Feb
18
Written by:
Andries
Thursday, February 18, 2021 2:31:15 AM
“Remembrance” is key to Biblical worship. To remember what Jesus did for our salvation is therefore the benchmark of a Biblical celebration of the Lenten Season and Holy Week.
Repentance during Lent helps us to grow spiritually and leads to a closer walk with God.
Penitence restores our commitment to the Lord and as such restores our Christian living.
Remembrance is rooted in Old Testament worship.
Devotional life in the Old Testament was based on “remembering” the great deeds of salvation and liberation by the God of Israel. All the feasts prescribed in the Law, remembered, celebrated and taught what God did in the history of his people, creating and strengthening the belief that he will continue to keep his grace covenant and be their God and the God of their children while encouraging them to, as the people of God, seek obedience to the Lord.
It was at such a feast of remembrance, the Passover that Jesus instituted his Supper. It seems that in the mind of Jesus faith would still be sown and grown through “remembering” as part of the New Covenant. Jesus gave us the key to Christian worship when he said: Do this in remembrance of me!
Therefore systematically proclaiming the Scriptures during days and seasons of remembrance and faithfully preaching what the Bible tells us about the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus is a disciplined and structured way of teaching and preaching the full council of God.
Lent prepares for Easter! The Resurrection of Jesus is the culmination, the peak, of the Christian Calendar.
The shortest version of the gospel truth is to say that Jesus has risen – that he has risen indeed. Our Reformed / Presbyterian tradition emphasises that all worship, including the Lord’s Supper, is fellowship with the living Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Should Christians observe Lent and Easter?
It is an edifying tradition if we do not fall short of continuously worshipping, praising and having fellowship with our risen Lord.
It is a good tradition if we can steer clear of legalistic prescriptions and inflexible observances of culturally based customs with ideas strange to the simple gospel of salvation.
It is a good practice if we rely on the Word to reveal the gospel truth, if we preach Christ, the crucified, risen Saviour and if we are careful to require nothing more from worshippers than to rely on and celebrate God’s sovereign grace, when we observe these age old commemorative days and seasons.
How do I participate?
Various church services on Sundays and days of commemoration reflect on the gospel events during the Lenten season. Preaching, hymns and prayers during these seasons find their inspiration in the suffering and death of Jesus.
We participate by ensuring that we celebrate and remember when the church of the Lord meets for public worship during these various days and seasons of remembrance.
We also participate when our private devotions / quiet times during Lent reflect on what these gospel events teach us and what message the Lord personally has for us.
The challenge is this: "What, if anything, are you going to consciously do to ensure a closer walk with the Lord as you prepare to remember Christ’s resurrection during Easier?
What do protestant Christians emphasise during the Lenten season?
There are two important aspects:
* Penitence: We realise our mortality and our brokenness and our need for Christ. God’s commandments become our teacher that drives us to Christ for forgiveness with a thirst for sanctification.
* Preparation: We strive to open our hearts wider for remembering Christ’s suffering and death to prepare us for the celebration of his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
During Lent people add to, or subtract, from their daily routines in order to draw closer to God.
Prayer, Bible study and contemplating the gospel are key to observing Lent.
Giving up TV time, getting up earlier to do more to deepen our quiet times and following Bible study guides are practical things that add to a fruitful Lenten season. Coming to Church and sharing with the faithful in our community will teach us to be disciplined in worship.
Observing Lent is no obligation!
But it is a good custom that helped many Christians over many centuries to, in fellowship with their fellow Christians, seek a closer walk with the Lord that lasts during all seasons!