Celebrating Lent - Resources for children.

Lent is the most difficult season to mark in a way that is full of meaning for children. Certainly it is the time that my family struggles with the most. Shrove Tuesday is this Tuesday (12th) which means Lent begins on Wednesday 13th. It is not far away and there is not much time left to plan!

These are some resources and ideas that have worked for our family:

Love Life Live Lent is excellent material produced by Church Publishing House.

Christian Aid produces material called Count your Blessings - also very good.

The Jelly Bean prayer - my kids loved this.

And this is my favourite - planting wheat grass.

There are lots of versions of the Stations of the Cross for children on the internet, this is the one that I have used. And here is a lovely idea for using the meditations.

I would be interested to hear which of these ideas you like and use - and what other suggestions you have. How does your family observe Lent?

Candlemas craft

The feast of Candlemas is this Saturday ( February 2nd).

 I found this lovely craft idea in Landscape magazine for making snowdrops from crepe paper.

Snowdrops are associated with Candlemas because they flower at this time of year and are a simple and beautiful symbol of hope - a precursor of spring and all that spring pledges of light, warmth and expectation.

Winter

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire:  it is the time for home." 
-  Edith Sitwell


Winter definately has it's pleasures! For example:

• Making home made Seville orange marmalade
• Watching the kids snowboarding down a local hill
• Homemade soup
• Rich, thick gravy casseroles
• Walking on a silent , frost veiled common
• Watching the birds in naked trees
• Feeding them in the garden
• Stunning red orange sunsets
• Open fires
• Toasting muffins
• Watching snowflakes
• Mulled wine
• Evenings in
• Rugs on the sofa
• Winter root vegetables

 

 

A Prayer for the New year

We were not up in time to see the dawn this New Year  ( too late to bed last night!).  But it is a glorious sunny morning  and after all the rain of previous days  this clear morning gives me hope.  This beautiful prayer comes from Christine Sine's blog - .Godspace.  God as this new year dawns, May we take time to see the newness you are giving birth to. May we not be blinded by the darkness that consumes our world. Or consumed by the fear that paralyzes our actions. May we remember, That out of winter’s darkness you bring forth light, That out of winter’s death you give birth to new life. May we remember, That which has been dormant will spring to life, That which has been pruned will sprout new strength. May we remember, You are the light by which we see, You are the fountain that gives us life. God as this new year emerges, May we give birth to that which honours you, May we bring to life that which allows your goodness to shine, May we give fresh expression to your eternal world, And in the depths of our hearts may we cry, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Amen

On the 7th day of Christmas

Books have always played a significant part in our family , especially at Christmas  time when we read from a pile of familiar stories and authors. This year I bought a new book for Christmas reading:

The Thirteen Days of Christmas

Jenny Overton, Shi...

Best Price £4.72
or Buy New £8.96

It is a delightful story by Jenny Overton  and  illustrated by Shirley Hughes. We have not finished reading it yet but I would highly recommend it.

What does your family read at Christmas ? I would be fascinated to hear - please leave a comment and let me know.

Stir up Sunday

This Sunday , the last before Advent is  known as Stir up Sunday and is traditionally the day to make the Christmas pudding.The name comes from the collect for day in the Common Book of Prayer -

Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people, that they bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by you be richly rewarded: through Jesus Christ Our Lord. 

Amen

I did a bit of reading and found out that:

•  your pudding should be stirred from east to west to remember the journey taken by the wise men 
•  should  have 13 ingredients to remember Christ and the disciples.

And , of course, it  should contain a sixpence bringing good luck to the finder!  My grandmother always put a sixpence in her's, I think nowadays it's a fifty pence piece!

I was surprised to see how many newspapers and food blogs, including my favourite one were running articles with plenty of pudding and cake recipes in time for this weekend. It seems that this tradition is still popular. We make a home made pudding in our family - my sister has made it this year but I thought I would put a non traditional one in the freezer for a another occasion. This weekend I will make my Christmas cake , the fruit is ready soaking and today I made homemade mincemeat.

Preparing for Advent with Soap and Water.

Advent is my favourite season and I have begun to plan how we will celebrate - mostly with familiar rituals that we have celebrated every year since the children were little. However, it is always a joy to discover new ideas. Over the last few days I have been reading about the tradition of cleaning ones house over Advent. In Scandinavian, Polish and Irish homes it is part of the preparation for Christmas to have a big clear up in readiness for visitors and the hospitality of the season. It mirrors  the internal clearing out and spiritual preparation of Advent which is a penitential season - albeit  also one of quiet joy and suppressed excitement. The idea reminded me of the Benedictine attitude to work - ora et labora - that work and prayer, contemplation and action  are essentially linked. The quiet , repetitive nature of  quotidian tasks can aid prayer and meditation.

Our house is in need of a thorough clean right now and as I think ahead to the busy Christmas season it seems like a good idea to use this time of preparation to do a few timely domestics. Cleaning out cupboards in the kitchen, the fridge, the freezer and stocking up on baking essentials ready for Advent baking are some of the jobs I'm tackling.  It feels good when the job is done and I can practice the presence of God in an act of service to those who will visit our home!