One of the other ideas we had was to make a Lent/Easter playlist on our i-pod to listen to over the next few weeks like we do with Christmas songs during advent. Until I started looking, I had no idea how many hymns and songs deal specifically with redemption. So far we have 473 songs on the playlist!
Anyway, here is what we have planned for this third week of Lent--
Monday--The Compass
Again, I am grateful to Joe Paprocki's website for the basic idea for this lesson!
- Ask the children to stand up and face north. (For older children, who might know what direction the room faces, have the close their eyes, turn them around a few times, and then ask them to face north without peeking.)
- Pull out a compass and discuss its function--it is a tool to help us get a sense of direction. Have the children try to get it to point anywhere but north!
- Discuss the function of Scripture as a compass for the Christian. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, Romans 10:17, Psalm 119: 105, Hebrews 4:12, Matthew 4:3-4, Jeremiah 15:16, Psalm 19:7)
- Discuss the function of worship as a compass for the Christian. (Romans 12:1-2) From the "40 Ideas for 40 Days" site, "the word “worship” literally means to 'bow down' – a gesture that 'points our entire being' toward someone or something." It is to attribute worth to One who is worthy.
- There is worship that involves speaking or singing our praises (Psalm 150), worship that involves listening to God's words (Psalm 119:11), and worship that involves action (Romans 12:1). In short, worship encompasses the entirety of our lives!
- A good overview of the subject can be found at http://www.gotquestions.org/true-worship.html .
- End with a favorite hymn of worship!
Our church was blessed to have Jerry and Renee Cox speak to us this past Sunday. They minister in Papua New Guinea with New Tribes Missions (http://blogs.ntm.org/jerry-renee-cox/) bringing the Word of God to people who have never heard the name of Christ. During the presentation, their 8th grade daughter quietly went through the congregation sharing Andes mints with random people--a few here, a few there. Rebekah and some others got two or three. Many of us got none--a fact which the children did not fail to notice!
The point was to illustrate that while many of us sit in abundance, there are many more who have very little. Many of us have multiple copies of Scripture, many more have no access to even one translated book of the Bible.
- Today choose as a family to share your abundance--whether it be time, money, or other resources.
- Brainstorm as a group. Is there a missionary family you could all save for during Lent (or beyond)? A worthy charity? A local need within your church body? Commit to giving to this cause (beyond your usual tithe) throughout the season. Give sacrificially! Maybe it will mean putting aside the money you use for Starbucks or movies or other entertainment. Give up one of your "mints" to a person who has none!
- Is there a way you can serve them beyond money? Discuss the possibilities, and then put them in action!
- Read and discuss the Acts account of the way the early believers sacrificed for one another. Acts 2:37-47
Wednesday--Attributes of Christ: Holiness
- Jamey plans to lead a discussion on God's holiness for tonight's devotion. There is so much in this topic! Holiness cannot be in the presence of sin, and thus our sin separates us from God (Romans 3:23, Isaiah 59:2). The penalty for our rebellion is eternal death (Romans 6:23, Romans 5:21), but God provided a means of escape through a perfect, sinless, spotless--in other words, "holy"--sacrifice (1Peter 1:18-19, Hebrews 2: 14-17). Christ's holy sacrifice removed the separation caused by our sin, restoring our relationship with God (2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Corinthians 1:30).
- We plan to use another of R.C. Sproul's excellent children's books to illustrate this idea for our littler ones. It is called The King Without a Shadow and is available through CBD for around $12.00.
- This object lesson is also adapted from the "40 Ideas for 40 Days" site. Hide a cotton ball behind your back and stand in front of one of your children. Hand him a piece of clear plastic (like a page protector) and tell him to hold it taut in front of his face. Have him look into your eyes, and tell him not to blink! Then throw the cotton ball at the plastic. He will blink;)
- Explain reflexes (Jamey will also demonstrate with his little rubber hammer on a knee or two).
- Reflexes happen without us even thinking about them. Attitudes and actions can become reflexive as well--both good and bad.
- Discuss some reflexive behaviors that we struggle against (blaming others, tattling, anger, hitting, etc.)
- How can we replace these reflexes with godly ones? Well, being aware of them is a good place to start. There are also good Bible verses on the subject. (Luke 6:45, Matthew 12:34-35, Proverbs 4:23, Galatians 5:22-23)
- Take seriously God's opinion of our attitudes of the heart! Praying for conviction, listening to correction, and hiding His word in your heart are all strategies for developing godly reflexes. (Proverbs 6:19, Proverbs 12:20, 1 Peter 3:9, Matthew 18:15, Proverbs 23:9, Proverbs 19:20, Ephesians 4:29, Philippians 2:3, Romans 12:10)
From the "40 Ideas for 40 Days" website by Joe Paprocki--
- "Explain that, before dying, many people speak final words that express their feelings and thoughts at that moment.
- Invite the children to identify the speakers of these famous last words (fictional and non-fictional):
- “Et tu, Brute?” (Julius Caesar)
- “I have been and always will be your friend. Live long. And prosper.” (Mr. Spock, The Wrath of Khan)
- “Rosebud” (Charles Foster Kane, Citizen Kane)
- “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.” (Obi-Wan-Kenobi, Star Wars)
- “I’m melting!” (Wicked Witch of the West, Wizard of Oz)
- “Are you guys ready? Let’s roll.” (Todd Beamer, passenger aboard United Flight 93, September 11, 2001)
- “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” (Nathan Hale, 1776)
- Explain that as Jesus was dying on the cross, he said some very important words.
- Provide Bibles for each of the young people and tell them to search
for the following passages and to relate the words that Jesus spoke:
- Luke 23:34 (Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.)
- Luke 23:43 (Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise)
- John 19:26-27 (Woman [Mary], behold your son. [to the disciple] Behold your mother.)
- Matthew 27:46 and/or Mark 15:34 (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?)
- John 19:28 (I thirst)
- John 19:30 (It is finished.)
- Luke 23:46 (Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit.)"
- What can we learn from the last words of Christ? How did he reveal his heart during his last moments?
- There is a beautiful piece of music by Hayden, entitled "The Seven Last Words of Christ". Here is a link to it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELqORruJOlM . End by listening to it. Amazing what can be conveyed without lyrics!
- Invite the children to identify the speakers of these famous last words (fictional and non-fictional):
The idea of withdrawing from the activities of daily life for the purpose of prayer might bring to mind the picture of a monastery, but it has roots much farther back than that! The "hours of prayer" were observed in Old Testament times as well as by New Testament saints.
During the "third hour", the "sixth hour", and the "ninth hour" (9A.M., 12 noon, and 3P.M.) the saints would withdraw for a time of purposeful prayer. Daniel was mentioned as praying three times a day (Daniel 6:10). It was the "third hour" when believers were gathered for prayer in the upper room that the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 2:3, 15). Peter and John are recorded as entering the temple at the hour of prayer, "being the ninth hour" (Acts 3:1). Cornelius was at ninth hour prayer when the angel instructed him to send for Peter. (Acts 10). Peter was up on the roof at "sixth hour" prayer when he had the vision of the animals being lowered on the sheet.
There has been such a Protestant backlash against legalism, that any activity that even smacks of rigidity or regulation is met by instant skepticism. We modern Christians want to be "led by the Spirit" in all things (which is good). We are told to "pray without ceasing" (which is very good), but I have seen in my own life the almost irresistable propensity to slide into laziness if I am not prompted by external reminders. It is a shame to us that most Muslims are more faithful in prayer than we are!
Christ himself prescribed more than our easy, breezy "I pray as I am going about my daily business" mindset. As he was instructing the disciples on how to pray, he cautioned against a public display of prayer, exhorting them instead to withdraw into a "closet"--a quiet, private place of focused communion with God.
I am not offering this idea as a prescription or a command, simply as a tool with some history behind it!
- This morning at breakfast, as an introduction to the idea of set prayer, go through the verses mentioned above. What benefit does a believer receive from spending prolonged time in prayer? What are some more of your childrens' favorite verses about prayer?
- How might pulling yourself away from daily activities in order to pray deepen your relationship with Christ?
- Go over the ACTS model of prayer with your younger children (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication).
- As a family, stop at three set times today to pray. Make sure to spend time praying for your pastor, your local church body, and for your own heart at you attend services tomorrow.
- One book that I have found helpful is called The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle. It is a compilation of Scripture, hymns, and passages from the Book of Common Prayer arranged for the four "Daily Offices" of prayer. Older children could certainly benefit from it. I like to read the passages aloud--or even sing them!
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