Each year, I post prayers from some of my favourite saints ancient and modern throughout the season of Lent. I will continue to do that but thought that some would like to have access to these prayers in one easy step so that you can plan your own use of them during the season.
Today, I came across this Lenten devotional that has excerpts on several of Mary Oliver’s poems that relate to Lent. It is well worth a read and some reflection.
- Lenten Prayers by St Augustine of Hippo
- Do It Anyway – A Lenten Prayer by Mother Teresa
- Prayers for Creation by John Birch
- Prayers from Teresa of Avila for Lent
- A Lenten Prayer by Thomas A Kempis
- Christ Has Walked this Path – Lenten Video by Jeff Johnson
- Morning and Evening Prayers for Lent
- Fall In Love – A Prayer for Lent by Father Pedro Arrupe
- The Lord’s Prayer – An Adaptation
- Prayers for Lent by Desmond Tutu
- I Cannot Do This Alone – A Lenten Prayer by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- Thomas Merton’s Most Famous Prayer – A Good Prayer for Lent
- I Choose To Breathe in the Breath of Christ – A Prayer by Joseph Tetlow
- A Prayer fo Lent by Cesar Chavez
- A Lenten Prayer for Creation
- Columba’s Prayer – Helping Me Through Lent
- The Prayer of St Brendan
- Brigit’s Feast – My Favourite Celtic Prayer
- God of the Ashes – Black Liturgies
Please check out our complete list of Godspace resources for Lent through Holy Week
Last year, we started the Lenten Season on Valentine’s Day. Thankfully this year we have a few more weeks to prepare ourselves and consider what we’d like to do, or not do during the season of preparation. Here are a couple of ideas and resources you can use to prepare your heart for the season of Lent.
CHANGE JAR: Not everyone likes, or celebrates Valentines Day. So a few years ago, I came up with the idea to change Valentines Day! You start by finding a Jar with a lid. Take the jar and collect your spare change (coins) between now and Easter. It will be a few weeks longer than Lent this year because we don’t start that until March 6th. If you do this as a family, decide where you’d like to give your change in order to make a change! It could be to your favorite charity in your neighborhood. It could be to a friend in need, or to a missions organization. You choose! That is putting love into action ! It’s a post Valentines day everyone can participate in ! And it doesn’t involve the calories of chocolate!
40 Days Toward Love Prayer Kit : this is a prayer kit that Kara Root and I created last year for Lent. It is a downloadable kit involving praying with Prayer Hearts. This kit can be used by individuals, families, small groups and entire church congregations. You print out the prayer hearts and use one a day to pray with during the season of Lent. In the kit you will also find ways to use the prayer hearts as prayer stations and activities to take action in your community to live out love. Find out more at freerangeworship.com.
Finally, one of my very favorite devotions for Lent is the Lenten Hobo Honeymoon. What if instead of a “sack cloth and ashes Lent,” we went on a honeymoon with Jesus? Father Ed Hays invites us to fall in love with Jesus over the 40 days of Lent.
I will be posting more resources in the weeks ahead. Let’s all consider moving towards love this Lent!
As part of my preparation for Lent each year, I write a prayer for Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Over the last couple of years, I have preferred to revisit and reflect on prayers from previous years which I have collected here. It seems a little ironic that in 2018 I posted this on Valentine’s Day because Ash Wednesday coincided with Valentines Day and Easter with April fools Day, giving us the theme: For love of the world God did foolish things so it really does make it appropriate.
I am also broadening my own perspectives by reading liturgies and prayers from Cole Author Riley who hosts black liturgies on instagram, twitter and Facebook and am also being enriched once more by reading Howard Thurman’s Meditations of the Heart which I will start reading on Ash Wednesday.
I also think that this Black Lives Matter communion liturgy is a powerful one to use for Ash Wednesday
I have updated the links to previous prayers and added more links to other inspirational prayers that you might like to check out.
- In 2022, I introduced a couple ideas for art practices including using this ash paint recipe.
- In 2021, I wrote a Meditation Monday on the ritual of burning a mask I used and Carol Dixon offered this prayer and hymn
- In 2020, I wrote this prayer for Ash Wednesday.
- A few from from 2019 include this Ash Wednesday prayer and another for 2019.
- My 2018 Ash Wednesday prayer was inspired by an earlier prayer I wrote.
- View my 2017 Ash Wednesday prayer which reflects on the idea of burnt ashes.
- Here is a link to my 2016 Ash Wednesday prayer.
- The 2015 Ash Wednesday prayer was adapted from Isaiah 58 – one of my favourite scriptures to meditate on at this season.
I suggest that after you read through the prayer, you then read the scripture Isaiah 58:5-12 in The Voice translation, and then again in the New Living Translation, and finally in The Message. Spend time thinking about the implications of these verses for your life and how God might challenge you to live them out during the season of Lent.
My prayer for Ash Wednesday 2014 comes out of my own deep desire to be transformed and to see something new of God’s image emerge in my life.
You might also like to check out some of the prayers from previous years.
This prayer was adapted by Odyssey ministries in the following video. Putting prayers like this to music with photos is a practice that I find very faith building. Perhaps it is a practice you would like to enter into during this Lenten season.
- Another prayer for Ash Wednesday 2012
- Ash Wednesday Prayer 2011
- Ash Wednesday Prayer 2010
And our Lenten meditation video from 2012 below:
The featured music: “O Redemptor” from the CD “Prayers of St. Brendan” by Jeff Johnson
© 2011 Ark Records Used with permission. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Other inspirational Ash Wednesday Prayers
- Prayerlist.com has a great collection of prayers for Ash Wednesday
- Global Christian Worship gives a huge list meditations, devotionals, and prayers as well as songs for Ash Wednesday
- Faith and Worship has a great Ash Wednesday Liturgy
- Church Marketing Sucks shares from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer while looking at Lent and Social Media.
- From the United Methodist Church another Ash Wednesday Prayer
- Resources from Textweek.com are always worth revisiting.
- From Catholics Online links to a rich array of Ash Wednesday prayers
- An Ash Wednesday Collect from Bosco Peters in New Zealand
- Prayer + Possibilities offers an Ash Wednesday Prayer and Reflection
- Large list of Ash Wednesday Prayers from Catholic Online
- A Beautiful Prayer for Ash Wednesday provided by Crosswalk.com
- Journey with Jesus shares the “Marked by Ashes” poem by Walter Brueggeman
- I enjoyed this interesting reflection on the contrast between Lent and Carnival
You may also like to listen to T.S. Eliot read the first part of his famous Ash Wednesday poem and reflect on what he says. Or read the entire poem and commentary.
Please check out our complete list of Godspace resources for Lent through Holy Week
I couldn’t resist just one more poem for Valentine’s Day. This one was commissioned by the Daily Telegraph in the UK some years ago. It is the prize winning poet Wendy Cope.
Our love is old and sure, not new and frantic.
You know I’m yours and I know you are mine.
And saying that has made me feel romantic,
My dearest love, my darling valentine.
Have a happy love filled Valentine’s Day.
Celebrating Lent with kids is a passion with so many people and this list keeps expanding. I have tried to provide a number of activities and devotional suggestions from a variety of theological perspectives. If you know of “must have” additions please let me know. You might also like to check out my Pinterest Board Lent and Easter for Kids. I update this regularly throughout the year as I come across new resources that look interesting.
This is another updated list that I am reposting as so many are looking for resources and often miss the Godspace resource page where you can find all of our resources for Lent, Holy Week and Easter, including a number of free downloadable.
Enjoy!
Celebrating Lent With Kids
- Praying in Color has several Lenten calendar templates available for free download this year — fun to do for both adults and kids.
- Holy Week Ideas for Families, Kids and Small Groups from Lilly Lewin
- I love these ideas for kids and adults to “Love Yourself Through Lent” and “Together @ Lent” from Together @ Home – Easter Resources for 2021.
- Five Ways to Foster Creativity in Kids During Lent
- From Living Montessori Now – An extensive and very helpful list of resources
- Homegrown Catholic has a huge list of interesting activities for Lent and Easter.
- Catholic Icing has a range of activities for kids.
- Katie Warner provides Lent Resources for the whole family.
- Explore and Express has some beautiful ideas including a nature garden.
- Check out these Easter Traditions from Around the World for some new ideas to incorporate into your Easter traditions.
- Children’s Ministry has a variety of suggestions for Holy Week.
- Engraving a Tin Foil Cross – A Great activity for kids and adults.
- Making a Tiffany Style Cross
- April Fiet has put together a great children’s sermon Making a Paper cross to teach Good Friday to children.
- I like this design for making a Stained Glass Cross that would make a great children’s activity
- Feels Like Home offers a Lamb of God craft suitable for preschoolers or older kids.
- Or try a sand craft for Lent.
- A resource I used a couple of years ago: Wild Lent: Discovering God Through Creation
Making Easter Eggs
I am not usually a fan of Easter egg hunts which I often think move the emphasis of Easter from Christ to chocolates and sweets. However, I do think that the making of eggs can be a wonderful way to explain the Easter story to kids. Here are some possibilities
- Learn Pysanky the ancient Eastern European art of egg decorating.
- Make Resurrection eggs
- Make your own chocolate eggs with fair trade chocolate.
- For more ideas check out my Pinterest Lent and Easter for Kids
And some great videos to look at:
Dig Deep For Lent: – In some ways this is an advert for CAFOD but I love the idea of encouraging kids to think about other kids who lack resources and what they could do to help.
This cartoon version is interesting and would probably hold kids attention.
Please check out our complete list of Godspace resources for Lent through Holy Week
by Christine Sine
This morning has been a time for me to contemplate the love of God and I hope that you will join me.
From the moment we were first crafted from the soil and breathed into with divine breath, we have been surrounded by the love of the holy and eternal One, the depth of which are summed up in these words in Romans 8:35-39.
Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
However this love looks very different from the love that we see in movies or that is sold to us in fragrances and jewelry. God’s love is both eternal and all embracing. It is both individual and communal. We cannot love God without loving those around us. And we cannot love ourselves unless we love others too.
Listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages[b] and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.
As you read through these words and contemplate the deep and enduring love of God, how do you feel? Does it draw you closer to the one that longs for an intimate relationship with you?
With Lent fast approaching, I realize that it is time to update my resource lists. This is one of several posts on resources for the season that you might find helpful. You can check them all out here. Enjoy.
My Favourite Resources: Old and New
Here is a sampling of ideas from around the world some new, some from previous years, that I find myself revisiting each year.
A good place to start is with this mini Lenten retreat:
- Now check out the resources I have posted on Pinterest for Lent Easter and Pentecost. I add to these regularly so there are always new ideas to look at.
- In 2015, Rachel Held Evans published a great list of 40 ideas for Lent that is still one of my favorites.
- Cabad.org has an excellent outline for a Christian Seder celebration.
- Lent Event: “bringing people together to build peace and beat poverty. Pledge to live simply for the 40 days of Lent and help make a difference for people striving to be free from poverty and injustice.”
- The Episcopal Church has a great section on Lenten Resources.
- Ascetic Life of Motherhood shares Lenten resources from the Orthodox Christian perspective.
- Franciscan Action Network shares a free download called 40 Days; 40 Ways A Guide to a Green Lent.
- Growing a Rule of Life – a very interesting course that encourages us to develop a rule of life as a Lenten discipline. It uses garden metaphors and some fun exercises. I used this a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.
- His Mercy is New offers Praying Psalm 51 for Lent free download prayer cards.
- Godspace writer, Lilly Lewin, also has this excellent resource called Experiential Stations of the Cross.
And, of course, Godspace has several free downloads:
- 40 Ideas for Lent
- Hungering for Life
- Gospel Eyes – Download: Poetry by Jeannie Kendall – new in 2021
- Maundy Thursday Love Feast and Liturgy by St. Andrew’s Episcopal church Seattle
And check out the other resource lists, videos and prayers accessed through our church calendar resource page.
Lent at Home Resources for 2023:
- Mennonite Church USA – Worship Guide download
- St Nicholas Center – Lent in the Home
- Catholic Icing – How To Set Up A Lent Table- Lent Home Altar Ideas
- Building Faith – Lent in a Bag
- Real Life at Home – 50+ Lent Ideas Printable
- African American Lectionary Season of Lent
- Were You There – a Lenten Devotional exploring African American Spirituals
More resource lists can be found on these websites below:
Looking for A Little Fun During Lent?
- Lent Madness: This looks like fun, 32 saints are placed into a tournament-like single elimination bracket. Each pairing remains open for a set period of time and people vote for their favorite saint. Sixteen saints make it to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen; eight advance to the Round of the Elate Eight; four make it to the Faithful Four; two to the Championship; and the winner is awarded the coveted Golden Halo.
- The Walk to Jerusalem is a fun way to increase physical activity during Lent!
- Chalice Press has their 2018 Lenten materials including this helpful Lenten Colouring Book.
- Another great resource is this: Twenty Reflective Movies for Lent.
Litanies for Lent
I love this series of litanies for Lent and Easter by Fran Pratt:
- Litany for Lent, Week 1 “Temptation”
- Litany for Fat Tuesday
- Litany for Ash Wednesday
- Litany for Lent, Week 2 “Mercy”
- Litany for Lent, Week 3 “Hunger”
- Litany for Lent, Week 4 “Thirst”
- Litany for Lent, Week 5 “Waiting”
- Litany for Palm Sunday, “Fulfillment”
- Litany for Good Friday, “Death”
- Resurrection Sunday: “Life”
Liturgical writers we love
Black liturgies on Instagram and Facebook
Disrupt worship project
John Van De Laar – Sacredise
Need Some Daily or Weekly Reflections?
- Bread for the World always produces wonderful Lenten resources, as well as very helpful information on poverty that challenge us to face the issues of hunger.
- Episcopal Relief and Development devotional focuses on creating economic opportunities and strengthening communities, with a particular focus on empowering women. They are available in both English and Spanish and can be downloaded for free.
- From the Australian Board of Mission: Into the Desert and other Lent resources.
- Another great list of resources that is so rich you can get lost in anglicansonline.org.
- Gaye Boss wrote Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing, where readers can gain insight and lament for the “profound loss of species”.
- From Dust to Triumph: Reflections for a Holy Lent – an inspiring collection of Lenten reflections that you can read online.
- Also, from the Uniting Church Australia, this excellent free download of Lenten reflections for 2019.
- Biola University shares a great resource called The Lent Project with daily reflections.
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland have some good study courses available for Lent: Their 2022 theme is: Following Christ in the Footsteps of the Saints – Guided by the story of St Winefride/Gwenffrewi. Older studies include: Parables and Possessions a six-session study resource based on 2012 the Church of Scotland report of A right relationship with money.; Walking and Praying with Christians of the Middle East and the 2016 addition Pilgrimage. In 2017, they have added Returning Home: Christian Faith in Encounter with other Faiths and for 2018 their emphasis is on Hope. I love the theme for 2019, The Mystery of God, encouraging us to look more deeply into the wonder and mystery of God. For 2020, they asked “What biblical text sets your heart on fire?” in Opening the Scriptures course.
Looking for A Devotional?
- A Just Passion: A Six-Week Lenten Journey published by IVP contains devotions from a range of authors for the Lenten season.
- Eloheh provides a free Lenten Devotional: Drawing Closer to Creator & Creation: An Indigenous Journey Through Lent. Sign up on their website and they will send it to you!
- Joy Lenton, a Godspace writer, just published this incredible book for the Lenten season: Experiencing Lent: Sensing the Sacred in Our Midst.
- In recent years, I have used Walter Brueggemann’s A Way Other Than Our Own for Lent.
- You might also like to check out Richard Rohr’s Wondrous Encounters: Scriptures for Lent.
- Or, The Little Book of Lent with a variety of reflections from authors such as Desmond Tutu, Sheila Cassidy and Rowan Williams.
- Renovaré, one of my favourite spiritual formation sites has some excellent Lenten devotionals.
- Ave Maria Press has a broad array of Lenten resources available.
- Chalice Press also has an excellent array of Lenten materials.
- InterVarsity Press also has a very expansive and important list of books for Lent.
- Our devotional A Journey into Wholeness: Soul Travel from Lent to Easter, which may also be purchased in a downloadable bundle here
Want to Focus on Simplicity and Sustainability?
- From Simple Living Works: Let’s Get Ready for a Simpler Lent and Easter.
- Eco-Palms: The University of Minnesota Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Agricultural Management (CINRAM) is working together with the Rainforest Alliance TREES program and Smartwood to certify palms harvested from the forests of Mexico and Guatemala for sale to Christian congregations in the United States and Europe.
- The Oil Lamp has shared several helpful links to sites that suggest ways to incorporate a carbon fast into your Lenten practices. They also have some good basic suggestions for a carbon fast here.
- I particularly enjoyed this link recommended by Archbishop Thabo Magkoba, of the Anglican Environmental Network in South Africa: A Carbon Fast for Lent from 2016. An updated version from 2020 comes from the St. Dennis Parish.
- Earth Ministry’s LeAnne Beres wrote this helpful article about taking a Carbon fast which includes links to other great resources.
Need Resources for Church Worship or Lenten Studies?
- Lent and Beyond – an Anglican prayer blog has some of the best reflections and devotionals around. I particularly enjoyed the Ash Wednesday index and Lent and Ash Wednesday Activities for Families.
- Presbyterian Mission Agency also has good resources for Lent.
- Jonny Baker in the UK always has great resources available for worship. Here is his Lenten link.
- The Lenten resources at textweek.com, as usual form, has one of the most comprehensive resource lists available.
- From Australia: Per Crucem Ad Lucem.
- In New Zealand, Bosco Peters always has good resources listed.
- And from South Africa, John Van deLaar at Sacredise is worth checking out.
- The Ignatian Workout for Lent online retreat is well worth participating in.
- “40 Lent: What do you give up when the world gives out?” from the Jesuits at Loyola Press. It’s a social media series focusing on the way a group of adults copes with the aftermath of a disaster.
- I highly recommend the resources on the Busted Halo website for Lent. Start with this 25 Great Things You Can Do For Lent video and spend some time thinking about what you can do for Lent this year.
- Singing from the Lectionary is an Australia site that contains an extensive list of relevant songs for each week of the church calendar for either congregational or small group use.
Please check out our complete list of Godspace resources for Lent through Holy Week including our free downloads.
Obviously, this is not a comprehensive list so if you know of other resources that you think should be added, please leave a comment here.
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