In “A Handbook for the Discipline of Lent” the Lutheran author, The Rev. Thomas L. Weitzel, tells us the word “Lent” comes from the old English word “lencten”, meaning “lengthen”, referring to the lengthening of days in the northern hemisphere towards the spring equinox. In the southern hemisphere it is our period leading to autumn, so we need to remember that Israel, where the first Easter occurred, is in the northern hemisphere. The season of Lent is derived from the ancient Church’s period of preparation for those who were to ...

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