Traditionally, the season of Lent is a time of spiritual internal examination as we journey through the forty days, in preparation for Holy Week and Easter. Historically many Christians used this time for fasting, following the example of Jesus who fasted for forty days in the wilderness. Today, some people choose to use the season to commit to a Lenten discipline - giving something up or taking something up - as a tool to reflect on how we can better live Christ's story and grow to become the people God creates us to be.

As generosity is the outpouring of a lived-out faith, we have a few suggestions for Lenten disciplines, which you might like to commit to during the season of Lent. We'd love to hear how you get on - do share your stories with us here!

Ideas for Living Generously Through Lent

1. Take up the 40acts challenge.

40acts, created by Stewardship, presents a different challenge each day to practice generosity in your life. This is a really creative way of doing Lent differently. Complete yearly plans are available online - find out more here.

2. Donate something every day.

Find a charity or a selection of charities which you can donate to each day throughout Lent. You could include giving supplies to a local Food Bank, or put aside clothes and toys to donate to a charity shop.

3. Commit to praying for your community.

You could commit to giving thanks for the generosity of your community each day in Lent, reflecting on the gifts of money, time, hospitality and other means. You could also prayerfully discern where God is calling you and your church to use these gifts.

4. Sign up to volunteer.

Commit to giving your time to volunteering with a charity. This could be done in person - York CVS provide details of opportunities in North Yorkshire, which you can find here. This could also be done virtually, and there are plenty of opportunities for this, such as the Crisis Text Hotline, Help from Home and Help a Hero. A selection of ideas can be found here.

5. Set aside money for mission.

In addition to your regular planned giving to your church, you could set aside an additional gift amount each day or week, in order to resource mission. You might want to have a particular ministry in mind for this, or generally to bring glory to God in a watching world.

6. Practice gratitude.

Giving springs from the attitude of a grateful heart. Gratitude is a spiritual discipline rooted in the belief that everything good that happens around us is given from God out of love for us. This discipline will help to recover a Christian theology of thanksgiving. Our giving is an expression of gratitude. Commit to giving thanks each day, either by sending a message to someone or by making a note of three things you are grateful for each day.

Click here to download the Living Generously poster.

A comprehensive guide to Lent Resources for 2024

This poster shows a variety of helpful resources, including Bible studies, songs, liturgy, and more.

Click here to download the Lent Resources poster.

Lent Bible Study

This Bible study explores the story of Lent and can be used in small groups.

Click here to download the Lent Bible Study.