LENT: What are you giving up for Lent?

What are you giving up for Lent? We may hear this question often just before Ash Wednesday. Many church denominations encourage giving something up for Lent. The The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod puts it this way:  

"Lent is just around the corner. Are you planning on giving up something for Lent, as some denominations require? From the perspective of the LCMS, "giving something up for Lent" is entirely a matter of Christian freedom. It would be wrong, from our perspective, for the church to make some sort of "law" requiring its members to "give something up for Lent," since the Scriptures themselves do not require this. If, on the other hand, a Christian wants to give something up for Lent as a way of remembering and personalizing the great sacrifice that Christ made on the cross for our sins, then that Christian is certainly free to do so--as long as he or she does not "judge" or "look down on" other Christians who do not choose to do this."

I've been reading more and more about people suggesting there's no way that giving up chocolate or beer can ever compare to the sacrifice of Christ and suggesting that the time might be better spent starting a new devotion and prayer habit. Perhaps people can get together and read the same devotional for the 40 days of Lent.  Have them commit to setting aside time everyday for the 40 days to read and get together each week on a video chat or group phone chat to talk and pray.  The group can either keep a list of people or things they want to pray as they read, or they can take the time to write their own prayer to speak to God from their heart everyday. At the end of the 40 days check in with each other and see how this has or hasn't affected your lives or if their outlooks have changed in some way. This may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship with prayer time!

You may also find Lenten devotions online for free or written by somebody in your larger church body, or sometimes there are people out there who are gifted at really making you think more deeply about your faith.  I can recommend Show Me the Way by Henri Nouwen.  Another one that has shorter entries but plenty to contemplate is Followers of the Cross by Martin Marty.  Or maybe you have one to suggest to me?  I would love it if you would share it!

If giving something up truly brings you closer to God then by all means, do that. But if not, try something that will!

LENT: Imposing Ashes on Each Other

After posting this on my Facebook page and getting a positive response, I thought I should share it here too. It's too late for this year, but it's never too late to plan ahead.

I go to a small church. At our Ash Wednesday service last night the pastor and his son imposed the ashes. Pastor did the adults and his son did the kids (and mine). It made me wonder about how cool it would be to impose ashes on each other. The message is the same, but what an amazing community building moment. I think we need more of those. I think we need more moments standing in front of each other and being reminded that we are all sinners, that we all fall short of the glory of God and, quite frankly, each other, and that Jesus died for each of us. We spend so much time trying to fit in, appear cool, appear good, appear on top, appear strong, appear smart, and appear like we've got it all. Maybe it's a good idea that once a year we stand before each other and be reminded, "From dust you came, to dust you will return."

LENT: HS Youth Hosted Seder Meal

I posted before on how to have a Christian Seder meal and provided links for a script etc. and then today I had an amazing idea that would be a great experience for youth and adults. Why not turn this tradition into an educational experience for the youth by having them host the meal for the congregation for a suggested free will offering?

They could:

• Have a sign-up sheet to decide if one or many meals are needed.
• Learn about the history of the event.
• Find an appropriate leader of the ceremony.
• Provide appropriate music.
• Have Old Testament and Seder trivia on the table for while people wait.

A Seder meal is a great experience. It connects us with our roots and reminds us of our connection with the people of the Old Testament. I know a lot of youth groups would rather serve Easter breakfast but what a truly meaningful learning and leadership experience this would be!

LENT: Mosaic Cross Ideas

Quilt at
Mayer Lutheran H.S.

I was walking through Mayer Lutheran High School (Mayer, MN) and saw a beautiful quilted cross hanging on the wall that reminded me of a mosaic. It's about 5 feet tall and it stopped me in my tracks!

Creating a ceramic mosaic that would hang on the wall would be stunning anywhere in any church but they can get pretty heavy. There are also smaller versions like the blue one shown from Mosaic Designs by Carla and Angela. buin any sanctuary or parish hall but there are so many other ideas that be done. Check out these ideas:

BIG PROJECT

• Create a large mosaic that can hang on the wall. Check out designs at Mosaic Designs by Carla and Angela.  

Mosaic Designs
by Carla and Angela

FUNDRAISING PROJECT

• Have the youth create some stepping stone mosaics of Christian symbols out of pebbles and sell them to the congregation.  You can check out some stone examples at Merriment Design or do a Google image search for mosaic stepping stones.  
• Any group in the church, ladies, youth, etc. can create mosaic stepping stones and have a silent auction. 
• People can buy mosaic stepping stones for families to take home or to add to the church garden. If necessary a plaque can be created to list donors. 

EASY FOR KIDS LENT PROJECT

• Create a large multi-colored construction paper cross, cut it up and let the kids write Bible verses on the different pieces of paper each week. Every week throughout Lent on Wednesdays or Sundays let the kids put the pieces up and by the time Easter Sunday comes along the cross will be full of wonderful Bible verses written by kids. How fun is that? Of course, you can do this at any time throughout the year, it doesn't have to be Lent.

PALM SUNDAY: Children's Message Palm Cross

Borrowed from
Good, True, and Beautiful

On Palm Sunday there are always lots of kids for the processional.  That makes it a great time to have a cool children's message.  Why not tell the story of Jesus' life or Holy Week while creating this cool cross from a palm leaf?  It's as simple as tying a tie.  Afterward, during the Sunday School opening or for a special family Sunday School lesson the kids and their parents can learn how to make their own.

Look at this easy tutorial on a blog called Good, True, and Beautiful!  I borrowed their picture too.  I hope they don't mind.




You can also try this video on YouTube.

This one is a little blurry but is a different style.

LENT: A Christian Seder Meal

Photo:  tumblr.com

Exodus 12:26-27
And when your children say to you, 'What does this rite mean to you?' you shall say, 'It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.'"  And the people bowed low and worshiped.

In many ways smaller congregations are blessed by their size because some things take on more meaning in small groups.  Having a traditional Seder Meal might be one of them.  It would also give members of the congregation a taste of Jewish history and tradition.

The Seder is considered the Jewish Thanksgiving as it is the Passover Dinner giving thanks to God for protecting the first born as the Angel of Death passed over the homes anointed with the blood of the lamb (Exodus 12).  It is also the Last Supper as hosted by Jesus with his disciples before He was sacrificed and asked us to do this in remembrance of Him (Matthew 26).  It is the Feast of Unleavened Bread that we celebrate every time we take Holy Communion. 

A full Seder usually takes place within a family and can take 2 to 4 hours so I would recommend a representative or symbolic Seder.  If you do it before the Maundy Thursday communion service it will add greater meaning to that service and might be a really cool tradition to do with your youth.  Here are my suggestions:

• Allow about 2 hours for the whole celebration which includes the reading of the script and the dinner.
• It's typically done in families but I did it once with a larger group at church and it was nice for us all to do it together and not at separate tables.  Do what works best for your group and seating area.
• If you do it with your youth be sure to have a few adults read the adult parts as it's important to the tradition.
• Have a lot of people involved in the cooking.  Many hands make light work!

You can get more detailed information on what to serve and a script for the ceremony by going to the Women for Faith and Family's website.  I also found a really nice script that includes the actions that take place at The Voice.  If you like many details including recipes and even a shopping list look at The Faithful Word.

I quite enjoyed the tradition and history and being able to participate in something so meaningful to us as Christians.  Give it a try!

LENT: Children's Change for Charity Jar

I LOVE this idea!

Young children have a hard time understanding the concept of self-sacrifice much less understanding what Jesus sacrificed for them.  They don't know how to self-reflect; it's a skill that develops as they grow.  They are learning to share and what it means to be nice to each other and Lent is a great time for remembering how much we have and sharing it.  They also love putting money in the offering plate so why not try having a Children's Change for Charity jar throughout the Lenten season.

During Lent have the Sunday School kids decide on a local charity they want to donate their Lent offering to (give them 2 or 3 choices) and create a jar that can sit near the front of the sanctuary with a huge label naming the charity on it.  During the offering let the kids go up and drop their coins in the jar while the ushers pass the plate.  At first the very young may need to be led but soon they'll go on their own when they see the other kids doing it.  If the change makes noise as it drops in the jar, let it.  Kids like that!

On Easter Sunday (or the Sunday after) make sure you announce where the money is going and if possible, invite somebody from the organization to be there to thank the kids.  If not, be sure to let the congregation and kids know how their money will help others.  Use pictures so the little ones can better understand how their change can change somebody's life!  We love because He first loved us!  1 John 4:19

This is something that can be done all year long but would definitely be a cool Lent tradition!

EDUCATION: Lent for Kids

Lent is right around the corner.  It's a time of self-reflection and remembering, a time of repentance and prayer, a time of giving.  But instead of making it a time of negativity and rules and taking away (sacrifice) for kids, try to make it a time of inspiration.  Instead of giving something up, try giving something else.  Talk to kids about being thankful for the gifts God gives by doing small (or random) acts of charity, having special prayer times and praying for other people.  Make it a time to read special books about Jesus' ministry through His resurrection.

Here's what you can expect kids to understand:

Children younger than three can be told that Jesus is alive and with us today.  Yeah!!

Preschool children will appreciate a simple explanation that Jesus died on a cross, was buried in a tomb, and then rose on Easter Sunday so we can be with Him in heaven.  Hooray!  If you'd like a book for preschoolers try The Easter Story.

Kids this age will not benefit from having to put a toy away during Lent.  They'll give it up because they're told they have to but they won't be doing it willingly as they don't understand the concept of sacrifice.

Younger elementary children can hear stories from the gospels without going into too much detail. They will ask questions about things they're curious about or don't understand and you can answer them honestly but simply. If you're looking for a book for this age group try the Arch book, The Week that Led to Easter.  

Kids this age won't yet benefit from having to sacrifice something either.  They understand sharing or giving but not sacrifice.

Older elementary children can be exposed to more particulars of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.  A good book for kids this age is

The Easter Story: as it is drawn directly from the Bible.

They're beginning to understand and can participate in self-reflecting activities, if guided, and may benefit from giving something up for Lent. They should also be able to make special prayer requests.

GOOD FRIDAY: Put YOUR Nail in His Cross

Matthew 27:37

And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, "THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS."

Good Friday is one of my favorite services because it's one of the few times that we focus solely on our part in the crucifixion of Jesus and don't white wash it with praise songs.  We dwell, for a moment, on the cross with Jesus.


Here's an idea to make it even more personal and get the point across that WE helped pound those nails.

• Create a wooden cross (of soft wood) and lay it on the floor in front of the sanctuary.  If you have a larger congregation you may need more than one.  
• Have a few hammers (maybe 4 at each cross), nails, and some thumb tacks for the kids available at each cross.  
• Provide some small pieces of paper as people arrive to write their name on.  That name represents them, their original sin, and all the sins they commit knowingly and unknowingly.
• Traditionally we are to leave quietly after the loud noise.  A cool end to that service might be to have people nail their name to the cross before the loud noise.
• Stand the cross(es) up in silence, hear the loud noise, and leave in silence.

The next question would be what happens to the names then on Easter Sunday?  There are a few options:

• Take them all down so that the cross is empty as the resurrection wiped those sins away.  It would be your option to take the nails as well or leave them there as symbols for the next few weeks.
• Before the Easter Sunday celebration begins have a short skit at the beginning where the women who go to the tomb talk about the tomb being empty and while they speak of the resurrection, they remove the names.
• Drape white over the cross to cover the sins.