Can Lent Really Bring Us Closer to God?

Despite the resurgence of interest in rituals and traditions among evangelical millennials, Lent is not new, nor does it belong to any particular denomination. Historical records reveal the church has been observing a period of fasting and preparation before Resurrection Sunday since the time of the apostles, though it wasn’t formalized as a universal practice until the First Council of Nicaea in AD 325.[1]

Over time, some turned Lent into an obligation rather than an invitation, and others responded by violently rejecting rituals that hinted at works-based salvation, leaving us hundreds of years later scrambling for some semblance of rhythm that will ground us in our Christian walk.

In the hands of our heavenly Father, Lent becomes an invitation to uncover the love of Jesus

Too many of us feel like Easter kind of sneaks up on us, and we’re left spiritually and emotionally unprepared to celebrate this most glorious of all celebrations: Jesus’ death and resurrection as victorious King.

Is it possible, then, that we might reclaim this season of Lent to focus our hearts on Jesus in preparation for Easter Sunday? Can we leave behind the trappings of ritual that weigh down our souls and reimagine what Lent could look like for twenty-first-century Christians who sincerely love Jesus and want to seek Him with all their hearts?

I believe we can.

Lent itself will not bring you closer to God. But in the hands of our heavenly Father, Lent becomes an invitation to uncover the love of Jesus, in a far greater way than we had ever imagined.

[1] As a millennial myself, I can attest to my own attraction to ancient church traditions that are often absent from contemporary evangelical church services, as well as the troubling feeling that such a desire somehow betrays the sacrifice of Reformation- era brothers and sisters who have gone before me. The conversation surrounding a proper appropriation of Lenten practices is deeper and richer than would fit in this brief introduction. So let me refer you to the excellent book The Good of Giving Up: Discovering the Freedom of Lent (Chicago: Moody, 2017) by Aaron Damiani for an accessible exploration of the history of Lent and an evangelical case for its practice in our church communities today. See “A (Mercifully Short) History of Lent,” 35–36.