Ash and dust. Sorrow and repentance. An invitation to remember our baptism and dwell on our own mortality. The blunt grimness of Lent can be intimidating.
But the solemn, 40-day period of preparation for Easter that begins on Ash Wednesday was never meant to be undertaken solo. “We may—we will—find that we can’t do it alone,” writes Julie Polter. “We need help. We need community. We need a God who is reaching toward us and isn’t afraid of meeting us at the point of our worst sin, a God who knows death intimately, and pulls us toward life.”
The resources in the list below—books, free downloads, email series, audio formats, and other media—aim to accompany us as we accept Lent’s invitation to self-examination, renewal, and yes, good old-fashioned repentance. Some of the resources zero in on a particular sin, like racism or ableism; others invite us to consider the myriad ways to renounce all the death-dealing powers of evil.
Were You There? Lenten Reflections on the Spirituals, by Luke A. Powery
When we are already painfully aware of the world’s deep brokenness, we can find Lenten solace in spirituals, music forged “on the anvil of misery by enslaved Blacks,” writes Luke A. Powery, dean of Duke Chapel. But these “suffering songs”—like Lent—do not end in despair: Enslaved people “lived in their own inhumane wilderness for years, yet still sang songs of hope. From these cultural wells, we still drink.” Each of the daily readings from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday includes lyrics from a spiritual accompanied by a brief reflection, suggested scripture readings, and a short prayer.
40-Day Journey with Julian of Norwich, edited by Lisa E. Dahill
Julian of Norwich was an English mystic who lived in the Middle Ages. Though she’s best known for her famous phrase, “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well,” there’s more to this medieval anchoress who survived a plague than cheerful optimism—including her cosmic visions of a mothering God. Suited for Lent or Advent, each of the 40 readings offers an excerpt from Julian’s writings, a short Bible verse, questions to ponder, journaling prompts, a verse from Psalms, and two prayers.
A Way Other Than Our Own: Devotions for Lent, by Walter Brueggemann, edited by Richard A. Floyd
Drawing on his collected sermons and themes from his 1978 classic, The Prophetic Imagination, Hebrew Bible scholar and American theologian Walter Brueggemann calls the U.S. church to relinquish our culture’s patriotism, consumerism, violence, and affluence and return to the “alternative way” of Jesus. With a daily Bible verse, reflection, and prayer for each day from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday, Brueggemann offers accessible insight on scripture along with a sharp critique of dominant culture—and the church’s acquiescence.
Hunger for Righteousness: A Lenten Journey Towards Intimacy with God and Loving Our Neighbor by Phoebe Farag Mikhail
With personal storytelling, historical savvy, and the desert fathers’ wisdom, Phoebe Farag Mikhail invites readers to consider some of the ancient, communal practices of Lent, especially those drawn from her own Coptic Orthodox Tradition. Rooted in Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:6 (“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”), the 10-chapter book invites readers to think of Lent as a time “for giving and forgiving, for mending relationships and building new ones, for fighting injustice, and for growing in intimacy with God communally, not just individually.”
Resipiscence: A Lenten Devotional for Dismantling White Supremacy (three volumes), edited by Vahisha Hasan and Nichola Torbett
“Resipiscence” means a change of heart or an acknowledgment of a past mistake—precisely the sort of reckoning the diverse contributors to this devotional hope to prompt in the church for its long allegiance to white supremacy. The three volumes of daily reflections correspond with the Revised Common Lectionary’s three-year cycle of scripture readings. Available for purchase in paperback or e-book exclusively at transformnetwork.org/movementinfaith, the devotionals are a collaborative project of Movement in Faith, Seminary of the Street, and Transform Network, a trio of organizations working to train and mobilize people of faith for social justice.
Enter Exodus: An Ebook of Prayers, Music, Laments and Reflections for Lent, by The Many
Who says devotions need to be text-based? In this 50-page guide from The Many, a social justice-focused worship band, you’ll find poems, laments, and songs for Lent, along with prayers, short meditations, and photography. Inspired by the Exodus story of the Israelites’ liberation, The Many hopes this resource, available for purchase as a digital download exclusively at shop.themanyarehere.com, guides us “toward a new way of being in the world we’re living in right now. Toward resistance and hope. Healing and liberation.”
Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing, by Gayle Boss, illustrated by David G. Klein
Looking for something totally different? Try spending Lent with 25 nearly extinct animals ranging from the Indiana bat to the African elephant. Instead of the typical combination of a Bible verse, reflection, and prayer, Boss offers four stories of threatened animals for each week of Lent, along with Klein’s gorgeous black-and-white illustrations. Attention to the beauty, fragility, and pain of the non-human animals who share creation with us “routes us directly to the heart of Lent … a season meant to rouse us from our self-absorption,” writes Boss.
Hearing God in Poetry: Fifty Poems for Lent and Easter, by Richard Harries
If the idea of fewer words and more contemplation appeals, consider this collection of poems drawn from several centuries of the English language. Each poem is followed by a brief introduction to the poet and Harries’ succinct analysis. Readers who wish to use this book for Lenten reflection should be prepared to do some pondering: Though Harries chose each poem intentionally, he admits that he has “not often sought to draw out moral or theological lessons, as I believe that the point about poems is that they speak for themselves. That is […] why each of these poems offers insights that can lead the reader deeper into the mystery of Christ crucified and risen.”
Disabling Lent: An Anti-Ableist Lenten Devotional, edited by Unbound
For every Sunday in Lent and each day of Holy Week, this guide offers a longer reflection on a Bible verse or passage from folks in the disabled community and their allies. The reflections are sharp and deeply personal: “If I am not careful, it is harder for me to like my body, let alone, love it,” confesses pastor and organizer Letiah Fraser on Ash Wednesday after describing how cerebral palsy affects her body. “Do not rush to offer me absolution. Not until your own ableism is acknowledged.” Created by Unbound: An Interactive Journal on Christian Social Justice, the devotional is free and available as a PDF download or audio streaming at justiceunbound.org/disablinglent. Unbound’s other Lenten devotionals are also worth checking out, including guides with queer and Indigenous themes.
Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter, edited by Plough Publishing
Lent is a season of restraint, but this compiled book is a Lenten (and paschal) smorgasbord, offering more than 70 excerpted readings for Lent and Easter. Inside you’ll find writings of spiritual leaders, theologians, literary favorites, mystics, and justice heroes, including Clarence Jordan, Kathleen Norris, Ernesto Cardenal, Simone Weil, Wendell Berry, Madeleine L’Engle, Philip Berrigan, and Oscar Wilde, to name a few.
Annual Lenten Series, edited by Ignatian Solidarity Network
For the last decade, the Ignatian Solidarity Network, a Jesuit organization that educates and forms advocates for social justice, has created an annual (free) Lenten series, available by email or podcast. While each year has a different theme, the series always features a diverse group of Catholic contributors, including Fr. James Martin, S.J.; Ellie Hidalgo; Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J.; and Kerry Robinson. Sign up here: https://ignatiansolidarity.net/lent-2026.
Still looking for more? Here are a few resources that aren’t specifically for Lent, but that we still think would make excellent companions for the 40-day season:
For Such a Time As This: An Emergency Devotional, by Hanna Reichel.In this accessible four-part (or four week) guide, theology professor Hanna Reichel gently reminds us that we are not the first Christians to try to live faithfully amid rising authoritarianism. Reichel, who studied the German Confessing Church movement that resisted Hitler’s policies in the Third Reich, offers a mix of historical examples, theological insight, and biblical reflection to highlight the resources and practices Christian faith supplies in moments like these.
Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection, by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie
Not a Lenten devotional per se, but this collection of 40-some devotions would be a good (enough) accompaniment for anyone who’s done giving up chocolate or alcohol for Lent, and instead wants to ditch the shiny allure of perfectionism. Each of the daily readings offers a short reflection, a prayer or blessing, followed by a “good enough” action step and a related Bible verse, quote, or line of poetry.
Sacred Belonging: A 40-Day Devotional on the Liberating Heart of Scripture, by Kat Armas
In the introduction, Cuban-American writer Kat Armas admits she hasn’t read a devotional in years and wrote this book specifically for other people like her, especially those whose faith is “a place of unlearning, of unraveling—of decolonizing” and who are “hungry for new, liberating insights into our faith tradition.” Sacred Belonging isn’t a Bible study; Armas offers 40 reflections on scripture, wrestling with themes that many Christian traditions have ignored, including creation, wisdom, spirit, the body, and the feminine.
All resources on this list were independently selected by Sojourners’ editors. Sojourners has partnered with Bookshop.org; when you order books through the links on sojo.net, Sojourners earns a small commission and Bookshop.org sends a matching commission to independent bookstores.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in March 2022 as "10 Lent Devotionals and Books That Inspire Faith and Justice." It was revised and expanded in February 2026.
Did this article have an impact on you? Tell us how! Whether you’re moved to take action, have a question, or want to share a comment (good or bad), we value your feedback!
