St. Peters Lutheran Church

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St. Peters Lutheran Church
Warren, Michigan

A *Light* What Light You See a	ABOUT LENT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS When you see thisClick on it (It will take you where you were) New International Version Bible translations are used.	Just Point Click Below
*Light* Where is the Light I see the Light Now!	What is Lent? What does the word "Lent" mean? Why does Lent last forty days? How does worship change during Lent? What is Ash Wednesday? What is Holy Week? What is the liturgical color for Lent? What is the Great Vigil of Easter? What are the origins of Easter Rabbit and Eggs?	Who is Jesus?

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Lenten
Statement
The sinless Son of God
must die in sadness;
The sinful child of man
may live in gladness;
Man forfeited his life
and is acquitted --
God is committed!

DID YOU KNOW !
The arrival of Lent marks
our entrance into a 40-day
exile of repentance as we
meditate on our Lord'
Passion.
+++

At Transfiguration Sunday
( Last Sunday in Epiphany )
text "buries" the use of
alleluia during the Lenten
season until our alleluias
resound again
on Easter Sunday.

WHAT IS LENT? Or back to What is Easter Page >
Lent is a forty-day liturgical season that initiates the most sacred part of the Christian year. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on the Great Vigil of Easter. Sundays are not included in the forty-day count because every Sunday is a joyful celebration of our Lord's resurrection. During Lent, Christians meditate with awe and thanksgiving on the great Paschal mystery -- the salvation God offers to us sinners through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
WHAT DOES THE WORD "LENT" MEAN?
The word "Lent" is apparently derived from the Old English lencten, which means "lengthen." It refers to the lengthening of the daylight hours that occurs in the northern hemisphere as spring approaches. It is in this time of year that the season of Lent falls.
WHY DOES LENT LAST FORTY DAYS?
It was customary in many ancient Christian communities to require a forty-day period of fasting, discipline, and study for candidates who were to be baptized on the evening before Easter. While no one knows for sure why forty days became the norm, it was probably meant to recall Christ's forty-day ordeal in the wilderness during which He prayed, fasted, and was tempted by Satan (see Matthew 4:1-11).
HOW DOES WORSHIP CHANGE DURING LENT?
Since Lent is a season of penitence, reflection, and prayer, worship during this time is solemn and restrained. The somber colors of purple and black replace the brighter white and green of the Epiphany season. Flowers are generally removed from the sanctuary. Songs of praise like the Gloria in Excelsis ("Glory in the highest") and expressions of joy like Alleluia ("Praise the Lord") are removed from the liturgy until Easter. Many churches hold special mid-week worship services and other devotional activities that help their members concentrate on the Lenten disciplines of repentance, obedience, and contemplation of the grace received through baptism.
WHAT IS ASH WEDNESDAY?
Ash Wednesday (from the Latin Dies Cinerum, meaning "Day of Ashes") is the first day of Lent. On this day, Christians focus intensely on their utter and complete sinfulness and the necessity of Christ's suffering and death to earn their salvation. Ashes are referred to many times in the Old Testament as a sign of sorrow, mourning, humility, and repentance (see 2 Samuel 13:19; Esther 4:1-3; Job 42:6; and Jeremiah 6:26). Many churches use ashes during Ash Wednesday worship as part of a rite called the Imposition of Ashes. According to this ancient custom, ashes (traditionally made by burning palm fronds used on Palm Sunday of the previous year) are mixed with a small amount of olive oil and applied to the forehead of each worshipper. This mark, in the sign of a cross, can be a powerful reminder of our depraved and sinful nature and total dependence on God for forgiveness and salvation.

WHAT IS HOLY WEEK?
The last week of Lent is known as Holy Week. During this holiest time of the liturgical year, the church relives the final week of our Lord's life. The high points of this week are Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Great Vigil.

WHAT IS THE "TRIDUUM?
The most solemn and joyful celebration of the Christian calendar is the period from Maundy Thursday through Holy Saturday. Worship services on these days or evenings are traditionally considered to be parts of an unbroken liturgical event called the Triduum (Latin for "Three Days").
MAUNDY THURSDAY?
The first part of the Triduum begins on the evening of Maundy Thursday (also called Holy Thursday), during which Christians recall the events that took place the night Jesus was betrayed. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke concentrate on the institution of the Lord's Supper.   The word "Maundy" is derived from the Latin phrase mandatum novum, meaning "new commandment."   It refers to the Lord's words to His apostles as recorded in John 13:34: "A new command I give you: love one another".
GOOD FRIDAY?
Good Friday, the second day of the Triduum, is the solemn remembrance of Jesus' death on the cross. The name "Good Friday" is a corruption of "God's Friday," although the term is a very fitting one since the Lord's death was for our eternal good. Good Friday worship is marked by austerity and silence. The music of keyboards and instruments is minimized and sometimes even eliminated. The altar, stripped of all appointments, is not used. Instead, one or more lecterns or reading desks serve as the focal point of the service.
PALM SUNDAY?
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter. On this day, Jesus, accompanied by His disciples, entered the city of Jerusalem in triumph. An enthusiastic crowd greeted Jesus by spreading palm branches along the road and shouting Hosanna, a Hebrew expression meaning "save us." The mass of people hailed Jesus as the "Son of David," the Messiah promised long ago by God. Services on Palm Sunday traditionally begin with a joyful procession into the sanctuary. Worshipers often carry palm leaves or wear crosses made of palm.
EASTER SUNDAY?
Easter is the sacred celebration of Christ's resurrection from the dead. It is the oldest and holiest Christian festival, the climax and center of the liturgical year, and the holy day to which all other holy days point. Even denominations that do not strictly follow a liturgical calendar commemorate Easter with tremendous joy.

WHAT IS THE LITURGICAL COLOR FOR LENT?
Purple, the color of royalty, repentance, and self-discipline, is the traditional color for the season of Lent. Black, the somber color of mourning and sorrow for sin, is reserved for Good Friday and Ash Wednesday. For the period from Palm Sunday through Maundy Thursday, some churches use scarlet, an intense variant of purple and red that symbolizes the life-giving blood of Christ.
WHAT IS THE SEASON OF LENT REALLY ABOUT?
For some Christians, the coming of Lent means preparing for some kind of fasting. These fasts typically take the form of abstaining from all or certain kinds of food on a particular day. In place of a food fast, some Christians commit to give up a pleasurable activity or take on some kind of charitable work or other added discipline. Our Lord recommends the Lenten disciplines of helping the needy, prayer, and fasting in Matthew 6:1-18. If Christians choose to "give up" something for Lent as a way to witness to the world the salvation Christ won for us by His suffering and death on the cross, then it is a commendable discipline that should be encouraged. However, it is essential to remember that nothing we do through fasting, self-denial, or good works can ever earn God's forgiveness or "pay Him back" for what He accomplished for us. Lent is not about our giving up something to please God. Lent is about what Christ gave up to pay the penalty for our sins -- His life. As many churches sing during this Lenten season:
WHAT IS THE GREAT VIGIL OF EASTER?
The third and final day of the Triduum is Holy Saturday, known from antiquity as the Great Vigil. Although this service was for centuries the most important festival of the liturgical year, it fell into disuse in some traditions. Thankfully, it is now being rediscovered by more and more churches.

Revised:
02/15/2010