Lent & Easter Daybook - 48 meditations to prepare our hearts, minds, and bodies for resurrection
48 meditations + a Practice Lament retreat guide to prepare our hearts, minds, and bodies for Christ’s arrival
WHAT’S INCLUDED
48 meditations for each day of Lent and the first 8 days of Easter 2022
registration for a two-hour virtual Lent retreat led by a trained spiritual director and experienced facilitator
retreat guide and access to the recorded retreat so you can revisit or use as a self-guided retreat
guidance for spiritual practices of Lent’s prayer, fasting, and almsgiving and Easter’s celebration of resurrection
step-by-step instructions on the spiritual practice of lectio divina to help you read and receive God’s word in transformative ways
specially curated playlists to companion you through the season
ideas to help you integrate the themes of Lent and Eastertide into your everyday life - including lists of our favorite books and poems to read
An invitation to walk day by day into the cleansing simplicity of Lent and the festive celebration of Easter
It's one of my greatest joys to walk alongside you through Lent with suggested resources and daily encouragement in the form of the Lent Daybook series.
In the spirit of Lent’s invitation, I welcome you to walk through the days - one by one - quietly, slowly, and contemplatively. If this all sounds too somber, I assure you the best sort of joy is what happens when we cultivate a prayerful heart unafraid to lament the sin and suffering in our own lives and in the world in order to bask in the renewed joy of Easter’s resurrection.
I love the way Dorothy Sayers describes Lent as the “church’s springtime” in the quotation below:
“Lent is not intended to be an annual ordeal during which we begrudgingly forgo a handful of pleasures. It is meant to be the church’s springtime, a time when, out of the darkness of sin’s winter, a repentant, empowered people emerges.
Put another way, Lent is the season in which we ought to be surprised by joy. Our self-sacrifices serve no purpose unless, by laying aside this or that desire, we are able to focus on our heart’s deepest longing: unity with Christ. In him—in his suffering and death, his resurrection and triumph—we find our truest joy.”
There's so much joy to be found in humility. If you haven't ever fully entered into the practice of Lent, would you consider joining me this year? May I encourage you that this doesn't (and shouldn't) be complicated. Here are a few helpful posts from the past several years of preparing for Lent.
How we will enter the seasons of Lent & Eastertide
Each day of Lent and the first 8 days of Eastertide (March 2 - April 24) we’ll savor a new meditation that includes a work of art, a song, daily Scripture passages, a short prayer, and a simple action to help you practice the prayerful days of Lent and the celebratory days of Easter. Each meditation will help us look, listen, read, pray, and do meaningful practices of Lent and Easter.
Look
We’ll practice praying with the eyes of our heart (Visio Divina) through an image I’ve curated to enhance the Scriptural themes of Lent & Easter. You’ll notice that some of the images evoke traditional scenes of Christ’s passion while others seem to have nothing to do with the season at all. The images rotate through the classic and contemporary art of all media. Each week I include an image (usually a photograph) from news headlines of the year so that we can pray for the world around us.
Listen
We’ll soak in the theologically rich and melodically beautiful songs of Lent. Most of the songs I share each day are contemporary versions of old classics or new tunes written for Lent, but each week I try to mix in a choral or traditional arrangement. I try to select quality recordings and include a Spotify, YouTube, and when available, a Bandcamp version for your convenience. Since the music is chosen to enhance the visual art, my family chooses to play the music as a backdrop for contemplating the image. You might choose to do each separately. I also include a link to lyrics for each song so you can sing along if you’d like!
Read
If you don’t do anything else with the posts I send each day, read the Scripture passages. I include a link for the complete lectionary passages each day and then excerpt the portions that particularly spoke to me as I was preparing the post. This year I’ll be using the New Revised Standard Version most often, but if you click through the link to the Biblegateway page, you can adjust the version to your preference.
The Scripture readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary (Year C). Daily Scripture readings are taken from the Book of Common Prayer (Year 2). The Old Tesament figures of Joseph and Moses feature prominently in the daily passages this year, and I’ve been trying to get to know them a bit better. The Gospel accounts and the Psalms offer a counterpoint to the often tragic accounts we’ll read in Genesis and Exodus. Read each passage (or the excerpt provided) slowly and listen for the invitation of God to the world, his people, and you.
A special note about Holy Week
From Palm Sunday, April 10, through Holy Saturday, April 16, we add a focus on the litany of last words Jesus spoke from the cross, traditionally known as the Seven Last Words of Christ. The deathbed words of the Suffering Servant provide a framework for the stories of lament I’ve asked seven friends to share with us from their own life experiences of grief. This is a highlight of the year for me on the blog and 2022 is our tenth year helping each other retrieve a Christlike lament for the brokenness of our lives and world. You can read each of the 7 reflections by subscribing to my free blog at tamarahillmurphy.com.
Pray
Each week the prayers are formed around the Sunday collect (a prayer said by the congregation in Sunday worship). While you could pray directly from the daily Scripture (especially the Psalms) or the hymn lyrics, I offer a guided prayer for each day, including some of the borrowed prayers we find in the occasional prayers for our society and those in need found in the Book of Common Prayer.
Do
The spiritual practice of contemplation, at its best, moves from reflective stillness to thoughtful action. We were made by a Creator to love Him, our neighbors, and ourselves with heart, mind, soul, and strength. I’m delighted to invite you to some simple, daily actions to demonstrate that love outwardly. Some of the activities will feel familiar to the traditional customs of Lent (prayer, fasting, and almsgiving), and some will feel new and counterintuitive. It’s all good.
A Lent Community
When I first started this series, I was compelled to create something I’d been looking for and couldn’t find online. While I own and enjoy several beautiful devotional books for Lent and Easter, I was intrigued by the idea of a multi-media, shared experience that can be cultivated online. Since that time, many new and wonderful resources release each year. It’s tempting to dabble in each one, but I encourage you to find what works best for you and to simply, prayerfully walk through each day with intentional companions.
This year there are two ways to keep company with our Lent Community. Choose one or both options based on what fits your preference.
Lent & Easter Daybook daily meditations online
Join my Daybook Meditations membership, Each day you’ll receive one meditation in your email inbox and have exclusive access to the entire season (and all previous years) in the Daybook Meditations member area of my website.
Advent & Christmastide Daybook one-time .pdf download + virtual retreat guide
Purchase and download the entire Daybook in one .pdf to follow along at your own pace throughout the season. If your friends or family would like a devotional guide for Lent but becoming a Daybook Meditations member isn't a good fit right now, the Lent & Easter pdf download is the next best thing. This option includes one free registration for a virtual Lent retreat on March 3.
Here’s what’s new this year!
There are two new features I’m excited to share with you this year!
The Daybook .pdf download will include one meditation for each of first 8 days of Eastertide (also known as the Easter Octave)!
Each .pdf purchase includes one free registration for my virtual Lent retreat!
When
We’ll gather online on Thursday, March 3 from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm. We’ll meet 40 minutes for opening prayer, silence, and scripture reading, 40 minutes for individual reflection (offline) with the help of simple prompts included in the Lent Daybook guide, and 40 minutes for group spiritual direction with space for guided response and Q & A. Come when you can and leave when you need!
Where
We’ll meet on Zoom. I’ll send the recording for those unable to join us live.
Who
Anyone who purchases the Advent & Christmastide Daybook is invited!
How
Purchase and download the Daybook .pdf to receive the Zoom link and retreat details.
Why
Keep company with me as we keep company with Jesus in prayer and contemplation. At its best, the liturgical church calendar draws us into the rich practices of the church throughout time and around the world. When we spend time together - even quietly - we remember that we are part of something bigger than our own devotional lives. We find reassurance and experience the particular way the Spirit is present when two or three or more gather in the name of Christ. It’s my honor and joy to hold space for you to enter the season of Lent from whatever place you find yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually this year.
Please feel free to email me your questions.
Choose your Daybook option and tell a friend!
If you’re looking forward to the Lent & Easter Daybook series, please invite your friends to subscribe too! The Daybook Meditations provide a beautiful experience to be able to share and talk about together. If you’re on Instagram, you and your friends can also follow me there - a_sacramental_life.
1. Lent & Easter Daybook daily meditations online
Subscribe to A Sacramental Life Daybook Meditations to receive curated collections of Scripture readings, music, art, prayer, and simple spiritual practices to help you look, listen, pray, and do daily practices of worship, love, and beauty. You'll receive a daily meditation during Advent, Christmastide, Lent, and the Easter Octave and each Sunday for the rest of the year to help you pay attention to God's presence in both the silence, celebration, fasting, and feasting of the liturgical year.
Thank you so much for your continuous support. Every time you mention my spiritual direction offerings, retreats, writing or devotional guides to a friend, or engage on my social media accounts, you're helping to support my work that reaches beyond the scope of this website. I am grateful for your help!
May the wounds of the Suffering Servant and the glory of the risen Christ permeate your hearts, minds, bodies, homes, and neighborhoods in the coming weeks. I’m with you and for you in this beautiful work of worship.
Tamara