Individual Lutheran churches vary on weather most members decide to give up a certain pleasurable food - candy, soda pop, etc.

Lent is the 40 day period that precedes Easter. Some churches practice the imposition of ashes, where the Pastor applies ashes to the forehead of congregants.ģ. Most observant Lutherans do attend church on Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent.

Celebrations differ widely from congregation to congregation.Ģ. Feasting is the central theme, because it is the day before the denial involved in Lent.įat Tuesday (I'll use that term because you have) in NOT an official holy day of the church. There may be music and merrymaking - skits, costumes and games. In Lutheran churches in the North, it is sometimes called Shrove tuesday, pancake turesday or Fassnact (in churches with a Germanic heritage) Pancakes and doughnuts as well as other pastries figure promenatly at these festivities.Īt any of these celebrations, congregants eat delicious and fattening foods and enjoy friendly fellowship. Depending on the culture of the church, it can be called Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras in French. (Lent begins on Ash Wednesday) This is a time of celebration and not fasting. Fat Tuesday is the day before Lent begins. Lent is observed the same in both branches of the Lutheran Church.ġ. I am Lutheran, (ELCA) although we attended an LCMS church for about five years. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”įat Tuesday is totally an individual adiaphora, where if anyone claims that we must fast in order to receive forgiveness, then they are wrong due to being work-righteous. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.

This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. It is during this time that we see the God's wrath poured out onto Christ as the substitute for our sins and as we realize how wretched sinners we are. My question is, exactly what is one supposed to do during Lent and Fat Tuesday?ĭepending on what Lutheran denomination you're apart of, the WELS and ELS focus about Lent is we meditate on the suffering that Jesus endured prior to and at Calvary. I did happen to ask someone at church about Lent, and the research I've done talks mostly about fasting, or giving up something like bread, carbs, nicotine, etc., but the lady at church told me it was an old custom and people don't do much of that anymore. I haven't heard anyone mention Fat Tuesday and Lent wasn't talked about. I understand Ash Wednesday I think, as the pastor talked a little about it at church yesterday. Being a new Lutheran, this is going to be my first Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week.being raised in a Baptist church, Easter was celebrated but that's it.

Lcms imposition of ashes disagreement