Lent 2026
Resources for you
On this page you'll find a list of resources that you may find helpful as you engage with the season of Lent. In 2026 Lent runs from Wednesday 18th February (Ash Wednesday) through to the end of Saturday 4th April (the Saturday before Easter Sunday).
What is Lent?
Lent is a church tradition that goes back to the fourth century. You will not find anything about Lent in the Bible and therefore some church traditions do not mark Lent at all. For those that do, customs and practices vary.
Essentially Lent is a period of preparation in the run-up to the events of Easter.
40-day fasts are mentioned in the Bible, and Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness between his baptism and the beginning of his ministry (see for example Matthew 4:1-11).
Fasting is a spiritual discipline that is not widely practiced in many church traditions now but many use Lent as an opportunity to fast. Often people will choose to 'fast' from a particular thing - a common one is chocolate!
Fasting is a way of exercising self-discipline. It is also a way of creating time to practice other spiritual disciplines. So, for example, a person may give up scrolling through their social media during their lunch break to make time to read the Bible or pray.
Lent has also become a time where people do something new rather than give something up - something that will help them as they follow Jesus.
Sundays are a day of celebration in the church as we remember the resurrection. Therefore Sunday is not a 'fast day' but a 'feast day'. So the 40 days of Lent do not include Sundays which is why, if you look at the calendar and simply count the days of Lent you'll get 46 instead of 40. So Lent always begins on Ash Wednesday, which is 40 days (not including Sundays) before Easter Sunday.
Below you'll find some resources that you may find helpful as you engage with Lent this year.
Your Lent Resources
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Lectio 365 
Lectio 365 is an app, designed by the people at 24-7 Prayer, that helps you to pray the Bible every day with morning, noon and evening options. |
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Do Lent Generously 
After a break of a few years, Stewardship have relaunched their Do Lent Generously campaign - with 40 acts of kindness planned throughout the season of Lent. There are resources for individuals and for families to follow, encouraging you to engage with your family, friends, neighbours and community with random acts of kindness. |
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You Version 
You Version is an app that allows you to read the Bible in all sorts of versions and in all sorts of languages. If you're not in the habit of reading the Bible every day you will find helpful plans for Lent. This link will take you to a 40 day reading plan put together in conjunction with the Bible Project that helps you read the whole of Luke and Acts. |
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Compassion UK 
Some of you will know that last year Energize started sponsoring a young girl in Tanzania through Compassion UK. (If you want to find out more about this have a look at our all age service from 1st February). To find out more about Compassion, why not follow their Lent resources this year? |
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Tearfund 
Many Christian charities, such as Tearfund will also offer reflections during Lent. These are usually in the shape of a weekly email sent out each week during Lent. |
