Dear Members and Friends of NCCS,
Grace and peace to you and your families from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are in the season of Lent, a forty day journey (excluding Sundays) that began on Ash Wednesday and leads us to the joy of Easter. The days of Lent invite us to slow our pace, to quiet our hearts, and to walk more intentionally with the Lord.
From the earliest days of the Church, Lent has been a season of soul searching and repentance. It was a time when believers renewed their devotion to Christ and when new disciples prepared their hearts for baptism at Easter. Even today, this season gently calls us back to remember who we are, whose we are, and where our true hope lies.
On Ash Wednesday (18 Feb), many Christians received the imposition of ashes on their foreheads. As the words of Genesis 3:19 are spoken, “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return”, we are reminded of our human frailty and finiteness. This is not meant to discourage us, but to ground us in humility. The ashes also echo the Old Testament practice of covering oneself with ashes as an outward sign of inward repentance and mourning. They help us acknowledge our need for God’s mercy and turn our hearts back to Him.
The rhythm of Lent often includes fasting or abstaining from certain comforts and familiar patterns of living. When we put aside what usually fills our days, space is created for deeper reflection. In that space, what lies hidden in the heart, our disordered desires, our unkind words, our neglected responsibilities, may come to light. Though this can feel uncomfortable, it is a grace from God. For when our sin is brought into the light, it can be laid honestly before our gracious God.
Lent, then, is not a season of gloom and judgment, but of grace. It is a warm and gracious invitation from the LORD to repentance, to renewal, and to deeper communion with Christ. As we confess our sins, we also receive anew the assurance of God’s forgiveness and the transforming grace that enables us to live differently and grow in Christlikeness.
May this Lenten journey draw each of us closer to God, preparing us to rejoice more fully in the hope and victory of Easter.
Archbishop Dr Titus Chung
Vice-President
National Council of Churches of Singapore