The Lenten sermon series 'Before I Go' invites us to reflect on the words of Jesus spoken to his disciples in the Upper Room before he leaves them.
What would we say 'before we go'? Lent invites us to make our hearts ready for remembering Jesus’ passion and celebrating Jesus’ resurrection. It is a different journey for each person; there is opportunity for experiencing agony and glory—and both have much to teach us. The Lenten season is time for self-examination, spiritual transformation and growth.
The practice of a forty-day preparation period, not including Sundays which are reserved for worship, began in the Christian church during the third and fourth centuries. The number forty is significant, based on Christ’s forty days in the wilderness in preparation for his own ministry.
In many churches, Lent is seen as a time for fasting and abstinence, for giving to the poor and demonstrating acts of mercy, for repentance and prayer.