The season of Lent can be an important time in the life of a church body or in the life
of an individual Christian. Long ago, the Christian church set aside the time before
Easter as a time for fasting, for personal and corporate prayer, seeking God, and
looking forward to the promise of the coming of the kingdom of God. A forty-day
period was established, to commemorate Jesus’ time of fasting in the wilderness prior
to beginning his public ministry. Calculations for the specific start and ending of that
forty-day period vary among the different denominations, as do the directions for
how to observe the season, but the point remains the same for all of us—preparing
our hearts for the annual celebration of the most sacred observance in the Christian
faith: the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
A special Lenten devotional is available at the Welcome Center for all who would like
to use it as a guide for praying this Lent.
“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)