We have gatherered here various resources for planning the Lenten season. The list will be updated as needed. If you have ideas you'd like to share, please contact the synod office.
General: Family ministry, worship, devotion, etc.
- Devotional with poetry, art, and prayers
- Liturgical and sermon planning resources
- Children’s curriculum and materials
- Visual art and poems
- Digital downloads you can print
- Colouring pages, home devotionals for families, liturgical and worship resources
- Digital downloads you can print
For worship:
With thanks to Lorraine Reinhardt
- Keeping Time: The Church’s Years, Gail Ramshaw and Mons Teig Augsburg Fortress © 2006
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Augsburg Fortress © 2006
- All Creation Sings, Augsburg Fortress © 2020
- Not Counting Sundays, David Kaiser and C. F. Armistead, David Kaiser & Dave Solheim ©2021
- Circle of Grace, Jan Richardson, Wanton Gospeller Press © 2015
- Hold Us in Your Mercy, Rory Cooney and Gary Daigle, GIA Publications, Inc. G-4760
- worship.ca
- Music for Holy Week: Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Pärt (Lorraine’s recommended version can be found here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5s6pb2LQgs)
Palm Sunday: Consider using a dramatic reading or a play, so the congregation can participate, making the long readings into a journey. "The Cry of the Whole Congregation" by Walter Wagnerin Jr. is a possible resource.
Maundy Thursday Agape Meal liturgy from Spirit of Life Lutheran Church can be downloaded here. Thank you to Spirit of Life for sharing this resource with us.
Good Friday: Use contemporary news stories or congregational art work to illustrate the Stations of the Cross events.
For Easter Vigil's baptism / thanksgiving for baptism, consider using the following words from Paul Simon (Your Forgiveness, from Seven Psalms):
Dip your hand in heaven's waters, God's imagination
Dip your hand in heaven's waters
All of life's abundance in a drop of condensation
Dip your hand in hеaven's waters
From Our Redeemer, Penticton: Response to the Word: Creed and Confession from With One Voice (page 49) works well as a gathering rite.
Alternative version of the Lord's Prayer can be downloaded here.
For devotion:
Strems of Living Justice: Lutherans Connect
- Lutherans Connect is a seasonal devotional by Deacon Sherry Coman from Eastern Synod
- Daily devotionals are published on Facebook, or they’re available over email
Preparing for Easter with Prayer
- A seasonal devotional created by Rev. Bruce Ehlert from Saskatchewan Synod
- Daily prayer and images straight into your inbox
Journeys to the Well: An Ecumenical Devotional towards Anti-Racism
- Created by the Commission on Justice and Peace of The Canadian Council of Churches
- Various contributions, most of whom are Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour, and from diverse denominations, ages, and locations across Canada (including from BC Synod)
Journey Through Lent: a Devotional from CLWR
- Each week of Lent will have its own theme - Hunger, Safety, Well-Being, Identity, Loss, Community, Nature and Faith
- The page will be updated weekly
- Lenten devotional from Alongside Hope, the relief and development organization of Anglican Church of Canada
- Daily Bible readings and reflections on the text
- You can subscribe to daily emails, or download the resource from the website
Into the Wilderness: a Reconciling Lenten Devotional
- Devotional from Reconciling Ministries
Seven Weeks for Water: WCC Lenten Series
- World Council of Churches has put together a lenten series of studies and events. While the events take place in Geneva, Switzerland, the Bible studies will be available for download anywhere.
- Kate Bowler is a theologian and an author. She offers a free Lenten devotional on her website. This year’s devotional is titled The Hardest Part
Books:
Meeting Jesus at the Table by Christine Coy Fohr and Cynthia Campbell
The gospels are full of stories of Jesus sharing meals with friends and strangers. This study includes eight stories of meals with Jesus, from the feeding of the multitude to the meal at Emmaus after the resurrection. Each chapter includes questions for a study group or for personal reflection.
Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to the Holy Week by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine
Six-chapter study on the events of the Holy Week, from Jesus’s arrival to Jerusalem to Gethsemane. Jesus’s final week was full of risks - he risked everything from his reputation to his friendships to his life. A leader’s guide for this study is also available.
Witness at the Cross: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Friday by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine
Six-chapter study on Good Friday’s events, through the eyes of people who witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus. From bystanders to the other victims, from the women to Joseph of Arimathea, the study offers various perspectives to the day’s events. A leader’s guide for this study is also available.
The Difficult Words of Jesus: A Beginner's Guide to His Most Perplexing Teachings by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine
A study on six of the most challenging teachings of Jesus. Jesus told parables, explained the Torah, encouraged and scolded. Some of his words were challenging then, and continue to be challenging now. We can’t just ignore them - so what do we do with them? A leader’s guide for this study is also available.
Where We Meet by Candace Lewis, Rachel Gilmore, and Tyler Sit
Daily Bible readings and reflections from Ash Wednesday to Easter, focusing on systemic injustice and stories of hope. Each day’s reflections are followed by questions to ponder.
Other ideas:
- Using an old Christmas tree to make a cross for Lent / Holy Week
- Candles for prayers on Good Friday
-
Location