This is a Lenten devotional intended for families to use during this season of reflection.  There are different types of activities suggested and I invite families to create rituals of your own.  Children love routine, and ritual is an intentional routine that holds a deeper meaning. Invite your children to help design the ritual the family will use.  You might create a space to sit together as you engage in this devotional practice.  Perhaps you can find a purple cloth or the child(ren) can create a purple placemat to help mark the space.  Light a candle and invite the Spirit into your midst. What other things might you gather and have available in your space?  Papers, colors, a family Bible or maybe soft music.  Do you want to open with a song or a prayer?  Close with prayer requests and thanksgivings or the Lord's prayer.  Make use of existing family rituals around the table or at bedtime if you prefer.  I pray these devotions help you prepare for celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The readings are taking from Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings. Fortress Press, Minneapolis, 2005.

The Bible translations for the readings are from the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) was published by the World Bible Translation Center in 2006.  In reading multiple translations of the texts, I have found this version uses a simplified language that I feel is easier to understand, however the text is provided for each day if you would like to use a family or children's Bible.  All of the texts are downloaded from http://biblegateway.com

What is Lent

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent.  What is Lent?  It is a time for getting ourselves ready for Easter.  It started long ago as a time when people who were going to join the church would prepare themselves for baptism.  They would spend time reflecting on their lives and on their relationship with God[1]. 

So why is Lent 40 days?  Forty is a number that means something is complete.  Noah spent 40 days and nights on the ark with the animals during the flood.  Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness with the Israelites as they journeyed from slavery to the Promised Land.  Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan after his baptism as he prepared for his ministry.  Forty means that there was enough time to finish the work that needed to be done.  If you count the days between Ash Wednesday and Easter you will find there are 46.  But in our count we do not include Sunday since we celebrate the resurrection every Sunday[2].

On Ash Wednesday, we use the ashes of last year’s palm branches to remind us that God formed us from the dust of the Earth[3] and that we too shall die and turn back into dust.  As we prepare for Ash Wednesday and Lent, I leave you with this invitation from Worship Guidebook for Lent and the Three Days:[4]

“Friends in Christ, today with the whole church we enter the time of remembering Jesus’ Passover from death to life, and our life in Christ is renewed.

We begin this holy season by acknowledging our need for repentance and for God’s mercy.  We are created to experience joy in communion with God, to love one another, and to live in harmony with creation.  But our sinful rebellion separates us from God, our neighbors, and creation, so that we do not enjoy the life our creator intended.

As disciples of Jesus, we are called to a discipline that contends against evil and resists whatever leads us away from love of God and neighbor.  I invite you, therefore, to the discipline of Lent – self-examination and repentance, prayer, and fasting, sacrificial giving and works of love – strengthened by the gifts of word and sacrament.  Let us continue our journey through these forty days to the great Three Days of Jesus’ death and resurrection.”