LENT
Welcome to the season of Lent, which started on the 18th of February with a special service of the Lord's Supper at our fellowship at 6.30 pm. We are to be more conscious of the significance of Lent as a special season to intentionally commit ourselves to Christ through active prayer, meditation and worship. One of the highlights of the Ash Wednesday service in some Orthodox churches is the rubbing of ashes on the foreheads of worshippers attending the service. We often read references in scripture where people appear in sackcloth and ashes to appeal to the clemency and mercy of God. Key references include Jonah 3:5-9 (Nineveh's repentance), Daniel 9:3 (Confession), Esther 4:1-3 (Mordecai), and Job 16:15. It was also worn by kings like Ahab (1 Kings 21:27) and even in times of imminent judgment.
We come before God this season of Lent in humility and contrition, "The sacrifice of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). As reflected in the scripture, Lent offers us tremendous opportunities for growth in our Christian faith, for renewal by the Spirit of God, and to forge a stronger bond of unity with our brethren. We recognize the solemnity of Lent as the introduction to the necessity of fasting in the Believer's life, to strengthen us spiritually to confront the battles that lie ahead.
It is no accident that Matthew's gospel of the temptation story (Matt 4:1-11) provides the backdrop for the church to fast, pray, and be clothed in the Spirit in the battle against Satan and his forces.