Meditation During Lent

03/10/2021 by

Lent is a time of spiritual renewal. We temporarily remove some things from our lives through fasting. We also add things to our lives through such practices as Bible reading, prayer, and meditation. Meditation has a rich history in the Christian church, but in recent times it has become a lost art. According to Psalm 1, meditation on God’s word is the key to being “blessed” (Ps. 1:2). We need to recover this ancient Christian practice.

When we meditate, we are focused on listening to hear what God is saying to us through his word. An ancient method for doing this is Lectio Divina. See the instructions for Lectio Divina for more information. For some further information on listening to God, see Pastor Ken’s article on How to Hear God’s Voice.

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Suggestions for Fasting

02/23/2021 by

One of the traditional practices during Lent is fasting. Fasting means to give up something that you desire in order to practice self-discipline and focus more completely on God. The most common type of fasting is to give up certain types of food, or all food, for a period of time. But there are other types of fasting as well.

Here are some types of food fasting you could practice during Lent:

  • Give up certain foods that you enjoy for the entire period of Lent (e.g. sweets, fast food, etc.).
  • Give up eating meat for all of Lent, or on one day each week. (Friday is the traditional day to do this.)
  • Fast one or more meals each week during Lent. Be sure to drink plenty of water.

Here are some non-food fasts:

  • Give up social media, games, or watching videos.
  • Cut back or eliminate browsing the web, including reading the news multiple times each day.
  • Shut off you phone for part of a day or an entire day each week.

Sundays during Lent are considered feast days, so you can relax your fasting on Sundays and eat those special treats.

Whatever kind of fasting you do, consider making it more strict the final week before Easter, or from Good Friday until Easter morning. In the early church it was common to fast the last few days before Easter.

In addition to fasting, you should consider what you want to add to your life during Lent. How can you more to a new level in prayer, Bible reading, and meditation?

To learn more about Lent and fasting, check out these articles:

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Lent 2019

03/05/2019 by

Lent begins tomorrow (3/6) on Ash Wednesday. For more information about Lent and some suggested spiritual practices for this season, please see Pastor Ken’s article on Resources for Lent.

Filed Under: Spiritual Life

The Season of Lent

02/05/2016 by

Since the second century, Christians have observed a period of prayer, fasting, and reflection in preparation for the celebration of Christ’s resurrection on Easter. By the fourth century, Lent was the 40 days before Easter, not including Sundays. Lent is observed not only by Roman Catholics but also by many Protestant Christians.

Just we sometimes do a thorough “spring cleaning” a few times a year, Lent is an opportunity to come to God for cleansing and renewal of our spiritual lives. There are three practices that have traditionally been a part of Lent:

  • Prayer and reflection, including confession and repentance
  • Fasting as a way to humble ourselves and make space in our lives for God
  • Giving to help those in need

The Bible does not command us to observe Lent, but these three practices are very biblical and beneficial for our spiritual lives. These are things that we should be doing anyway, so why not do them during Lent? Let’s commit ourselves to seek the Lord, which is the first step in experiencing revival and renewal in our spiritual lives.

Lent this year begins on 2/10. Each Sunday during Lent we will provide suggestions for practice that week.

For more information about Lent, see Pastor Ken’s article at http://kencarlson.org/bible/what-is-lent/

Filed Under: Holidays, Spiritual Life