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Draw Near: Life-giving habits for Lent

‘Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.’
James 4.8

The Church of England’s theme for Lent 2026 is Draw Near: Life-giving habits for Lent.

This year’s resources have at their heart the theme of a ‘rhythm of life’ – habits and patterns which help us grow as disciples of Christ day by day, especially as we prepare to celebrate the great mystery of God’s saving love at Easter.

During Lent, reflections are centred around a summary of the Christian Way from Common Worship, which identifies six activities essential to our calling as disciples.

Each week a different contributor explores a different aspect of Christian discipleship – worshipping together, praying, exploring the Bible, sharing communion, offering service and sharing the good news with others.

A parallel 40-day challenge for families and children will also be available - exploring the life-giving habit of generosity in partnership with 40acts.

"Draw Near is all about teaching us how we can cultivate the habits and practices that will draw us nearer to God. And we will find that, in doing so, God will draw nearer to us, too."
Archbishops Sarah Mullally & Stephen Cottrell

Reflections Contributors

This year’s reflections for adults have been written by seven expert contributors:

Sharing in Worship – Matthew Salisbury, the Church of England’s National Liturgical Adviser

Sharing in Prayer – Matthew Porter, Bishop of Bolton in the Diocese of Manchester and author of a number of books on discipleship

Sharing the Scriptures – Jitesh Patel, Assistant Director and Lecturer in Theology at St Mellitus College East Midlands

Sharing in Communion – Jessica Martin, Dean of Chelmsford

Sharing in Service – Michael Leyden, Dean, Emmanuel Theological College

Sharing the Good News – Eleanor Sanderson, Bishop of Hull in the Diocese of York

Sharing in Holy Week – Kate Bruce is a serving RAF chaplain and Visiting Fellow at St John’s College, Durham

Exploring the Christian Way

Lent is a time when the whole Church is invited to revisit ‘the basics’ of the faith alongside those who are exploring them for the first time.

This summary of what it means to live out our calling as Christians from Common Worship is often used with those preparing to be baptized or confirmed. The six weekly themes for our Lent devotional drawn from it are highlighted below:

As we follow the Way of Christ,
we affirm the presence of God among us,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

God calls us to share in worship.
Jesus said, where two or three are gathered in my name,
I am there among them.

Jesus, you are the Way:
guide us on our journey.

God calls us to share in prayer.
Jesus said, remain in me, and I will remain in you.

Jesus, you are the Way:
guide us on our journey.

God calls us to share the Scriptures.
Jesus met his disciples on the road
and opened the Scriptures to them.

Jesus, you are the Way:
guide us on our journey.

God calls us to share in communion.
Jesus said, do this in remembrance of me.

Jesus, you are the Way:
guide us on our journey.

God calls us to share in service.
Jesus said, as you do it for the least of these, you do it for me.

Jesus, you are the Way:
guide us on our journey.

God calls us to share the good news.
Jesus said, go and make disciples of all nations.

Jesus, you are the Way:
guide us on our journey.

The Affirmation of the Christian Way
from Common Worship: Rites on the Way

40acts is a simple idea that flips a season rich in church history: a 40-day generosity challenge, during Lent, that helps you build habits, grow in faith and bless the people around you, one small act at a time.

Lent is a special time to remember what Jesus did for us. He gave up everything so that we could know God’s love and be part of his kingdom.

With 40acts, this year we invite you to turn that on its head: give things away, give time, give encouragement, and discover the joy of walking in generosity.

Doing 40acts this Lent is a way for all of us to start learning how to live generously. Together, we can practise a generous way of living that that helps build love, hope and joy into the world.

Draw Near banner

Reflections journey for adults

Full-colour Church House Publishing booklets for adults, designed to be affordable for bulk purchase, with money-saving packs of 10 and 50 is available to order now (published 5 January). Order Draw Near booklets from Church House Publishing.

Download sample pages from Draw Near Reflections Booklet for adults.

The Everyday Faith app will carry reflections for adults every Monday to Saturday throughout Lent, based on the booklet. And, of course, the Everyday Faith app will continue to offer content into the season of Easter and beyond throughout 2026.

The focus on habits and practices for discipleship in the reflections complements the focus on stories of discipleship from across the Anglican Communion which will be the focus for the 2026 Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent Book (published by SPCK), Dancing to the Heartbeat of God.

Challenge for families and children

This year we’re inviting families and children to explore the life-giving habit of generosity this Lent with 40acts.

Draw Near with 40 Acts

Full-colour Church House Publishing booklets for families and children (published 5 January) are available to order now individually or in money-saving packs of 10 and 50. Order Draw Near booklets from Church House Publishing.

Download sample pages from Draw Near with 40acts for families and children.

Produced in partnership with 40acts (brought to you by Stewardship), this 40-day challenge is designed to help families and children to join in the Draw Near journey.

As well as an act of generosity, each day also offers a simple Bible verse, reflection and prayer ideal for families, children, school and church groups to do together.

Download a wallchart to help you keep track of the challenges you've completed.

A selection of resources for all age worship from ROOTS and Messy Church ideas, shared as part of 40acts.

Resources for churches

Logos and design guidelines: Logo packs for print and digital are available to download now. Our branding guidelines are designed to assist churches and organisations in making the most of the beautiful Draw Near: Life-giving habits for Lent branding.
There will be a range of Digital Labs resources available to churches. These will include our regular webinars tailored for Lent and Easter, blogs, how-to videos, and case studies.
Downloadable resources including icons, social media covers and templates, 'What's On' and 'Keep in Touch' flyer templates, poster templates, and PowerPoint templates are available from AChurchNearYou.com (login required).
Preview all themes and readings from the Draw Near reflections here and reflect together with our Resources for Groups.
A weekly video to use as part of group discussion and study, accompanies the themes of our daily Lent reflections for 2026. These Videos for Groups on YouTube have also been subtitled.
Directory of Lent and Easter Resources for use at home, church and school, provided by members of the Parachurch Organisations Network of the Growing Faith Foundation.

Previous webinars

Digital resources for Lent and Easter 2026: Watch this special webinar as we explore this year’s Lent and Easter resources for churches. This year’s resources have at their heart the theme of a ‘rhythm of life’ – habits and patterns which help us grow as disciples of Christ day by day, especially as we prepare to celebrate the great mystery of God’s saving love at Easter.
Digital Giving at Lent and Easter: This webinar dives into Digital Giving and how it can help your church, whether it's online donations or contactless and in-person. We look at templates for promoting donation QR codes, and how to edit those on Canva. We also show you how you can maximise opportunities for giving over the Lent and Easter period.

Upcoming webinars

Ask us anything: Social media tips for Lent and Easter

Join us 12pm on Thursday 26 February where we’ll share tips to help you make the most of social media opportunities in Lent and Easter.

Find out more and register

Resources for Schools

Resources for individuals

Reflections via email: Sign up to our Lent reflection emails and receive daily messages straight to your inbox. Our daily emails will offer Bible readings, short reflections and a practical challenge, as well as prayers linked to weekly themes.
Daily reflections via Everyday Faith app: You can read and listen to daily Lent reflections from 18 February through the Everyday Faith app, the new daily devotional app from the Church of England, which is available to download here.
Online services: Can't make it to church this Lent and Easter? Watch our weekly online worship services from across the Church of England and worship with us.
Social media: Be sure to follow us across our social media channels – X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Threads – during the season for a variety of thought-provoking and inspiring content.

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