Study and preparation are customary for Christians during Lent. Many churches plan special programs in which prayer practices, Bible study, or service to others are emphasized. It is a time for those who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil (or to be Confirmed in the spring) to study and reflect on the Christian faith and their relationship with Jesus Christ. This devotional offers a way for households to prepare for Easter together.
Lent At Church and Home Devotional
For each day of Lent, this devotional offers three sections: “Dig In”, “Question”, and “And…”. The topic for each day is specific to that day – sometimes Churchy, sometimes historical, sometimes Bible-ey, sometimes silly, but always Godly.
Depending on how much time your household has, you might use all three sections or just “Dig In”.
Using This Devotional
There are a variety of ways this can be used to bless the children and families of your parish. You may also want to distribute copies to single adults and older adults, they might want to send one to a grandchild or godchild, or they might want to participate in what your parish families are doing.
A few ideas for increasing engagement:
- Ask parishioners to send a photo of themselves with the booklet for you to post on your church’s social media.
- Some Sundays you might have items to send home to help with a particular day’s idea. For example, on Sunday, March 6th you might send home flower seeds for families to use on March 12. On Palm Sunday, you might send home sidewalk chalk for Good Friday.
- Plan to sing hymns mentioned in the devotional in church. For example, on Palm Sunday, sing the hymn “All glory, laud, and honor.”
- Each day’s “Dig In” could be posted on social media. These could be text with a corresponding image or a video of someone reading the “Dig In’ section for the day.
- After Easter Day, you might have an evening to celebrate what participants learned during Lent. Perhaps teach a more in-depth lesson on one of the topics. Perhaps have a trivia contest based on the items from the days, such as “which country’s astronauts were the first to walk in space?” adults vs children. And share snacks based on what might be eaten during Jesus time in Israel. Re-sing Easter hymns.
Download Lent At Church and Home
This booklet is an editable Word Doc. You can format and adapt this devotional to fit your context. Click here to download.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash.
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