Lent is a tradition observed by many Christian denominations including Protestants and Roman Catholics. It is a 40-day personal time of prayer, fasting, and giving to experience a deepening of our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and discern where God is working in our lives. It begins on Ash Wednesday and spans the course of 40 days leading up to Resurrection Sunday.

However, it is never too late to join us - register today!

Lent is open to all ages.

Yes, we ask that everyone, please click here to register . Registering will enable you to receive daily scriptures and prayer to your inbox and keep up to date with all of the Lent experiences.

Lent begins this year on Wednesday, February 14th, 2024 (Ash Wednesday), and ends on Sunday, March 31st, 2024 (Easter/Resurrection Sunday).

*Lent is an old English word meaning 'lengthen.' The season of Lent is observed in spring when the days begin to get longer. The Passover event in the book of Exodus, and the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, all occurred during the beginning of spring.

The last week of Lent is called Holy Week.

We live with very hectic life schedules. Join us as soon as you can or when you can!

Christian Cultural Center’s Lent Experience begins with our Tuesday Night Bible Studies on February 13th at 7:30 PM EST.

We won’t be streaming the Brooklyn Campus bible study.

Instead, we invite our Online and Orlando campus to join via Zoom.

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.

When: Feb 13, 2024 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Season of Lent. Most Christians observe this day and Good Friday as two of the most important days for fasting. Many churches hold special services to mark the beginning of Lent on this day.

Ash Wednesday is based on the Biblical example of covering one's head with ashes, wearing sackcloth and fasting as an outward expression of:

Mourning for our personal sins and the sins of the world around us.

Turning away from comfort and leisure to seek God.

Mortality and the need for grace. After all, God made humans from the dust of the world, and when we die, we return to dust and ashes. Ashes are often placed on the forehead in the sign of the cross as a reminder of Christ's atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Consider some of these verses as examples: (See Joel 2:12 NLT, James 4:8-9 NLT, Jonah 3:5-8 NLT, Isaiah 22:12 NLT, 1 Kings 8:47-49 NLT. )

This act of putting ashes on the forehead symbolizes mortality as well as the need for ongoing repentance (See Proverbs 28:13 NLT, Acts 2:38 NLT, Acts 3:19 NLT, Acts 17:30 NLT, Isaiah 55:6-7 NLT). It is a reminder that our life on earth is short and merely a foreshadowing of what we shall become through the redemption of Jesus Christ on the cross. The redemption process is complete when we are raised from the dead in our resurrected bodies and join in the eternal communion with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The ashes used during Ash Wednesday normally are made from blessed palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday. The ashes are sprinkled with Holy Water and incensed before distribution.

We will not host a special Ash Wednesday service this year, but you are invited to join us on Tuesday Night’s starting on February 13th, at 7:30 PM for our Lent Bible Studies.

Shrove Tuesday (might also be called Preparation Tuesday) is the day before Ash Wednesday. Originally it was a day of repentance to prepare the soul for the season of Lent. Shrove comes from the ritual of shriving or confessing sins and receiving forgiveness. Over time this Holy Day would become synonymous with everything from Pancake Day to Mardi Gras.

When the Lent Season began over a thousand years ago, Christians did not have refrigerators or storage spaces. They could not just hope that the meat, fats, eggs, etc. would not spoil since these were restricted foods during Lent. In addition to the church services, Christians came together for a feast. Mardi Gras, which means "Fat Tuesday," refers to the need to make sure none of the fats were wasted. This was accomplished by what is known as Pancake Day/Shrove Tuesday, where all the eggs, fats, and milk in the home were used in a pancake and consumed on Shrove (Preparation) Tuesday. This was a way to rid the home of these restricted foods before Lent began.

• Be Honest. This is a time for self-examination with a focus on grace. Through prayer and in the company of encouraging believers, take the time to be honest with yourself. However, don't let self-examination lead you into condemnation! Remember the promises of Scripture that says you belong to Christ and nothing can separate you from his great love! (See 1 John 4:19 NLT, John 10:28-30 NLT, Ephesians 3: 18-19 NLT, Ephesians 1:4 NLT)

• Be Compassionate. When was the last time you served someone and did not expect anything in return? Service is a spiritual discipline, and Lent is a great time to activate your ambassadorship ! We encourage you to be wise in how you serve your family and community this year in light of the ongoing pandemic.

• Spread Love. Make this a season to reach out to your family, friends, and neighbors in special and creative ways.

• Fast to Feast: The central spiritual practice of Lent is fasting from food. We do this to feast on God's presence, power, and provision. Fasting helps us to remember the gift of love, liberty, and eternal life given to us through Christ our Lord.

Fasting traditionally begins with Ash Wednesday.

Decide for yourself (see some suggestions below) how you can intentionally seek the face of God and apply your faith with us over the next 40 days.

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Fasting, like all spiritual disciplines, is a means to an end. All spiritual disciplines are meant to be habits that lift the soul, making space for God to speak to our hearts.

Fasting is simply denying yourself food to eat for a period of time. Although it is popular for someone to say, "I'm going to fast from social media," that is not a fast. Fasting is always connected to self-denial as it relates to food. I can enter into a season of withdrawing from social media or television as a practice of self-denial, but that is not truly fasting.

Fasting is not only about self-denial connected to food. Fasting is about feasting on God's presence, promises, and power. In other words, "we fast in order to feast!" Fasting during Lent is not just about giving up food, but giving up the sins that break God's heart, ruin our potential, and hurt others.

Fasting is a spiritual discipline that recalibrates the compass of our heart. It is an opportunity to make sure our spiritual GPS is full of the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures!

To read more about fasting and to make sure you are fully prepared check, out these free online resources.

Over the past several years, the CCC community has observed Holy Week starting with Palm Sunday through Good Friday committing to fasting. This meant that for those who were able and cleared by a physician eating only meal per day and drinking water only. The Fast concluded with Holy Communion on Good Friday.

CCC is not observing our traditional week of corporate fasting with one meal a day. The 40 days of Lent is a time to turn down outside noises and distractions that keep us from spending time in the Word and growing deeper in our relationship with our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

Monday through Saturday are the days of fasting. Sunday is never a day of fasting, but a day of celebration of the risen Lord Jesus Christ!

• If you are fasting, please check with your physician. Make sure you are cleared with a physician, especially if you are on medication or have other health challenges. Remember, God looks at your heart. You can fast within the current limitations that you live with by faith, knowing that God is looking at your heart and understands your condition.

• There are lots of scriptures on fasting. Before you begin your fast, read and meditate on Matthew chapter 6 and Isaiah chapter 58.

• Remember that Sundays during Lent is not a fast day. BUT it is not a day for self-indulgent gluttony either or trying to make up for what you didn't do during the week.

• Fasting websites, guides here.

• Remember, the point of any fast, especially during Lent, is not to just give up food but to give up sins that break God's heart and ruin our potential.

The following examples are options for you to consider:

• Fast from all red meat, poultry, and eggs.

• Fast from all sweets, including bread products.

• Each fast day, limit yourself to only two small meals for yourself and one standard meal. Make sure to drink water to stay hydrated.

• Choose a day between Monday through Saturday to eat only one meal and drink only water.

• There are other ways to fast from food, but remember the goal is to make space to seek God through prayer, study and giving.

Fast to Give

• Use the money you would normally spend eating out toward a church or charity.

• Consider how you can make active community service a part of your lifestyle for the month.

Fast to Feast

• Learn together with others through worship, prayer, and bible study.

• Limit social media interaction or even television in order to pray and worship.

• Reconnect with family and friends.

2024 is the year of courage. Courage means bringing your mind, will, and emotions in alignment with the task at hand. Corporate prayer and reading is part of the Lent tradition and this year we will be using Courageous Sacrifice: A Lent Devotional.

You can purchase Courageous Sacrifice: A Lent Sacrifice, at CCC’s Cornerstone Book & Gift Shop on the Brooklyn Campus or at our eshop by clicking here: https://eshop.cccinfo.org/.

The week leading up to Resurrection Sunday is called Holy Week. Beginning with Palm Sunday, we remember the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, His death and burial.

Palm Sunday (Sunday, March 24th, 2024)

This is the Sunday before Resurrection Sunday. Palm Sunday marks the first day of Holy Week, and we remember Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem during the Passover week. Palm branches are used as a symbolic reminder of the crowds that greeted Jesus and of the victory we have because of His grace. (Matthew 21:1-11 NLT )

Maundy Thursday (March 28th, 2024)

This is the Thursday before Resurrection Sunday. The word "Maundy" is derived from the Latin word for "command (mandate)." On this night, our Lord commanded that His disciples love one another as He washed their feet (John 13:1-17 NLT ). We remember the last Passover meal our Lord shared with His disciples, where He instituted the Holy Communion (also called the Eucharist or the Lord's supper).

Good Friday (March 29th, 2024)

• Good Friday Sunrise Service: 6:00 AM

• Good Friday Evening Service: 8:00 PM

Good Friday is the Friday before Resurrection Sunday. Christians remember the final hours of Christ, His suffering, and His death on the cross. This is a day of worship and reflection on the meaning and significance of Christ's suffering and death. Many churches begin with a Sunrise Service and conclude with evening services that can include a meditation on the seven last sayings of Christ on the cross.

Holy Saturday (March 30th, 2024)

Holy Saturday is the day before Resurrection Sunday. It is known by a number of other names including the Great Sabbath, Easter Eve or Saturday of Light.

• Holy Saturday remembers the burial of Christ's body in the tomb.

• Christians remember that Jesus declared "it is finished" and that God rested on the Sabbath Day from all his work in Genesis.

• Christians wait together to celebrate Resurrection Sunday, the day of new creation and new beginnings. As God declared in Genesis on the first day of the week, "Let there be light," so too God raised Jesus, the light of the world, from the dead and started a brand-new order that will culminate in His second coming.

• Christians, remember that we are waiting for the ultimate new day when Christ returns again.

At Christian Cultural Center, Easter is better known as Resurrection Sunday. The Easter season, starting with Lent, is really the Christian Passover. Resurrection Sunday (Easter) is a celebration of the great saving event of the death and resurrection of Jesus for the salvation of the world. This is the most important Holy Day of the Christian year

The origin of the word Easter is often debated (hence our preference to Resurrection Sunday). The word Easter is often associated with the Teutonic goddess of spring, however, the word is probably a plural form for the month of April in the old Germanic language.

However, Christians originally celebrated Resurrection Sunday under the name Pascha. Pascha is the Greek transliteration of the Aramaic word, Pascha, and the Hebrew, Pesach, both meaning Passover! Why? Because Christ Jesus is our Passover Lamb dying for our sins and delivering us from spiritual darkness!

Lent originated as a time to prepare for Resurrection Sunday. From the earliest days, Christians not only celebrated the resurrection every Sunday (the first day of the Jewish week, and the day of Christ's resurrection) but also a special celebration on the Sunday after Passover.

Even though Christians are admonished to always examine their lives, it is wise as a community of believers to take a corporate spiritual exam. Lent is a time for us to make course corrections and recalibrate our hearts towards the centrality and supremacy of Christ Jesus.

No one should feel compelled to observe Lent. We invite you to join us if you are able to enter this time of prayer, fasting, and giving. We don't have to earn God's love, but we are called to surrender to His leading daily. Lent is one of the ways that we, as a community, "Work hard to show the results of our salvation” and "obey God with deep reverence and fear" (Philippians 2:12 NLT). We believe that through Lent, God is working in us, giving us the desire and the power to do what pleases him (Philippians 2:13 NLT).

Yes! Why?

First, practicing the spiritual disciplines as a community is wise. An athlete stays in shape all year round, but there is a time for special training. Lent is special training.

Second, Lent unites us with our Christian history and other Christians of different faith expressions.

Third, Lent is a season of time and life management based on the revelation of God in Christ according to the Scriptures.

Lent is actually more than 40 days, but Sundays are never included as a day of fasting.

Why? Sundays are never a day to fast but a day of worship, celebration, and fellowship with other Christians. Sunday is the Lord's Day - the day of resurrection - all through the year! So during Lent, the Lord's Day is listed as a "Sunday in Lent," not a "Sunday of Lent." The other days are for fasting - Sunday is for celebration!

Although Lent is not explicitly mandated in the Scriptures, it is a biblically inspired Holy Season.

How so?

First, Lent recalls the events leading up to and including Jesus' death on the cross.

Next, let's consider the application of the number 40. 40 is a symbolic number in the scriptures.

• The flood sent by God was brought about by 40 days and nights of rain.

• Israel spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness before reaching the promised land of Canaan.

• Moses fasted for 40 days before receiving the Ten Commandments.

• Jesus was tested for 40 days in the wilderness before beginning his ministry.

Finally, it is always biblical to examine ourselves and celebrate the glory of God. We don't need special holidays to do this, but God provided holidays to the nation of Israel to remember their calling. Christians choose to imitate this biblical pattern of Holy Days unto the Lord.

Recommended readings for Lent:

Courageous Sacrifice: A Lent Devotional by the Christian Cultural Center

Battle Rhythm by Pastor Jamaal Bernard

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

Experiencing God Through Prayer by Jeanne Guyon

Take Words With You by Tim Kerr

Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence

Moments & Days by Michelle Van Loon