12 Lent Devotionals, Books, and Guides
You probably know Lent as the time of year when people give up chocolate or alcohol or social media, but it’s much more meaningful than that. It’s a season for engaging well in spiritual disciplines to recenter and focus on the Lord, prioritizing God above the things I often get distracted by or consumed in, as we journey closer to the cross over the coming weeks. It’s not just about giving something up for the heck of it, but instead removing a distraction to better create space for Christ in our lives and in our hearts.
I love how Erin Moon describes this season (in this podcast!): “These disciplines are meant to empty us so that the Lord may fill us. We are making ourselves available to Christ in hopes of growing our faith. When we get into a mindset closely related to Jesus as he fasted and prayed, we are getting closer to him. We are removing distractions. We're waiting, but we're not wasting our time.”
here are 12 lent devotionals, books, and guides to explore:
ps— all links are amazon affiliate links, so any purchases made once clicked will put a few pennies in my pocket. thanks in advance for your support!
memento mori: remember that you must die, but first live by Erin H Moon // Memento Mori is for those who ask questions about the true nature of the kingdom of heaven, who dig for Jesus in the cracks and crevices of daily life. It’s a place for the grieving brokenhearted, for the weary peacemakers, for the searching doubter. In this study, we will look at the words of Jesus from his Sermon on the Mount, one of the most robust distillations of his theology and ministry. In this dissertation, Jesus provides a clear-eyed and powerful understanding of what it means to pledge your allegiance to the kingdom of heaven.
40 simple practives for lent by sarah bessey // sarah writes: “However you worship or observe these coming days, I hope you can find a way to connect with the larger community of faithful ones on The Way in some way during this season, too. Perhaps you could consider participating in any one of these practices as a small group of friends or as a faith community, too.”
Show Me the Way: Daily Lenten Readings by Henri Nouwen //from Amazon: Nouwen invites readers to join him on a 40-day Lenten path as fellow pilgrims, from the solemn beginning of Ash Wednesday to the joyous climax of Easter. This inspirational "search for the way" speaks directly to the heart during this time of reflection and prayer.
The Passion of the King of Glory (Retelling the Story) by Russ Ramsey //from Amazon: Pastor Russ Ramsey invites us to rediscover our wonder at Jesus' sinless life, brutal death, and glorious resurrection. Featuring forty short chapters recounting key episodes from Jesus' time on earth, this book expands on the biblical narrative in a fresh and creative way―giving us a taste of what it would have been like to walk next to Jesus and experience his earthly ministry firsthand.
Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter by various authors // This is a great collection with a variety of writings from different authors — if you’re looking for a catchall place to start that will give you many different perspectives and thoughts in short readings each day, I’d start with this one! I enjoyed it several years in a row.
Home by Another Way by Barbara Brown Taylor // This book walks through the church calendar for a year, so it’s not entirely focused on Lent, but would be a great addition to your reading if you’re looking to engage more with liturgies throughout the year. I’m a huge fan of BBT and would highly recommend anything and everything she writes!
40 days of decrease by alicia britt chole // Containing readings, refection questions, daily fasts, ancient quotes, and more, each day offers a meaningful consideration of Jesus’ journey and then invites you into a daily fast of heart-clutter—the stuff that sticks to your soul and weighs you down. You can begin your forty-day journey any time of the year, but you may find it especially meaningful as a Lenten preparation to live in awe of Jesus’ resurrection.
Preparing for Easter: Fifty Devotional Readings from C.S. Lewis // Preparing for Easter is a concise, handy companion for the faithful of all Christian traditions and the curious to help them deepen their knowledge and consideration of this holy season—a time of reflection as we consider Jesus’s sacrifice and his joyous rise from the dead.
Holy Solitude: Lenten Reflections with Saints, Hermits, Prophets, and Rebels by Heidi Haverkamp // Daily reflections introduce readers to figures in both Scripture and Christian history whose stories of discernment and discipline are a guide for our own spiritual practices as we seek to know God more fully and follow Christ more faithfully.
a just passion: a six-week lenten journey // With selections from a diverse range of IVP books, A Just Passion has been curated to hold in tension the immense weight and hope of the Lenten season. This collection of short readings, breath prayers, and Scripture passages from the First Nations Version guides readers through a six-week journey of repentance, lament, worship, and healing.
the unvarnished jesus: a lenten journey by brian zahnd // The Unvarnished Jesus is a forty-six day Lenten journey taking the reader from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday on a quest to encounter Jesus in a new and startling way. These forty-six daily meditations on the life and ministry of Jesus drawn from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are a spiritual solvent to help remove the layers of lacquer comprised of political and cultural assumptions that prevent us from seeing just how challenging and compelling Jesus of Nazareth really is. The Unvarnished Jesus is a forty-six day project to restore the incomparable image of Christ
bitter & sweet: a journey into easter by tsh oxenreider // The theme of bitterness runs through the Bible as a sour reminder of sin’s presence in our world—yet it’s because of this bitterness that Jesus’ grace is so sweet and satisfying. As we learn to turn from our vices and crave real beauty, goodness, and truth through the pursuit of virtues, we grow nearer to God and become more like who He made us to be.
