Family Guide - Lent 2021 - Walking through the Wilderness with Christ to the Cross and Easter - Good Shepherd Anglican
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Family Guide - Lent 2021
Walking
through the
Wilderness
with Christ
to the Cross
and Easter
1
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THIS GUIDE? This Lenten Family Guide is meant to be a resource for families and their teens to engage with Christ as they grow nearer to Him and more like Him this Lent. May the Lord be glorified through it, and our families built up and blessed through it. To God be all the glory! CONTENTS Pg. 2- What is Lent and Why Do We Live into it? Pg. 4-5: Tips / Suggested Practices for your Family this Lent Pg. 6-7: GSY/Family Weekly Lenten Fasts Pg. 8 – Lenten Family Prayer WHAT IS LENT AND WHY DO WE LIVE INTO IT? Lent is a liturgical season in the Church year that lasts for 40 days (excluding Sundays), and leads up to both the celebratory day and season of Easter-tide. Historically, the season of Lent was a time of preparation for new believers to be baptized at Easter. It later developed into a season of repentance, penance, and self-examination for all Christians. While we often might think Lent is a drab season of dearth, grey, and bleakness, the word “Lent” actually means “spring-time,” and this under- standing helps point us to what Lent is really like. Just as Springtime follows the cold, lifeless Winter, breaking forth new life and light, so Lent is a season of repentance, conversion, and renewal in Christ; a season rooted in the shedding off of the old self, and the putting on of our new life in Christ (Eph. 4:22-24).This act of repentance, conversion, renewal, putting off the old and putting on Christ is not a one-and-done deal, but a continual life, a continual turning from sin and death , and a continual turning, and deepening towards and into the goodness, love, ways, and life of God. It’s all purposed for the renewal of our hearts! 2
The forty days of Lent represent the 40 days that Jesus spent
in the wilderness being tempted by Satan (see Matt. 4). In
observing Lent, we follow Jesus into the wilderness, and with
Him we resist temptation, pray, and proceed into Jerusalem, to
the cross He bore on Good Friday. It is a life-giving journey
of walking with Christ to His cross, as we renew bearing our
own crosses. We renew our death to self, and live into true life
under and with our loving and steadfast King. Throughout
Lent, we focus on our present wilderness, while looking ahead
toward the resurrection.
Throughout the history of the Church, faithful Christians
have used the forty days of Lent to restore vibrancy, life,
passion, and deeper communion in their walks with the Lord,
primarily through a renewed focus on various spiritual
disciplines, including prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The
recommended “Tips and Practices” in this guide will help you
and your family make the most of this season!
Lent begins with the Ash Wednesday Service (Feb. 17th). On
this day we impose ashes on our foreheads as a sign of our
mortality and repentance. In receiving the ashes, we hear the
words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”
(Gen. 3:19). Yet, we are also marked with the cross, point-
ing to our hope in the love and grace of God for us through
Christ on the cross.
The season ends with Holy Week. It is a week that starts with
Palm Sunday, as we come with Jesus to Jerusalem and His
ironic yet truly Triumphant Entry to the city where He will be
betrayed and hung for the sin of the world. Our self
examination and reflection on the death of Christ continues as
we read and dwell on the four Passion Narratives from each of
the four Gospels during the week.
3We then gather for both the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services, in which we encounter and reflect on, respectively, Jesus’ last night with His disciples (and His new commandment), and His last day of life pre-Resurrection, dwelling on our sin, and re- penting of the sin in our life that put Christ on the cross, but also dwelling on His great love and ironic victory to defeat sin, Satan, and death, through His very death. On this day, in both somber reflection, and hope fueled by Christ’s love, we are reminded that our freedom is ensured through the death of God’s beloved Son, Jesus Christ. These are some of the most beautiful, somber services of the Christian year. The Lord, in great love, in powerful stillness, in tender care, in transformative and pruning effect, will meet all who walk with Him this Lent. May we and our families walk with and encounter the crucified and risen King this season, and close it with a hearty Amen and Alleluia on Easter Day in response to the reality just stated! TIPS FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY THIS LENT • I encourage you to use the Family Prayer Liturgy with your family daily; before or after dinner around the table is a great option. • Don’t try to do too much, especially with little ones. 10-20 minutes is sufficient for a Family Devotional time. Cut down on readings as needed, and consider and experiment with ways to keep your children and teens engaged. One way is to ask your children or teens to lead a section of the liturgy, and vary that up daily or weekly. • During times of open intercession and thanksgiving, consider giving your children/teens a specific person or topic to pray for. • Take time to ask your children and teens about observations from the Scripture readings – What stood out to them? What do 4
they think is the main idea? How might it apply to our lives? As
parents, explain the Scripture as best you can to them – this will both
teach them, and allow the truths to sink more deeply in.
• I encourage families to seek to memorize Scripture together – an easy
way to choose what Scripture is to use the Scripture Memory Verses
our Youth Group has each week (included in weekly
Family Discussion Guides).
SUGGESTED PRACTICES FOR LENT:
• Use the Lenten Family Prayer liturgy (pg 8) daily as a family,
including the confession, daily reading, prayer and song. You could
choose one song per week to sing each day. Check out the Spotify
playlist at the back of this booklet!
• Each family member could choose one issue in their life and
personally pray for that every day- an area you desire to grow in,
a situation you are facing, an area in need of healing, etc.
• Choose several non-Christians in your life and pray for them
daily as a family, that they might come to experience life in Jesus.
• Consider participating in our GSY Lenten Fasts (page 7)
• Give generously to those in need during Lent. I’d especially
encourage giving toward those organizations and people that our
Mission Teams partner with and serve.
• Increase the amount of solitude and/or silence in your life and
the life of your family. Consider how you could encourage this to
be done individually in your family, and if there are any ways you
can engage in this together as a family.
5• In the Family Prayer liturgy, take time at the confession of sin to talk about sin -how it impacts your family, why we confess it, forsake it, and how God responds to us doing so. • Modify the Weekly Fasts as needed. For example, on the week where we fast from coffee (and adults from alcohol), children could fast from juice at breakfast. • Use the fasting experience to talk with your teens and children about how Jesus is ultimately what we want and need, and what truly fills and satisfies us. • During Holy Week, try to read all four passion narratives with your entire family. If you need to break it up, consider reading half of that day’s narrative in the morning, and half of it in the evening. GSY WEEKLY LENTEN FASTS A NOTE ON FASTING: In the Scriptures, fasting is associated with repentance. When we fast we are reminded of our weakness, and therefore our need for and dependence upon God. In fasting we re-direct our desires and sat- isfaction from the world to the all-sufficient God Himself. Like any Spiritual Discipline, it is not something we do to earn God’s love, or to earn, prove, or make ourselves holy; rather, it is a means of grace, in which we put ourselves in a place where God can transform us. Each week we will fast from something different. Sundays in Lent (and always) are considered “Feast Days,” as each Sunday we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, and thus on these days you need not fast if you don’t desire to. Do each fast for the week and only that week; or if you prefer you can let the fasts build upon themselves, so that by the end of Lent you are doing all six weekly fasts at the same time. 6
OUR WEEKLY FASTS
WEEK 0 – Ash Wednesday
Traditionally the Church has fasted from all food on Ash Wednesday. As we enter
the service in silence, our physical hunger reminds us of our weakness and points us
to our greater hunger for and dependence on God for life. If you are unable to fast the
whole day, consider fasting from lunch.
WEEK 1 – Fast: Sweets and Treats
This week, resolve to deny yourself any type of sweets or dessert. This could range
from lattes in the morning to chocolate or ice-cream in the evening. As you do so,
notice what happens inside when you deny yourself something you really want or
crave.
WEEK 2 – Fast: TV/Music/Video Games/Media
This week, forgo the usual shows. Turn off the TV, Netflix, and Hulu altogether.
Drive without the radio, and leave your headphones in a drawer. Let the
Playstation or Xbox take a vacation. What is it like to increase the silence and
decrease the media inputs in your life? Spend the time listening for the voice of God
(1 Kings 19:12-13).
WEEK 3 – Fast: Social Media
Turn off Instagram, Twitter, Snap Chat, Internet News, ESPN App, Phone games,
etc.. Try to limit your use of email and texting. What is it like to unplug? Do you feel
disconnected...or free and refreshed?
WEEK 4 – Fast: Spending
This week resolve to spend nothing on yourself but what is absolutely necessary. Buy
as little as possible. Don’t buy a coffee or snack at the store. Eat cheaply, save, cook
from home. Consider this: in what ways have the things you own ended up owning
you? Give what you saved to those in need (consider our mission team partners –
Lake Norman Pregnancy Center, Refugee Support Services, Loaves and Fishes or
Ada Jenkins Center, etc.)
WEEK 5 – Fast: Coffee/Drinks
Choose to refrain from coffee, alcohol (adults), energy drinks, and/or all drinks but
water this week. Pay attention to what happens when you deny yourself something
you routinely enjoy. Seek to pray when you have the desire for the thing from which
you are refraining.
WEEK 6 –Holy Week - Fast: Your Choice/Meals
Pick something significant in your life, a comfort or something you depend on and
fast from it for the week and/or pick a meal (like breakfast or lunch) to skip on a
daily basis. If you skip a meal, spend that extra time praying, reading Scripture, or
serving others.
7LENTEN FAMILY PRAYER
To start, have one or all family members (who are able) light a match.
Then say all together:
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me Psalm 51:10
While watching the match burn, in silence all contemplate and reflect on where they
have sinned that day or the previous day.
Once the match has burned out, Father or Mother says:
Let us humbly confess our sins to Almighty God
CONFESSION
Then all say together
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and what we
have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry
and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in your
will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Then Father or Mother says
Grant to your faithful people, merciful Lord, pardon and peace;
that we may be cleansed from all our sins, and serve you with a
quiet mind; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A READING FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE
One family member reads out the daily Scripture reading (see pages 13-14)
After the reading, the reader and family say
Reader: This is the Word of the Lord
Family: Thanks be to God.
8REFLECTION ON SCRIPTURE
Take a few moments as a family to talk about the reading. Note
observations, applications – share with each other what stood out and
what it means for us.
PRAYERS
Thanksgivings, Requests, and Intercessions
Take time to pray for ourselves , our family, and others together.
Then all pray together
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in Heaven
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory,
forever and ever.
Amen.
THE COLLECT
One member OR the whole family prays the appropriate weekly collect
together daily
The First Week of Lent (Feb. 21 – 27)
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be
tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by
many temptations, and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us,
let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your
Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
9The Second Week of Lent (Feb. 28 – Mar. 6) Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities that may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The Third Week of Lent (Mar. 7 – 13) Heavenly Father, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you: Look with compassion upon the heartfelt desires of your servants, and purify our disordered affections, that we may behold your eternal glory in the face of Christ Jesus; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Fourth Week of Lent (Mar. 14 – 20) Gracious Father, whos e blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that He may live in us, and we in Him; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Fifth Sunday in Lent (Mar. 21 – 27) Almighty God, You alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners; Grant Your people grace to love what you command and desire what You promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of this world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. 10
Palm Sunday (Mar. 28)
Almighty and everlasting God, in Your tender love for us You sent
Your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon Himself our nature,
and to suffer death upon the Cross, giving us the example of His
great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of
His suffering, and come to share in His resurrection; through Jesus
Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Monday of Holy Week (Mar. 29)
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first
He suffered pain, and entered not into glory before He was
crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the Cross,
may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Tuesday of Holy Week (Mar. 30)
O Lord our God, whose blessed Son gave His back to be whipped
and did not hide His face from shame and spitting: Give us grace
to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of
the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for
ever and ever. Amen.
Wednesday of Holy Week (Mar. 31)
Assist us mercifully with Your grace, Lord God of our salvation,
that we may enter with joy upon the meditation of those mighty
acts by which You have promised us life and immortality; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
11Maundy Thursday (Apr. 1)
Almighty Father, whose most dear Son, on the night before He
suffered, instituted the Sacrament of His Body and Blood:
Mercifully grant that we may receive it in thankful remembrance
of Jesus Christ our Savior, who in these holy mysteries gives us a
pledge of eternal life; and who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Good Friday (Apr. 2)
Almighty God, we beseech You graciously to behold this Your
family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed
and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the
Cross; who now lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Holy Saturday (Apr. 3)
O God, Creator of Heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified
body of Your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy
Sabbath, so may we await with Him the coming of the third day,
and rise with Him to newness of life; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
HYMN
Here the family may listen to, play, or sing a hymn. Consider having a weekly hymn
for each week of Lent. Check out the GSY Lent Playlist on Spotify for ideas.
CONCLUDING SENTENCE
One family member says the following
If Morning: The almighty and merciful Lord, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, bless and keep us, this day and evermore as we walk
with Him. Amen.
If Evening: The almighty and merciful Lord, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, bless and keep us, this day and evermore as we rest in
Him. Amen.
12Lenten Family Reading Plan
A Note: This plan is slightly adapted from the ACNA Daily Office Lectionary, using
the Gospel readings from the Morning Prayer Office. It takes us through most of the life
of Christ as He walked to the cross in the Gospel of Matthew. On Sundays, the reading
will be the same Gospel reading as was said in church. Take time after that reading to
share reflections and “stand-outs” from both the reading and the Sermon. Modify or
shorten readings as needed if you have smaller children.
DATE READING
February 17 Matthew 6: 1-18
February 18 Matthew 6:19-end
February 19 Matthew 7:1-14
February 20 Matthew 7:15-end
February 21 (Sunday) Mark 1:9-13
February 22 Matthew 8:1-17
February 23 Matthew 8:18-end
February 24 Matthew 9:1-17
February 25 Matthew 9:18-34
February 26 Matthew 9:35-10:25
February 27 Matthew 10:26-end
February 28 (Sunday) Mark 8:31-38
March 1 Matthew 11:1-24
March 2 Matthew 11:25-end
March 3 Matthew 12:1-21
March 4 Matthew 12:22-end
March 5 Matthew 13:1-23
March 6 Matthew 13:24-end
March 7 (Sunday) John 2: 13-22
March 8 Matthew 14
March 9 Matthew 15:1-20
March 10 Matthew 15:21-28
13DATE READING March 11 Matthew 15:29-39 March 12 Matthew 16:1-12 March 13 Matthew 16:13-end March 14 (Sunday) John 6:1-15 March 15 Matthew 17:1-13 March 16 Matthew 17:14-23 March 17 Matthew 17:24-end March 18 Matthew 18:1-9 March 19 Matthew 18:10-14 March 20 Matthew 18:15-20 March 21 (Sunday) John 12:20-36 March 22 Matthew 18:21-35 March 23 Matthew 19:1-15 March 24 Matthew 19:16-30 March 25 Matthew 20:1-17 March 26 Matthew 20:18-34 March 27 Matthew 21:1-17 March 28 (Palm Sunday) Mark 15:1-39 March 29 Matthew 26:1-29 March 30 Matthew 26:30-27:56 March 31 Mark 14:26-15:41 April 1 (Maundy Thursday) Luke 22:39-23:49 April 2 (Good Friday) John 18:1-19:37 April 3 (Holy Saturday) Matthew 27:57-66 April 4 EASTER! 14
* Much of the material in this Guide, spanning from the “Meaning of Lent,”
many of the “Tips and Suggested Practices,” and the “Weekly Fasts” were
inspired and resourced from Church of the Cross Boston’s 2018-2019 Church
Prayer Book (a church I attended my first year of seminary).
The Lenten Family Prayer is a modified version of the ACNA’s 2019 BCP
Family Prayer liturgy.
The Daily Readings were taken from the 2019 BCP Morning Prayer Daily
Lectionary readings, and adjusted to better allow the schedule and readings to
align with significant days, like Palm Sunday.
Feel free to listen to the Good Shepherd Youth Lenten Playlist on Spotify!
shorturl.at/owOX1
or search “GSY Lenten Playlist” on Spotify
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:21
1516
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