WHAT IS LENT?

Lent is 40 days of prayer, fasting, and contemplation beginning on Ash Wednesday leading up to Good Friday and Easter. Ash Wednesday is a day recognised by many Christian denominations as a day of repentance and confession. It is an opportunity to acknowledge our mortality, and every part of our lives Jesus died to redeem. That is the heart which then leads us into a season of intentional prayer and fasting. As a church, we will be engaging this lent season with three weekly opportunities to participate, and they will all be happening each Wednesday of lent:

Why FAST?

“Fasting helps us to express, to deepen, and to confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves, to attain the Kingdom of God.” - Andrew Murray

“The discipline of fasting can focus our prayers in the way that a magnifying glass can focus sunlight to start a fire.” - Pete Greig

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17, NIV)

Fasting is the act of choosing to abstain from food for a period of time. When we fast, we are practicing spiritual discipline by sacrificing one of our most essential daily routines. There is power in the absence of food as we hunger after the word and seek God with our mind, heart, body and spirit. There are several different ways that we can partner both prayer and fasting together.

WE INVITE YOU TO FAST SOMETHING EVERY WEDNESDAY OF LENT:
LIQUID FAST: Consuming only liquids for the day / one meal
PARTIAL FAST: Abstaining from specific kinds of food for the day / one meal
TV/SOCIAL MEDIA: Choosing to abstain from certain technologies for the day

Why PRAY?

Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. — Isaiah 59:1

“Prayer, properly understood and practiced, is the seed from which fruitfulness grows.”
― Tyler Staton

Prayer is this wonderful gift that from the moment we give our lives to Jesus we are invited into the beauty of communicating with God, the very creator of all things in heaven and on earth.

We can come to him in boldness lifting up our every word, need, and desire. Whether we find ourselves in the valley or rejoicing on the mountain top, God sees it all. Prayer is not our last resort, but our first response. There is nothing too grand or too insignificant to God. If you're worried, pray. If you're weary, pray. If you're wondering, pray. If you're waiting, pray. Seasons of life may change, but God always remains the same.