This week we begin to approach a great mystery - the Mystery of Easter - and as we look towards Ash Wednesday in particular, it’s not uncommon for families to have questions about how to approach this serious season with children. In fact, there’s a veritable library of excellent articles tackling how and why children should be included in this serious day.
As part of addressing the complexity of Ash Wednesday, here at St. John’s we offer a children’s Ash Wednesday service in addition to our main services (though children are welcome at any of them). For this service, we’ll be offering a primer on Lent using the language and materials of Godly Play. While Ash Wednesday may confront death and sin head on, it’s important to recognize that we are already doing that in our classrooms, and that we are equipping our children with the necessary language for that work. The hardest thing about talking to children about these topics is getting past our own discomfort.
Another important part of entering the season of Lent together is acknowledging the traditions that surround it and creating traditions of our own. So, here are a few places to start:
Pretzels and Pancakes: Sure, we won’t be having the typical pancake supper this year, but especially if you can’t make it to our S’mores Fest, it’s worth considering cooking up a few of your own this year. Or, if you’re looking for another food-based tradition for later in the season, consider making pretzels as a family. Pretzels were often considered a special Lenten bread, since they could be made with just flour, water ,and salt. This stands in contrast with the pancake breakfast, which was meant to use up meat and sugar before Lent. You can learn more about making pretzels and why they matter during Lent here.
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Develop an Almsgiving Practice: In her book “Faithful Families for Lent, Easter, and Resurrection,” the fabulous Traci Smith talks about some of the ways we might give to others. In particular, she suggests thinking about some of the types of items you might typically give to others at a food pantry or other service site. Often, we choose an extra from our pantry or an inexpensive item for these initiatives, but what if we gave our very favorite things? Consider having everyone in your family select their very favorite of something for a donation box and bring it to a local service provider.
Looking for more ways to deepen your family’s Lenten practice? Drop me an email! I’m happy to work with you to think about what might help your household better understand the importance of this season.