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)

• 2025 Year C Lent 1 - 5:  Services for each of the five Sundays of Lent. 
• ​Intergenerational Worship Services (SUNZ)
• ​Messy Church in Lent (Barnabas Churches)

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 God? 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

Lent Media

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

Need more ideas?

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