For much of Christendom, Lent is viewed as a 40-day season that begins approximately 40 days prior to Jesus’ passion. In other words, it’s the 40 days (excluding Sundays) prior to Passover/Holy Thursday, 2 April 2026, and Easter week.

The 40-day stretch usually involves prayer, fasting, reflection, self-denial, sacrificial giving, and reminders of and connections to Jesus’ 40 days in the desert as recorded in Scripture (see Matthew 4, e.g.).

As a Protestant, we too can benefit from being mindful of this Lenten season in the Christian calendar. We do not necessarily have to have ashes applied to our foreheads to be reminded of our mortality. Nor do we have to make public our private fasting. Nor do we have to forgo desserts, chocolates, or other sweets, etc.

• A goal associated with this season is that of Christian mindfulness of the One who overcame mortality for all who are found in Christ.
• Another goal is to connect us to God in Christ, who lived and dwelled among us in space-time history, and who himself fasted and prayed.
• Another goal is to bolster our Christian faith in the One who conquered Satan and all the powers of hell for the sake of his people.

Whether or not you choose to make a public display of ahes upon your forehead is up to you, but surely all of us who are in Christ can agree on those three goals associated with this tradition in the history of Christ’s church.