Why Lent May Be a Gift for Friends Churches
Many of us in Evangelical Friends circles did not grow up observing Lent.
We did not mark Ash Wednesday.
We did not follow the church calendar closely.
And often, we were cautious of anything that felt like ritual without reality.
That instinct comes from somewhere good.
The early Friends movement pushed back against empty religious performance. They rejected outward forms detached from inward transformation. They longed for a faith that was living, experiential, and responsive to the present voice of Christ.
But perhaps that raises a better question:
What if Lent, rightly understood, is not ritual for ritual’s sake — but a rhythm that strengthens the very heart of Quaker spirituality?