As the season of Lent approaches is it good to begin to think how families can journey through the season together. This year Lent begins on March 5, which is Ash Wednesday, and lasts for 40 days, concluding on Easter Sunday. Lent can often been seen as a solemn time – a quiet season in which things are ‘given’ up. Our Family Ministry Team would like to invite you to use this season of lent as a time of prayer as a family. We’ve prepared two activities for your family to join in together during Lent. Lent in a Bag is a resource for all our families with children (age 2 – grade 12) to join in and explore. Each bag has two activities to help families experience the Lenten journey together. The first activity is focused on prayer. The Prayer Bucket is a bucket with large craft sticks. Families will decorate the craft sticks to correspond with people they are praying for over the season of Lent. Carving out prayer time as a family during Lent is a wonderful discipline to engage the whole family in this season. The second activity is a Holy Week Scavenger Hunt. Every member of the family can participate in this event as you seek to ‘gather’ item for the hunt that will help teach lessons about Jesus journey from Jerusalem, to the cross, to the grave, and ultimately to the first Easter morning. Your family’s “Lent in a Bag” can be picked up beginning March 2 in the narthex.
In addition to “Lent in a Bag” we’ve compiled a list of more ideas and activities you can share in as a family during this year’s Lenten Journey
Additional Lenten Activities for the family:
Pretzel Play: Pretzels help to remind us of prayer because early Christians would cross their arms over their chests when they prayed – just like the shape of a pretzel! Spend an morning or an afternoon talking about prayer and how God is answering your family Lenten prayer and making homemade pretzels!
---link http://catholicicing.com/pretzels-for-Lent/
---link http://catholicicing.com/pretzels-for-Lent/
Lenten Symbols Box: Follow this template to create a Lenten Giving box. Each side of this box can be used to teach about holy week. It can also be used to collect a special Lenten offering that children can then give on Easter.
---link: http://www.lbrummer68739.net/3rd-grade/lenten-symbols-box/
---link: http://www.lbrummer68739.net/3rd-grade/lenten-symbols-box/
Create an Easter garden: Speaking of rebirth, you can just plant seeds with your family. One way is to plant them in egg shells or create a garden scene.
---link: http://thefrugalhomemaker.com/2012/04/06/friday-fun-frugal-finds-an-easter-garden-tutorial/
---link: http://thefrugalhomemaker.com/2012/04/06/friday-fun-frugal-finds-an-easter-garden-tutorial/
Prayer chain: Similar to the Lenten calendar and the Prayer bucket, you make a chain of people’s names to pray for and take one off each day in Lent.
Enjoy this journey through Lent together as a family! As always the journey pauses at the cross and ends at the empty tomb on Easter morning! Make plans to join us Easter morning for our Easter breakfast and Easter Egg Hunt. Plan on bringing a neighbor/friend/family member Easter and share the Easter story with them as the final step in your Lenten Journey.
