An Invitation to Holy Lent

Lent is a sacred season of 40 days (excluding Sundays), leading us toward the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter. It is a time for renewal, reflection, and preparation, modeled after Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Christians throughout history have observed this season with prayer, fasting, and repentance, using this season to draw closer to God.

WHY NOW?

There’s a deep need in our time to build the spiritual fortitude to withstand the pressures of our modern life. We live in a world where there is a constant pressure to do more, consume more, buy more and be more. Our technology, political environment, and media voices are constantly fighting for our attention—exacerbating our fears and making us more reactive than reflective. These forces can distract us and distort our ability to love, listen, and discern truth.

Lent offers us a different way. It is an invitation to, with faith, pause and place our entire attention before the only One who can carry our burdens. In Lent, God gives us an opportunity to pause, strip away distractions and sit in his presence. In doing so, he empowers us to be people not shaped by fear or rage, but those who bring healing, peace, and transformation to a broken world.


How to Engage in Lent with Our Church

(adapted from Ashley Tumlin Wallace)

From Wednesday, March 5th through Saturday, April 19th, 2025, we invite our church family to enter into this season of praying, fasting and serving together. 

Prayer turns our hearts toward God, fasting refines our dependence on him, and serving turns our hearts outward to others. Together, these three disciplines prepare us to fully enter the mystery and joy of Easter.

This is not about religious obligation but an opportunity for spiritual renewal. We fast not to earn God’s favor but to invite God to realign our hearts with his will. As we journey through Lent together, may this be a time of renewal, transformation, and deeper intimacy with Jesus.

In preparation, we encourage each person to seek the Lord and discern how they should fast.

Pray

Lent is a time to deepen our prayer lives—inviting God into our struggles, seeking his guidance, and opening our hearts to his transforming grace. Through prayer, we draw near to God, bring our petitions before him and trust that he will meet us in our time of need. Jesus withdrew to pray, modeling for us the importance of stepping away from distractions and seeking God. Prayer is an action—bringing our needs before God while also making space to hear his voice.

Ways to engage in prayer during Lent:

  • Try a variety of prayer practices – Each Monday, we will send you a prayer guide that includes different ways to practice prayer. Our goal is to join in prayer for our spiritual health, the vitality of our church and the amplification of the gospel in our city.

  • Attend church services – Join Ash wednesday gatherings, weekly prayer meetings or commit to attend every Sunday service.

  • Pray for others – Intercede for those in need, the suffering, and the lost.

Weekly Prayer Guides:

Week One 3/10

Week Two 3/17

Week Three 3/24

Fast

Fasting is an act of humility and dependence on God. It shifts our focus from physical sustenance to spiritual nourishment, reminding us of our deep need for him. The key is to replace what you fast from with time spent in prayer, worship, and Scripture. As we fast, we declare that Jesus alone is our true source of life and satisfaction.

“Fasting is not about us earning God’s forgiveness; it is about
reminding ourselves through our fasting of our radical dependence on God.”
— Esau McCaulley

Ways to fast during Lent:

  • Food – Abstain from a meal each day, one day a week, or specific foods like sweets, coffee, or meat.

  • Distractions – Step away from social media, excessive screen time, or entertainment.

  • Consumption – Simplify your lifestyle by limiting unnecessary spending or habits.

Serve

Lent is not just about personal sacrifice—it is also about loving others in tangible ways. True fasting, as Isaiah 58 reminds us, involves acts of justice, generosity, and compassion:

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chains of injustice

and untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free

and break every yoke…

to share your food with the hungry

and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter?”

—Isaiah 58:6–7

Ways to serve during Lent:

  • Join church service opportunities – Participate in upcoming outreach efforts.

  • Engage in community service – Support local organizations and ministries.

  • Practice everyday kindness – Reflect Christ’s love in simple, daily actions.