COVID began during Lent last year, and here we are about to head into a second COVID Lent. We will be able to gather in-person to worship beginning February 28, but we know that many will not be comfortable returning yet, or would rather wait until more of the restrictions are lifted (no singing, masks, etc.) For that reason, some of the suggestions for observing Lent this year are about online resources. Others are items that can be purchased. Please refer to this page for ideas for celebrating Lent, Holy Week and Easter, both in your home and as a St. John’s Community.
Resources for Families
- 16 Simple Lent Activities https://feelslikehomeblog.com/2016/02/16-simple-lent-activities-for-kids-for-all-christians/
- Right Now Media
- The Holy Moly Easter Collection https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/KidsSeries/218363?episode=1
- Easter Week (Holy Week) https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/KidsShow/237990?episode=1
- Ash Wednesday Explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W47w0AqI644
- What kids say about Lent and Easter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blfjp1FdKbY
Online Devotional: Lutheran Hour Ministries – https://www.lhm.org/lent/
Following the narrative of Mark’s Gospel, The Marks of Love explores the life and ministry of Jesus. The tragedy of Golgotha is met with the triumph of the resurrection on Easter morning. Along the way, we learn of Jesus’ deep compassion for those He loved and served, including those who put Him to death.
The Red Letter Challenge
We’ve done it before as a congregation. Using Right Now Media, you can use the videos again and take the 40 day journey.
https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/Series/323879
The Lent Experience – Eric Ferris
It begins with a short video on Ash Wednesday that kicks the whole thing off. Then, each Sunday until Easter you will watch a short video that will give you your Lent Experience challenge for the week. The challenges are based on things that have been a part of Lent for centuries.
https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/Series/468550
The Cross – Dr. Michael Youseef
In this series, Dr. Michael Youssef expounds upon the cross — from its foreshadowing thousands of years before Jesus’ birth, to its life-changing work in people today, to its future saving work in Christ Jesus. See the full picture of God’s redemptive work in The Cross: It Was…It is…It Always Will Always Be.
https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/Series/244233
Good Friday and Easter – Francis Chan
In these sessions from The Gospel of Mark, Francis Chan teaches on Jesus’s death and resurrection and challenges us to consider how to live our lives in light of His sacrifice and victory over death.
https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/Series/396209
He Chose the Nails – Max Lucado
In He Chose the Nails, a five-session video Bible study, Max examines the gifts that Christ gave at His crucifixion. These include not only the gift of the cross, but also the gift of the nails, and the empty tomb. The cross is rich with God’s gifts of grace, and as we unwrap them, we will hear Him whisper, “I did it just for you.” https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/Series/403605
Crucified – Jimmy DeYoung
The cross has been a profound symbol of faith for over 2,000 years. It recalls the pain and suffering of Jesus Christ and His ultimate triumph over death. But what about your own cross- what did Jesus mean when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me”?
https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/Series/1119
God of the Cross
Our God is a crucified God. Not only is this unique among the world’s religions, but it is also the center of our faith, the source of our salvation, our hope and the shape of our lives. What does it mean that our God is the God of the cross? Our Lent Midweek series takes a look at different facets of the cross and what they tell us about our God. Live Stream every Wednesday at 7:00 PM. In person beginning on March 3.
- February 17 (Ash Wednesday) -“A Just God “
- The cross show us God’s judgment on our sins. We are called to repent in light of the judgment of God
- February 24 – ” A Redeeming God”
- God has paid the price for our sins completely. We are redeemed because of the cross
- March 3 – “A Loving God”
- The cross settles for all time the question of whether God loves us. The cross becomes a picture of the essence of God’s love.
- March 10 – “A Hidden God”
- The cross does not look like God saving the world, but it is. Our God’s identity and work are often hidden behind images of weakness and loss.
- March 17 – “A Suffering God”
- Our God is no stranger to suffering. The cross shows us our God as a victim of suffering.
- March 24 – “A Calling God”
- The cross is also the shape of our lives when we respond to Christ’s call to take up our cross and follow Him.
Books and Booklets available for purchase
Lent Devotional Booklets: Concordia Publishing House
The link below will bring to a page featuring numerous inexpensive devotional booklets that can be ordered from CPH. https://search.cph.org/search#?p=KK&srid=S1-6DFW-AWSP&lbc=cph&ts=ajax&pw=lent&uid=718897334&isort=score&view=grid&w=Lenten%20Devotions&rk=3
Journey to the Cross – Paul David Tripp
A journey of humble reflection and honest examination. Inviting you to set aside busyness and embrace quiet, this devotional encourages you to let go of worldly things, acknowledge your sins, consider Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice, and abide in God’s forgiveness and joy as you follow Christ more faithfully. https://www.crossway.org/books/journey-to-the-cross-hcj/
The Crucified Is My Love: Morning and Evening Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent – Johann Ernst von Holst – Johann Ernst von Holst (1828–1898), a Lutheran pastor in Riga, Latvia
Expanding on the Gospel accounts, these devotionals draw the reader into deep contemplation of Christ’s suffering, accompanying Him in vivid detail on His last journey from Bethany to Golgotha. At every step, from His triumphal entry into Jerusalem and His last supper with His disciples to His betrayal and crucifixion, they reveal the depth of Christ’s love for those He came to save – and the hope this holds for each of us and for the world. https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/devotional-reading/crucified-is-my-love
Preparing for Easter: Fifty Devotional Reading from C. S. Lewis
Together in one special volume, selections from the best of C. S. Lewis’s classic works for readers contemplating the “grand miracle” of Jesus’s resurrection. This book is a concise, handy companion to help deepen the reader’s knowledge and consideration of this holy season—a time of reflection as we consider Jesus’s sacrifice and His joyous rise from the dead.