LENT

I was Christened in an Anglican church, and my parents were married in a cathedral but after my father returned from serving in North Africa during WW 11, my parents joined an evangelical union church in which I grew up. John, my husband, then a theological student at a Baptist college, was a visiting preacher one Sunday morning. We were married 2 years later and served in two Baptist churches. When John graduated as a Doctor of Divinity and entered academia, he remained all his life on the Baptist ministerial roles. However, when he retired we worshipped in the Church of England in South Africa, and on our frequent visits to London “our” churches were all Anglican: All Souls Langham Place, Holy Trinity Brompton and St Helen’s Bishopsgate. When we could no longer travel due to John’s ill-health, we listened online to a fine preacher from a nearby Anglican church. After John went to Heaven last year, I joined this vibrant small church.  The Church Calendar was new to me, and this is my first Lent, and this is what I learnt about Lent.

It is not known when Lent was included in the Christian Calendar.  It is a time when Christians reflect on the 40 days and nights Jesus spent in the wilderness following his baptism and being tempted by the Devil. During this time, he neither ate nor drank, and Christians fast. There are many examples of fasting in the Bible, and the Jewish Queen Esther, wife of King Artaxeres, is the prime example. She asked people to fast and pray for her before she dared approach her husband in his apartments, saying, “If I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16)

The first day of Lent is called Ash Wednesday when leaves of the previous years Palm Sunday are burnt to ashes, and Christians’ foreheads are marked with a cross from the ashes to symbolize their sorrow over, and repentance for, their sins. During Lent we ponder God’s indescribable plan to give fallen humanity a chance of redemption. We remember his grace, forgiveness, love and supreme sacrifice. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved,” (JOHN 3:16,17). In Lent we also examine ourselves. We remember our past sins for which we confessed and have been forgiven, as well as the things we have left undone in our service to the Lord, and promise to do them. People give up certain pleasures during Lent for example, eating chocolates, drinking wine or playing a favourite sport. When we long for these things, it reminds us of the solemnity and seriousness of what we are engaged in during Lent.
The Stations of the Cross forms a series of 14 well-spaced images of Jesus and other people on his way to the cross. Styles vary at the Stations, more modern ones being a simple cross. The solemnity of the 6 weeks of Lent, is reflected in the interior of the church: there are no flowers, ornaments and wall hangings are removed, crucifixes are covered with purple cloth, and the day before Good Friday the Altar is stripped bare. Holy Week is the sixth and last week of Lent starting with Palm Sunday and finishing on Holy Saturday. The 14 Stations of the Cross are separated by walks as the procession follows a route through the town. The Stations of the Cross are: 1. Jesus condemned to death. 2. Jesus takes up his cross. 3. Jesus falls for the first time. 4.Jesus meets his mother. 5.Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross. 6.Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. 7.Jesus falls for the second time. 10. Jesus is stripped of his garments. 11. Jesus is nailed to the cross. 12.Jesus dies on the cross.13. Jesus is taken down from the cross. 14. Jesus is laid in the tomb.

May we all experience the blessedness of this holy time.
Merle
 
PS At the top of the page is my website’s menu (www.christian-life-poetry.com) Go to Easter to find music and poetry useful for Easter. For music there is a link to all the music scores on Musescore.com where they may be heard and downloaded. Here are 5: It was the little donkey’s very special day, Tell the world about Jesus, Christ is risen said the angel, Every Knee shall bow (Part 3, 2019)18 The Crucifixion and Every knee shall bow(Part 3 2019)22 The Road to Emmaus They are also on Youtube Channel Merle Lamprecht. Go to Videos for them.