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The word 'Lent' means 'springtime.' Lent is the 46 days leading up to Easter, mirroring the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert. Sundays are not counted as part of the 40 days.
For early Christians, Easter was the time when new believers were baptised into the church and Lent was a time of preparation for this. New Christians learnt the essentials of Christian faith and committed Christians spent time in prayer and meditation.
We celebrate this season as a Springtime for our faith. A time to grow in our love for Christ and examine our lives in the light of Jesus' teaching. 40 days of divine gardening.
"And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles."
Creative Idea for the Season
Make a Cup Garden for Lent
2 Corinthians 3:16-18
And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. And so we are changed, much like Jesus, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.
Cup Garden
Take a cup, place some cotton wool in the bottom and sprinkle it with cress seeds. Place them in a light spot and water them to remind you of the beauty of Lent – a time of divine gardening and growth. Enjoying and tending to this garden can remind you to enjoy time with God this season, gardening together.
'Be the Gardener of my Soul'
Spirit of the Living God, be the Gardener of my soul. For so long I have been waiting, silent and still – experiencing a winter of the soul. But now, in the strong name of Jesus Christ, I dare to ask:
Clear away the dead growth of the past,
Break up the hard clods of custom and routine,
Stir in the rich compost of vision and challenge,
Bury deep in my soul the implanted Word,
Cultivate and water and tend my heart,
Until new life buds and opens and flowers. Amen.
— Richard Foster, Prayers From the Heart (New York: HarperOne, 1994)
