If you are just landing here for the first time, WELCOME! This is a blog devoted to providing specific resources to worship leaders who want to include childdren in the congregation's worship. There are two kinds of posts:

1. lectionary -based posts offering suggestions for each text of a given week (These are generally in chronological order except for major seasons which I post way ahead.)

2. short articles about some aspect of including children in the congregation's worship. (See the Popcorn Index for a links to these topics.)

The Lectionary Index, Scripture Index and Date Index will be your friends in finding the material for any given text or day.

Finally, do leave comments here or on Facebook. Tell the rest of us how you adapted an idea here. Share another way to explore a text. Ask a question. We have lots to learn from each other.

Monday, February 18, 2013

The Whole Heart Series for Lent

I finally posted all the Sundays of Lent and thought it might be useful to have all the hearts of the heart series in one place.  So here it is.  Go to the post for each week to learn more fully how to present that heart in light of that day's themes.



Ash Wednesday, Lent 1, or Good Friday:  A red valentine may be fun, but loving every day is harder.  Jesus showed us most fully how it is done by forgiving all the people who killed and betrayed him while he was dying on the cross.




Lent 1:  We are tempted to give ourselves to many things - maybe especially sports today.  We remember this day that although we love many things we love God most.






Lent 2: Give children small paper or felt hearts to wear in their shoes this week as a reminder to stand firm for Jesus as Paul instructed.






Lent 3: There is no picture for this week.  But there are directions for making a heart shaped loaf for Communion and for working through the Great Prayer of Thanksgiving identifying all the ways God loves us and placing a red heart on the Table for each one.

Lent 4: There is a choice for Lent 4.  One is a heart bearing the key words for the day.  The other is a string of linked hearts with which to explore reconciliation.  Both fit both the epistle and the parable of the Lost Son.










Lent 5: These texts are about gift giving, Mary's gift of costly oil to Jesus, Paul's gift of being a preacher in response to God's love for him, and Jesus' gift of forgiveness on the cross.







Palm - Passion Sunday or Good Friday:  Jesus kept loving even when his heart was broken by all the people who hated him and his friends who betrayed him when he needed them most.






Maundy Thursday: Jesus washed his disciples' feet and calls us to love each other as much as he loved them.






Good Friday:  Jesus kept loving even when he was nailed to a cross.



Easter:  Like the disciples we are both puzzled and incredibly happy to find that Jesus did not stay dead, but is alive forever.

Posted by Carolyn at 10:39 AM

7 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for all of your ideas. We are including them in worship each week on a banner. For Lent 1 we did a big red heart on a dove representing God Is Love. We are using a heart and an anchor for Lent 2 - standing firm for Jesus. We are also using the idea of being our best for Jesus on Lent 3 so we are making a heart with fancy trimmings.

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    1. What fun to see someone else take an idea and adapt it with such great results!

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  2. A heart with feathers on would link with the image of hen and chicks. Isn't it great how we can spark off one another.....

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  3. ...and of course now that I've decided to use all the hearts with the young people through to Easter we need a line with some pegs - purple pegs for Lent, plain for Maunday Thursday, black for Good Friday and gold for Easter Day.....

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  4. I've been using the hearts each week and was wondering what to hang on the line for Maundy Thursday when it's Communion and unlikely that there will be children there.....a heart cut out of white towelling of course.....

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