Lent At The City
18 February, Ash Wednesday to
02 April, Holy Thursday
What is Lent?
Lent is a significant season in the Christian liturgical calendar, observed over forty days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, leading up to Resurrection Sunday (excluding Sundays). The word “Lent” comes from the Latin quadragesima, meaning “fortieth.”
Throughout Scripture, the number forty symbolizes preparation, testing, divine revelation, and God’s supernatural provision – seen in events like Noah’s forty days of rain, Israel’s forty years in the wilderness, and Jesus’ forty days of fasting in the desert. In the same way, Lent invites us into a season of reflection, repentance, and renewal as we journey with Jesus through His life, suffering, death, burial, and ultimate resurrection.
Though not a biblical requirement, observing Lent allows us to enter more deeply into the story of Jesus and His work on the cross. Rooted in both Scripture and church tradition, Lent is a sacred opportunity to cultivate a renewed vision of Christ’s love, a greater awareness of our need for Him, and a more faithful witness of Him in our world.
When we embrace Lent as a time of intentional spiritual rhythms – both personally and in community – we open ourselves to God’s transformative work, shaping us more fully into His likeness.
Why Observe Lent?
Lent at The City
2026
The spiritual practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are not just for Lent but are foundational to a life of faith. However, in this season, we emphasize them in a way that unites us with Christians across generations and around the world, with the goal of cultivating them not just for seasonal observance but lifelong formation in the way of Jesus.
Prayer – Drawing near to God in personal and communal worship, confession, and intercession.
Fasting – Surrendering comforts to make space for deeper dependence on God.
Almsgiving – Practicing generosity by caring for those in need with Christlike love.
May this season of Lent lead us into a deeper love for Jesus, a clearer vision of His Kingdom, and a life that reflects His grace to the world.
Read further below to find out how you can join the community and experience the richness of the season!
Prayer
Time with God is critical for creating opportunities for reflection and prayer. In solitude and quiet, you can attend to God’s voice, examine areas of disordered desires, confess and repent from sins, and so grow in intimacy with the Father. We invite you to personal and communal rhythms of prayer in these ways:
(1) Set time apart in your week to pray and reflect along weekly themes and prayer points that follow our Lent daily devotionals: Click here for the Lent Guide!
(2) Join our Thursday Seek First Prayer gatherings where we gather to pray corporately. Find out more here.
Fasting
Biblical fasting is a willing abstinence from food (sometimes even water) for a period of time for a spiritual purpose. Regular fasting should be part of a normal Christian lifestyle, as a practice that breaks the power of disordered desires and strengthens our Godward affections.
We desire to steward all that God stirred in our community over the weeks of our Vision Series by keeping ourselves in a posture of spiritual hunger and seeking. This Lent 2025, we call our community to:
(1) A communal fast from 7:00am to 7:00pm on Friday each week of Lent leading to Easter. Find our more about how to go about fasting here.
(2) Embark on a 4-week exploration and deepening of the practice of fasting through The Fasting Practice Course by Practicing The Way on your own or in your LifeGroup during this season of Lent.
Almsgiving
Giving is a powerful practice in this season. While we seek God and draw close to Him, He invites us to focus less on ourselves, confront our selfish ways, give to those in need, and live simply and justly. Our prayer is that God would further guide us as a community in calling through being united in mission. We call all to participate in these opportunities of mission:
(1) Gracehaven BFF Programme:
Serve the families under our care with meals, supplies or time out with them especially during the Chinese New Year and Ramadan + Hari Raya period.
Join BFF Gives online community to help and donate to families who are in need of support and assistance! Requests will be sent via Whatsapp announcements and volunteers can choose which requests they want to fulfil. Join the chatgroup now!
(2) Other Ways To Give:
Explore giving.sg for more serving and giving opportunities!
