Written by If you’re like me, you grew up in a church tradition that did not incorporate participation in Lent. It wasn’t until I was in college that I learned Lent wasn’t just something for Catholics, and that many of my Protestant friends also participated. Still, Lent wasn’t something I considered participating in until I heard a podcast on the topic, and felt challenged to join.
For the past several years, I’ve found different ways to participate, each one bringing more depth and understanding to my relationship with Jesus, and my yearly journey toward Easter. I’ve learned that Lent is about so much more than just “giving up” something. It’s about engaging in rhythms that prepare our hearts for the Christian life and our calling to follow Jesus wholeheartedly.
I think Lent can be meaningful for our students, too, if they are empowered and equipped to participate well. If this isn’t something your ministry is already doing, let me encourage you to consider it. I also want to share some ideas, which I hope are helpful whether you’re already doing Lent as a student ministry initiative or considering it.
Reimagine intentional fasting.
Fasting is typically the “big” aspect of Lent that we think of, and it can be a beautiful rhythm to engage in intentionally. When it comes to our students, I think we have to treat fasting with care as some students’ relationships with food can be complicated.
Rather than simply focusing on fasting from food, I would encourage you to challenge your students to ask themselves, “What thing has the potential to be, or has become, an idol in my life that I can give up during Lent?” Help your students drill down on the things that most often draw their attention away from God, or that they use to self-medicate, that they can feasibly fast from for over a month.
Students might be tempted to list things like school, friends, sports or other activities, which they can’t realistically take a break from. So you may need to offer guidance and help them determine what can be removed. Maybe it’s social media and using that as their primary way of connecting with friends. Maybe it’s intentionally stepping away from homework for 15 minutes each day to read the Bible and pray in a quiet space.
If a student does want to fast from a food item, encourage them to choose something that isn’t good for them, or has the tendency to become an “emotional support” food. This could include fasting from desserts and candy, soft drinks, or junky snack foods.
While they’re fasting, students should be encouraged to turn their thoughts to God, especially if they’re struggling with it. The reminder in fasting is that we desperately need and depend on God, more than the thing we’re fasting from and missing. In those moments of struggle, they can choose to engage in a spiritual rhythm. (More on that below.)
Include an intentional “feast day.”
When I was learning about Lent, I liked the idea of making Sundays a “feast day.” And while that meant indulging in something I was fasting from, more importantly, I loved the idea of celebrating the goodness of God. So rather than just having a day of indulgence, I wanted it to be intentional.
If students are creatively fasting, feast days may look different for them. Maybe it makes sense for them to fast the whole Lenten season, or maybe they can intentionally allow engagement on Sunday.
Another way to look at feast days is doing something as a group if you gather on Sunday mornings. Open up the floor to a time of sharing what students are learning, how they are celebrating God, and what they are thankful for. You could also provide treats that provide a physical feast element for students to partake in.
Do a group study.
I have loved doing daily studies throughout Lent that help me focus on the themes of the holiday season. Doing one as a group can help students engage on their own, but also feel part of a larger community participating in Lent together.
The YouVersion Bible app often has a Lent study or two available, which can make it easy to participate as a group if you initiate the study and invite the students to join. Another option if you have time is to create your own study, which affords the ability to cater it to your specific group. Just make sure to give yourself plenty of time to create it if you go this route.
Focus on spiritual rhythms.
Lent is also about engaging in other spiritual rhythms, not just fasting, though they can go hand-in-hand. I grew up hearing that prayer was an integral part of fasting, as it helps us remain strong. Lent is also an opportunity to pray for something consistently for a set period of time and watch for God’s answer.
Another spiritual rhythm I love to engage in during Lent is meditation on Scripture. I frequently choose one verse to focus on or memorize. Before I get out of bed in the morning, I read the verse and pray to start the day.
Another traditional part of Lent is giving. This can be monetary, and you can find a ministry, organization or person to support as a group. Or, if your students don’t have money to give, you can help them identify needs of others and find creative ways to participate. Maybe they can give of their time to help with childcare or service projects. Or they can give of their talents to play music or create art for homebound seniors.
These are just some of the rhythms you can direct your students to engage in during Lent. They can also journal, practice intentionally sitting in silence, or create something based on what they are learning (art, poetry, a story, a song, photographs, etc.).
Incorporate observances into your weekly programming.
If you’re doing Lent as a group, can you tie it into weekly meetings? Think of lessons that dig into the themes of Lent, or a series that follows Jesus’ ministry and journey to the cross. Maybe you want to incorporate communion into one or more of your meetings.
You can provide unique ways for students to engage during lessons with quiet time to meditate, pray in color, or memorize a passage as a group. You can also turn Sundays into a time of celebration where students worship, sing, and create art together.
Or you may decide to create an Easter experience for your students as Lent draws to a close. We’ve written a couple of posts along these lines, one about creating an Easter encounter and another about helping students engage with the holiday. This could serve as the conclusion to your students’ observance of Lent.
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