Today, Ash Wednesday, started us on a 40 day journey through the season of Lent. Growing up I was unfamiliar with Lent, but in the last decade it has become a big deal in my heart and in our home.
Lent offers us 40 intentional days to truly prepare our hearts to remember and celebrate as Christians the most life changing event in history, the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! "Easter Sunday" the tomb was empty! For our hope is built on a LIVING Savior who has conquered death and the grave and is coming again for those who believe "while we were still sinners Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8) and "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."(Rom 10:9) That is reason to celebrate!
As Chuck Colson says, "Lent affords us the opportunity to search the depths of our sin and experience the heights of God's love." (Why Bother With Lent?)
We take these 40 days to dwell upon the reality of a broken needy world, the sin in our own hearts, and the love of a Savior that offers the world and each of us hope.
Similar to our Family Advent Box we have a Family Lent Box that includes books, activities, and items for celebrating Lent, Holy Week, Passover, and Easter Sunday.
Here are a few things you'll find inside our box:
Daily Activity Book
I've used What We Do in Lent for the past four years. I copy the activity page for each day of Lent 3X, and a copy is placed in each boy's Lent folder.
Here are a few sample pages.
Children's Storybook/Devotional
The past few seasons of Lent we have read aloud through Journey to the Cross by Helen Haidle. This storybook, written for ages 6-12, contains 40 chapters with references from the four gospel accounts and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter. It works well to read each night of Lent and is so rich it's been worth rereading each year. Haidle writes, in chronological order, a day-by-day recounting of the last week of Jesus' life - his death, his resurrection, and all of the events following his resurrection, including the ascension and pouring out of His Spirit at Pentecost. I've learned incredible details myself about these events. Sidebars highlight details of the culture and customs of the first century, how Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah, and what Jesus' sacrifice means for us today. 
Resurrection Eggs
Anything I can find that is a tangible learning tool tends to work really well with our kiddos!
The Resurrection Eggs have been a great aid in the boys' learning the Easter story.
Here is a brief video showing one of our boys at 3.5 yrs old going through a few of the eggs. Hard to believe he is 7 years old now! I should make a then and now of his resurrection narration!
Videos
How Can I Celebrate the Passover is a great introduction for kids and parents alike to understanding Passover and specifically the elements of a Seder meal.
Books
Some of our favorite Easter picture books:
Jesus Lives! The Easter Story (Happy Day Books) by Laura Derico
Lenten Candles
One of our Lent traditions is lighting Lenten candles each Sunday of Lent; they are similar to Advent candles.
Lenten Candles
One of our Lent traditions is lighting Lenten candles each Sunday of Lent; they are similar to Advent candles.
Noel Piper writes in Holy Week at the Pipers,
The seven candles symbolize the Light of the World—the Light that was God’s glory and that illuminated God for us—the Light that, in the end, seemed to have been darkened. As we move through the season preceding Easter, the candles are snuffed out one by one, until all are dark on Good Friday, when Jesus died and the earth was covered with shadow. Darkness apparently had won. The Light of the World had been extinguished. It was finished.Check out Lenten Lights for full details on how to use Lenten candles in your home!
But NO! Easter brings resurrection! Life! Return from death! The Light has won, and all the candles burn as we praise him—the Light of the World, the Bright Morning Star, the Glory of God.
Update:
Celebrating Easter in Our Home Part 1: Easter MountainCelebrating Easter in Our Home Part 2: Messianic Passover
Older Posts on Lent:
- Our Lent/ Easter Basket 2014
- Getting Ready for Good Friday 2014
- Good Friday 2014
- Holy Week, Passover, and Easter 2013
- Our Seder Meal and Remembering The Last Supper of Christ 2012
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