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For various Christian traditions the season of Lent begins today, Ash Wednesday. For us at Nelson Ave the season of Lent will officially begin this coming Sunday (March 10).

"Lent invites us to make our hearts ready for remembering Jesus’ passion and celebrating Jesus’ resurrection. . . As a period of preparation, Lent has historically included the instruction of persons for baptism and profession of faith on Easter Sunday; the calling back of those who have become estranged from the church; and efforts by all Christians to deepen their piety, devotion, and readiness to mark the death and resurrection of their Savior. As such, the primary focus of the season is to explore and deepen a “baptismal spirituality” that centers on our union with Christ rather than to function only as an extended meditation on Christ’s suffering and death. The traditional color for the season is purple.

The Christian year centers on the major events of salvation history, celebrating Jesus’ birth, death, resurrection, and the sending of the Holy Spirit. Lent refers to the forty days leading up to Easter. The Lenten season is set aside for self-examination, spiritual renewal, and growth. In many churches, it is seen as a time for fasting and abstinence, for alms-giving and acts of mercy, for repentance and prayer" (https://worship.calvin.edu/resources/resource-library/lent-resource-guide/)

We hope the following video might help us get a sense of what Lent is all about. "With artful language and poetic images, this mini movie seeks to describe the reasons for a biblical observance of Lent. Includes quotations from The Good of Giving Up by Aaron Damiani (Moody Publishers, (c)2017, lentbook.com)"