WHAT IS LENT?
The season of Lent is a time where we prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of Easter. It is usually a time of self-examination and reflection through prayer, fasting and meditation of the Word. It lasts for 40 days (excluding Sundays), representing the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry.
WHY OBSERVE LENT?
It is an opportunity for us to go deeper in God, as we intentionally set aside a season to remember the love of God that is poured out through Christ Jesus on the cross in His death; and His defeat of death, sin and Satan in Christ’s death and resurrection that brings Eternal Life to all of us.
HOW TO OBSERVE LENT?
Some of the spiritual practices embraced in this season are prayer, fasting (abstaining from something to reduce distractions and focus more on God) and giving (or charity).
PRAYER
Our prayer focus could include repentance (turning away from our sins), our need for God’s forgiveness, receiving His mercy and love, and growing deeper in Him.
FASTING
The idea of fasting is to give up something that’s a regular part of our lives, to “deny ourselves” (of personal pleasures/desires), and remind us of Jesus’ sacrifice; replacing that time to connect more with God. For example, giving up a meal, refraining a component of a meal like meat, taking a break from social media and video games.
GIVING
In response to God’s grace, generosity and love, we give to others through serving others or blessing those in need with money (money that we would normally use to buy something, for example, our morning coffee or monthly subscriptions).
In this Lent season of DUMC, we will be focusing on the practices of prayer and meditation on the Word of God. Our guided material will be from the devotional book provided by the TRAC Board of Worship & Music. We will only be providing the softcopy at this time. You can download it here.
We will be providing a weekly hour of guided meditation, prayer and reflection in hopes that it will open us to deepen our relationship with Christ. To those who would like assistance in connecting with God, especially if it is your first time observing Lent or if you live a hurried life and need help to slow down, do join us. ‘Quiet Rhythms’ will be conducted on Thursday nights at 8.15pm over Zoom, led by our in-house leaders involved in spiritual formation.
We have prepared The Way of Love, an adapted Stations of the Cross journey that invites us to reflect on the final hours of Jesus Christ’s life on earth. Through eight thoughtfully arranged stations, we hope this experience will help us remember what Christ endured and encounter His love revealed through suffering.
The stations are presented in a quiet, gallery-style setting to encourage prayerful reflection. To those who desire space to slow down, listen, and reflect during this season of Lent—especially if it is your first time experiencing the Stations of the Cross or if you long for a moment of stillness in the midst of a hurried life—we warmly invite you to walk this journey.
WHEN IS LENT?
This year, Lent begins on 18 Feb (Wednesday) till 4 Apr (Saturday).
18 Feb
|
Lent begins (Devotional Day 1 begins) |
3 Apr
|
Good Friday Reflection Service8.30pm – 9.45pm |
4 Apr
|
Holy Saturday ServiceNo Holy Communion (Lent ends – Devotional Day 40 ends) |
5 Apr
|
Easter Celebration ServiceHoly Communion |
