In general, our tradition is not a fan of the church calendar. You may not know this but there are some parts of the Reformed world that don't believe that we should celebrate Christmas or Easter because they think Paul's words in Galatians 4:10 speak against that. Obviously, here at UPC, we would disagree but the point is that many of us are either unfamiliar with or suspicious of "seasons" in the church. In some ways that means that we miss an opportunity presented to us on a day like today - Ash Wednesday.
Today marks the beginning of the season called Lent. It is a 40 day (not counting Sundays) period of preparation for the celebration of Easter. It is intended to be a period of repentance, of intentional reflection on our neediness, and a time to prepare our hearts for the joyous celebration of Easter. Unfortunately, for many of us, all we think about is arbitrary abstinence from unhealthy behaviors or guilty pleasures. I get it, I don't understand how "giving up" chocolate prepares you for Easter either but maybe we need to think about this differently.
The church calendar was devised for several purposes. The first was to annually tell the story of redemption. Seasons like Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, etc., told the story of redemption for the average church goer every year. This was especially important since most people at the time did not have access to a Bible. The second was as a way to regularly practice spiritual disciplines. Lent, in particular, is an annual time of fasting, something Jesus commends and seems to assume we do (Matt 6:16). The third reason was what some scholars call the redemption of time. This one is a little more abstract. The thought here is that if Jesus is the Lord and not Caesar, then maybe we should be using a way of marking time governed by His story and not that of Julius Caesar (our calendar is the "Julia" calendar after all). All three of these mean that the church calendar is something that is not commanded in Scripture, and thus not something we are bound to, but could be a helpful tool for our growth in our relationship with Jesus.
Think of it kind of like a "Quiet Time". There is nothing in Scripture that commands us to have a daily time of Scripture reading, prayer, and journaling. In fact, for the vast majority of the history of the Church this would have been impossible. That said, it is a greatly beneficial practice that helps us know the Scriptures more, spend concentrated time in prayer, and have space for meditation on God and His Word. So then, think of the church calendar in a similar way to our contemporary practices. A Quiet Time can be incredibly beneficial for your spiritual growth. It can also be something you simply go through the motions on which doesn't help you at all. The same could be said for Lent.
If you've never practiced Lent, I would encourage you to give it a try this year. Now, before you find a reason to say no, let me clarify how I would suggest you do so. The biggest question regarding Lent is what to fast from. Remember, the point is to fast in such a way that focuses you on your neediness. With that in mind, here's what I generally suggest. Ask yourself this question, when the wheels fall off in my life or I am terribly disrupted, what do I run to? This question is great because it is VERY person specific. It could be food, a particular type of food, exercise, Netflix, alcohol, social media, or even... chocolate. Whatever you answer that question with, that is what you want to fast from. The answer to that question points out a strategy you use to either cope with or distract you from your own feelings of neediness and vulnerability. In other words, it is a way you deal with life independently. What you are looking to do is spend 40 days (or 40 days plus the Sundays... that one is up to you) without utilizing those independent strategies. When the wheels fall off, when you feel disrupted, instead of going to those things, you go to the Lord and confess your need for Him.
This fast is then broken on Easter Sunday as we celebrate and feast over the victory of our Savior! Maybe that means that we revert to how we've used those strategies or maybe the period of fasting and repentance allows those things to return to just being good things in our lives. In any case, the season allows us to prepare for the single greatest celebration in all of Christianity, as John Owen called it, the death of death in the death of Christ. I hope you'll consider giving it a try this year.
