Join Us in this Lenten Season
Our journey in this Lenten season begins at the table of grace where we are invited to penitence and opening our hearts to be cleansed by God. We move to the table of promise, where we are invited to trust in the Lord. We come to the table of transformation next, where we are invited to be courageous in the face of so much mystery in the world around us. On the third Sunday, we come to the table of repentance, where we are invited to change our minds—to open our minds and be aligned with the mind of Christ. At the table of reconciliation, we are invited to speak the truth. We come then to the table of new life, where we are invited to let go of the past. Finally, on Palm/Passion Sunday, we come to the table of welcome, where we are invited to practice radical hospitality with one another.
Each week you will find a scripture on which to meditate, a reflection to read, a practice to engage, and an element for a table setting—each piece inviting you to go deeper. You might gather as a community around a table, collecting the elements each week. Or you might set aside a space in your home to gather with God at a table each week. If you are using this piece to inform your worship service, you might bring each element to the communion table or altar in the worship space.
A special word about Bread for the World’s Offering of Letters, an annual campaign that engages churches, campuses, and other faith communities in writing personalized letters to Congress on issues related to hunger in the U.S. and around the world. This year we celebrate Bread for the World’s 50th Anniversary. As we reflect on the legacy of the Bread for the World community, we remember that in the early years of the organization, churches participated in the Offering of Letters as a Lenten practice. We have written this devotional to both follow the lectionary text and create practices that would support the church in participating in the Offering of Letters.
We hope that you will consider participating in an Offering of Letters this year. Letter writing would be especially appropriate for the fourth week of Lent but would also work well on week five and for Palm/Passion Sunday. To learn more about how to write a letter individually, please visit bread.org/act. To lead an offering of letters in your church or community, visit bread.org/ol.
On behalf of Bread for the World staff, we wish you a thoughtful and meaningful Lent.
– Rev. Nancy Neal
Rev. Nancy Neal is the Minister for Spiritual Formation and Wellness at Bread for the World, where she works to create a culture grounded in Christian practice. She is an ordained PC(USA) pastor and has spent her career working to alleviate social inequalities. See her detailed biography at https://www.bread.org/bio/nancy-neal/.
Here are Bread for the World’s 2025 weekly Lent themes:
Ash Wednesday: “Grace“
Scripture: Psalm 51:17
Reflection: We begin our Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday sitting at the table of grace. Lent is a time for journeying inward and preparing our hearts for the death and resurrection of our beloved teacher, Jesus. We turn with penitent hearts to God, confessing with the psalmist, “wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”
First Sunday of Lent: “Promise”
Scripture: Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Reflection: At the table of promise, we remember God’s faithfulness in keeping promises. Through Moses, God brought the Israelites to freedom from their suffering under the Pharoah’s harsh rule.
Second Sunday of Lent: “Transformation”
Scripture: Luke 9:28-43
Reflection: At the table of transformation, we sit with patience in the face of mystery and the unknown around us. Like Peter and the disciples with him, who try to make sense of what is happening around them, we are invited to sit in the unknown in our lives.
Third Sunday of Lent: “Repentance”
Scripture: Luke 13:1-9
Reflection: At the table of repentance, we hold the tension of what is and what we hope can be. We open ourselves to seeing things in new ways, to a change in heart and mind.
Fourth Sunday of Lent: “Reconciliation”
Scripture: Luke 15:1-3,11B-32
Reflection: At the table of reconciliation, we speak the truth about who we are and what is happening in the world. We do this in the hope that we can restore relationships among ourselves.
Fifth Sunday of Lent: “New Life”
Scripture: Isaiah 46:16-21
Reflection: At the table of new life, we focus our attention on how God is moving now. We remove the blinders of the past and contend with the reality in front of us.
Palm/Passion Sunday: “Welcome”
Scripture: Luke 22:14-27
Reflection: In between the crowd that cheers Jesus coming into Jerusalem on a colt with cries of Hosanna and Hallelujah and the crowd deserting Jesus in his trial, we find ourselves at the table of welcome.
Download Bread for the World’s free Lent devotional for in-depth scriptures, reflections, and prayers.
