A couple of weeks ago I invited you to ‘Save the Space’ for an exciting new interactive Lent resource being created for your church. I teased you with a picture of a Lent Garden wall beautifully decorated with flowers, a garden gnome and a picnic basket filled with tasty treats. I said every item in the garden would unlock a collection of bible readings, videoed stories, crafts, music, and other garden adventures for your congregation to explore every week of Lent.
And then I said, “but not quite yet.”
Well today is the day! Today is the day I want to unlock the first two of six Lent Gardens for you to explore for yourself.
So have fun and click on everything you see in these first two gardens below. Start with the book on the park bench. This bible will open up a collection of daily bible readings, children’s story bible readings, prayers, and questions to think about throughout each week.
Once you’ve got these devotions at hand, go ahead and click around the rest of the garden to discover so much more.
The itty bitty library boxes unlock one or two video recordings from wonder-filled bible story books suggested in the devotions for reading that week.
The hanging flower basket will take you on a weekly adventure of garden musings and gardening ideas.
The guitar leaning against the tree sings out brand new and much loved hymns and songs that will connect you to our weekly bible stories and themes. You’ll want to sing along with every one of them.
Are you feeling like going for a walk? Click on the wooden door and walk into a world of labyrinth visits, reflections and opportunities.
Is it time to be creative? The garden gnome reveals a simple craft idea that makes use of materials that you likely already have at home.
And when it’s time for something to eat, click on the picnic basket for a new recipe or two to try out at home.
Are you curious enough to enter into the garden?
Here’s the Ash Wednesday Lent Garden to explore.
Click here to enter into the Ash Wednesday Lent Garden
And here is the Lent 1 Lent Garden to explore.
Click here to enter into the Lent 1 Lent Garden
Now that you’ve had time to wander around the gardens – what’s next?
These Lent Gardens have been created for you to upload to your church’s website, facebook page and/or circulate through you church’s weekly email throughout the season of Lent. It is our hope that they will enhance your church’s journey through Lent by connecting everyone to the scriptures and stories of Jesus as he moves toward Jerusalem and the cross. We also hope that the opportunity to play with lots of multi-sensory activities will help all ages participate in and experience the stories in new ways. Finally, we want to provide something that is designed for use at home as we continue to stay safe and out of our church buildings.
If you would like to have the links to all six Lent Gardens all you have to do is email me at torismit@gmail.com and you will be sent an email by January 31, 2021 with the links for all six Lent Gardens, screen shots of each garden, and simple and clear instructions for easy uploading to your church website, facebook page or emails. If you have already requested the links from the previous article, you’re on the list, so you don’t need to email again.
We ask that once you receive all of the links that you hold onto them for now and then release each one the evening before the start date for each Lent Garden. That way each garden becomes a new and fresh discovery each week of Lent for your church to explore.
And what about Holy Week? When you subscribe to the Lent Gardens you will automatically added to the list for a unique Holy Week link that will be sent to you midway through Lent.
Finally, I and Pressley Cox, Associate for Shared Mission and Ministry with Foothills Presbytery (PCUSA), would like to say how grateful we are for all of the church leaders who have so willingly and generously shared their talents with us making this project possible. More than 30 church leaders from the Synod of CNOB and Foothills Presbytery said ‘yes’ when we asked them to record videos, create recipes, design crafts, and imagine wonderful activities that would connect us to the stories of Lent and Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. We cannot say thank you enough, but THANK YOU to each and everyone of you!
Peace, Tori