Authentic Christ-Centered Worship, Study, and Sometimes Just Plain Silliness!

The Quarantine of Lent

by The LCMS Commission on Worship During the first decade of the American space program, it was common to quarantine the astronauts upon their return to earth. The reason was simple: no one wanted to risk an unnecessary contamination. It was because of such fears that entire ships used to be quarantined. The last things people on shore wanted was for some highly contagious disease to spread to the general population. Given our familiarity with the word “quarantine,” it might come as a surprise to learn that the first definition given in most dictionaries is that a quarantine is a period of forty days. Even more intriguing is the fact that in the early centuries of the church, the forty-day period before Easter - now known as Lent - was called a quarantine. Would there be any benefit to incorporate the concept of a quarantine into our Lenten observance?

The Disease: Sin

In the Augsburg Confession, original sin is described as a disease. Indeed, there is no more widespread disease in the whole world. Sin permeates not only the world around us but also our lives and our very being. Some people believe that they can avoid, or at least lessen, the contagion impossible to avoid the effects of sin and evil. We are all infected; the disease is terminal.

The Cure: Jesus

“God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son” (John 3:16). These familiar words say it well. God in his boundless mercy gave His dearest treasure that we might have life. Though sin and evil will plague us until our dying breath, we know that on account of Christ our sins is not held against us. We are forgiven and free.

The Renewal of Lent

The season of Lent is a very special time for God’s people. As we prepare for Holy Week and Easter, we’re reminded of the great cost of God’s gift of life. But Lent was never intended to be a 40-day Good Friday. While the suffering and death of Jesus are certainly in our thoughts during the days of Lent, there’s another them that has shaped the observance of Lent through the years. It’s the theme of renewal. In the early centuries of the Church’s history, the weeks before Easter were a special time for the preparation and formation of new converts who were to be baptized at the Easter Vigil. For those already in the Church, it was a time for renewal. And so it can be for us. As our sin is diagnosed by God’s Law, there’s no need to set up a quarantine. Rather, we rejoice in the free gift of God that is in Christ Jesus. Renewed by His gift of life, we joyfully live out our daily calling, thus serving our neighbor and letting the light of Christ shine through us. This article was originally prepared by the LCMS Commission on Worship. Used by permission.
A congregation of the Wyoming District of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod serving the students of the University of Wyoming & The Wyoming Technical Institute