What is Lent?

In High School, I remember overhearing conversations from fellow students discussing what they were planning to give up for Lent that year. The most common were candy, chocolate, or TV. I wondered what this meant and why my classmates had to give up their favorite snacks and desserts. 

I later discovered that Lent is a Christian season that has to do with penance and fasting. It’s commonly observed in Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and some mainline Protestant churches. Due to the Reformation, many Protestants have viewed Lent as an unnecessary “works-based” addition to the simple requirements of Scripture. However, lately, Protestant and Evangelical Christians are becoming more open to Lent.

Lent is far from legalistic and instead, might just be what Evangelical and non-denominational Christians in the West need. 

If you’re new to observing Lent, this article will briefly explain the most important things you need to know. We’ll look at the history of Lent, Ash Wednesday, and other Christian holidays associated with Lent; then, we’ll explore the three pillars of Lent, discuss common questions about Lent, such as whether Lent can be found in the Bible or if it is legalistic; and lastly, we’ll learn how to observe Lent. 

What is Lent?

Lent is a season of preparation for Easter. During this 40-day season, we journey with Jesus through the period of testing he endured in the wilderness before the beginning of his public ministry. We share in his sufferings before getting to join him in his exaltation at Easter.

The Book of Common Prayer notes that Lent involves “self-examination, repentance, prayer, fasting, self-denial, reading and meditating on God’s word.”¹ 

We can practice these things at any time, but it’s a blessing to have a season dedicated to reflection and repentance. 

As N.T. Wright explains, the season of Lent is not designed to make us feel horrible about ourselves. God is not “mean or fault-finding or finger-pointing.” He simply wants us to know “the joy of being cleaned out, ready for all the good things he now has in store.”²

Related: What is Advent?

History of Lent 

Christians have likely observed a period of preparation and fasting before Easter since apostolic times. However, Lent as we know it today was not formalized until after the Nicaean Council in 325 AD.³

During Lent, the Church prepared new converts for Baptism, reconciled those estranged from the Church, and called the entire body of believers to repentance.⁴ Up until the 9th century, these estranged members of the Church wore sackcloth and ashes as a sign of their penitence. However, this is no longer practiced today.⁵

Ash Wednesday 

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. During Ash Wednesday services, Christians receive ashes upon their forehead or hand as a symbolic reminder of their mortality. A priest or pastor recites these words from Genesis 3:19: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” 

Ash Wednesday services are usually very somber. They are meant to put things in perspective for us and remind us that we are fallible humans who will one day die. The ashes recall the sackcloth and ashes that many people in Scripture wore when in mourning. 

🌿 Looking for a devotional for Holy Week? Strengthen your faith this Easter season with The Joy of Repentance Holy Week Devotional. It’s designed to help you reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice and victory over sin. In the busyness of life, it’s easy to overlook the significance of Holy Week, but this devotional invites you to pause and draw closer to Christ.

Carnival, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras

Carnival is not a Christian celebration, but it is connected with the season of Lent. It is celebrated in South America and the Caribbean, and is seen as a period of feasting and indulgence before the fast of Lent. Carnival is believed to have pagan origins that were mixed in with Christianity as it began to spread all over the world. 

Shrove Tuesday and Mardi Gras are the same. This marks the last day of Carnival and the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. 

While today Carnival is associated with lewd behavior, it is also steeped in rich history. Kristin Braswell writes that it was “born from the ingenuity of enslaved African people determined to survive in the face of brutality.” 

3 Pillars of Lent

There are three traditional pillars of Lent: fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. These are ways to connect with God more deeply during the Lenten season. 

Fasting

Fasting is something that I grew up with, but didn’t quite understand. Sometimes, people fast to experience spiritual breakthrough or find answers from God. While fasting can help in these areas, it is primarily a means of drawing nearer to God.

In Living the Christian Year, Bobby Gross explains that when we fast or give up something for Lent, we “recalibrate our degree of ‘need’ for the thing given up.”⁶ I find that when I take time away from something (even good things), I have more space to hear from God and to notice his presence in my life. For example, social media can be good, but it can also be a distraction. It often leads me to think I have less time to spend with God than I actually do. So, when I take time away from social media, I create space to spend with God. 

Sometimes fasting involves giving up food entirely for an entire day or a few days. The physical hunger I feel when fasting reminds me of my spiritual hunger for the Lord and leads me to seek him in prayer.

If you choose to fast, it’s helpful to do so in a way that makes sense for you. It isn’t about doing it perfectly but instead about making a commitment and trusting the Lord to help you. 

Prayer

Next, prayer is an important part of the Christian life in general, but Lent provides even more space to spend time with the Lord in prayer. The prayers of Lent are primarily focused on reflection and repentance. 

This is a great time to pray for your needs and the needs of others, to confess sins and repent where necessary, and to reflect on Jesus’ journey to the cross. 

Prayer and Scripture go hand in hand so consider praying from the Psalms, the prayer book of ancient Israel. 

This is a great time to pray the Scriptures. The Psalms are a great place to start. In fact, the seven penitential Psalms are often recited in services during Lent. These include Psalm 6, 32, 28, 51, 102, 130, and 143. These Psalms are expressions of sorrow and repentance for sin. 

The Lament Psalms are great to pray during Lent too. 

Even if we don’t feel a personal need to lament, these Psalms help us find solidarity with those who are suffering. We can pray them on behalf of our loved ones or those in our communities who are suffering.

Related: How to Develop a Personal Relationship with God

Almsgiving

Lastly, almsgiving. Alms are gifts given freely to help relieve those in poverty. Proverbs 19:17 says that “whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” 

Almsgiving can look like giving gifts to individuals in need, donating to a charity organization, sharing your time and attention with someone who is lonely, cooking a meal for someone who is sick, or offering a kind word to someone who needs it. 

It is borne out of prayer and fasting. When we are spending time with our generous God, we desire to be generous too. 

None of these Lenten pillars are things we need to check off a checklist. Instead, all of this is a means of growing closer to God and becoming more like the people he has called us to be. 

Lent is not a destination, it’s a journey and these pillars are available to us as we walk the path towards a deeper relationship with the Lord. 

Is Lent in the Bible? 

No, Lent isn’t in the Bible. It is a Christian tradition that developed after the Biblical canon was closed. But, that’s okay. Christian traditions can help us grow closer to Christ. As Protestants, Scripture is viewed more authoritatively than tradition. However, tradition is still very important.  

Esau McCaulley, a New Testament scholar and Anglican priest, explains why traditions are important in the Christian life of faith: 

“He gave his people rituals. He gave them feats tied to certain parts of the year and a system of sacrifice to teach his ways to coming generations… established prayers and actions pass on the the faith, not as magic activities that contain meaning in themselves, but as occasions for remembering. And these rituals do not conflict with deeply emotive experiences of God.”⁷

Lent is based on the Bible and offers Christians an opportunity to reflect more deeply on the things we read about in Scripture. Instead of just reading about Jesus’ testing in the wilderness or his suffering on the cross, closing our Bibles, and going on with our day, through Lent, we get to intentionally enter into the suffering he experienced. 

Is Lent Legalistic? 

It’s understandable to feel wary of anything that seems works-based or legalistic. However, anything can be legalistic if we make it that way. Legalism has more to do with our heart posture than our actions. For example, if we observe Lent thinking that it will help us earn God’s favor or blessings, then we are participating in legalism. If we keep the Lenten pillars but do not otherwise live a life that demonstrates our faith in God, then we may be participating in legalism. If we observe the traditions associated with Lent without allowing them to point us to Christ, then that is legalism. 

How to Observe Lent

Now that we’ve discussed what Lent is all about, here are some ways to observe Lent this year. 

Church

The easiest way to observe Lent is to do so along with your church. As you attend each service, pay attention to the songs, Scripture readings, and liturgies of Lent. If you don’t attend a church that observes Lent, consider starting or joining a small group and walking through Lent together. 

Fasting, Prayer, Almsgiving 

Next, consider fasting, devoting more time to prayer, or giving of your time or resources to those in need. 

Prayminder is a great app that helps us remember to pray for others throughout the day. Lectio 365 is a digital devotional resource that helps you pray through Scripture each day. 

Scripture 

Read the Gospels or meditate on the penitential Psalms during Lent. Devotionals and Bible Studies are great too but as you use them, let them help you draw nearer to God. 

Art & Music

Last but not least, during your prayer or devotional time, try listening to a Lenten playlist or looking at art with Lenten themes. I created a Lent & Easter playlist on Spotify that you are welcome to use. This book by Sister Wendy Beckett highlights the art of Lent and includes paintings for reflection. Lent is also a great time to try Visio Divina, a practice of prayer and meditation using visual art.

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1. https://www.bcponline.org/SpecialDays/ashwed.html ↩︎
2. NT Wright, Lent for Everyone: Matthew, Year A (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 13. ↩︎
3. Encyclopaedia Britannica, s.v. “Lent”, last updated February 5, 2026, Britannica.com, accessed February 6, 2026, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lent ↩︎
4. McCaulley, Lent, 11. ↩︎
5. Encyclopaedia Britannica, s.v. “Lent”, last updated February 5, 2026, Britannica.com, accessed February 6, 2026, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lent ↩︎
6. Bobby Gross, Living the Christian Year (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2009), 136. ↩︎
7. McCaulley, 33. ↩︎