What are you giving up for Lent this year? I remember this question as a kid, and my friends chiming in- chocolate, comic books, Atari, dessert… the practice of giving something up for Lent was meant to help us think about God- every time we craved something we were supposed to pray for strength. As I got older, it became a time for people to lose a few pounds before swimsuit season, or to give up a bad habit. And I do think that fasting, the practice of giving something up to grow closer to God is a good thing, I think that Lent can also be a great time to develop a practice, to start something new.
Research in faith development tells us that faithful parents are the biggest factor for kids who grow up as faithful adults. Lent can be a great time to share your faith with your kids. Sometimes sharing our faith can feel a little intimidating- we might worry- “am I saying the right thing?” but it turns out that sharing our personal connections to God is not only valuable to our kids, but that it’s more important than having all of the answers.
This Lent, you may want to develop a habit of daily or weekly Bible reading. Following the Narrative Lectionary that we use in church is a great plan for reading the Gospel of Luke together each week, or signing up for a Lenten Devotional. https://www.biblegateway.com/landing/easter/?utm_source=bg&utm_medium=alert&utm_campaign=easter These offer short reflections, prayers and music to help you focus on God during lent. You might want to think about ways to serve together, tying in with Midnight Run on March 10, helping out in Music and Mission Sunday School on March 12, or bringing a donation of rice and beans for Summit’s hungry at church. In addition to study and service, you might enjoy doing a faith centered cooking project like making Pretzels
https://weloveteachgrow.com/2013/03/25/resurrection-roll-recipe-and-bible-story/ both great hands-on projects that can stimulate some great conversations about prayer and Easter.
During Lent this year we will be beginning our Lenten journey with Ashes available in the car-line at school and a family-friendly morning service at 9:00 a.m. on March 1. Noelle Kirchner will be leading the service, and for the rest of the day the chapel will be open with devotional practices and ashes. For the rest of the month, in addition to our regular worship, study and service opportunities, we will enjoy seeing some of the ways that our church engages in the community in our Mission Gallery in the glass hallway, and everyone is invited to participate in reading and studying Slow Kingdom Coming- our book for Lent.
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