Resources

Worship During Lent

Lent invites us to make our hearts ready for remembering Jesus’ passion and celebrating Jesus’ resurrection. ... As a period of preparation, Lent has historically included the instruction of persons for baptism and profession of faith on Easter Sunday; the calling back of those who have become estranged from the church; and efforts by all Christians to deepen their piety, devotion, and readiness to mark the death and resurrection of their Savior. As such, the primary focus of the season is to explore and deepen a “baptismal spirituality” that centers on our union with Christ rather than to function only as an extended meditation on Christ’s suffering and death.

The Worship Sourcebook, pp. 551-552

Worship Service Outlines and Planning Guides
Worship Service Outlines for Lent
by Howard Vanderwell and Norma de Waal Malefyt
Weekday Worship Service Outline: God's Rich Mercy and Great Love
Lenten service for weekday worship
Worship Planning for Lent: An Introduction to Lent
by Howard Vanderwell and Norma de Waal Malefyt

Resources from The Worship Sourcebook:
Parts J through N of The Worship Sourcebook, pp. 552-654, offer sample prayers and other worship resources for each act of worship during Lent, Passion Week, and Easter, including the Call to Worship, Opening Responses, Confession and Assurance, Prayers for Illumination, the Lord's Supper, and Blessing/Benediction.

Sermon Series Guides
Growing with Peter
Psalms for a Lenten Journey
Questions of the Last Week
Walking with Jesus through Psalm 23
Were You There

Meditations and Devotions
Meditations on Lent
by Lionel Basney
Meditations on Lenten Hymns
by Greg Scheer
Short Story for Lent
by James Schaap
UpWords: Devotions for Lent
by the worshipers of Third Christian Reformed Church
The Journey to Jerusalem: Devotions for Lent
by the worshipers of Church of the Servant Christian Reformed Church
Holy Week Prayer Walk
by the worshipers in Blacksburg, Virginia
Submit a devotional

Resources from the Center for Excellence in Preaching
Lent 2008 preaching resources
Lent 2007 preaching resources
Lent 2006 preaching resources

Resources from Reformed Worship magazine
Lent resources for worship

Visual Arts Resources
Visuals for Lent
Visuals for Worship (Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2006)
Slideshows of visuals arts in Lenten worship

Resources from Worship Renewal Grant Recipients
The following Worship Renewal Grant recipients from the year 2004 focused their worship renewal on the season of Lent. Click on the links for a poster that summarizes their work and learning.

All Nations Christian Reformed Church, Halifax, Nova Scotia
To develop a set of liturgies for the seasons of Lent and Eastertide, use them in worship, study them with a range of fellow congregants, and prepare them for dissemination to a broader audience.

New Life Christian Reformed Church, Grand Junction, Colorado
To develop an intergenerational study of confession and assurance of pardon through the lens of baptism and the Lord's Supper, which will include a Lenten/Easter devotional series with participation from all ages and worship services focusing on scriptural images for the sacraments.

New Life! Lutheran Church, Oak Grove, Minnesota
To equip worshipers to pray more deeply in corporate worship through workshops during Lent, with the goal of deepening and enriching both personal and corporate prayer lives.

Second Christian Reformed Church, Lynden, Washington
To build a sense of unity across generations by focusing on renewal and grace during Lent and community outreach during Eastertide, through retreats and a series of worship services which incorporate teachings, music, drama, visual arts, liturgical dance, and particular times of prayer.