The Road Devotional | Lent 2024

Lent is a forty day time of preparation within the church calendar. Following the season of Epiphany, Ash Wednesday marks the first day of lent and it leads us into Easter Sunday. It is widely celebrated within the Christian Church across many of its denominations. The most widely way Lent is celebrated is the giving up of something (like coffee, chocolate, television, etc....), however it has deeper roots and a greater connection to the spiritual life of the church than many people are initially aware of.

The word Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word Lencten, which means “spring.” The forty days that make up the season of lent represents the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness before/in preparation of his ministry. These forty days are also connected to the forty years that the Israelites wandered in the wilderness searching for their place where they would put down roots, where they would be liberated from Egyptian slavery.

It is there in the wilderness where Jesus was tempted. In the harshness of the wilderness where there was a lack of food and water, Jesus follows the calling of the Spirit. And there Jesus encounters three experiences with Satan where his identity and understanding of self was tested. Jesus was able to find spiritual nourishment, even in the harshest of places through practices such as silence, stillness, solitude, fasting, etc... He was able to discover his connection to God that helped sustain him until the very end of his ministry.

As such, lent then is the time in the church calendar where we focus on repentance, fasting, and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a period in our own yearly rhythms to self-examine and reflect on our faith. We are invited to deepen our faith through the very same practices Jesus used so many years ago, to be more mindful of how intentional we are in our faith. And by celebrating, remembering, and honoring the season of Lent, we are anchoring ourselves, following the same ROAD as so many others have throughout church history. In fact, the early church used Lent to prepare new converts for baptism.

Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty days because each Sunday represents a “mini-Easter” and the reverent spirit of Lent is tempered with the joyful anticipation of the Resurrection.

Lent is our season to disconnect from what isn’t healthy or holy so we can reconnect to the very things that are. By walking this road we will come to discover how we need this season to reorient our lives to what we believe is the most important thing about our lives: our relationships with God and others.

We hope that you would use this devotional this Lenten season in three main ways:

1) As a guide for Scripture reading and reflection.
 
We include both a forty day reading plan for anyone who would like to read through the whole Gospel of Luke, and a daily scripture readings that are accompanied by thoughts, reflective questions, and prayers. These are meant to help you learn more about the life and ministry of Jesus, but more importantly, to encourage you to continue to ponder and reflect on them throughout the day and the week.

And for those who are looking for a new habit that will last well beyond the Lenten season and study, you’ll find that if you are intentional in following this devotional for the full forty days that it would have created the perfect beginning point for you to continue forward with other books in the Bible.

2) As a guide to Spiritual Practices.

This is facilitated by the spiritual practices page included in the beginning of each week, leading up to Holy Week. Each week in Lent features a different spiritual practice, and you’ll find a bit of coaching and explanation included. Plus, we will be encouraging and supporting one another on Social Media where you can share your experiences with others. While there are a thousand great practices encouraged throughout the church and within our history, those selected here are perfect for beginners as well as those who are spiritually mature.

Our hope (much like the daily Scripture reading) is that some combination of these practices would become part of your normal routine year round, and you would discover the beauty and necessity of spiritual practices for your spiritual (and emotional) health.

3) As a guide to growing a Spiritual Companionship.

Spiritual Companions are those who travel with you along the road. They are those that encourage and support you in moments of doubts and wrestlings, and who celebrates and rejoices with you in the highlights of your journey. Hopefully you’ll find the reflection questions both useful in your own private devotional time, but also in sharing in intentional spiritual conversation with those spiritual companions in your life.

Oh, and if you don’t have a companion or you aren’t sure how to start one, let us know. Plus you’ll find that the more you share on our Social Media the more you’ll discover others who have similar questions/wrestlings/celebrations; and it makes for a great beginning point to a healthy relationship with others.

God, I ask that you open the eyes of my heart during this season, as I prepare for the coming of Easter! Bless this space, bless those who walk alongside me on this Road of life, and bless the seeds of new practices as they take root in me.
Amen.