Lent 2026 - A Season of Listening - Epiphany Church of Gloucester City

Listening to God Through His Word

Each year at Epiphany, we join millions of followers of Jesus around the world in a practice called Lent. Just as we celebrate the Incarnation and the Advent— the arrival of our Lord—at Christmas, during Lent we prepare our hearts to remember and celebrate the death and resurrection of the Lord. One way we do this is through sacrifice.

In Matthew 16:24, Jesus says, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” This, of course, isn’t about a season but about a way of life. But why would we run from a specific opportunity to practice this alongside our brothers and sisters?

Some may give up social media, coffee, soda, beer, or TV. Others may give up breakfast and lunch each day, or just on Fridays. But whatever you give up, you can be sure of this: it is one of the paths Jesus assumes we will walk if we want to grow closer to Him and it will be unimaginably worth it. (Matthew 10:42)

This year, we are going to learn corporately to listen to God together through the ancient practice known as lectio divina. Lent is a 40 day season of fasting starting February 18th this year till Easter Sunday April 5th. If you count up those days, you’ll notice it’s a 46 day period, and here is why. We don’t fast on Sunday’s, because Sunday’s are our sabbath, and we remember and celebrate that there is NOTHING WE CAN DO, to earn our salvation, it is a gift from God. Nonetheless, we want to fast together, and invite you to join us Monday-Saturday because we want to dig the foundations of our faith deeper.

Origins of Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina (“sacred reading”) emerged in the early centuries of the Church as a way Christians learned to encounter God through Scripture, not merely study it. Rooted in Jewish prayerful reading practices and shaped within the monastic tradition, it was especially developed by the Desert Fathers and later articulated by figures like Origen, John Cassian, and St. Benedict. Scripture was not approached as information to master, but as a living word through which God personally addresses His people. Monastic communities practiced slow, attentive reading, silence, memorization, and prayer as a way of training the heart to recognize God’s voice through His Word.

The Gift of Listening Through God’s Word
Rooting our listening to God in Scripture protects us from confusion, projection, and spiritual noise. God’s voice never contradicts God’s Word — it forms it. When listening flows from Scripture, we learn to discern His voice with clarity, humility, and trust rather than impulse or emotion. The Word becomes the tuning fork of the soul, training our spiritual hearing so that our prayers are not just spoken to God, but shaped by God. In this way, listening becomes obedience and formation… a path of relationship, not a technique.

The temptation this year will be to look for more reading, more content, more things ‘to do’ and yet God has something for us in wrestling with the same passage all week and to sit in silence before Him. Let’s not rush on to more informationn when we haven’t let the simplicity of one truth truely re-shape our hearts.

This Lent, let us pray that God opens our hearts to hear His voice and gives us many encounters and experiences that strengthen our faith and deepen our relationship with Him. Here are some practical ways to listen well this season:

Tips for Listening to God This Lent

Focus on the main text: Spend time every day with the main passage of the week. Let the supporting texts encourage and build you up, not become a checklist you feel pressured to finish.
Set a realistic time: Decide on a daily time you can devote — 10, 20, or 30 minutes. Most of this time should be spent listening, not just reading, studying, or pleading.
Focus on listening, not activity: Allow God to speak through silence, Scripture, or reflection. Resist the urge to rush or “finish” the devotion.
Keep a journal: Write down what God is saying to you, reflections from Scripture, and moments of insight or conviction. Over time, you’ll be able to see how God has been guiding you.
Engage with testimonies: Check social media or church updates for examples of how others are practicing listening to God. If you have a testimony to share, please let Pastor Joe know — your experience could encourage others.
Fasting from social media? No problem! These testimonies will also be included in a weekly email, so you can still be encouraged and inspired throughout Lent.
Grace in practice: If you miss a day, don’t beat yourself up — simply get back on track. Lent is about formation, not perfection.
Minimize distractions: Use your fasting time to be more attentive to God’s voice and grow in your listening practice.
Include your household, it would be really good to get journals for each member of your home old enough and willing to participate. While the focus of Advent is scripture readings with the whole family, we encourage you to practice this listening by yourself. But it is a very good idea at least once or twice a week to listen together with your whole house together, and discuss what God is saying.
Come to midweek prayer, we will open the church frmo 7-8 pm every Wednesday night for silent prayer, we will spend the last 15 minutes discussing what god might be saying, and minister to anyone present as the Spirit leads.

Remember, listening is a spiritual muscle — the more you practice, the more clearly you’ll hear Him.

How to Practice Lectio Divina

Read (Lectio) – Read the passage slowly. Listen for a word, phrase, or image that stands out.
Reflect (Meditatio) – Sit with that word. Ask: Why is this stirring in me?
Pray (Oratio) – Respond honestly to God — gratitude, confession, longing, surrender.
Listen (Contemplatio) – Sit in silence. No words. No striving. Just attentiveness.
Live (Actio) – Ask: How will I obey what I heard today?

Lent 2026 — Weekly Listening Passages

Week 1 (Feb 18–21) — Becoming Still

Main Text: Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Supporting Texts: 1 Samuel 3:1–10; Habakkuk 2:20; Isaiah 30:15; Mark 1:35
Listening Prayer Prompts:

“Lord, what noise in my life is drowning You out?”
“What would stillness require me to surrender?”
“Teach me how to be quiet before You.”

Week 2 (Feb 23–29) — Hearing God’s Voice

Main Text: 1 Samuel 3:1–10
Supporting Texts: John 10:3–4, 27; Isaiah 55:1–3; Hebrews 3:15; Psalm 95:7–8
Listening Prayer Prompts:

“Lord, where are You calling me by name?”
“What has made my heart dull to Your voice?”
“Speak, Lord — Your servant is listening.”

Week 3 (Mar 2–7) — Listening to the Son

Main Text: Luke 9:35 – “This is My Son, whom I have chosen; listen to Him.”
Supporting Texts: Deuteronomy 18:15; Matthew 7:28–29; John 6:68; Hebrews 1:1–2
Listening Prayer Prompts:

“Jesus, what are You saying to me right now?”
“Which voices do I trust more than Yours?”
“What teaching of Yours am I resisting?”

Week 4 (Mar 8–14) — Listening in Obedience

Main Text: James 1:22 – “Do not merely listen to the word… do what it says.”
Supporting Texts: Matthew 7:24–27; Luke 6:46; John 14:23; Romans 12:1–2
Listening Prayer Prompts:

“Lord, where have I heard but not obeyed?”
“What step of obedience are You asking of me?”
“What fear keeps me from surrender?”

Week 5 (Mar 16–21) — Listening Through the Cross

Main Text: Isaiah 53:3–5
Supporting Texts: Mark 15:33–39; Psalm 22:1–5; Philippians 2:5–11; Hebrews 5:7–9
Listening Prayer Prompts:

“Lord, what suffering am I resisting?”
“Where are You asking me to trust You in pain?”
“What must die in me to bring life?”

Week 6 (Mar 23–28) — Listening for Resurrection Life

Main Text: Matthew 28:1–10
Supporting Texts: Romans 6:4; John 11:25–26; Revelation 1:17–18; 2 Corinthians 5:17
Listening Prayer Prompts:

“Lord, what new life are You calling me into?”
“What fear keeps me in the grave?”
“Where are You inviting me to walk in resurrection?”

Week 7 (Mar 30–Apr 4) — Listening Through Holy Week

Main Text: John 13:1–17 – “Jesus knew that the hour had come… and He loved them to the end.”
Supporting Meditation Texts: Matthew 26:36–46 – Jesus in Gethsemane; Mark 15:33–39 – The Death of Jesus; Luke 23:44–49 – The Centurion’s Confession; Philippians 2:5–11 – Christ’s humility and obedience
Listening Prayer Prompts: