22 February 2026

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Bible readings for today

• Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
• Psalm 32:1-11
• Romans 5:12-19
• Matthew 4:1-11

​Liturgical colour: VIOLET

Collect

God, you know better than we 
the temptations that will bring us down. 
Grant that our love for you may protect us 
from all foolish and corrupt desire. 
Praise to you our God; you answer prayer. 
Amen. 

E te Atua, nui atu āu mōhiotanga i a mātou ki ngā whakamātautau e hinga ai mātou. Tukua mā tō mātou aroha ki a koe e ārai atu i ngā hiahia pōhouhou, pōriro hoki. He whakamoemiti ki a koe,
​e tō mātou Atua; ka whakamana te īnoi. Āmine.​

The Season of Lent

Lent is a season in the Church calendar that last for forty days (not counting Sundays). It starts on Ash Wednesday and runs through to the Saturday before Easter Sunday. It is a time when Christians reflect and prepare for the celebrations of Easter. It is a time for turning away from the things that lead us away from God, and turning towards our Creator.  

Questions

• What Season in the church year starts with Ash Wednesday?
• Why do we have Lent?
• Why doesn’t the forty days of Lent include Sundays?
• What might you give up or do during Lent to prepare for Easter?

General Lent Resources

• ​What is Lent about? (Restart)

• Sharing Lent in a bag (Build Faith)
• Do Lent Generously(40 Acts)
• Burying the Alleluia and a Lenten pathway (All Saints Howick)
• Going4Growth website (Anglican children's ministry UK)
• Diocese of Winchester Lent Course (videos here)
• Lent Calendar (Auckland Diocese)

Help families celebrate Lent

• ​Lenten Studies (Strandz) designed to help our whānau and households intentionally walk through this season - A Sent People, Our Transforming God, or ​​A Pilgrimage of Grace
• ​Guide for Lent & Easter (Jesus Storybook Bible)
• ​​​Lent in a bag - here, here and here. (Buildfaith) 
• Lent booklet for families (Flame Creative)
• ​Holy Week resource for families (Strandz)​

Intergenerational Lent 

Church Services (Intergen)

• ​​Intergenerational Worship Services (SUNZ)
• ​Messy Church in Lent (Barnabas Churches)

Lent Media

So much Lent Media on our Strandz page! See here.

Pancake Day!

Have you ever celebrated Pancake Day? Did you know there was a Pancake Day? What a great excuse to eat all the pancakes you want! Also known as Shrove Tuesday, this was traditionally a chance for one big last party before Lent started. Why not encourage your church or households to throw a pancake party and invite some friends who don't know Jesus yet. 

Special Days in Lent

• ​Ash Wednesday
• Palm Sunday
• Holy Week -  see the Strandz website for LOTS of Holy Week resources.
• Maundy Thursday
• Good Friday
• ​​Easter Sunday

Art in Lent

If you want to mark Advent in a simple rich way, how about creating a space where your kids can spend some time with Jesus-related art. 

Try these questions or make up your own:

• What do you see? 
• What part of the bible / God's story is this painting about?
• What might this show us about Jesus? About people? About our world?
• What do you think is important in this picture?
• Does anything in this picture have more than one meaning?
• I wonder what God might be saying to you through this picture today?

John August Swanson, The Great Catch

Need more ideas?

Check out loads more Lent and Easter ideas on the Strandz website.

Jesus is tested (Matthew 4:1-11)

Today's story talks about Jesus is tested in the desert, as the devil places three temptations before him.  

Input for leaders

​Gospel Conversations 2023 (Diocese of Dunedin) Year A Lent 1
​This week our panel tackle the strange and wonderful story of Jesus in the desert being tempted by Satan. They explore connections to our lives, to our world, and to the whole Gospel of Matthew. 

Visio Lectio
A beautiful free downloadable image by Sarah Lea West. All Rights Reserved, shared and distributed with permission.
Terms of use
PNG Download

Repentance and Freedom
The first in a sermon series from the Wellington Diocese, looking at the theme of repentance and freedom, from Bishop Eleanor Sanderson. (Length 14m26s)

Intergenerational Worship

Year A, Epiphany 5 ​(Intergen Australia). - coming soon
Epiphany 6, Year A 2023.
​
Bible references: 1 Corinthians, Matthew, Psalms.
Written and compiled by Elizabeth Waldron Anstice.

Session starters

• Talk to the children about what temptation is. Talk about how our parents and teachers teach us what is right and what is wrong and sometimes it is hard not to do the thing we’ve been asked not to!  See if they have a story to share about that.  Is it hard not to eat more lollies from the packet when your Mum/Dad has said no?

• ​You can also show them a video clip like this Marshmallow Test.

Kids Talks

Temptation (Bible Explore) - an retelling of the story with props.

A kids talk on Matthew 4:1-11 (Gary Neal Hansen) - a retelling of the story with a focus on bullying.

Questions

• I wonder how Jesus felt being alone in the wilderness?
• I wonder what it feels like to be very, very hungry?
• I wonder why the devil tried to trick Jesus?
• I wonder what helped Jesus choose what was right?
• I wonder what it means to trust God when something is hard?
• I wonder what kinds of things tempt us today?
• I wonder how God helps us when we feel tempted?
• I wonder what words from the Bible help you feel strong inside?
• I wonder why Jesus didn’t try to prove himself by jumping off the temple?
• I wonder what this story shows us about who Jesus is?
• I wonder what you might say if someone tried to tempt you to do something wrong?

Activities

• Candy Minute to Win it Games (123 Homeschool 4 Me)
• Balloon Object Lesson (Kid Frugal)
• Moving Craft (Jesus Without Language)
• Prayer Station Ideas (Spiritual Child)
• Desert Sunset (Tippy Toe Crafts)
• Other Ideas (Ehow)
• Desert Diorama (Ehow)
• Sand Art (Tinkerlab)

​

Obstacle Game

For older children 
You will need: Blindfolds and obstacles around the room like tables and chairs

What to do: Divide the children into pairs. Get each pair to decide who will be blindfolded, and who will lead. (Note: this game can be repeated by getting the pairs to swap roles)  Get the pairs to line up at one end of the room. Tell them the object of the game is for the person who is blindfolded to move around the room silently and letting their partner guide them.
They don’t need to go in a straight line as the point of the game is to build up trust in the pairs.
At the end of the game you might like to talk about what it was like, and then tie in how we need to trust and rely on God, even when we can’t see where God is leading us.
 
For younger children
Making it through the wilderness - a team blindfold game

You will need: blindfolds and obstacles
​
What to do: Get the children to line up, one behind the other. Get them all to put on blindfolds.
Tell them that once their blindfold is on, they cannot speak anymore. Get them to put their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. The leader is at the front and doesn’t have a blindfold. Once everyone is ready, the leader will take the blindfolded children for a walk around the room, leading them around things, under things and over things as they wish.
The point of this game is the same as the older children’s version.

Cup Stack Game

This game can be played as an upfront game or everyone can participate, either at the same time or as a relay.

What you need:

• 10 plastic cups per player of the same colour
• 1 plastic cup per player of a different colour

What you do:

1. Give each player a stack of 11 cups with the different coloured cup on the bottom.
2. When you say 'go', have each player take the bottom cup and put it on the top of the stack, repeating this action until the different coloured cup is back on the bottom.
3. The first one to complete the stack is the winner.

​
After the game is over, you can ask something like, "Was this an easy thing to do?"  Some people might have found it easy, but for some it might have been hard to work so quickly.  Ask, "Were you tempted to cheat by taking more than 1 cup at a time?".  Say something like, "It's good that you didn't cheat!  God doesn't want us to give in to temptation and cheat, even when things get hard!"  We can remember how Jesus resisted temptation in the desert and we can try and do the same.

Media