We are approaching the season of Lent. Now, for some, as soon as I say “Lent” it might land as odd. What is a “Lent?” We don’t do “Lent?” Who did you “lend” it to, and when will they return it? (I had to put a bad joke in here somewhere).
Typically, Baptist churches do not really make much of Lent, Liturgy, and the Liturgical Calendar. Of course, you will find this in Catholic churches and Protestant traditions such as Presbyterian, Lutheran, etc.
So, what is liturgy and a liturgical calendar?
The idea of liturgy and the Christian Calendar is about Sundays and Seasons. Readings and other worship elements are mapped out for a minister and worship leader every Sunday. Typically, there is a three-year cycle for the readings, sermon topics, and hymns. So, you will sometimes hear a liturgical worship leader say we are in Year A or Year B. The idea is to lead a minister and a congregation through the Bible in a three-year cycle. It, in theory, keeps the minister from overusing their favorite parts of the Bible and forces them to preach and deal with all of the Biblical texts, whether well-known or obscure. Our approach at FBC is more series-based, but we will pay attention to the church calendar during Christmas and Easter.
The Liturgical Year groups the individual Sundays into seasons marked by important Sundays. The two anchors of the Christian year are Christmas and Easter. Christmas has four Sundays of Advent leading up to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Epiphany marks the arrival of the Wisemen. The next big day is Ash Wednesday, which begins Lent and ushers us into Holy Week, which is Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday.
What are Ash Wednesday and Lent?
This year, Ash Wednesday is March 5th, 2025. Some churches will have an Ash Wednesday service on this day, including the imposition of ashes on people’s foreheads. It is the first day of Lent, the 40 days (excluding Sundays) before Easter. Lent is a period of fasting, abstinence from meat, and repentance, contemplating one’s humanity and transgressions. On Ash Wednesday, the ashes are made out of the Palm leaves used the previous year on Palm Sunday. The palm branches are burned, and the ashes are used. The believers' foreheads are marked with a cross sign reading, "Remember, that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return."
40 Days of Lent
Moses fasted forty days and nights for the sins of Israel (Exodus 34:27-28). Jesus fasted forty days and nights in the wilderness (Mathew.4:1-11, Mark.1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13). The idea is that the Lenten season prepares people for Easter.
Lent is not about being sorry or giving up Chocolate. Shrove Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday) or Mardi Gras tell us to hurry up and do some things, then ask for forgiveness or apologize. That is probably why our tradition rejects this. It feels like you are playing a game with God. The whole idea of the statement is that you are dust, and to dust, you shall return. It is not about hurrying up and apologizing. It is about the fact that your time is limited. It is short. And because that time is short, you need to get on with being a disciple.
How are we observing Lent this year at FBC? For the past few years, we have been holding Wednesday Night Lenten Services in partnership with MACA (The Massillon Area Clergy Association). One church will host a service on Wednesday in Lent, and another pastor will preach that service. Every church will host a meal beforehand.
Here is the MACA Lenten Service schedule for this year:
• March 12: The service will be at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church with Rev. David Oliver Kling preaching. • March 19: The service will be at First United Methodist Church with Rev. Mark Kreemer preaching.. • March 26: The service will be at St. John's United Church of Christ with Rev. Tina Crog preaching. • April 2: The service will be at St. Timothy's Episcopal with Rev. David Anderson (me) preaching. • April 9: The service will be at First Baptist of Massillon (our church), with Rev. Ed Hill preaching.
If you would like a Prayer Journal to journal for the 40 days of Lent, click here: FBC 40 Day Prayer.pdf
Holy Week
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Each of the four Gospels spends at least 30-40% of their time recording this week's events. Maundy Thursday celebrated the Last Supper with Jesus and the Disciples. Maundy comes from the Latin mandatum, or command, which refers to the instructions Jesus gave his disciples at the Last Supper. Good Friday, of course, marks the day that Jesus was Crucified. I will say more about this when we get closer to Holy Week.
Pentecost
Pentecost is the festival that occurs fifty days after Easter/ Passover. It originally celebrated the day Moses received the Ten Commandments on the mountain. But believers now celebrate it as the coming of the Holy Spirit or the new covenant. After Pentecost, the rest of the calendar is called Common Time, which is uneventful until the fall.