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Lent

To explain the meaning of Lent and look towards Easter.

by Tessa Mann

Suitable for Whole School (Pri)

Aims

To explain the meaning of Lent and look towards Easter.

Preparation and materials

  • You will need two sheets of A4 paper. On one sheet in bright marker pen draw as large as possible: MORE THAN >. On the other sheet do the same for LESS THAN <.
  • You will also need some means of displaying these A4 sheets.

Assembly

  1. Ask the children to tell you any numeracy signs they know, e.g. +  =  –  x. Decide together how we might sign them with our hands.
  2. Make < > signs with your hands and ask if they know what these mean. Display the two A4 sheets.
  3. Talk about the season of Lent. Lent is a time when Christians get ready for Easter by thinking about and saying sorry for the things which make < less love in our lives. Talk together about what things in our lives might make < less love, e.g. being unkind to others, not sharing.
  4. Talk about people giving things up for Lent, i.e. taking away (make – subtraction sign with hands). Explain that for Christians this is not about wanting to show other people how good we are at not eating chocolate, but about making more room for God in our lives. Making him > more than.
  5. Christians don’t just give things up, but might choose to add something in (make + sign together). They might make a special effort to pray or to make friends with new people. Ask the children for things that they could do.

    They might look at how the world is < less than God would like and think of ways to make it > more than.
  6. Looking forward to Easter (or you may wish to save this section until next month): on Good Friday we think about Jesus’ death. It must have seemed like God’s love was < less than to Jesus’ friends and family.
  7. Christians believe that on Easter Day God made himself > more than anyone expected by raising Jesus back to life. Easter Day shows Christians that God’s love is > more or greater than any of the things we have just talked about.

Time for reflection

Reflection

What would you like more of in your life?

What would you like less of?

How can you give more to your friends and family?

 

Prayer

Ask the children to say and sign the following prayer together:

Dear God,

Please help me to make more > room for love in my life.

Amen.

Song/music

‘I’m going to paint a perfect picture’ (Come and Praise, 83)

Publication date: March 2007   (Vol.9 No.3)    Published by SPCK, London, UK.
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