This Sunday is the beginning of “Gesima-tide”. If you’re not familiar with the church calendar, this one sounds like I’m having you on. It doesn’t even have a proper name. You won’t find it in modern C of E or Roman Catholic liturgies. But I promise you it’s real, and it’s great.

The name Gesima-tide comes from the names of the three Sundays that make up the period, Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima which reference the fact that it’s seventyish, sixtyish and fiftyish days until Lent.

Rather than being an independent season, Gesima-tide is basically the warm up for Lent. It’s there so that when Ash Wednesday comes around, you don’t have to go from nothing to full pelt in your discipline. The vibe isn’t quite penitential like Lent or Advent, but it is, as John Betjeman put it, a time to “ignore injustice, not give in, and practice stern self-discipline”. I sometimes call it a “semi-tential” season.

Anyone who takes a casual look at me will quickly discern that I haven’t warmed up for a real life sporting fixture in about 20 years, but as I remember it, there are two key parts:

On the one hand, there’s the team talk. This is where the coach takes you to one side and reminds you of the essential game plan. It’s there to make sure that when you take to the field, your head is in the right place.

In Gesima-tide the team talk is given by the collects and readings. Each one is designed to clear away a fatal misunderstanding that could ruin our Lent. On Septuagesima we remind ourselves that Lent is not about impressing God with our ascetic efforts. We come as sinners who deserve punishment and are seeking grace. On Sexagesima we remember that nothing we do – least of all our Lenten discipline – is able to earn that grace we need. On Quinquagesima we remember that all our fasting, praying and abstention is worthless – literally worthless – without love.

The other key part of a good warm up is the process of readying your body for action and getting your eye in. When I played rugby it was a time to practise handling drills and put in a few tackles to revive the muscle memory for the game. There’s nothing in the Prayer Book that corresponds to this, but can I suggest two ways you can make this part of your Gesima-tide?

First of all, take some time to examine your conscience. The last day before Ash Wednesday is sometimes called Shrove Tuesday – a reference to the tradition of going to confession at that time (‘to shrive’ is an old word meaning ‘to go to confession’). And of course, before you go to confession, you have to examine your conscience. Most evangelicals don’t practice confession in quite that way (Lutherans are an honourable exception to this) but I think there is real value in taking a good look at your heart beforehand. If Lent is about repentance, what particular things do you need to repent of? Do you have any besetting sins it might be good to give six weeks to wrestle with more intensely? Are there any resources that might help you think biblically about your struggles? There are two and a half weeks left for you to form a plan of attack.

Secondly, you might want to try out your Lenten discipline and see how it goes. If you’re planning on fasting, why not fast for a couple of days in the next fortnight so you know what to expect? If it’s more time in prayer, meditation, or journaling, give it a practice run and reflect on your experience. Do you need to make any adjustments? Are those lifestyle adjustments to make space for your discipline or do you need to adjust your expectations and choose a more realistic discipline?

Gesima-tide was removed from the calendar in the 1970s. But I think it still has masses to offer us as we get warmed up for Lent.