Lent is the Christian observance of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, penance, repentance, etc. It's institutional purpose is heightened in the annual commemoration of Holy Week. During Lent, many Christians commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxury as a form of penitence.
(source: wikipedia)
Last Sunday (the Sunday before Ash Wednesday), I taught our Children's Sermon at church, "Springtime and Lent."
Here was the sermon:
| Theme: | The season of Lent; Planting seeds of love in the hearts of others. |
| Object: | A window screen, an old shoe box, a broom, and a flower pot with small hand shovel. |
| Scripture: | Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3 |
This week was the beginning of a very important season in our church year- the season of Lent. Do you remember how long Lent lasts? That’s right, Lent is the 40 days before Palm Sunday which leads right in to Holy Week and Easter Sunday. The word “Lent” comes from another word “Lente” which means springtime. That makes sense…since Lent and Easter always happen during springtime.
As I was thinking about Lent and springtime, I realized that many of the things I like to do in the springtime are similar to the kinds of things you and I can and should do during Lent as we prepare for Easter. Let me explain.
In the springtime, I like to OPEN UP. I put these screens in my windows so I can open up my windows and let fresh spring air fill my home.
For Lent, a great thing to do is OPEN UP our Bibles and read them more. When we read our Bibles, God speaks a fresh word to us and fills our hearts with His presence.
In the springtime, I like to CLEAR OUT- especially the clutter in my closets. I go through my closets and take out the things I don’t really need: heavy coats, old shoes- things that will just be in the way.
For Lent, it is good to CLEAR OUT the things in our lives that we don’t really need—things that get in the way of following Jesus. For example, maybe you watch TV or play video games a lot. Why not put them away for a while and use that extra time to pray.
In the springtime, I always need to SWEEP UP. I try to find and clean up all the dirt in my home that has been hiding all winter- like under my rugs, dirt that no one else sees, but dirt that I know is there.
For Lent, it is good to ask ourselves, “Have I made any mistakes or messes that I need to clean up? Do I need to apologize to someone for something I said or did? Do I need to ask God to forgive me?
In the springtime, I love to PLANT. I plant seeds in my garden pots and water them as I wait and watch them grow into something beautiful.
For Lent, it is good for us to PLANT- different kind of seeds. We can plant seeds of love in the hearts of others when we are kind, or helpful, or when we tell someone about Jesus. For Lent, think of something you can do that will become something beautiful for someone else, and do it in the name of Jesus, the one who did something really beautiful for you.
Dear Jesus, We love you. Help us to Open up our Bibles, Clear Out our clutter, Sweep up our messes, and Plant seeds of Love. Amen |
A printable of this lesson can be found
here. As a gift to the children I gave them each a terracotta pot. The children got different kinds of seeds with their pot, so they could remember to plant seeds of love in the hearts of others.
This year I decided I was going to clear out something that I don't really need even though it was something that I loved, and had at least 4 times a day. I was pretty much addicted!
Diet Coke! As of today, it's been a week since one of these have entered in my mouth. I also figured if I could give up Diet Cokes that I could give up soda all together since Diet Coke was my drink of choice. So, no soda has made it's way in my tummy since Ash Wednesday. Can I tell you that I'm craving one, bad! I think I find myself eating since. Every time I go to get something to drink I don't see anything I want, so I resort to food and normally its not a very healthy food. 33 days to go.
What did you give up for Lent? Or did you decide to observe lent with more prayer time, serving others, or some other way?
