Observing a Holy Lent 2021
By The Very Rev. Kyle Tomlin
The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday with the following Invitation to the Observance of a Holy Lent found in the Ash Wednesday Liturgy:
“Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer” (BCP 264-265).
As the above invitation sets forth, Lent is a season of self-examination and repentance that is marked by times of prayer, fasting, and self-denial, and time spent reading and hearing God’s holy Word. All of this is done to prepare us to hear and rejoice in the proclamation of our Lord Jesus Christ’s saving work for us during Holy Week and on Easter Day. To enable you to enter the season in this way, I have included some suggestions below on how you might observe a holy Lent.
Spend time reading the Bible – If you are not already committed to reading the Bible each day, now is a good time to begin. There are a couple of ways that you could go about this. First, you could pick one book, perhaps one of the four Gospels, and commit to reading a chapter or two each day. After reading, you could take some time to reflect on passage and use what you’ve just read to direct your prayers. Second, you could use the Lectionary readings prescribed for each day of Lent – an Old Testament lesson, Psalm(s), Epistle, and Gospel. These can be found starting on page 952 in the Book of Common Prayer 1979. They are organized by week and day. When you have finished the readings on one page, you then move to the next even numbered page, i.e., 954, 956. Reading the Bible using the Lectionary is a great way to read through almost the whole Bible over the course of two years. If you have difficulty navigating the Lectionary and would like some help, Fr. Kyle would be more than happy to assist you.
Spend time each day in prayer – A great way to spend time praying during Lent is to use the Daily Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer 1979. Both offer the opportunity to “pray” the Bible, as almost everything in each service is merely Scripture recast in prayer form. You might also want to consider joining us for Morning Prayer on Monday through Thursday on Facebook Live. These services begin at 9am.
Spend time reading Christian writings – There are any number of good, solid Christian books on the market these days. Some recommendations of good, recently published books are:
“Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers” by Dane Ortlund
“Grace Upon Grace: Spirituality for Today” by John Kleinig
“Law and Gospel: A Theology for Sinners (and Saints)” by Will McDavid, Ethan Richardson, and David Zahl
“The Unfolding Word: The Story of the Bible from Creation to New Creation” by Zach Keele
“Your God is Too Glorious” by Chad L. Bird.
Participate in the Lenten Teaching Series – On each of the Sundays during Lent, we will be reading and discussing the book, “Christ and Calamity: Grace & Gratitude in the Darkest Valley” by Harold L. Senkbeil. This is a great opportunity to reflect on the way in which Christ is present to us and with us through times of trial and tribulation. We will be hosting this teaching series on Sunday nights at 6pm on Zoom. There will also be a conference call number available for those who would prefer to join by phone.
Unplug – Perhaps one of the best ways to observe a holy Lent is to disconnect from some, or all, of the electronic distractions that we have going on all around us. Instead of spending time on the Internet, consider turning off your devices for a while during the day, and spending time reading, praying, or loving and serving your neighbors in some capacity.
Take up a fast – I know how it goes. Everyone wants to give up chocolate, sweets, or alcohol for Lent. These seem to be the immediate go-tos. But if we’re honest, for many this is done with a slightly selfish bent; that is, to lose a little weight or get healthier for the Spring/Summer. Instead of that though, how about this: try fasting as a discipline of the body and a reminder that “man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” and use the fasting time to feast on God’s Word.
Use a Lenten Devotional – Typically, each year the parish provides a Lenten Devotional for your use. This year, with the restrictions we face based on the pandemic, we cannot purchase and distribute Devotionals. But here are a couple of recommendations. First, if you’d like to continue using the Devotional from Trinity School for Ministry, it is available online here: http://www.tsm.edu/lentendevotional/ Second, a very good Lenten Devotional that my family and I are using is the The Sinner/Saint Lenten Devotional, which can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Sinner-Saint-Lenten-Devotional/dp/1948969130/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=sinner+saint+lenten+devotional&qid=1613404339&sr=8-1