February 19 - What We Do: Lent

Lesson Plans:  What We Do – Lent

Overview:

This week we will explore how the Church celebrates Lent.  Lent is the season that precedes Easter so it is a time of preparation for something wonderful.  The preparation comes in the form of penitence, fasting and alms giving. 

During Lent, the Church wears purple.  The P in purple reminds us that it is a penitential season.  Whenever you see purple at church , it’s time to be penitent (not that you can’t be at other times of the year!).  Penitence is when you confess your sins and try to turn away from your bad choices to live like God wants us to.  Confession is how we get rid of our sins and turn to lead a new life of better choices.  In confession, we tell our priest about our wrong choices and ask him to absolve us (take away our sins).  It’s also a great opportunity to get a little advice on how to make better choices.  Lent is a perfect time to visit your priest for confession.

During Lent, we keep it low key.  There are no altar flowers and we stop saying Alleluia.  These are all ways to remind us that we are serious and somber while we reflect on how we can clean up our act in time for Jesus on Easter. 

Lent has been part of the church for a very long time. It began for two reasons. Christians wanted to give themselves time to prepare spiritually for the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection, and new believers wanted to study and prepare to be baptized so that they would be able to celebrate, too. Because of these reasons, Lent was a time of extra prayer, special study, simple living and making sure that there were no wrong choices standing between them and God.

Now we do Baptisms all year and let people prepare whenever they can, but we still take time to pray, learn, give up treats and make sure no wrong choices stand in the way between us and God.                                         

Lent is not a sad time, but a happy one. We should enjoy the quiet time to get closer to God. The name is from a very old English word Lencten which was later shortened to Lent. It means spring and reminds us of the wonderful new life that is waiting to spring up at Easter.

Lent is six weeks long. It is 40 days long. It finishes on the Saturday before Easter. Sundays are not part of Lent. Sundays are always a day to celebrate.  The time span between the beginning of Lent and the end is actually 46 days, but Sundays are feast days and don’t count.  There are six Sundays to cut out, so that leaves us with 40 days of Lent.

The day before Lent begins is called Shrove Tuesday. The name came from people taking time to confess all their sins, every thought or action that would keep them apart from God, before they began spending special time with Him. To shrive was the very old English word for confession, so it was Shrove Tuesday because they wanted to start Lent forgiven, with a clean heart.  They also wanted to clear out all of the treats they would not be eating again until Easter. Since it would be silly to throw them away, the custom started to eat them up or have a party and share them on that Tuesday.

One of the biggest treats long ago was oil, butter and eggs. So, in France they called the day “Fat Tuesday” or Mardi Gras. In England people used those things up by making pancakes and they also called that day “Pancake Day”. We still celebrate, have parties and eat pancakes on that day.  Many churches have an annual Pancake Supper.

It is also good to remember to clean our hearts that day and start our Lent forgiven on Shrove Tuesday.  It’s not just party time.  It’s also time to get serious about preparing for Jesus. 

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. In the Middle Ages people wanted to show their repentance by putting ashes on their heads like the people in the Bible. The ashes remind us to be humble and remember God made Adam from the dust. God’s love is what makes us special.  The ashes come from the blessed palms from the last Palm Sunday.

You can wear your ashes all day as a reminder, or wash them off. You can fast that day or just eat small simple meals. Whatever you choose, do something to remind yourself to begin Lent with a humble, forgiven heart. God’s love and forgiveness are a wonderful gift for which we always need to be thankful.

During Lent, we try to make some changes that will bring us closer to God and let us make Him a bigger part of our daily life. Some people give up some treat or activity that gives them more time to spend with God, or money to share with others in need. Some people begin a new habit or activity that lets them get closer to God, or share God’s love with others. The important thing is to choose something you really will do. If it is hard, make sure you ask God to help you. He always wants to help us to grow closer to Him and share His love with other people. Work together as a family. It is fun and helps everyone to have a special Lent.

Some families say special prayers together in Lent. It can be a new prayer before meals or an extra prayer at bedtime. Your family can learn new recipes and try to eat less expensive meals, or eat fewer meals at restaurants. Some read a Bible story together every week and talk about it. Others go to an extra service every week, like Stations of the Cross. At Stations of the Cross everyone listens to the story of how Christ carried his Cross, from the time they put Him on trial to the time He was crucified, died and was put in the tomb. In our church as you move from station to station you can see a picture of what was happening.                       

Something special that you can do with the money you save in Lent is a mite box. It is called a Mite box because of the story where Jesus said God was happy with the small gift, or mite, that the poor woman gave, because it was everything she had to give. Every day put in a small amount and at Easter that money can help someone else in a big way. The money should come from you! It represents money you save from something you give up in Lent, or set aside from money that you are given or earn. 

PreK-Kinder Lesson Notes:                                                                                                          

This class will be learning about Ash Wednesday.  Ash Wednesday begins Lent, a 40 day season.  The forty days are an allusion to Jesus’ time in the dessert.  Jesus went out to the dessert to fast and prepare for his ministry.  During Lent we can also fast and prepare for Jesus.

Objectives:

·         Help prepare children for Ash Wednesday by explaining what happens in the church service.

·         Help the children understand that the ashes on our foreheads are a symbol that we are “but dust.”  It is an ancient custom to put ashes on one’s head to symbolize penitence.  It acknowledges the grief of our sin and reminds us of our humility.  In little people language, you can simply say that the ashes remind us that we are sad that we sometimes make bad choices.

·         Introduce students to the idea that during Lent they can pay extra attention to God if they give up something.  They can give up a treat (candy) or favorite thing (best toy) or favorite activity (video games).  You can also add things in during Lent.  It is a great time to add in more Bible reading or prayer time.  Some people like to help others in need during this time.  They either save up money to give or they do service work.

Activity:

·         Have the students draw a picture of something they do that is a bad choice (fight with sibling, jump on the bed, disobey mom or dad, refuse to clean up a messy room, cry when they don’t get their way).  Collect all the “sin pictures” into a pile.  Ask the children to pray with you to ask God to forgive their sins.  When they are done praying, destroy the pictures in some way (crumble them up and put them in the trash, put them in a shredder, take them outside and burn them in a metal trashcan).  Explain that when we confess, Jesus makes our sins go away.

Craft:

·         Have the children make charcoal rubbings.  You can create a rubbing surface in a number of ways:  embossing a tin sheet, drawing an image in thick puff paint and letting it dry, carving into a plank of soft wood for a reverse image.  Have th children use pieces of charcoal crayons to rub the images you create ahead of time.  These can be different types of crosses, the words “You are but dust and to dust you shall return,” or whatever makes you think of Ash Wednesday. 

·         Have the children create caterpillars that say Alleluia.  You can give them a caterpillar outline with the word spelled out on it, or the children can assemble them from colored paper circles (caterpillar body sections) that spell out the word.  Add in googley eyes and pipe cleaner antennae.  When they are done have the students place their alleluia caterpillar in a box.  You are putting away the alleluias for the duration of Lent.  Place the box someplace visible in the room and tell the students you will check on the caterpillars when Lent is over. Before Easter, remove the caterpillars and replace them with butterflies that say Alleluia!  These can be any kind of butterflies (plastic, silk, feather, etc.), but blank ones ready to color and make happy and beautiful when they return to Sunday School after Easter will make a fun surprise activity.  The main thing is don’t forget they’re in there and remember to switch them out for the big reveal after Easter.

Lower Elementary Lesson Notes:                                                                                                

This class will be learning about abstaining during Lent.  Every year many people in the church give up something for Lent.  Usually it’s a favorite food or a fun activity.  We do this as a reminder that we are preparing for Jesus to rise from the dead at Easter.  In order to be ready for Jesus we need to clean out our hearts.  Giving up something keeps the need to clean out our sin on our minds all the time as we crave the thing we gave up.  It also helps to grow as Christians to make a sacrifice for God.  Giving up something that makes us happy is a nice way to show God that we love him even more than the thing we gave up. 

Sometimes we give up something that takes up time like watching TV, playing games or going online.  The time these activities take is now free to be filled with something that will help us grow as Christians.  A person might add in more Bible reading or extra prayer time.  Maybe a person will read a new Christian book or do a Bible study. These things are called spiritual disciplines.  Sometimes people use their extra time to serve the needy and be Jesus’ hands in the world.

In addition to giving up a favorite food or activity, some people like to actually fast during Lent.  Fasting means giving up meals.  So instead of just giving up chocolate or coffee, this kind of fast would mean giving up even more.  There are different ways to fast.  Some go for the extreme and give up eating for a whole day (Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are traditional days for this), or they give up all but one meal every day.  Some people eat only one full meal a day and cut way back and eat very simply to where their other meals don’t add up to another whole meal for that day.  Still others simply abstain from eating meat on Fridays.  One way or the other, it is an act of love and sacrifice to change the way you eat during Lent.  It takes a lot of self-control to give up something and make it all the way through Lent honoring your commitment.  This action teaches about the kind of self-control we can use to avoid sin throughout the year. 

Objectives:

·         Help students understand the tradition regarding giving up things for Lent.  Hint for parents:  In children this young sometimes it can be hard to understand giving  up something for 40 days.  If that is the case encourage children to select 6 different things that they will give up a week at a time or remind them that Sundays are feast days and they can enjoy the item they gave up on every Sunday during Lent.

·         Encourage them to not just give something up, but to add something in.

·         Explain how fasting works (keeping in mind that the church recommends this only for those 18-59) and what it means to God when we do this. 

Activities:

·         Have the students fill out index cards that say what they will give up for Lent, what they will add in, and how they might serve others during Lent.  You can check back with them during the 6 weeks of Lent and see how they are doing.

Craft:

·         Have children decorate small, plain cardboard boxes (jewelry box size).  They can paint, glue fabric, stick on foamies, etc.  If there’s room they can write or paint on “For Jesus” on the top.  Then have children draw a picture of the thing they are giving up for Lent.  They need to really do these pictures up so that the thing looks really great.  It’s an offering to Jesus.  When they are done, they can fold up the drawing and place it inside the box. 

Upper Elementary Lesson Notes:                                                                                                

This class will be learning about the three Lenten disciplines:  fasting, alms-giving, and prayer.  All the faithful should undertake these practices seriously in a spirit of penance and of preparation for Easter.

Fasting has to do with the quantity of food eaten on particular days (little or none). Fasting is to be observed by all 18 years of age and older, who have not yet celebrated their 59th birthday. On a fast day, one full meal is allowed. Two other meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to each one’s needs, but together they should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted, but liquids, including milk and juices, are allowed. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting.

Denying oneself a basic human need such as food for a period of time may be done for different reasons:

 •It prepares for a feast

•It promotes self-discipline

•It supports one’s prayers

•It cleanses oneself of previous abuses and sin

Abstinence refers to the kind of food denied oneself, for example, meat. Abstinence is observed by all 14 years of age and older. On days of abstinence, no meat is allowed. Note that when health or ability to work would be seriously affected, the law does not oblige. When in doubt concerning fast and abstinence, consult a priest. Fridays of Lent, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of abstinence.

Almsgiving is giving to the needy from what is saved through the discipline of fasting and abstinence, or from one’s surplus.  One can also offer up time and talent in the service of others. 

Prayer is, of course, appropriate at any time of the year, but Lent offers an opportunity to really dive deeper into prayer.  There are many kinds of prayer.  There are meditative prayers, litanies, Collects, devotionals, the Daily Office and many more.  Lent is a good time to expand one’s prayer horizons.

Lent is also a time of repentance.  We examine our life and choices and see where we are compared to where we should be.  If there is something that is cluttering our souls, we take it to our priest for confession.  At this time of year, it is good to do an examination of conscience.  Reading through a list of potential areas of sin helps identify places where we have gone astray.  It can jog our memories or point something we didn’t realize was a sin (but should have). 

Objectives:

·         Help students understand the purpose and value of the three Lenten disciplines.

·         Help the students discern in what ways they would like to apply these disciplines to their lives this season.

·         Give students suggestions for how to carry out these disciplines.

·         Encourage students to examine their consciences to see what they need to bring before God in confession.  Provide a children’s examination of conscience.  Keep in mind we will be studying the Ten Commandments the following week and will discuss types of sin.  We will use an examination of conscience based on the Ten Commandments to help the children discover the many different types of sin each commandment covers.  Today’s lesson will be a good precursor to that lesson.

Activities:

·         Hand out an examination of conscience and encourage the children to spend some time looking at it during Lent.  Remind them that Frs. Klein and Estes are always available for confession.  If you have time to go through the examination briefly, that’s great, too.

·         Children at this age are beginning to get good at extemporaneous prayer, but they tend to still feel more comfortable with some kind of rote prayer. Lent is an excellent time to introduce a new prayer or a new method.  The rosary is a wonderful prayer regimen, especially using the sorrowful mysteries which meditate on Christ’s passion.    

Craft:

·         Create a mite box.  Using card stock and a simple three dimensional box design, have children cut out and assemble the box to collect money during Lent.  They can decorate the box with whatever you’d like.  Sides of the box should be heavily reinforced with tape since the coins collected will become heavy and stress the paper box.  Other possible mite box ideas:  Frozen juice containers (one end can be replaced with paper in which a slot has been cut, wrap the container in paper that can be decorated), empty Kleenex boxes covered with paper, empty juice boxes, clay, small butter tubs, etc.  Children can collect money in their mite box and then bring it to offer on Easter.

·         Make a prayer journal.  Provide the students with a small, simple spiral or stitch bound notebook.  Encourage them to decorate the outside with stickers, foamies, magazine pictures, rick-rack, buttons, rhinestones, pieces of colorful paper, etc.  Have them compose a simple Lenten prayer on the first page and then encourage them to use their prayer journal to keep track of the things they pray during Lent, the things they need to confess, ideas for how they can help others, and their reflections on how fasting or abstaining helped them develop their faith.