The Lenten Season

The Meaning of Lent
The lenten season of the church year begins with Ash Wednesday. The name, Lent, is an old Anglo-Saxon word Lencten or Lenchthen, which means the lengthening of the days approaching spring.

In the first century, Lent was only a period of forty hours in remembrance of the forty hours that Jesus' body was in the tomb. That forty-hour observance ended with an Easter service at 3 a.m. In the third century, the forty hours expanded to six days, known as Holy Week. These were days of strict abstinence. The observance of Holy Week began in Jerusalem in the fourth century, when the days of Holy Week were designated as follows:

• Palm Sunday - Triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1-17)
• Monday - Jesus' cleansing of the temple (Jeremiah 7:11; Matthew 21:12,13)
• Tuesday - The Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:1-25:46)
• Wednesday - Judas agreement (Zechariah 11:12,13; Matthew 26:14-16)
• Maundy Thursday - Institution of the Lord's Supper (Luke 22:1-38)
• Good Friday - Our Lord's Crucifixion (Matthew 27:32-56)
• Holy Saturday - The rest in the tomb (Matthew 27:62-66; 1 Peter 3:19)

Holy Week grew into thirty-six days, as a tithe of the 365 days of the year. In the time of Charlemagne, (approximately 731 A.D.) four days were added to the thirty-six to make the present season of forty days. The number forty is appropriate for a time period of purification, as our Lord Jesus fasted and was tempted for forty days in the wilderness, Moses fasted forty days on Mount Sinai, Elijah traveled for forty days on the way to the mountain of God, and the Israelites spent forty years in the wilderness.

You may wonder why Lent consists of forty days when Ash Wednesday is actually forty-six days before Easter. This is because Sundays, being festival days, are not a part of Lent. Lent is a time to remember Jesus' suffering and death. The pilgrimage during that time involves discipline and self-denial. During Lent we learn to die to self. Sundays, although not considered part of Lent, are affected by the mood of Lent, in that most liturgical churches drop the Alleluia and the Gloria in Excelsis for those Sundays. In the past, weddings were forbidden during Lent. Organs were stopped, public entertainment was outlawed and often royalty dressed in black during Lent.

An interesting food fact about Lent is the symbol of Lenten prayer. In Lent, Christians made dough of flour, salt, and water. They shaped the dough in the form of two crossed arms to remind themselves to pray. The bread was called "little arms" - "brachellae," later called "Brezel" or "Pretzel." This was apparently an ancient practice for there is a picture of a pretzel in a fifth century manuscript. Pretzels were a Lenten food and thus only eaten during the period as a reminder to pray more often.

Much of the above information is taken from John R. Brokhoff's Lectionary Preaching Workbook.