Lent and Easter
It’s Lent and we are clearing things out. We are moving in June and that means we have to make some decision. What do we want to move? What is not useful to us but might be to someone else? What is trash and needs to be thrown out. Lent reminds me that there are those things in my life as well. I need to clear things out. What habits , activities, or attitudes do I need to keep, what have I outgrown, what is trash and need to exit my life. It’s time to clear out my closet. We can help our kids clear out their closets as well. They need our help to look at the things in our lives and figure out how to make space for the new things they are growing into. Lent is a good time to step back and take a look at what things in our day to day activities feed us and give us life, and which things are ready for the trash. Hope you can make some more space and brighten up your life and let God’s light in.
Thoughts on Keeping Lent
One of the most memorable sermons I ever heard described Lent as the spiritual equivalent of cleaning out the back of the refrigerator. Out go the stale practices and old jars of habits, long past their expiration date. Time to scrub down the shelves and take stock of the practices that need to be taken out and used. As a family we try to make some changes, shake things up a bit. I work on more vegetarian meals. (See attached for some kid-friendly recipes.) We look for a service project, we try to learn more about how others live. We look for new ways to meet Christ in others.
Thoughts on Maundy Thursday
Throughout Holy Week the worship services give us an opportunity to walk with Jesus from the triumph of Palm Sunday through the dark of Jesus’ trial and death to the glory of the Resurrection. For those of you with younger children, there is one midweek service that I encourage you to try to attend. Maundy Thursday provides a worship experience of children that can bridge the experiences of Palm Sunday and Easter. If you haven’t been to a Maundy Thursday service before, during this time we are invited to experience the intimacy of the last supper and the sorry and feat of Jesus’ friends at his arrest. As part of the service the congregation is invited to come forward and to have their feet washed, and to receive communion for the final time before Easter. For young children to be encouraged to take off their shoes and socks IN CHURCH is an experience that draws them into the story and helps them to participate in it. The foot washing, communion and the stripping of the alter offer children a dramatic way to experience the story of Holy Week. I hope you will take to time to come.
Thoughts on Making Room
Lent is just around the corner and I’ve been thinking about the change of season. Lent is the 40 days before Easter (not including Sundays). There is a long (think centuries!) tradition of taking this time to dig deeper in our spiritual lives. For some people it has meant giving something up, for others taking something on. This year I found a children’s book that talks about Lent as a time to “Make Room”. It seems the perfect images of what Lent is. As you prepare for Lent, consider how you will make more room in your household for Jesus to be present.
Making Room: A Child’s Guide to Lent and Easter by Laura Alary
Thoughts on Pruning
I’m not much of a gardener but the image of pruning is a great one for Lent. It is a time for taking some time to cut back on the things that have somehow grown out of control. We always want to best for our children, yet sometimes the best is actually less. Fewer toys can mean more space to play. More free time can give them space to create (even if they claim it’s “boring”). In our family we make space by changing the way we eat. We give up meat and make more vegetarian meals. These meals help us to remember those around the world who do not have access to the food that we do. It helps us to remember that grain is needed to create meat (7 lbs. of grain for 1 lb. of beef). It is a small thing, to change our eating habits for 7 weeks, but it helps us remember that we are part of the wider web of the world. If you are interested having some meatless meals during Lent, here are a few ideas-
Thoughts on Keeping Lent
One of the most memorable sermons I ever heard described Lent as the spiritual equivalent of cleaning out the back of the refrigerator. Out go the stale practices and old jars of habits, long past their expiration date. Time to scrub down the shelves and take stock of the practices that need to be taken out and used. As a family we try to make some changes, shake things up a bit. I work on more vegetarian meals. (See attached for some kid-friendly recipes.) We look for a service project, we try to learn more about how others live. We look for new ways to meet Christ in others.
Thoughts on Maundy Thursday
Throughout Holy Week the worship services give us an opportunity to walk with Jesus from the triumph of Palm Sunday through the dark of Jesus’ trial and death to the glory of the Resurrection. For those of you with younger children, there is one midweek service that I encourage you to try to attend. Maundy Thursday provides a worship experience of children that can bridge the experiences of Palm Sunday and Easter. If you haven’t been to a Maundy Thursday service before, during this time we are invited to experience the intimacy of the last supper and the sorry and feat of Jesus’ friends at his arrest. As part of the service the congregation is invited to come forward and to have their feet washed, and to receive communion for the final time before Easter. For young children to be encouraged to take off their shoes and socks IN CHURCH is an experience that draws them into the story and helps them to participate in it. The foot washing, communion and the stripping of the alter offer children a dramatic way to experience the story of Holy Week. I hope you will take to time to come.
Thoughts on Making Room
Lent is just around the corner and I’ve been thinking about the change of season. Lent is the 40 days before Easter (not including Sundays). There is a long (think centuries!) tradition of taking this time to dig deeper in our spiritual lives. For some people it has meant giving something up, for others taking something on. This year I found a children’s book that talks about Lent as a time to “Make Room”. It seems the perfect images of what Lent is. As you prepare for Lent, consider how you will make more room in your household for Jesus to be present.
- Making Space- Make space in your heart by forgiving others and yourself. Make space in your home by giving away clothes and toys you are not using.
- Making Time- Make time to be with God, read a Bible story together, learn a hymn, watch a movie and talk about it. Make time to talk about the choices your family makes: How do we care for others as a family? How to we learn about God as a family? How do we pray, as a family?
- Making Room- Make room for others in our household. How do we open our circle of friends to include others?
Making Room: A Child’s Guide to Lent and Easter by Laura Alary
Thoughts on Pruning
I’m not much of a gardener but the image of pruning is a great one for Lent. It is a time for taking some time to cut back on the things that have somehow grown out of control. We always want to best for our children, yet sometimes the best is actually less. Fewer toys can mean more space to play. More free time can give them space to create (even if they claim it’s “boring”). In our family we make space by changing the way we eat. We give up meat and make more vegetarian meals. These meals help us to remember those around the world who do not have access to the food that we do. It helps us to remember that grain is needed to create meat (7 lbs. of grain for 1 lb. of beef). It is a small thing, to change our eating habits for 7 weeks, but it helps us remember that we are part of the wider web of the world. If you are interested having some meatless meals during Lent, here are a few ideas-
- Cheese Raviolis
- Bean burritos
- Breakfast for dinner(omelets, pancakes, French toast) Kids love a backwards day!
- Grilled cheese and tomato soup
- Spinach and Ricotta pie (one of our favorites http://www.food.com/recipe/quick-ricotta-and-spinach-pie-90729)
- Veggie Spaghetti (replace the meat in the sauce with zucchini, onion and bell pepper)
- Veggie Chili http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/spicy-vegetarian-chili