A trip to any store and visiting its “seasonal” aisle quickly reveals what current holiday or observance our culture is enjoying. It seems we have just put away Christmas decor, which was replaced by all things related to Valentine’s Day–cards, candy, plush toys, and more candy. As with any holiday Americans celebrate, there’s a lot of marketing preparation that takes place to lure us to spend a lot of money on only one day. Now, because February 14 is behind us, red and white hearts galore are replaced with all things spring–most of it connected to Easter which is a Christian celebration of the “Church”. Seasonal aisles will be filled with chocolate bunnies, egg coloring kits and plastic eggs, cards, baskets full of treats, plush bunnies and lambs, and don’t forget those paczkis on Fat Tuesday!…all things we associate with Spring, yet often omitting the truth of this sacred day–Jesus. Oh, before you get upset, yes–sometimes you can find a chocolate cross alongside the bunny ones. Beyond those, in American culture there’s not a lot of Jesus in the way many families observe what I like to call “Resurrection Sunday” versus Easter.

But, what about Lent? This year Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fell on the same day, the 14th. 

You may have seen Christians, mostly Catholics, walking around with a smear of ash on their foreheads and wondered what it meant. The practice of Ash Wednesday is symbolic within the Christian church to recognize our frailty as humans. It also marks the beginning of the Lent season.Although Ash Wednesday is enriched with Christian symbolism, we don’t actually find an instance of this particular holiday in the Bible. The holiday didn’t have a biblical origin, but owing to the Council of Nicea implementing a 40-day fasting period prior to Easter, many debated as to when that period would start. In the fifth century, Pope Gregory transferred the beginning day of Lent from a Sunday to Ash Wednesday. However, fasting and prayer have strong Biblical foundations and guidelines.

The symbolism of repentance and grief continues from Ash Wednesday into the Lenten season through the observation of fasting and prayer.  The 40 days of Lent symbolize the period of fasting and spiritual preparation that Jesus underwent in the wilderness before beginning His public ministry. This time of reflection and self-denial is observed by Christians as a way to spiritually align themselves with Jesus’ journey and to prepare their hearts for Easter, the celebration of His resurrection.

The story of Jesus’ temptation is recounted in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. After being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where He fasted for 40 days and nights. During this time, Satan tempted Him three times, each time trying to exploit His hunger and weakness. Jesus resisted each temptation by quoting Scripture and reaffirming His commitment to God. This story highlights Jesus’ victory over temptation and serves as an example of spiritual fortitude and reliance on God’s Word. (source: biblestudytools.com)

From a devotional I began on Ash Wednesday it says “The purpose of Lent isn’t to ‘better’ your life, but to center your life on what matters most: the One who made you and died for you. And one of the ways you do this is through practicing spiritual habits.”

While store aisles are filled with all things our culture deems as necessary for celebrating Easter…Resurrection Sunday … .together let’s make space for what matters. What matters? Jesus and how you respond to His gospel and plan for salvation.