repentance! 
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- Pastor Mike