Mark 4:1-41
Jesus and the disciples in the boat with the waves. Did draw a little bit on the faces...
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Day 13 Parable of the Seeds
Matthew 13
OK, this is one of the ones that will make you feel empowered to make a lent banner, because the elements are kind of abstract...
- bottom left is rocks...
- the long skinny yellow is the mature plant...
- the tiny yellow pieces are seeds...
- the back lightening looking thing is thorns...
- the blue are birds.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Day 12 Washing Jesus' Feet
Luke 7:36-50
These are (yellow) the perfume. (white) Jesus' foot, (black) Mary's hair, (blue, small) Mary's tears.
Day 9 The Choosing of the Twelve
Reading for today is Matthew 10.
This is when Jesus calls the disciples out and gives them specific instructions as to what He expects them to do.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Day 8 Nicodemus
John 3:1-21
This is baby Jesus and the world (John 3:16)...maybe better on it's side.
Day 5 Temptation in the Desert
Luke 4:1-13, Psalm 91:11-12
For Satan, I just used black and made eyes...for the temptation, I made 3 apples. Jesus has the yellow around His head.
(Sorry...apparently many of these will be blurry. If I wait to get clearer ones, I won't get this done this year. Next year I will make better pictures...)
Friday, March 11, 2011
Day 4 John the Baptist & Jesus' Baptism
Luke 3:1-23 and Isaiah 40:3-4Tried to make Jesus with the yellow halo thing to make a distinction between him and other people. The white thing on His head is a dove.
Day 2 The Birth of John the Baptist
Luke 1:1-23, 57-80
This is the story of the birth of John the Baptist, who is the one who calls people to repentance before Jesus begins his earthly ministry. More to come on him on Day 4.
The ornament is a baby, because this is the story of his birth.
None of the people in these ornaments will have faces...
- Usually predominately black will be darkness or evil
- Red will mean pain or sickness
- Yellow behind the head will be Jesus because He is the light of the world
The only colors of foamboad that I bought were red, black, white, blue, green and yellow. It gives some continuity when they are all showing. This is not necessary, however.
Day 1 Sin
Disclaimer:I don't think we wind up with 40 days on this banner...we skip Wednesdays because it is too crazy to try to do it. May skip Passover. We stop the banner completely on Maundy Thursday. We have some other activities for Good Friday and Holy Saturday...and Easter. Just so's ya know...
Genesis 3...the reason that Jesus had to die in the first place. The "ornament" is an apple with a bite out of it, made from foam board. Sorry it's a little blurry...this is my first time blogging with pictures...
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Construction of the Banner and Decorations
For the bulk of Lent, we have a Scripture Reading and a symbolic "ornament" each day. Instead of a tree, like Christmas, we have a banner with lots of little removable pockets in the shape of a cross. The pockets work similarly to an advent calendar, and are numbered. We start at the bottom (I think we did that because our children we small when we started, and they could reach that part) and work our way up.
The first year I did it, I just had the pockets up, and each day I made an ornament and snuck it into the next pocket, so you obviously don't have to have all those done. And if your kids like to do that kind of thing, they can help you with this.
Here are pictures of
- the banner with the velcro pieces, which are sewn on
- the banner with the removable pockets in place
- the banner with the decorations showing as they would on Maundy Thursday
To be ready for Day One (which would be the Thursday following Ash Wednesday) put all the decorations in the pockets and place them on the banner. You will also need to decide what stories you want to use from Jesus' life. If you can know all of those upfront, it will save you time later, because you won't have to think it up---you will just work through your list. You kind of want to end up right before Good Friday.
The first year I did it, I just had the pockets up, and each day I made an ornament and snuck it into the next pocket, so you obviously don't have to have all those done. And if your kids like to do that kind of thing, they can help you with this.
Ash Wednesday
Actually, this year, we did Ash Wednesday on Monday. Monday is our Family Night and Wednesday is church, so Monday just worked better.
2014 Addition: Trying to get a meal that is in keeping with Ash Wednesday. As I looked on the internet, it looks like meatless or with fish only are the options if we want to do what others who observe it in their Ash Wednesday meal do. We are not big fish eaters here, so I am thinking more along the lines of a heavy cheese dish, bread, etc. Some say eggs are OK, some do not. I have a ham and cheese/pasta casserole that I think may work. I know it has meat, but it is minimal. We don't eat many casseroles, so I think, for my group, if there are not separate meat and starch dishes, it will make the statement for us.
This is the recipe I am going to use. It is from About.com Southern food
Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Ham
Using a large saucepan melt the butter and add the flour – stir and gradually stir in your half and half making sure to keep stirring as the entire mixture thickens.
Pour in your cooked macaroni. Add your shredded cheese and your Parmesan to the mixture - now you can add half the bread crumbs and scallions, and add the cubes of ham.
Stir well and pour into a well greased casserole or baking dish.
Bake the Macaroni and Cheese
I'm just going to put the last of the bread crumbs on the top for a nice crunchy top layer. Bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes or until the top is crisp.
********************************************************
We used some ashes made from some leaves we burned. If you get palms this year from Palm Sunday, burn those for next year's ashes...If we have that, we use it.
Then we use some reading from Ken Collins...it's not perfect, but basically he says this and I am quoting,
As you know, Jesus retreated into the wilderness and fasted for forty days to prepare for his ministry. It was, for Him, a time of contemplation, reflection and preparation (and being tempted my the devil, but we don't go into that here). By observing Lent, most Christians join Him on his retreat.
(In the Scriptures) ashes represented a time of remorse, repentance and mourning. During Lent, ancient Christians mourned their sins and repented of them, so it was appropriate for them to show their sincerity by having ashes on their foreheads. The custom has persisted in the church as secular society has changed around us.
Some people only celebrate the happy times in Jesus' life...Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, Christmas...but as true friends (followers) we should "watch and pray with Him" on Maundy Thursday, "stand by Him at the cross" on Good Friday and retreat with Him into the wilderness during Lent.
On Ash Wednesday, we think about our sin as a family and mark this as the beginning of an extended time to think about Jesus and his time on the earth before the resurrection. We read the above thoughts and put ashes on our foreheads. Then we pray and go to bed.
2014 Addition: Trying to get a meal that is in keeping with Ash Wednesday. As I looked on the internet, it looks like meatless or with fish only are the options if we want to do what others who observe it in their Ash Wednesday meal do. We are not big fish eaters here, so I am thinking more along the lines of a heavy cheese dish, bread, etc. Some say eggs are OK, some do not. I have a ham and cheese/pasta casserole that I think may work. I know it has meat, but it is minimal. We don't eat many casseroles, so I think, for my group, if there are not separate meat and starch dishes, it will make the statement for us.
This is the recipe I am going to use. It is from About.com Southern food
Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Ham
- 6 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsps. flour
- 1 3/4 cups of half and half
- 1 1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese
- 1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (you can use less cheese if desired)
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 3 cups of diced ham (maybe 1 cup for these purposes)
- 5 cups cooked macaroni
- 1 cup bread crumbs - half for the inside crunch and half for a topping
- 1/4 cup scallions, diced (optional)
- pepper to taste
Using a large saucepan melt the butter and add the flour – stir and gradually stir in your half and half making sure to keep stirring as the entire mixture thickens.
Pour in your cooked macaroni. Add your shredded cheese and your Parmesan to the mixture - now you can add half the bread crumbs and scallions, and add the cubes of ham.
Stir well and pour into a well greased casserole or baking dish.
Bake the Macaroni and Cheese
I'm just going to put the last of the bread crumbs on the top for a nice crunchy top layer. Bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes or until the top is crisp.
********************************************************
We used some ashes made from some leaves we burned. If you get palms this year from Palm Sunday, burn those for next year's ashes...If we have that, we use it.
Then we use some reading from Ken Collins...it's not perfect, but basically he says this and I am quoting,
As you know, Jesus retreated into the wilderness and fasted for forty days to prepare for his ministry. It was, for Him, a time of contemplation, reflection and preparation (and being tempted my the devil, but we don't go into that here). By observing Lent, most Christians join Him on his retreat.
(In the Scriptures) ashes represented a time of remorse, repentance and mourning. During Lent, ancient Christians mourned their sins and repented of them, so it was appropriate for them to show their sincerity by having ashes on their foreheads. The custom has persisted in the church as secular society has changed around us.
Some people only celebrate the happy times in Jesus' life...Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, Christmas...but as true friends (followers) we should "watch and pray with Him" on Maundy Thursday, "stand by Him at the cross" on Good Friday and retreat with Him into the wilderness during Lent.
On Ash Wednesday, we think about our sin as a family and mark this as the beginning of an extended time to think about Jesus and his time on the earth before the resurrection. We read the above thoughts and put ashes on our foreheads. Then we pray and go to bed.
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