Year B - Observing Lent and Celebrating Easter

I have reformatted the general article “Observing Lent and Celebrating Easter” enlarging the print and making a few changes.  Click on it at Observing Lent and Celebrating Easter - Year A to get the basics that apply to all three years of the lectionary cycle.  Below is an idea for the season that relates particularly to Year B.

This year’s gospel readings for Lent include lots of cross references.  It would be a good year to explore the meaning of the cross, the main symbol of the Christian faith.  Gather all sorts of crosses (especially those in your sanctuary) to display and discuss.  This could be a children’s time series or be worked into the “real” sermon each week.  Look for detailed suggestions in the posts for each of the Sundays of Lent.  Some Sundays have ideas for several different crosses that go with different texts for the week.  Some crosses are suggested on multiple weeks.  So it wise to plan for the whole season.  The overview is:

 

Ash Wednesday:

         The ash cross on our foreheads

               - a sign of our needing God’s forgiving love 

Lent 1:         Identify all the crosses in the sanctuary

                     Give cross trinkets to carry or post 

Lent2:          The cross on communion ware 

                             (if it is a communion Sunday)

                     Cross stickers to remind us to take up

                             our cross and follow Jesus

                     Cross jewelry and tattoos – to explore the 

         difference in just wearing them and

         letting them shape us 

            Lent 3:         Plain wood cross

                                 Nail cross

                                 Picture of crucifixion

                                      – to discuss what happened 

            Lent 4:         Crucifix

                                 Central American people cross

                                 Paper cross on which to write 

                                       names of all who Jesus loves

            Lent 5:         Central American people cross

                                 Crucifix

                                 Biggest cross at the front of your sanctuary

            Palm-Passion Sunday

                                 Palm crosses

                                 Nail cross 

            Good Friday

                                 Nail cross

            Easter:         Empty cross for the resurrection

                 

You might invite members of the congregation to bring unusual or special crosses for a display near the sanctuary.  Ask each contributor to write on an index card their name and what this cross says to them.