The 40 days leading up to Easter is considered the season of Lent. Several pastors agree that this period is a time to reflect on the past year and prepare for Easter.
“The basic idea behind the season of Lent for the church is a time of preparation,” Highlands United Methodist Church pastor Randy Lucas said. “We have been in a spirit of discernment in our church for the past three months and one of the things that we touched on is what the post pandemic church looks like. So, yesterday, the scripture for the sermon was Jesus’ temptation in the desert and that is sort of the model for the church. This year, the idea of preparation has a bit of a different feel of it.”
With meetings about what a post-pandemic church looks like, Lucas said his team has started calling it “HUMC 2.022.”
“We are trying to realize how challenging this past year has been for all of us, no matter what we do,” Lucas said. “We are trying to think through how we are best prepared for the next chapter. For us, this idea has been unique. This idea of preparation fits in with it pretty well.”
Lucas said Methodists follow the historic worship rhythms of the church, which is why his congregation celebrates Lent.
“In the grand scheme of things, we are in the Easter cycle right now, which is Lent, Easter and Pentecost,” Lucas said. “The Christmas cycle is Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. In terms of our church and our denomination, I think we embrace this idea that following the rhythms of the church year help us live in the life of Christ. Lent is important. It is a time of introspection. I always think of lent as a spiritual pilgrimage to the cross. It’s a time for us to really look at our own spiritual lives, the lives we are leading and try to really lean into the message of Lent, which is preparing our hearts and minds to be God’s Easter people.”
Each year during Lent, Lucas said his mind always goes back to one thing, “How can I be a self-denying cross carrying Jesus follower?”
“In the synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus calls his disciples to deny themselves, pick up their crosses daily and follow him,” Lucas said. “I think we as Christians, we are called to be self-denying cross carrying Jesus followers and I think that is fundamental to the mindset of Lent. What does it mean for me to deny myself? Some folks give up things for Lent, modeled after Jesus’ time fasting in the desert. I think Lent is a really good season for people in the Christian faith to really ask themselves the question, ‘How do I live in such a way that really honors God and helps me be a faithful disciple of Christ?’”
Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church pastor Jason Barone said this season of Lent is a time for reparation for sin.
“This period is a time for preparation for the Lord’s redemptive work as it unfolds during Holy Week,” Barone said. “But most of all, reparation for sins. Knowing that sins have consequences. For example, we see it being played out in Eastern Europe currently. Wars begin first in the heart, before they begin on the battlefield.”
Barone said there are three ways that a person can make reparations.
“For a conversion of the heart to take place, we need to make reparations of our sins. In particular, we do reparations by doing penance, one being prayer, two being fasting, and three being alms giving. Those aren’t random, rather they are remedies for the relationships that break down as a result of sin. Most importantly, is our relationship with God that breaks down due to sin. So, extra prayer helps to rehabilitate that relationship. Fasting rehabilitates the relationship within us. St. Paul talks about how he is at war with himself, so he does things he doesn’t want to do. Sometimes, our passions are at war against our mind and hearts. Alms giving is a charity for others. That way, we can repair our relationships with our fellow man.”
Originally, according to Barone, Lent was a way to give back to God 36 days of the year.
“An additional four days were added later and that is important to note because originally, the 36 days were seen as a way of tithing for one tenth of the year to give back to God because he has given us so much,” Barone said. “The four days were added to get to the number 40. If you do your math, you’ll realize it is actually 46 days, but Sundays weren’t counted. The church, a very long time ago, wanted to have 40 days of penance to reflect 40 years of Jews the desert, as well as Jesus’ 40 days in the desert.”
For Barone, each year the same thought comes across his mind, restoration of justice.
“Sins have consequences,” Barone said. “This is the time of year that we address those consequences. This time is also a period of intensified conversion. That is what the Christian life is all about, writing our wills more consecutively with the will of God. That is ultimately the business of Lent, to make us holy.”
Church of Incarnation pastor Bentley Manning said the message he is trying to get in front of his parishioners this Lenten season is that we are not the authors of our lives.
“Lent is the season to turn around and return to the Lord,” Manning said. “Part of the reason we celebrate Lent is because Christians throughout the centuries have found this season to be a fruitful time. We have continued the tradition because the church understands it to be a necessary part of our salvation and our returning to the Lord. We celebrate Lent because we realize that we have turned away from the Lord. We recognize that we have fallen short, but the brightness that is offered during this season is the opportunity to return home. We are trying to be honest about the human condition. We are not perfect, and this is the time to be very clear about that. Lent is a time to realize our short comings and our need for something beyond ourselves.”
Every year, the pattern stays the same with Lent, but the world continues to change, Manning said.
“This year, in particular, having gone through two years of a pandemic, the reminder that we are dust and to dust we shall return, that we are all terminal cases and death will not escape us is definitely in my mind this year,” Manning said. “That reminder that life is fleeting is something that I think even non-Christians would do well to recognize.”
At Church of the Incarnation, they will have their first service in the newly renovated main sanctuary on Palm Sunday, April 10, at 10:30 a.m. The Maundy Thursday service is scheduled for April 14, at 5:30 p.m. The Good Friday service is scheduled for April 15, at noon. The Great Vigil of Easter is scheduled for April 16, at 8 p.m. and the Feast of the Resurrection service is scheduled for April 17, at 11:15 a.m.
Holy Week services for Highlands United Methodist Church begin on Sunday, April 10, at 9:09 a.m. and 10:50 a.m. Wednesday, April 13, at 6 p.m. will be the Service of Healing. Thursday, April 14, at 5:30 p.m. will be the Holy Thursday Communion Service. Friday, April 15, at 5:30 p.m., will be the Good Friday worship service and on Easter Sunday, April 17, the church will have three services at 7 a.m., 9:09 a.m. and 10:50 a.m., with a potluck Easter brunch and Easter Egg Hunt at 10 a.m.
At Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church, Holy Thursday Mass will begin at 6 p.m., on April 14. On Good Friday, confession begins at noon, with mass beginning at 3 p.m. Easter Vigil Mass is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 16 and Easter Sunday Mass is scheduled for 11 a.m. on April 17.
- By Christopher Lugo