Gospel.com Blog

What’s the longest, most difficult time of year for youth ministry? We’re right in the middle of it—the “dead zone” between Christmas and summer, when youth leaders around the world struggle to inspire kids who are either still coming down off the holiday rush, or are just looking forward to spring and summer.

An article by Steve Argue and Dave Livermore over at Intersect challenges us not to let these long, slow months slip past us on the way to summer:

Ironically, in the Christian calendar, this is the time of the year when everything heats up. It’s called Lent and Easter. These days are the deepest, most significant, central part of our Christian existence. Lent and Easter are part of a greater rhythm called the Christian calendar that anchors us in a rich heritage of faith that has been the spiritual metronome of faith communities for hundreds of years….

Lent isn’t something that can just be squeezed in. Our youth ministry schedules won’t allow for adding one more thing. But what if we let Lent shape our existing activities this season?

They close the article with some practical ideas for doing just that. Worth reading, particularly if your youth ministry feels stuck in the doldrums at this time of year.

Today is a special day for Christians, although you won’t find greeting cards or gifts marking the occasion: it’s Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season of Lent. Throughout Lent, many Christians choose to prepare themselves (through prayer, repentance, and reflection) to celebrate Easter, the commemoration of Christ’s resurrection.

Lent is a quieter event than most other holidays—it calls us to personal reflection rather than to outward celebration. You may have seen people walking around with an ash mark on their foreheads today—many Christians choose to mark Ash Wednesday with a cross-shaped mark of ash. For some people, Lent is also a time of self-denial, in which they choose to give up something (anything from a certain type of food to a personal habit) as a way to help them focus on the meaning of the season.

However you decide to commemorate Ash Wednesday and Lent, here are a few resources to help you get into the spirit of the season:

• Ash Wednesday, “spring cleaning for the soul”—why is Ash Wednesday important, and what does it really mean? Why do we hear so little of it from most Christian churches?
• An explanation of the significance of Lent, for those who aren’t clear on what it stands for.
• Lent is for losers—a short reflection explaining why Lent is a holiday especially for the broken and burdened.
• Lent is a time when many Christians choose to “live with less,” through fasting or some other form of self-denial. But have you thought about living this way all throughout the year?
• A Lent reflection from the AlreadyNotYet blog.
• Thinking of giving up something for Lent? How about TV or regular personal habit? It’s not all deadly serious—James Watkins has a humorous account of what he’s giving up for Lent.

It seems inappropriate, given the nature of Lent, to wish you a happy Lent. But may you have a reflective and prayerful Ash Wednesday, Lent, and Easter!