LENT 2026

Historically, the Church has observed Lent as the 40 days leading up to Easter (not counting Sundays).

As Jesus describes to the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2, it can be easy for us to lose sight of our “first love” and settle for a “lesser love.”

During this season, followers of Jesus often give up certain foods or comforts, not as an end in themselves, but to turn from lesser loves and make room to return to our first love and all Jesus desires for us. The 40-day length of Lent is inspired by Matthew 4:1-11, where Jesus fasts in the wilderness for 40 days. Think of Lent as training season for Easter.

If you’ve been around Enjoy awhile, you know that for the last several years we’ve had a rhythm of 21 days of prayer and fasting in February. This year, we’re leaning into Lent, the ancient 40-day season leading up to Resurrection Sunday. Why the change?

• Ancient practices are powerful. Lent has been observed by Christians for centuries, with its origins dating as early as the 2nd century. 
• We want to know our roots. Exploring Lent helps us understand the rhythms and calendar of the historic Church.
• 40 days gives us more space. While Fast Feb has been meaningful, Lent allows us to go deeper.
• It builds anticipation for Resurrection Sunday. The longer season gives us room to prepare our hearts for Easter in a more intentional way.

Selective Fast
This type of fast involves removing certain elements from your diet. For example, you may choose to go without processed sugar or not eat fast food. One example of a selective fast in Scripture is the Daniel Fast, during which you remove meat, sweets, and bread from your diet and consume water and juice for fluids and fruits and vegetables for food.
Complete Fast
In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with juices as an option. You may choose to do a complete fast during certain days of Lent. Consult your doctor before starting this fast to determine if this choice is safe for you. 
Partial Fast
This fast is sometimes called the “Jewish Fast” and involves abstaining from eating any type of food in the morning and afternoon. This can either correlate to specific times of the day, such as 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, or from sun up to sun down. Consult your doctor before starting this fast to determine if this choice is safe for you.
Abstaining/Soul Fast
This fast is a great option if you do not have much experience fasting food, have health issues that prevent you from fasting food, or if you wish to refocus certain areas of your life that are out of balance. For example, you might choose to stop using social media or watching television for the duration of the fast and then carefully bring that element back into your life in healthy doses at the conclusion of the fast.