Lent, the 40-day period of preparation prior to the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday, should be viewed as an essential "spring training" for Christians as they prepare themselves for the Easter season, said Dr. Donald Sweeting.
Sweeting is chancellor of Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, Colorado.
"Christians measure time, not primarily by Hallmark dates, sports calendars or pagan markers — but by Jesus Christ," Sweeting told Fox News Digital via email.
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Jesus, said Sweeting, is "the reference point for all time" in Scripture.
"Following the example of ancient Israel, Christians believe that time is moving toward His appointed end and that God has intervened in historical events of judgment and deliverance," he said.
While the Jewish calendar of biblical feasts was established in the Old Testament, "the New Testament does not set forth a Christian calendar per se," said Sweeting.
He continued, "But it does remind us to sanctify our thinking about time, to always keep thinking of time in reference to Him. The Bible ends with reminders that God and his Christ are the Alpha and Omega."
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In the years after the New Testament, "the church developed its own calendar of holy days and seasons — Easter and Christmas being the primary ones, with each preceded by a season of spiritual preparation," said Sweeting.
Lent, he explained, "is an inheritance from the early church."
He said that "countless generations" have found it "to be immensely beneficial."
"Like many of the Bible’s special 40-day seasons (Noah, Israel, Jonah), especially Jesus’ own 40-day trial in the wilderness, Lent reminds us of our union with Christ in baptism and through his death and resurrection," said Sweeting.
Lent, as long as it is "not trivialized, or used superstitiously or legalistically," serves to "promote repentance and faithful discipleship," he said.
"Lent calls for Christ followers to re-examine their hearts, reorder their loves, and renew their minds," Sweeting added.
And while self-examination and self-denial should be practiced throughout the year, "in the cycle of every year, we all need an intentional season of renewal," he said.
Sweeting continued, "The beginning of baseball season (which surprisingly often coincides with Easter), is necessarily preceded by spring training. Perhaps that’s a good analogy."
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Lent, he said, "is like spring training for Christians" — and works by "helping us immensely in the coming season."
"And it keeps pointing to the One who claimed to be the first and the last, the beginning and the end, not just of our own personal season, but of time itself," said Sweeting.
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