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Ideas! for Lent
A collection of articles from past issues of Ideas! that offer help during the Lenten season. |
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Preparing Lent/Easter Workshop
What images come to mind when you think about Lent? I think of fish dinners at the Roman Catholic church on my block. Fish instead of red meat on Friday is traditionally known as a sacrifice of sorts and has been a Lenten tradition for years. I also think of people giving up such things as chocolate, coffee, or something else as a discipline to accentuate the penitential nature of the season. Giving up something for Lent as a spiritual discipline has been practiced for centuries. [Read more] |
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Spiritual Practices for Lent
Lent is a season of intensified self-examination and repentance. While these practices are part of regular Christian life year-round, we give them special attention during Lent to assure they do not devolve into mere rote activities. Here are some ways to give special attention to the work of self-examination and repentance during this season. [Read more] |
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Lenten Series: Start a New Tradition
If you begin on Ash Wednesday, your church can offer a seven-week Lenten series. If you already have a traditional Ash Wednesday service and a full Holy Week schedule, then a special five-week series is worth considering. Who do you need to reach or teach? If very few of your employed adults are involved in Sunday morning education, try reaching them at other times and places. [Read more] |
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Frequently asked questions
Have you always wanted to know more about Lent? Check out this site to learn more about our Lenten traditions. |
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Ash Wednesday—Is it Presbyterian? |
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Our culture does not know what to do with Ash Wednesday. We do a pretty good job with the feasting right before Ash Wednesday, mind you—more and more people even outside of New Orleans celebrate Mardi Gras with beads and floats, and more and more people devour pancakes and waffles at Shrove Tuesday celebrations. [Read more] |
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Lord Teach Us to Pray: Fast as Prayer
The season of Lent began as a time of preparation in the Christian faith. It is commonly associated with “giving up,” in the same way that Jesus did in his forty days in the wilderness. Fasting had a central role, a reminder that “One does not live by bread alone” (Luke 4:4). [Read more] |
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Lenten Midweek Ideas
Have you noticed how yesterday’s styles become today’s classics? With a little updating, the wisdom of the ages becomes the way of today. As the Lenten season draws near, thoughts turn toward finding new approaches for midweek Lenten services. Fresh alternatives can come from combining church practices of the past with modern elements of worship—stimulating spiritual growth and strengthening relationships within the church family. [Read more] |
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Easter Is a Season
This is a (mostly) true story. For the forty days of Lent, one congregation focused on preparing for the central event of the Christian year at Easter. Members took up new spiritual disciplines, they fasted, and they prayed. When Easter morning arrived, the church was resplendent in white lilies; the choir sang better than it ever had before; and everyone shouted, “Alleluia! He is risen!” [Read more] |
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Idea Exchange—Congregations Share What Has Worked
This family activity included children and adults of all ages. Our goal was to provide a better understanding of Ash Wednesday, the meaning of Lent, and an appreciation of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. [Read more] |
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