19/03/2026
What is Lent? And When Does Lent Start?
Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is a time when millions of Christians around the world take time to draw closer to God and reflect in the lead up to Easter.
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When did Lent 2026 started?
In 2026, Lent began on Wednesday 18 February.
When does Lent 2026 end?
The last day of Lent 2026 is Thursday 2 April.
When the Lent period ends depends on how you count the 40 days; eastern and western churches observe Lent slightly differently.
In western churches, Sundays are excluded. While Lent concludes on Maundy Thursday, some Christians continue fasting until Holy Saturday.
Eastern churches include Sundays, meaning Lent ends on the Friday before Palm Sunday, which marks the start of Holy Week. Holy Week leads up to Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
What does Lent mean?
The word “Lent” comes from the old English, “lencten,” which means “spring.” In Middle English is derived the words, lenten, lente, lent; related to the Dutch, lente, the German, Lenz, also rendered “spring.” In Old German lenzin, lengizin, and lenzo are related words, which probably comes from the same root as “long” and referring to “the lengthening days,” as the earth moves from the winter solstice toward the spring equinox.
Why is lent 40 days?
40 is a significant number in the Bible:
In Genesis, the flood which destroyed the earth was brought about by 40 days and nights of rain. The Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness before reaching the promised land. Moses fasted for 40 days before receiving the ten commandments on Mount Sinai. Jesus spent 40 days praying and fasting in the wilderness in preparation for his ministry.
Lent 2026 is taking place between 18 February – 2 April.
What to do for Lent?
Some Christians from more orthodox or traditional denominations fast during Lent. They begin with the wearing of ashes on Ash Wednesday and give up meat, fish, eggs and more for the 40-day period. Others choose to give up comforts or luxuries such as chocolate, treat foods, social media or television.
For many Christians, Lent is a time where they make space to pray, read the Bible and reflect on God’s love. This collection of Lent scriptures remind us that when we seek God, we will find him.
For some of us the prospect of 40 days of giving up something can be daunting. This year we’d like to encourage you to take something up instead and form a new habit. That’s why we’re offering you prayer journals to help keep you focus more prayerfully, to encourage you in your faith journey.
What is Shrove Tuesday?
Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins
Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday was a day where Christians could reflect on the sins they needed to repent of before the Lenten season began. The name Shrove comes from the old middle English word ‘Shriven’ meaning to go to confession to say sorry for the wrong things we’ve done.
Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day which comes from the old English custom of using up all the fattening ingredients before Lent, so that people were ready to fast. The fattening ingredients that most people had in their houses were eggs and milk, hence why people began combining them with flour to make pancakes.
What is the first day of Lent called?
Often called the Day of Ashes, Ash Wednesday opens Lent and takes place 46 days before Easter Sunday. It’s chiefly observed by Catholics, although many other Christians mark it, too. Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting.
What is Holy week?
Holy Week is the week leading up to Easter, and is the week during which Christians particularly remember the last week of Jesus’s life. Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday which commemorates Christ’s triumphant arrival in Jerusalem.
Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter where Christians remember the Last Supper, when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.
Good Friday is the day on which Christians remember Jesus’ crucifixion and burial.
Easter Sunday is the day on which Jesus rose from his tomb.
Lent Bible Verses
This collection of Lent scriptures remind us that when we seek God, we will find Him.
Lent is the 40 day period where we draw closer to God in the lead up to Easter. These Lent Bible verses have been chosen to help us reflect at this special time of repentance and reflection, enabling us to grow in faith and cultivate the Fruit of the Spirit as we journey towards Easter.
“Lent is an amazing time to reflect and get closer to God. One of my favourite Lent verses is Psalm 27:14. It helps me to focus on the incredible love Jesus has shown me.” Philippa Hanna, Christian singer-songwriter
Lent Scriptures to Encourage You
Bible verses for Lent Romans 8:39
These Bible verses for Lent are focused on fasting and waiting on God. They remind us that when we wait on our Heavenly Father and seek Him, we will find Him.
1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Isaiah 58:6 Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
Psalm 42:2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
Joel 2: 12-14 “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart,with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing—grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God.”
Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
Isaiah 30:18 Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Matthew 6:16-18 When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Isaiah 40:31 But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Psalm 33:20-22 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
Psalm 130:5-6 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Micah 7:7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Saviour; my God will hear me.
Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Hosea 12:6 But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Galatians 5:5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.
Jeremiah 29:12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
Psalm 62:5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.
Psalm 25:4-5 Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long
All of these Lent Bible verses are taken from the NIV version of the Bible.
Lent in the Bible
‘Is Lent in the Bible?’ is a common question. There are so many Lent Bible verses here, but interestingly, the Bible doesn’t record the disciples or the early church observing Lent. Lent is a more recent tradition inspired by Jesus’ 40 days and 40 nights praying and fasting in the wilderness. Jesus’ 40 days in the desert is recorded in these Lent Bible verses in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke:
Mark 1:12-15 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted[a] by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Matthew 4: 1-11 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Ways to reflect this Lent
Scripture to encourage this Lent Isaiah 40:31
For some of us the prospect of 40 days of giving up something can be daunting. This year we’d like to encourage you to take something up instead and form a new habit. Our prayer journals can help keep you focused and provide a meaningful way to incorporate Lent prayers into your daily routine.
In this season of reflection and waiting, we’re also giving you the opportunity to end the wait for a child living in poverty. You can sponsor a child today and give them health-checks, education and the opportunity to hear about how much God loves them.
These Lenten readings can help us focus on God’s grace. The Lent Bible verses celebrate the victory Jesus made over death when he died on the cross.
Philippians 3:10-11 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
John 3:14-18 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Micah 5:4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
Joel 2: 1-2 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand— a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was in ancient times nor ever will be in ages to come.
Holy Week Readings
These Lent Bible scriptures follow the events of Holy week as Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, shared the last supper with his disciples and died and rose again on the cross.
Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a c**t, the foal of a donkey.
Luke 19:28-42 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a c**t tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the c**t, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the c**t?” They replied, “The Lord needs it.” They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the c**t and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.
Luke 22:14-23 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.
Luke 22: 44-46 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
Luke 23:50-56 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.
Luke 24: 1-6 24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!
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Lent lasts 40 days. Lent is a time when millions of Christians around the world take time to draw closer to God and reflect in the lead up to Easter.
