This is the invitation of Lent:

To examine our hearts.
To confront what shapes our reactions.
To sit longer in prayer than in commentary.
To fast not only from food, but from whatever in us hardens the heart – pride that places us above others, anger that overshadows mercy, and anything that diminishes our witness to Christ’s love.

Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness (Matthew 4:1). There, in hunger and testing, he entrusts himself to God.

What if this Lent we did the same?

Let us make space each day to be with God, even in the midst of busy lives.
Let us fast from noise so that we can hear the Spirit more clearly.
Let us practise generosity that stretches us.
Let us listen more carefully to those who feel wounded or unseen.
And let our turning back to God reshape how we pray, what we fast from, and how we live out Christ’s love in our congregations and the world.

Lent is not simply about what we relinquish. It is about surrendering ourselves to Christ – and becoming people who love as he loves.

You might “lend” differently this year.

You might join UnitingWorld’s Lenten invitation to stand with communities across our region who face poverty and climate injustice.

You might support Frontier Services and our bush chaplains, who quietly walk alongside isolated Australians carrying hardships many never see.

You might offer time, advocacy, hospitality or reconciliation in your own community.

Lent is not withdrawal from the world. It is deeper engagement – with Christ at the centre.

The Church does not exist to mirror the noise of the culture.

We exist to witness to another way – the way of Christ, marked by truth, humility, and courageous love.

As I reflect on this moment for our Church, I hold this hope:

In unsettled times, we are called to remain anchored in Christ.
When voices divide, we become a praying people.
When hearts grow weary or hardened, we keep mercy alive among us.
We do not turn away from injustice.
But neither do we surrender to fear.
We follow Jesus.

This season is not about spiritual performance. It is about transformation.

May this Lent shape us into a Church that looks more like Christ – courageous, humble and radiant with resurrection hope!

We do so in confidence, trusting that Christ rules and renews his Church by his Word and Spirit, and that the Spirit of Christ will lead us into all truth and forward in hope.

A Prayer for the Beginning of Lent

Holy God,
As we enter this Lenten season,
lead us with your Son into the wilderness –
the place of quiet, the place of testing,
the place where we learn again to trust you.
When the path feels uncertain, steady our steps.
When distractions crowd our hearts, call us back to yourself.
When we feel our weakness, remind us that we are your beloved.
Form in us a deeper hunger for your presence.
Teach us to depend on your Word.
Shape us through these forty days
so that our lives may reflect the grace of Christ.
Walk with us, Lord Jesus.
And bring us, in your time,
to the joy of resurrection hope and peace.
Amen.

(Prayer by President Rev Charissa Suli)