Ash Wednesday – February 14, 2018
Scripture: Matthew 6:9-15
Symbol: Praying Hands
Discussion & Activity: If you are able, attend an Ash Wednesday Service at church. Talk together as a family about the service and what it meant to you.
In reading Matthew 6:9-15, we are reminded to pray. And Jesus gives us some specific words to pray, which helps us remember specific people and things for which to pray. We pray for food, for treating people as we want to be treated, for forgiveness, for seeing God’s goodness daily. Through the entire season of Lent, we will be observing practices of prayer and actions that help us live in ways that Jesus has taught us to live.
Fold your hands in prayer. Spend a minute in silence looking at your hands and thinking of all the times and ways you pray. Talk together about times of prayer: meal times; morning prayers; evening prayers; quick thank-you prayers to God during the day. Talk about ways you can help one another remember to pray during this season of Lent. You may want to sing or read together the words of the hymn, “It’s Me, It’s Me, O Lord (Standing in the Need of Prayer)” found on page 352 in The United Methodist Hymnal.
Often, Lent is seen as a “giving-up” time. Plan ways that Lent can be an “adding-life” time. In order to “add to,” we often have to “give up.” For instance, maybe someone wants to give up an hour of television in order to add an hour for Bible study. Prepare a list with each person’s name on the list. Together, decide what each person will do to add life during Lent and what he or she might want to give up in order to do so. Think about such things as:
- recycling items;
- reading Scripture daily;
- sending a note of thanks each week to someone who has helped him/her feel God’s love;
- adding a household task that helps everyone enjoy the home more;
- exercising each week.
Prayer:
Dear God: As we begin this time of Lent, help us be a praying people.
Remind us to pray every day. Guide us to make prayer an important part of what we do all through the day.
Amen.
(You may also want to say The Lord’s Prayer together as part of your prayer time.)