CORNERSTONE ANGLICAN CHURCH Lent 2026 RESOURCES
Each year, our church calendar invites us to observe the season of Lent. For 40 days, we prayerfully prepare our hearts to celebrate the death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus, at Easter. Below are some ideas and resources we’ve compiled to get you started on your Lenten journey this year!
NEW TO LENT?
For those new to the season of Lent, we encourage you to listen to this Word & Table podcast episode on Lent featuring our Diocese’s very own Canon Theologian, Fr. Stephen Gauthier.
TRADITIONAL PRACTICES DURING THE SEASON OF LENT
The following practices have served for centuries as pathways to grow in Jesus in the weeks leading up to Easter. Below we share a couple of practical ways to get started in each.
Fasting - Consider giving up something during this season to express your dependence on Jesus and your desire to be filled with more of his presence. Use these questions to help determine something meaningful to give up:
What have I craved that I could let go of?
Is there a food or activity I am dependent on?
Where am I distracted? How can I make space for Jesus in that place?
If you are new to fasting and would like to understand it better, listen to this introduction to fasting from Word & Table also featuring Fr. Stephen.
Almsgiving - The giving of alms (e.g. money, food) to people in need is a practice commanded by God in both Old and New Testaments. It is both an act of mercy and an act of justice toward our neighbors.
One way you can practice almsgiving at Cornerstone this Lent is by donating items and/or giving your time to volunteer at our next Pop-Up Pantry on March 21. Contact Dcn. Joel Brown (joelb@cornerstoneanglican.com) for more details.
Confession - During Lent, we pay special attention to any things we have done or left undone that have harmed our relationship with God and our neighbor.
We encourage you to schedule a time of formal confession on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday. Formal confession is also available outside of Sunday mornings; contact our church office (office@cornerstoneanglican.com for more information or to schedule an appointment with one of our clergy.
You can also make use of Cornerstone's prayer ministry on Sunday mornings to practice confession with one of Cornerstone’s trained prayer ministers.
Prayer - Dedicate a specific time daily or weekly throughout Lent to speak with God through prayer.
Many great resources to guide your prayers are available. We suggest starting with the Book of Common Prayer’s Daily Offices. You can follow along with the daily prayers and readings here.
IDEAS AND RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
The season of Lent can be uniquely formative as families find ways to observe it together. Here are few ideas to get you started:
Practice family prayer with the Book of Common Prayer (pp 66-78 in the BCP 2019) or online
Make a Plan for Lent - A printable to use with your kids
'Twas the Season of Lent - A children's 40-day devotional
Holy Week - A board book to prepare your youngest kids for Holy Week
The Apostle's Creed: For All God's Children - A book that introduces kids to this special creed in preparation for Holy Week
LENTEN BOOKS + ONLINE RESOURCES
Want to go deeper in your understanding and practice of Lent? Here are some resources that your Cornerstone leaders would recommend:
Lent Devotional - Sign up to receive daily devotionals during Lent from the Matthew 25 Initiative
Lent: Creative Guide for Scriptural Imagination - 12 guided reflections for creatives from United Adoration (available in print and as a downloadable pdf)
Where the Eye Alights - Daily meditations for the 40 days of Lent by Marilyn McEntyre
The Good of Giving Up – A guide to the season of Lent by Fr. Aaron Damiani from Immanuel Anglican Church (Chicago, IL)
Lent - This book by Esau McCaulley (a professor and priest) offers a reflection on the season of Lent
Between Midnight and Dawn - This is a literary devotional through Lent, Holy Week, and Eastertide compiled by Sarah Arthur
Bread and Wine - Readings from authors and theologians like Henri Nouwen, Dorothy Sayers, Leo Tolstoy, and C.S. Lewis on Lent and Easter
The Art of Lent - Sister Wendy Beckett (a Carmelite Nun and art historian) considers and reflects on 40 pieces of art for the 40 days of Lent
Uncovering the Love of Jesus - A devotional by Asheritah CiuCiu
MUSICAL RESOURCES
We’ve put together a playlist to help your spirit enter more deeply into Lent:
Cornerstone Anglican Lent Mix
Image Cover Information: Rivière, Briton (1840-1920) - The Temptation In The Wilderness (1898). Located at the Guildhall Art Gallery. Oil on canvas (edited)