The season of Lent (Ash Wednesday to Holy Week) is a time of forgiveness: looking at the things we have done that are wrong, asking God's and other people's forgiveness, and making a promise not to do them again. It is a time for giving up the things that keep us from being loving people and a time for doing extra things that will help us grow closer to God. Lent is a time to be more aware of what it means to love others as God loves us and a time to ask God to help us be more loving, remembering that God is always there to strengthen us. It is also a time to think about our baptism and what it means to be a child of God. Parents can help their children to read the Bible every day, to reflect on the stories with them, and to concentrate on stories about the life of Jesus as he approaches the cross.
As you scroll down this page, you will find resources and suggestions for each week in Lent.
Since you know your family's needs better than anyone, you will be able to use these resources and suggestions in ways uniquely appropriate to your family.
Since you know your family's needs better than anyone, you will be able to use these resources and suggestions in ways uniquely appropriate to your family.
The First Sunday in Lent - February 21
Mark tells us that Jesus was tested in the wilderness for forty days. In the Bible, the number forty is always "the time between" - the time necessary before something gracious and wonderful happens. Forty years for Israel in the desert, forty days for the rain in the flood, forty days for Jesus in the wilderness. There are many other examples but these give us the idea. For us, it will be forty days until Easter. So . . . it is not a discouraging time but a time to prepare - to get ready to receive the wonderful grace of God in Christ.
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The readings for the First Sunday in Lent this year are:
This week we focus on the promises of God to be for us and with us always. The trustworthiness of God is something that we can count on and can give us strength an dcourage as we face testing and temptation throughout life. Resource CornerTelling the Story
Noah knew he needed to be rescued. So when God told him to build a boat big enough for his whole family and two of every kind of animal, he obeyed! Here is a simple animated telling of the story of Noah ending with the rainbow promise. The video below tells the story of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness - slightly expanded from the brief verses in today's gospel lesson.
Family Activity
The announcement that Jesus makes as he begins his preaching in today’s Gospel is recalled on Ash Wednesday at the signing with ashes: “Repent and believe in the gospel.” This is our challenge for Lent; indeed, it is the challenge of our entire life. During Lent, we are invited to strengthen and to renew the promises that we made at our Baptism, to reject Satan and sin so as to live as children of God. Through the grace of God that we received at Baptism, we follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit and know that with Jesus’ help, we will be victorious over sin. As you gather as a family, talk about the importance of Baptism. At our Baptism, our sins were forgiven, and we promised to live as children of God. As part of the Rite of Baptism, we rejected sin and Satan. Read today’s Gospel, Mark 1:9-15. During Lent, we renew the promises of our Baptism, turning again from sin and promising to follow God. Light a candle, perhaps a candle used at one of your family member’s Baptisms, and pray together the Confession of Sin that we use at worship. A Confession of Sin
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. [Book of Common Prayer, p. 360] |
Key words and ideas to explore
(Try to work these ideas into everyday conversation and examples. They don't need to be structured into a lesson plan but are part of how we live out our faith.)
GOdly Play - online!Click on the video link below to watch the Godly Play Lesson for this week with Mother Mary Kisner. A new story series begins this week in Godly Play - The Faces of Easter. We will follow the life of Jesus from birth to Easter day.
Activities for Children
Click on the files below to download and print the "Sunday Paper" and the "Sunday Paper Jr." for this week.
The Sunday Paper [Junior], to which St. Luke's Church paid subscription, is posted here with permission of the author/illustrator, Gretchen Wolff Pritchard. © Gretchen Wolff Pritchard, The Sunday Paper, 19 Colony Road, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, www.the-sunday-paper.com. All rights reserved. This is copyright material and should not be further forwarded or distributed
Facebook discussion group
Also available for parents is a special Facebook Group where parents can support one another, ask questions, offer advice, share ideas and insights as we work together to strengthen the faith of our children. For permission to participate in this discussion forum, please contact Mother Mary at youth@stlukeslebanon.org | ||||
THE Second SUNDAY IN LENT - February 28
The most ancient cross that we have found in Christian art is a small ivory carving on the side of a box from the later fourth century (around 500 AD)! When execution by crucifixion was commonplace in the Roman Empire, christians were understandably horrified by the cross. Only after the Emperor Constantine outlawed crucifixions could Christians adopt the cross as a real symbol of God's grace. So when Jesus "takes up his cross" and tells us to do the same - it is a BIG deal!
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The readings for the Second Sunday in Lent this year are:
RESOURCE CORNERThis video offers a simple animated retelling of the gospel story assigned for this Sunday.
A little different perspective on Jesus' teaching about taking up one's cross.
Family Activity
Every family has special moments that they remember and share again and again. In sharing these stories, the meaning and importance of these events develop and deepen over time. The full significance of what they had seen and experienced with Jesus could only be understood after Jesus’ death and Resurrection. As they told other believers about this event and recorded the story for us in the Bible, our understanding of what it means to call Jesus God's own Son deepens. As you gather as a family, think about some special family memories that your family tells over and over again. Talk about why these memories are important to you. Recall that in the Bible we find many important memories about Jesus that have been recorded for us so that we can believe that Jesus is God’s Son. Conclude in prayer together that as we continue to read the Bible, we will deepen our understanding of and our love for Jesus. Pray together the Collect for the 28th Sunday in Proper Time: Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. |
Key words and ideas to explore
(Try to work these ideas into everyday conversation and examples. They don't need to be structured into a lesson plan but are part of how we live out our faith.)
GODLY PLAY - ONLINE!Click on the video link below to watch the Godly Play Lesson for this week with Rose Brown. Today Godly Play features the second story of the Faces of Easter sequence - Jesus at 12.
Activities for Children
Click on the files below to download and print the "Sunday Paper" and the "Sunday Paper Jr." for this week.
The Sunday Paper [Junior], to which St. Luke's Church paid subscription, is posted here with permission of the author/illustrator, Gretchen Wolff Pritchard. © Gretchen Wolff Pritchard, The Sunday Paper, 19 Colony Road, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, www.the-sunday-paper.com. All rights reserved. This is copyright material and should not be further forwarded or distributed
Facebook discussion group
Also available for parents is a special Facebook Group where parents can support one another, ask questions, offer advice, share ideas and insights as we work together to strengthen the faith of our children. For permission to participate in this discussion forum, please contact Mother Mary at youth@stlukeslebanon.org | ||||
THE Third SUNDAY IN LENT - MARCH 7
The Decalogue (Ten Commandments) was once the introduction to most celebrations of Holy Communion. We often retain this tradition during the Lenten season. Through our baptism, we become heirs of God's liberation in the same way that Jesus liberated the Temple from its misuse as a marketplace. As God delivered Israel from slavery, God freed them to give them the freedom they needed to to follow the commands of God, not those of their Egyptians masters or of their own sinfulness.
The Ten Commandments can seem old fashioned and antiquated, such as telling people not to covet oxen or make idols. Even though they were given to Moses over 3000 years ago, it does not diminish their relevance for life today. Notice how the commandments can be broken into two parts: the first four speak about our relationship with God and the remainder tell us how we are to relate to one another. All of them hope to give us a glimpse into what life would be like in God's kingdom - living i right relationship with God and with one another.
The Ten Commandments can seem old fashioned and antiquated, such as telling people not to covet oxen or make idols. Even though they were given to Moses over 3000 years ago, it does not diminish their relevance for life today. Notice how the commandments can be broken into two parts: the first four speak about our relationship with God and the remainder tell us how we are to relate to one another. All of them hope to give us a glimpse into what life would be like in God's kingdom - living i right relationship with God and with one another.
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The readings for the Third Sunday in Lent this year are:
RESOURCE CORNERKids teaching kids. Here is a lesson on the 10 Commandments where young people explain the 10 commandments and how they are related to the two great commandments of Jesus (Love God. Love your neighbor.)
This video offers a simple animated retelling of the gospel story assigned for this Sunday using lego models.
Here is another version using still picture animations while narrating the story.
Facebook discussion group
Also available for parents is a special Facebook Group where parents can support one another, ask questions, offer advice, share ideas and insights as we work together to strengthen the faith of our children. For permission to participate in this discussion forum, please contact Mother Mary at youth@stlukeslebanon.org |
Key words and ideas to explore
(Try to work these ideas into everyday conversation and examples. They don't need to be structured into a lesson plan but are part of how we live out our faith.)
GODLY PLAY - ONLINE!Click on the video link below to watch the Godly Play Lesson for this week with Mother Mary Kisner
Activities for Children
Click on the files below to download and print the "Sunday Paper" and the "Sunday Paper Jr." for this week.
The Sunday Paper [Junior], to which St. Luke's Church paid subscription, is posted here with permission of the author/illustrator, Gretchen Wolff Pritchard. © Gretchen Wolff Pritchard, The Sunday Paper, 19 Colony Road, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, www.the-sunday-paper.com. All rights reserved. This is copyright material and should not be further forwarded or distributed
Family Activity
Today’s Gospel invites us to reflect upon our worship of God. For Jesus and his Jewish contemporaries, the Temple was an important, holy place where they gathered to worship God. The Christian understanding of worship was transformed in light of Jesus’ Resurrection. In the Christian understanding, God is worshiped in a person, the person of Jesus Christ. As we read in today’s Gospel, Jesus is himself the Temple that will be destroyed, but in three days God will raise him up again. As you gather as a family, talk about places and times when you have experienced God’s presence. After his Resurrection, Jesus’ disciples understood that Jesus was present with them as they gathered to pray and especially when they gathered to share a meal. Read together today’s Gospel, John 2:13-2. Jesus teaches us in today’s Gospel that he is God’s presence with us. Thank God for Jesus’ presence with us, especially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Pray together the Lord’s Prayer. | ||||
THE Fourth SUNDAY IN LENT - MARCH 14
Laetare Sunday. Today we celebrate Laetare Sunday, so called from the beginning of the tradition introductory verse of the Eucharist prescribed for this day: "Laetare Jerusalem" ("O be joyful, Jerusalem") from Isaiah 66:10. It marks the midpoint of our Lenten journey and gives us a "breather" from the rigors of our Lenten fasts. It is sometimes called Rose Sunday because in many places rose-colored vestments are used instead of violet ones or the Lenten Array.
The full Introit for today reads:
Rejoice, O Jerusalem: and come together all you that love her: rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow: that you may exult, and be filled from the breasts of your consolation. I rejoiced when they said to me: "we shall go into God's House!"
The full Introit for today reads:
Rejoice, O Jerusalem: and come together all you that love her: rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow: that you may exult, and be filled from the breasts of your consolation. I rejoiced when they said to me: "we shall go into God's House!"
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The readings for the Fourth Sunday in Lent this year are:
RESOURCE CORNERThis video offers a simple animated retelling of the gospel story assigned for this Sunday.
In this recorded lesson, children will be invited to consider the meaning of John 3:16, one of the most well-known and oft-quoted passages of Scripture. Starting off with a "picture puzzle", kids will realize that sometimes we need to take in the whole scope of a big picture to understand what things mean. The explanation Jesus describes in John 3 reminds us that He was the center of God's big picture, and that in Him we can trust God's plans will always work out in wonderful ways.
Family Activity Parents whose children are afraid of the dark are struck by John’s observation that darkness is preferred to light. Perhaps this is as it should be. God made us to live in the light of his love. But this original friendship with God was corrupted by sin. Our sin causes us to shy away from Christ, the light that has come into the world. During the season of Lent, we try to fight this tendency by remembering God’s great mercy and the salvation that we have received through Jesus. We do not fear confessing our sins, knowing that God forgives us, and so, during Lent, we seek out opportunities to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. After your family gathers, sit for a time in darkness, then light a candle. Invite people to talk about what it felt like to be in the darkness and to compare that to their feelings when the candle was lit. What are we able to see by the limited glow of the candlelight that we couldn’t see when we were sitting in darkness? Read today’s Gospel, John 3:14-21. John’s Gospel teaches us that Jesus was the light that came into the world. In this light we know ourselves to be sinners, but we are not condemned. Instead we have been saved because we have been forgiven through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Conclude in prayer together, thanking God for the great gift of forgiveness we have received through Jesus. Pray together the Confession of Sin from the Book of Common Prayer. |
Key words and ideas to explore
(Try to work these ideas into everyday conversation and examples. They don't need to be structured into a lesson plan but are part of how we live out our faith.)
GODLY PLAY - ONLINE!Click on the video link below to watch the Godly Play Lesson for this week with Mother Mary Kisner
Activities for Children
Click on the files below to download and print the "Sunday Paper" and the "Sunday Paper Jr." for this week.
The Sunday Paper [Junior], to which St. Luke's Church paid subscription, is posted here with permission of the author/illustrator, Gretchen Wolff Pritchard. © Gretchen Wolff Pritchard, The Sunday Paper, 19 Colony Road, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, www.the-sunday-paper.com. All rights reserved. This is copyright material and should not be further forwarded or distributed
A Confession of Sin
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. [Book of Common Prayer, p. 360]
Facebook discussion group Also available for parents is a special Facebook Group where parents can support one another, ask questions, offer advice, share ideas and insights as we work together to strengthen the faith of our children. For permission to participate in this discussion forum, please contact Mother Mary at youth@stlukeslebanon.org | ||||
The Fifth Sunday in Lent - March 21
As we enter the final weeks of Lent, it is important to reflect on who we are as children of God. Did we listen well through this holy season? Did we wait patiently? What do we need to do to better hear and act on the love of God in the coming days? Just as a single seed produces a plant that bears much fruit, so can every person who bears the love of God for others.
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The readings for the Fifth Sunday in Lent this year are:
Resource CornerThis is a children's sermon taken from John 12:24. Verily truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Jesus died for us, so we must die to ourselves. That means making Jesus and others more important than ourselves, so that we can bear fruit for God.
Family Activity
Family life is often a balancing act in which we prioritize and attend to a variety of competing needs. We learn the value of putting others’ needs ahead of our own. In family life we also learn that when we make personal sacrifices to serve others, we gain so much more than we may have lost. As you gather as a family, talk about how important it is to your family life to gladly serve one another. Ask each person to consider the last time that another family member asked for help. What was your response? Did you cheerfully try to honor the request, or did you ask “Why me?” Read today’s Gospel, John 12:20-33. How do you think Jesus would want us to respond when someone in our family asks for help? Invite each family member to make a commitment for the next week to try to respond cheerfully to requests for help. Pray together, asking God’s help with this commitment. Pray together the Prayer of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The Prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola
"Take, Lord, receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, my whole will, all that I have and all that I possess. You gave it all to me, Lord; I give it all back to you. Do with it as you will, according to your good pleasure. Give me your love and your grace; for with this I have all that I need." |
Key words and ideas to explore
(Try to work these ideas into everyday conversation and examples. They don't need to be structured into a lesson plan but are part of how we live out our faith.)
Godly Play - online!Click on the video link below to watch the Godly Play Lesson for this week with Mother Mary Kisner as we prepare for the celebration of Easter.
Activities for Children
Click on the files below to download and print the "Sunday Paper" and the "Sunday Paper Jr." for this week.
The Sunday Paper [Junior], to which St. Luke's Church paid subscription, is posted here with permission of the author/illustrator, Gretchen Wolff Pritchard. © Gretchen Wolff Pritchard, The Sunday Paper, 19 Colony Road, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, www.the-sunday-paper.com. All rights reserved. This is copyright material and should not be further forwarded or distributed
Facebook discussion group
Also available for parents is a special Facebook Group where parents can support one another, ask questions, offer advice, share ideas and insights as we work together to strengthen the faith of our children. For permission to participate in this discussion forum, please contact Mother Mary at youth@stlukeslebanon.org | ||||
Palm Sunday - March 28
Palm Sunday begins our Holy Week - that sacred time when we remember the great work that Jesus accomplished on our behalf. While the world buzzes around us, we need to try to take some time to reflect during this week on the special message of God;s love given in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
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The readings for the Palm Sunday are as follows:
The Liturgy of the Palms
RESOURCE Corner
Family Activity
Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday, marks the beginning of Holy Week. During this week, we prepare ourselves for Easter by prayerfully reflecting on the events of Jesus’ passion and death. During this week, your family might display a crucifix in a prominent place as reminder of the salvation that Christ won for us. This can also serve as the focal point for family prayer during Holy Week. Because of the length and complexity of the passion narrative, it is difficult for children to remain attentive when it is proclaimed in its entirety. Families can make it a tradition to read a portion of this Sunday’s Gospel each day of Holy Week, providing ample opportunity for children to ask questions and respond to the events described there. In this way, the entire week can become a “way of the cross.” Each day during Holy Week, the family can gather in a prayerful space with a crucifix as its focal point. The passion as found in Mark’s Gospel might be read as follows throughout the week:
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Key words and ideas to explore
(Try to work these ideas into everyday conversation and examples. They don't need to be structured into a lesson plan but are part of how we live out our faith.)
Godly Play - Online!Click on the video link below to watch the Godly Play Lesson for this week with Mother Mary Kisner
Activities for Children
Click on the files below to download and print the "Sunday Paper" and the "Sunday Paper Jr." for this week.
Click on the file above to download the "Sunday Paper" or the "Sunday Paper Jr." for this week (Palm Sunday).
The Sunday Paper [Junior], to which St. Luke's Church paid subscription, is posted here with permission of the author/illustrator, Gretchen Wolff Pritchard. © Gretchen Wolff Pritchard, The Sunday Paper, 19 Colony Road, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, www.the-sunday-paper.com. All rights reserved. This is copyright material and should not be further forwarded or distributed
Facebook discussion group
Also available for parents is a special Facebook Group where parents can support one another, ask questions, offer advice, share ideas and insights as we work together to strengthen the faith of our children. For permission to participate in this discussion forum, please contact Mother Mary at youth@stlukeslebanon.org | ||||||||
Holy Week
Beginning with Palm Sunday, we enter a week of prayer and reflection on the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. It ends with the quiet of Holy Saturday when we anticipate the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
The final part of this week (from Thursday evening through Saturday night) form The Sacred Triduum (or the Three Holy Days). Because you may not be able to gather with us a community, we provide resources for home celebrations of these days: click here.
The final part of this week (from Thursday evening through Saturday night) form The Sacred Triduum (or the Three Holy Days). Because you may not be able to gather with us a community, we provide resources for home celebrations of these days: click here.
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A collection of resources for the days of Holy Week (including Palm Sunday) can be downloaded from Church Publishing Company by clicking on the file at right.
Click on the video link at the right to watch the Godly Play Lesson for this week with Mother Mary Kisner.
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