There is a Swedish Christmas carol Nu är det jul igen. Here’s a paraphrase of part of it.

Now it’s Christmas again
And Christmas lasts well till Easter,
But that was not true
Because in the middle there is Lent.

It’s kind of silly, but there is truth in it. Lent comes thumping into the church year between the two bright spots of Christmas and Easter. As a pastor, I used to groan when an early Lent meant Christmas was barely finished before I had to think about something for Lent. For probably half my ministry I used the additional Lenten services as an opportunity to teach something. One year it was about virtue, another year it was Luther’s Small Catechism.

Lent has long been a time for teaching and learning. By the fourth century when baptisms took place primarily on Easter, the preceding period of Lent was set aside as a time for more intensive instruction of candidates for baptism. A broader application can be found in the monastic Rule of St. Benedict: “And in these days of Lent let each one receive a book from the library, and read it all through in order” (Chapter 49).

Reading a spiritual book for Lent might be a helpful practice, maybe even more so than giving up jelly beans. What should you read? You might try Martin Luther’s Large Catechism. (My copy has about 100 pages.) You can even find it online http://bookofconcord.org/lc-1-intro.php

May your Lent be blessed as more than something that comes between Christmas and Easter.

Read Galatians 3:14-19 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne