by Keith Cox
Keith Cox
As you drive down Washington Street entering and exiting our beautiful city you will notice a purple cloth draped on the cross in front of our local churches. Have you ever wondered what the meaning of those purple cloths?
The color symbolizes that we have entered into the Season of Lent. For those who are now asking the question, what is the Season of Lent, let’s first ask the question why the color purple?
According to the Discipleship Ministries of the UMC, “Purple is a color of penitence and used during the preparatory season of Lent.” There is that word again, Lent. What is Lent?
Instead of starting with the meaning of Lent, let’s start with a word we all recognize and understand, Easter Sunday. The season of Lent is preparing us to celebrate Easter Sunday. Basically we will be on a journey that leads us to Easter Sunday. During this journey we have a responsibility to prepare ourselves for Easter Sunday.
How does one prepare themselves for Easter Sunday? By participating in the Season of Lent.
Lent is a 40-day season marked by repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately celebration. The season of Lents starts on March 2 and ends on April 16.
Our theme verse for Lent comes from Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
During this Season of Lent, we want to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God. This must be our true and proper worship. Worship doesn’t just mean on Sunday mornings but rather daily worship in our homes, school and places of work.
There must be a daily renewing of our minds so that we will not confirm to the pattern of this world but be transformed by God’s Holy Word. This will allow us to know God’s good, pleasing and perfect will in our lives.
This can be accomplished by self-reflection, repentance praying, studying the scripture and fasting. A few examples of fasting include caffeine, meats, sweets, alcohol, social media, gossiping, swearing, negativity, screen time before bedtime and binge watching. Fasting also includes caring for others. We have the responsibility to be the light of Jesus in someone’s darken world. Part of our fasting this Season of Lent is to ask God to place a person in our lives that we can help and be an encourager. We are called to humble ourselves and be willing to help others.
Now as you drive by those crosses draped in purple cloth, let it be a reminder that we are officially in the Season of Lent. Our journey has begun. Our main focus on this journey is to “Prepare ourselves for Easter Sunday.”
Keith Cox is the pastor of Clarkesville First United Methodist Church.