The importance of Lent

Along with many other Christians throughout the world, we consider the season of Lent to be important because it provides the opportunity—often through special, midweek worship services—to focus attention on the redeeming work of Jesus Christ. Jesus saved us by being our perfect substitute in life (Romans 5:19) and our innocent substitute in death (2 Corinthians 5:21). Lent furnishes opportunities to marvel at the forgiving, sacrificial love of God (Isaiah 53). The emphasis of Lent is not what we might give up for God. The emphasis is on what God gave up for us: his only begotten Son (John 3:16).

We do recognize that the Christian Church developed the church calendar, including the season of Lent, in Christian freedom. That means that there is no command of God to celebrate Lent, but there are many good reasons to observe that season. In Christian freedom we use the forty days of Lent as a special time of repentance and a time to prepare our hearts to observe the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.