Why Do Certain Christians Celebrate Lent?

Catholics and some Protestants celebrate Lent, while some Christian denominations ignore Lent.

What is Lent all about?

When Martin Luther rebelled against the Catholic Church, Lent fell by the wayside for most Protestants.

Lent is celebrated to mirror the forty days of fasting of the Lord Jesus Christ before the start of His ministry. Lent is also said to mirror the 40 hours Jesus was in the tomb.

Stephen Flurry of The Trumpet explains how Jesus was in the grave for 72 hours. “Was Jesus in the Grave for Less Than 40 Hours?”

Lent is a time for Christians to sacrifice something from their own comfortable lives to spend time in prayer and meditation, repenting of  personal sins.

Ash Wednesday is when ashes are put upon the foreheads of Christians as a sign of repentance. This is a sign of mourning. Ashes are to represent our sorrow for our sins and the pain and death our sins caused Christ on the cross.

Most Protestants do not observe Lent as they believe that the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin on a daily basis. As we repent of the sin, we also ask our High Priest Jesus, to forgive us, and cover our sins with His Blood of Atonement.

So Lent can be good for all Christians, if they use it to discipline their bodies with some form of fasting. Abstinence can be from food or from things that you normally put before your devotions to Christ. You then use this time to reflect, meditate and pray in preparation for Easter Sunday.

David examined his heart often while watching over his sheep, especially after his sin with Bathsheba. Psalm 51:9-10 shows the sorrow of his heart.

“Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me and pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

 

 

 

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