Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry.

Lent, beginning this year on February 18, is a time of repentance, fasting , and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection. In the early church, Lent began as a period of fasting and preparation for baptism by new converts and then became a time of penance by all Christians. Today, Christians focus on relationship with God, growing as disciples and extending ourselves, often choosing to give up something or to volunteer and give of ourselves for others.

Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty days because each Sunday represents a "mini-Easter." This is why you will see the designation "Sunday in Lent" rather than "Sunday of Lent" in the naming of these Sundays. On each Lord's Day in Lent, while Lenten fasts continue, the reverent spirit of Lent is tempered with joyful anticipation of the Resurrection.

Click here for Lent resources at resourceumc.org

Click here for West Ohio's Emerging Generation Ministries Lenten Journal.