CCC Gainesville | Blog
Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent, a church tradition marked by a time of self-examination and spiritual renewal, culminating in Holy Week. During the Ash Wednesday communion services (6am & 6PM), those who wish may have ashes placed on their foreheads to signify our own mortality but also to remind us of our great hope in Jesus Christ.
In Latin, Lent means, “dawning of the sun.” Lent is also known as springtime, fitting imagery for a season of the Church year that is intentional about self-examination and preparation. The process of the “dawning of the sun” is both revealing and restorative. The sun pushes back the shadows that have covered the ground and reveals all that has withered. The sun then applies its restorative property, offering nourishment to the ground and vegetation, once again yielding life. The spiritual life is similar. The season of Lent offers a time when we take a closer look at what lurks within us, within the shadows. At the same time, we are offered nourishment and restoration that is found only in the life and death of Jesus Christ.
Lent Resources
A devotion and other info— from City Church San Francisco
2012 Lenten Readings – The Meaning of Lent
Tools for the Christian Life – On Keeping a Holy Lent
The Sacramental Cast blog – Why We Need Lent
Free Album – Songs For Lent by New York Hymns
Patheos Blog – Lent
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