Happy Easter 2013!

May God's blessing be with you and yours on this holy day!

Happy Easter!

Butterflies!

Holy Week has begun! In addition to attending Holy Week services and preparing our Maundy Thursday Service for Families, I'm quietly getting ready for Easter morning.  We are making a new banner with the "A" word on it this year which has got me scratching my head a bit. I'm so grateful to the many parishioners who have been cutting out butterflies. A small group will be meeting on Saturday morning to put the banner together. If you're local and want to help let me know - we could use you!  I can't wait to see how it turns out! Pictures to follow.

Blessings to you and yours this Holy Week.

As We Approach Holy Week...

Last Sunday in the True Vine Atrium the children created some lovely artwork. We used it decorate our prayer table and the children shared their work during our prayer. When I first read the psalm to the left with the artist I asked her "when do we open our eyes?" I was thinking of waking up each morning, as I always do with this scripture reading. The child surprised me by saying "when we are born!" We thought together about the beauty of the newborn proclaiming God's praise for the gift of life. I  was still pondering this response at prayer time, when I asked the group the same question. Wasn't I surprised when another child's first thought was for the moment of our birth?  It is such a blessing to ponder scripture with children!

We are drawing close to Holy Week! This Sunday we will be participating in the Last Supper Celebration in atrium. I love walking through the scripture together with the children as we share matzo and drink grape juice. You can learn more about this celebration in the post Last Supper Celebration. You can also see photos of last year's celebration here.

Our Family Maundy Thursday Service is coming up! We will gather at 5:30 pm in the Chapel on Thursday, March 28th for foot washing and Holy Communion. Holy Week is not an easy fit for the spirituality of young children, but this service speaks to them in a meaningful way with scripture they know and an acknowledgement of the death and resurrection of Jesus in a way that isn't frightening. It was designed especially with young children in mind - short and to the point! If you are local please plan to bring your family to this special gathering.

Photos from the Good Shepherd Atrium

For the last two weeks, I've had the pleasure of working in the Good Shepherd Atrium. I enjoy the children at this age so much! It was really lovely to be with them and to present some of the Lenten works. We have been focusing on the Good Shepherd, the Last Supper (called the Cenacle) and the City of Jerusalem - some of my all time favorite works! When I wasn't busy doing presentations, I couldn't resist the chance to snap a few photos of the children for you to enjoy.

Learning the procedure for gluing.

Feeling proud of the lenten prayer chain he created by himself!

Matching large and small crosses with a magnifying glass.

Arranging flowers. (Thank you parents!)

Sorting nuts.

I think he's noticing that pretty watch!

Inserting golf tees in foam.

Tracing at the light table.

Lovely concentration.

Tracing a sheep after hearing the found sheep presentation.

Lent Photo-a-Day Project

"Lift"

Lent is underway! I love this season of reflection, in the atrium and at home. For our Wednesday evening gatherings at Christ Church we've been reading and discussing "Naked Spirituality: A Life with God in 12 Simple Words" by Brian D. McLaren, which has been challenging and interesting.

"Settle"

I've also been participating in the Lenten Photo-a-Day Challenge from Rethink Church of the United Methodist Church. For each day in Lent, a word and a reflection on that word are offered.

"Injustice"

The challenge is to find or create an image that embodies what the day's word means to you. Generally I've been trying to take a new photo each day, but I've also used past photos for some words.

"Cover"

This practice has been so meaningful to me. I love reading the reflection and pondering the word throughout the day until some idea or image comes to mind. I thought I would share some of my photos with you here.

"Vision"

I've also enjoyed seeing the photos other people have been taking. You can view photos by people participating in the challenge from around the world on the Rethink Church Pinterest page.

"Hear"

Have you found any special ways to mark the days of Lent this year? I pray that this season will be one of renewal and blessing for all of us!

"Return"

Saying Goodbye to Alleluia!

It's that time again! Lent begins on Wednesday and so on Sunday we said goodbye to our old friend "Alleluia." At Christ Church, we refrain from using this word of celebration throughout the more sober season of Lent and find that it makes our Easter "alleluias" all the more joyful.

During the recessional hymn, children gathered in the front hall to get ready!

The children processed up the aisle and lined up in front of the Church so that we could see the "alleluia."

Then Rev. Peter collected our butterflys and tucked them away in the sacristy. We won't see them again until Easter morning.

This year the "alleluia" we put away looked a little different than in the past. You can see pictures of last year's "Farewell to Alleluia!"  and the final alleluia banner in other posts. We have something new planned for Easter morning this year! Stay tuned!

Living Lent As A Family

Lent is just around the corner! It begins on Ash Wednesday, which is February 13th this year. As you prepare for the season, here are some ideas from Thoughts From the Sheepfold to consider.

Farewell Alleluia!

The children in our Church create an alleluia banner each year and "bury" it the Sunday before Lent begins. As a Church we forego the use of this celebratory word for the season of Lent and bring it (and the banner!) out again on Easter Sunday! This is an idea that you could easily adapt for your family at home!

Lenten Prayer Garden

Check out the link above for an directions for creating a meditation garden in your home, and ideas for using it in Lent. We bring ours out every Lent and really love having it for prayer. You can see how I adapted this idea last year in the post Try This: Lenten Prayer Garden.

Lenten Prayer Chain

We made these simple prayer chains two years ago at our Shrove Tuesday pancake supper and found them to be a really meaningful way to pray together as a family in Lent. I'm making some adaptations to the prayers to share with the Church again this year.

Prayer Beads for Lent

Last year, we made these prayer beads on Shrove Tuesday and in atrium and enjoyed having them as a reminder to draw closer to God in Lent. Easy instructions for making prayer beads are linked to the post.

Easter Garden

My daughter and I made this Easter Garden last year during Holy Week, but it would be a great project to begin in Lent and could be added to throughout the season. For example you could add a new plant each week, and the tomb and the pathway as the season progresses. The cross could be brought into the garden on Good Friday, and the butterfly on Easter Sunday. It would also be lovely to bring some blooms into the arrangement for the season of Easter. 

Practical Life in Lent

We love to create practical life work that is appropriate to the Church season for our atria. Here is a look at some trays we put together for Lent several years ago.

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Ash Wednesday Service for Families

Each year Rev. Peter and I offer a very short Ash Wednesday service for children at 5:30 pm in our Chapel. It is such a beautiful child-centered service and a wonderful way to begin Lent with children. If you are local I hope to see you there on February 13th!

Peace to you as you prepare to live a Holy Lent!