Two months out
Use Lent to count blessings and coins
T
he way Rhonda Kindig sees it, the season of Advent comes with ample resources for families—from candles on Advent wreaths to colorful calendars with doors to
open. Lent, however, is not quite as family friendly. “We have vague notions that we should ‘give up’ something, but as with fad diets, follow-through is problematic,” Kindig said. If Lent could be approached as a time for a new, focused
discipline, families might be more motivated to take on such a practice, she said. So she created a “Forty Days of Lent” activ- ity calendar for her congregation, St. John Lutheran, Abing- don, Va. It actually goes beyond Easter since Sundays aren’t officially counted in the 40 days. The calendar’s counting exercises provide “teachable
moments” for each day. Activities offered in each square give people a chance to sim- ply give thanks for something in their life (“How many car- rots and potatoes are in your fridge? Give thanks for farmers!”). But Kindig adds a giv- ing element as well. As a different item is counted each day, she encour- ages an equal amount of coins to be placed in a bank for ELCA World Hunger (
www.elca.org/hunger) or another worthy cause. “The saving of coins offers a tangible reminder of the value
of sharing our blessings,” she said. Families can either create their own banks or designate a household vessel for holding the ever-increasing coins throughout the 40 days. The church will have a special offering after Easter. Kindig considers this the ultimate low-budget resource, and will simply make copies of the calendar (go to this arti-
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www.thelutheran.org
cle at
www.thelutheran.org/january) and hand them out prior to Ash Wednesday. She encourages other congrega- tions to distribute it as well, and says it’s not just for fami- lies with children. “Even households without children may enjoy the simple practice of counting blessings,” Kindig said. Grandparents can do this with their grandchildren, talk-
ing on the phone or through various technology (i.e. texting, Skype, email). Kindig will also share her creation with an ecu- menical women’s Bible study she attends, encouraging other women to shape it to fit their denomination.
Good one! Ashes at the train stop
When Ash Wednesday arrives, Kristian Elof John- son, pastor of Pilgrim Lutheran Church, Chicago, will likely be at a bus or elevated train stop in the city, ashes in hand and a prayer on his lips. Johnson (revkristian@
yahoo.com) and his wife, Anna Kari, and a few others from their con- gregation (including their daughter, Hope) last Ash Wednesday spent several hours asking public trans- portation users and pedestrians if they’d like ashes on their foreheads. Many were su rprised but took them up on their offer and thanked them. The Johnsons also asked strangers if they could pray with them, and what prayer concerns they might have.
“I believe it’s important for people to receive
a blessing on Ash Wednesday—even people who don’t go to church or are active in church,” Johnson said. “It’s just a moment in time for people to seek a blessing or prayer, and it’s an excuse for us to be out at a bus or [train] stop. Even if they don’t stop it reminds them that it’s Lent, that this is a holy day, and maybe they remember their church home. It’s a reminder that God is a visible presence in the world, and of the sacred season of Lent.”
Send congregational stories—both those for a specifi c month/holiday or your best timeless idea—to
julie.sevig@
thelutheran.org.
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