Activities and reflections for Lent and Easter
(LWI) - This year, for the first time, the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IECLB) has made available a Lent calendar for children. It aims to reflect on Lent and Easter in a fun and creative way.
Beginning on Ash Wednesday, the children follow the “path of love” (caminho do amor), using the Christian symbol of a sunflower to mark the way. Each day, the children can add a sunflower sticker to the calendar for the countdown to Easter. On Easter Sunday, the children will make a beautiful Easter basket.
“We are proud to present this Lent calendar in 2024,” says Rev. Dr. Mauro Batista de Souza, IECLB vice-president. “It is part of our ongoing Christian education plan and strategy to introduce children to our faith tradition.”
“As the sunflower turns to the sun, we turn to Jesus”
“Jesus is the sun that illuminates our lives. That’s why we work with the sunflower symbol,” explains Daniela Christ Hass, editor at O Amigo das Crianças, the magazine for children’s education that produced the Lent calendar. “It reminds us that, just as the sunflower turns to the sun, we turn to Jesus, our Savior. It is Jesus who transforms our hearts and lives. This certainly makes our lives lighter and more joyful. It also invites and encourages us to live Easter every new day, with actions that make the world a better place.”
Several daily special activities help the children achieve this. Among the daily activities are:
- “With your family, choose clothes, books, or food to be donated to some institution that works with people in need.”
- “Rejoice and invite your family to write reasons to be grateful for life and create a small mural in your home.”
- “At the end of the day, light a candle and pray as a family for peace in the world.”
- “Take advantage of this day to appreciate the plants and animals you find along the way to school. Look with admiration for the world created by God.”
- “Turn off your cell phone, TV or games and invite your family to talk about the day. Afterward, play board games.”
On Palm Sunday, children will be invited to “place a green branch on the front door and, together with the family, read the Biblical text of Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem.”
