Everyday we prepare ourselves for something. Presentations, lesson plans, performance
reviews, papers, weekend trips and financial planning all takes
preparation. At this time every year,
millions of Christians are in a time of preparation. For some, it is the season of Lent, for
others, it is a sometimes unnamed time of fasting, prayer and reflection not so
coincidentally culminating with Holy Week and ultimately Easter Sunday, the
celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus.
Preparation, by definition is preparing for someone or
some event in the future. In the early
church, before the season of Lent (meaning Spring) was instituted by the
church, this time prior to Easter was a significant time of preparation. Interestingly over the centuries what
believers were preparing for has changed.
In the first few centuries, this time of preparation
included both the believers and the new believes called catechumens. Catechumens had made a profession of faith in
Jesus Christ but were going through a year of preparation that culminated right
around Easter when the church initiated all of these new members into the
church through Baptism. Baptism was a
huge annual celebration and many churches built large baptismal with stairs
leading into and out of the baptismal.
Both the catechumens and the baptized members of the church fasted and
prayed in preparation for this time of initiation. Both to be closer to God and for the power of
the Holy Spirit to accompany the event.
By the fifth century, the preparation was no longer about
Baptism as infants were baptized soon after birth. The time was to prepare to receive communion. Communion, or the Lord
Supper by that time was shared weekly by the clergy but only celebrated at a distance by
the rest of the Church. The term “Easter
Duty” refers to the requirement of the faithful to receive communion on an
annual basis and the medieval church prepared themselves through fasting and
prayer during this time, by then called “lent”.
By the 20th century this time of preparation was the time
that proceeded Easter. For evangelicals, it was an opportunity to pray and fast culminating in what has become the holiest week in the year. In the Roman
Catholic Church, children were now receiving communion along with adults on a
weekly basis. Communion became the
centerpiece of every worship service in the Roman Catholic Church and the
previously annual 40 day period of self reflection and examination became
40-days-of-giving-something up and meatless-Fridays that still culminated with
the celebration of Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Fasting and prayer as preparation of the eternal truths
of Christ’s resurrection and our redemption should be an integral component in
every believers’ life. Jesus not only
gives us eternal life but a life that is abundant, full and purposeful. Don’t miss the time of preparation regardless
of what you call it or how long you chose to fast and pray.
