As a member of a liturgical church, I love that the same seasons and practices come around every year. One of those seasons is Lent, which is observed by many Christians in late winter/early spring. Much like Advent when we prepare our hearts and minds for the incarnation of Jesus at Christmas, Lent is also a time of personal preparation for Easter. Not all Christian denominations observe Lent, however, which may lead us to ask: which denominations do observe Lent, and why do they believe it is important?
Lent is observed by churches that follow a liturgical calendar with special services and holidays celebrated every year on particular days. It is also observed by Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and some Protestant denominations. Among Protestants, one can find Lutherans, Presbyterians (who just began participating in the last century), Anglicans, Episcopalians, and Methodists engaging in activities that are particular to Lent.
Baptist and evangelical churches may or may not partake in Lenten activities. In addition, there are non-denominational churches that may take portions of Lenten practices and incorporate them into their services. I’ve known such churches to promote the use of a 40-day devotional/prayer journal to give congregants a tool to prompt worship, confession (sometimes fasting which is a traditional Lenten practice), and service opportunities leading up to Easter.
Lent, based on the Latin term for “forty," is the period of time (40 days) leading up to Easter, or Resurrection Sunday. According to the article “Bible Meaning of Lent and Purpose for Today”: “Lent was established initially for new Christians, those who experienced a call. They were to spend 40 days and 40 nights preparing for their baptism. If, in the end, they still wanted to follow Jesus, then on Easter Eve, they would be baptized as the sun was rising in the east, signaling the new day, the new era, inaugurated because of the Resurrection.”
In the article “Is Lent Really in the Bible?” Sophia Bricker further explains that the practice of Lent began in the fourth century AD, and that many believers have argued that Lent is based on the 40-day temptation of Jesus in the desert. That would be very appropriate, since those practices that Christians are asked to give up or begin in Lent would seem to coincide with Jesus’ time in the wilderness. Led by the Holy Spirit into the desert, Jesus was being prepared by His Father for His mission while experiencing great deprivation and temptation by Satan for 40 days. He ate nothing during that time, was ministered to by angels, and when Satan tried to get Him to abandon His Father’s will, Jesus answered with truths from Scripture. Therefore, Christians will often fast for periods of time or on certain days during Lent and will spend time in self-reflection, repentance, Bible study, prayer, and worship.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, a day when many churches hold services that remind Christians that “we are but dust and to dust we shall return.” The ashes used to mark the sign of the cross on foreheads on this day are created from the burning of palm branches that were used the previous year during Palm Sunday. This year, Ash Wednesday is on March 5, 2025.
Churches may have special services during the week or share special prayers or devotionals to read at home while they are progressing through Lent. Then, on Palm Sunday, April 13, 2025, congregations will celebrate when Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, while the crowds waved palm branches and cheered “Hosanna” to express adoration and joy.
That begins Holy Week when many churches will have special services for Maundy Thursday (when Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples), Good Friday (when Jesus was betrayed, beaten and crucified), holy saturday (when Jesus was in the tomb), and Easter Sunday (when Jesus rose to new life, defeating death for all of us).
Pope Francis, the leader of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church has said, “Lent is a new beginning, a path leading to the certain goal of Easter, Christ’s victory over death. This season urgently calls us to conversion. Christians are asked to return to God ‘with all their hearts’ (Joel 2:12), to refuse to settle for mediocrity and grow in friendship with the Lord.” While many denominations would agree with these words, there are differences in the way Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants observe Lent.
The Catholic Church universally believes in three pillars that support a holy Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Catholics place great emphasis on fasting during Lent as a focused remembrance of Jesus’ fasting in the wilderness. Many Catholics especially abstain from meat on Fridays during the Lenten season and will eat fish instead. Catholics also believe that Lent is a time not just for giving monetary donations but also for caring for others and showing kindness and mercy in new ways. Confession is also encouraged during the 40 days. Praying through the Stations of the Cross (a 14-step prayer “pilgrimage” that leads one through the last hours of Jesus’ life) is a very impactful way to consider Jesus’ sacrifice. The church I grew up in had wooden carved images of the different stations (e.g. “Jesus Falls for the First Time” on the way to be crucified) lining the inside of the sanctuary. We would walk past them and kneel to pray about that specific time on Jesus’ journey.
The Eastern orthodox church, while it emphasizes prayer, reflection, and special songs/services during Lent, appears to be the most rigid/prescriptive when it comes to what foods to fast from during different seasons of the year. During Lent, congregants are supposed to abstain from meat for 40 days in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice and to “conquer the passions of the flesh."
During Lent, Protestants may also abstain from foods or activities, focus on prayer and Bible study, confession of sins, an examination of Jesus’ sacrifice during his last week on earth, and showing mercy to those in need. No two churches in the world are exactly alike in how they observe Lent, but each provides a framework for the soul’s preparation to heartily participate in remembrance of Jesus’ passion week. That may be a 40-day ritual or a three-day focus on Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. Some may host a Passover meal and reenact the activities on Maundy Thursday. Others may have people in the congregation meet to pray in the 24 hours between Good Friday and Easter morning.
Some Christian denominations do not observe Lent because they see it as a man-made tradition rather than a biblical mandate. Many Baptist, Pentecostal, and non-denominational evangelical churches believe that while repentance and spiritual discipline are essential, Christians are not required to follow a formal liturgical calendar. These denominations emphasize personal faith over religious rituals, arguing that practices like fasting and repentance should be a daily lifestyle rather than confined to a specific season.
Additionally, some Reformed and non-denominational churches reject Lent because of its historical association with the Roman Catholic Church, from which the Protestant Reformation sought to break away. Others argue that the New Testament does not command a 40-day period of fasting or preparation for Easter, so they prefer to focus on celebrating Christ’s resurrection without the observance of Lent. Despite these differences, many of these denominations still encourage believers to seek God through prayer, fasting, and personal devotion, just without the structured framework of Lent.
First of all, if we look to the Bible for what is required for Christians, we will find Jesus giving two commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. ‘The second is this,’ “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There are many things involved in loving God with all that we have: repentance, sacrifice of our desires, caring for others, studying Scripture to know Him more, worship, and prayer. Loving our neighbor as ourselves calls us to show mercy, compassion, love, forgiveness, and generosity to others. Does Lent fit into any of that? For many Christians, the answer is yes.
Technically, the Bible doesn’t tell us that we need to observe the 40 days before we celebrate Easter in a particular way. But if we look at Jesus’ commands, we can understand the value of Lent. We can see that loving God means putting special emphasis on meditating on His plan of redemption through Jesus (Lenten prayers, confession). We can see the value of sacrificing something that takes our attention away from the Lord, especially before we celebrate His resurrection. As we consider how we can love our neighbor, we may also consider helping to meet their needs (almsgiving). Whether we go through all of the rites and rituals of Lent, we can still journey with Jesus to the cross, carrying our own cross, lay it at His feet, and celebrate His suffering and sacrifice on our behalf.
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Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).