Lent begins on Wednesday. Around the world, Christians will begin a 40 day season of prayer and fasting in preparation for the highest of our Holy Days— Easter.
I’m ready.
Right now, my heart is longing for a paring back. I’m feeling the weight of our fallen world, and also feeling deeply grateful for the redemption offered at the cross. Lent is, yes, a dark time of sacrifice and acknowledging our brokenness, but it’s also a beautiful time of gratitude and anticipated celebration of mercy and grace and the most poignant love the world has ever seen.
I enjoy Lent.
Sadly, most Protestants haven’t had the privilege of celebrating Lent. Dismissed as something for other faith traditions, few Protestants feel comfortable digging in to a time of preparation and examining the journey Jesus took here on earth. Families, especially, benefit from leaning in to a time of looking closely at the steps that lead our Savior to death and, ultimately, resurrection. But if you didn’t grow up with the concept, how do you begin to welcome it into your own home?
With that as a starting thought, I wrote Experiencing Lent. It’s an 83-page walk from the Garden, where a Messiah is first promised, to the hill where a risen Christ ascends to heaven. Covering the full 40 days of Lent, this book digs deep into the themes, facts, and history of the season. Each week is anchored in a Scripture study, and encourages families to read, discuss, and memorize God’s Word together. Daily focuses include the symbols of Lent (What’s with those ashes, anyhow?), the men and women who interacted with Jesus in the hours leading to His death, and the great hymns of the faith. Recipes, historical tidbits, and printables are included, and aimed at families with children of all ranges.
Like my Experiencing Advent guide, Experiencing Lent is written to be able to be reused year after year. It’s also low on crafts, and has plenty of built-in grace for busy families. A few minutes over breakfast, or a leisurely hour before bed… whatever your style, this open-and-go guide has you covered.
Experiencing Lent is my attempt to make the purposeful, faith-driven reflection and celebration of the Lenten season easier and more accessible. It’s on sale now via Amazon in ebook format for $6.99. Purchasing today gives you plenty of time to peruse the pages and familiarize yourself before the official start of Lent (February 14). Because of the book’s formatting (each weekday being assigned its own focus), you can literally pick any start date, and not miss the depth and wonder of the study.
There’s so much beauty to experience along the winding road to Easter. I pray you will find it as your walk towards Lent.
