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lenten practices

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING A HOLY LENT

Lent is a time to ask forgiveness for our sins, think about how we can live more faithfully, and try out new practices.
It has traditionally been a time of fasting (“giving something up”) but is also a very appropriate time to “try something new.” So, below we have offered some suggestions of things you might try to help you experience Lent more fully. Don’t try all of them (that would be overwhelming) – just pick a few that work for you and/or your family, or come up with your own practice.
This should be challenging (we need to be challenged if we want to grow) but not so challenging that you quit after a few days.

3 Ways to Begin Your

Lenten Journey

WORSHIP

Online or In Person each Sunday: In-Person Traditional Worship at 8:15 & 11:00am. Modern Worship at 9:30am. Our 9:30 and 11:00am services are livestreamed on Facebook, YouTube, and our website. 500 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg.

READ OUR LENTEN DEVOTIONAL

Pick up a paper copy at church or email to receive it via email, or click here to subscribe to our devotional daily drops.

PARTICIPATE IN A BIBLE STUDY

Lent is a season of intentional growth. Join one of our Lenten Bible studies for guided Scripture reading, meaningful conversation, and shared reflection as we journey toward Easter together. Click here to view study options and sign up.

Scripture & Prayer

These are practices that root us in God’s presence — shaping our hearts through listening, reading, and prayer so that we can be formed more fully into the likeness of Christ.

Praying with Scripture

  • Lectio Divina (divine reading): A slow, prayerful way of reading Scripture—read, meditate, pray, and rest as you listen for how God is speaking today. Learn more about Lectio Divina + Expanded list of Scriptures
  • Read the Gospels: Commit to two chapters each day. If you begin with Matthew 1 at the start of Lent, you’ll finish John sometime during Holy Week.
  • Add a little more Scripture: Read Scripture for an extra ten minutes each day.

Creative & Contemplative Prayer

  • Visio Divina (divine seeing): A way of praying with images. Choose a picture — something beautiful, challenging, surprising, or even difficult to look at — and spend time noticing it slowly. Look from different angles. Where do you see God in it? Do you see yourself in it? What does it invite you to pray for? Consider using a different image each time.

Daily Prayer Rhythms

  • Set simple prayer rhythms: Spend 10 minutes each morning and 10 minutes each evening in prayer. If you already do that, try adding 10 minutes at lunch.
  • Pray for peace: Spend 10–15 minutes each day praying for peace in a world marked by violence and anxiety. If you don’t know what to pray, repeat: “Lord, bring us your peace.” Consider making it a breath prayer – say “Lord” as you breathe in and “bring us your peace” as you breathe out.

Praying for Others & the World

  • Pray for your enemies: Pray each day for those you struggle with—people you disagree with, people who have hurt others, and even people you simply find difficult.
  • Pray for immigrants, refugees, and those who serve our communities: Ask God to help us welcome those seeking safety and a new beginning, remembering that our Lord was once a refugee in Egypt. Pray also for ICE agents, police officers, and first responders — may they both experience and bring safety, wisdom, and compassion, and that God’s peace would guide their work.
  • Pray over the news: Spend 10 minutes reading the news and praying over what you read—pray for the people involved and ask God how you might respond.

rest & reflection

These are practices that invite us to slow down and pay attention — creating space to rest in God’s grace, reflect on our lives, and notice where God is already at work.

Sabbath

  • Practice Sabbath: The practice of Sabbath has a long history — it is written into the Ten Commandments — and invites us to learn how to rest in the midst of a busy world. Take a true Sabbath each week: no work emails, no catching up from home, simply resting and caring for your soul. Learn more about how to practice Sabbath here.

Daily Reflection / Examen

  • End your day with reflection: Spend a few minutes reviewing your day. When did you feel close to God? When did you feel distant? Where were you faithful? Where were you tempted — or in need of confession? Bring these moments honestly before God, thanking God for sustaining you and asking for grace where you fell short. Consider journaling as it can help you notice patterns, understand yourself more clearly, and grow in intimacy with God. Over time, looking back on what you’ve written can reveal how God has been shaping and drawing you closer.

Gratitude

  • Write one thank-you note each day: Express gratitude to someone who has made your life better. Consider including people whose work often goes unnoticed—servers, delivery drivers, grocery workers, and others.

love in action

These are practices that turn our faith outward — helping us embody Christ’s love through generosity, compassion, hospitality, and meaningful connection with others.

Hospitality & Connection

  • Write a letter: Reach out to someone who lives far away. Tell them about your life and how much you care for them.

  • Share a meal: Invite someone who is lonely to share a meal with you.

  • Take someone to lunch: Each week, invite someone on a tight budget to lunch. Have a meaningful conversation and pay for the meal (tip well!).

  • Have a real conversation across difference: Each week, engage someone whose life or beliefs are different from yours. Listen to learn — then pray for that person throughout the week.

Compassion & Service

  • Cook for an overwhelmed family: Prepare and deliver a meal to someone carrying a heavy load.

  • Offer practical help: Assist someone struggling to pay bills.

  • Visit someone who is isolated: Spend time with someone in prison, a nursing home, or the hospital.

  • Do something kind for someone who frustrates you: Choose one intentional act of grace.

Intentional Prayer for Others

  • Pray for five people: Make a list of five people who may need God’s light and love. Pray for them daily and ask how you might reflect Christ to them.

Fasting, Simplicity & Stewardship

These are practices where we intentionally choose less, give more, and use what we have more faithfully — making space for God and blessing others in the process.

Personal Fasting

  • Fast from something for 40 days: Choose one thing to give up so you can create space to grow with God in your faith, relationships, or daily life. Read more about fasting here.

Food-Based Simplicity

  • Give up eating meat: For most of history (and in much of the world today), meat was a rare delicacy or treat. Consider abstaining during Lent as a practice of simplicity and solidarity.
  • Skip restaurants or takeout: Give up going out to eat or ordering takeout. Track what you save and give it to an organization that fights hunger.

Stewardship of Resources

  • Use cloth instead of paper products: Avoid paper towels and napkins. Use cloth instead and reflect on how much waste we produce daily.
  • Try tithing until Easter: Give 10% of your income to the church from now until Easter and see what happens.
  • Donate to a nonprofit: Give to organizations doing good work locally and globally. Explore our Lenten Offering Partners here.