The Fast We Choose

During Lent, many of us are reminded once again to examine our lifestyles and ask, "What can we do for others?" Part of faith formation at any age is compassion and offering a serving heart to our neighbors. These past few years have been challenging when trying to find ways to serve our neighbors while remaining physically distant. This time has also reminded us that we need to demonstrate compassion to others now more than ever. Lent is a good time to commit to giving money to a project that helps those in need. One way to involve the whole family is to collect coins during the season of Lent and then donate the money after Easter. This worship series of children’s messages uses and follows our Coins for Lent Giving Calendar as a guide. Prepare your families to participate fully in the collection of coins and prayerful giving that this calendar provides. Print out copies of the calendar to hand out to children during the Ash Wednesday service.

There are several things you will want to do to prepare for this series. First, print copies of the calendar to hand out. Second, instruct families about making a container to collect the money they will raise. Encourage families to use a plastic tub, jar, or coin bank that they aren’t currently using in their homes. Encourage each family to decorate the item they are using for coin collection and place it where the entire family can see it (and contribute to it). Finally, select a project to receive the coins the families will collect throughout this Lenten season.

Once you have selected a project, decide what coins you want to collect. You may want to ask families to contribute a quarter for every item on the giving calendar. Or you may ask families to simply collect loose change and give whatever coins they have for each item.

Items on the daily guide remind us of all we have and how little others may have. Each Sunday, pray the same prayer at the conclusion of the children’s message. Pray for the families involved in the project and the people who will benefit from the gifts. Our giving begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes with Holy Saturday. During Lent, Sundays are for worship and praise to God and are reflected with a weekly day of prayer.

DOWNLOAD Coins for Lent Giving Calendar (PDF)

Ash Wednesday, Year A (February 22, 2023)

Psalm 51:1-4a, NIRV

¹God, have mercy on me
according to your faithful love.
Because your love is so tender and kind,
wipe out my lawless acts.
²Wash away all the evil things I’ve done.
Make me pure from my sin.

³I know the lawless acts I’ve committed.
I can’t forget my sin.
⁴You are the one I’ve really sinned against.
I’ve done what is evil in your sight.
So you are right when you sentence me.
You are fair when you judge me.

Psalm 51:10-11, NRSV

¹⁰God, create a pure heart in me.
Give me a new spirit that is faithful to you.
¹¹ Don’t send me away from you.
Don’t take your Holy Spirit away from me.

Verses marked NIRV are from the New International Reader's Version (NIRV) Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Handout:

Lenten Coin Calendar. (You can also have extra copies available for children who need them, as well as directing them to download the calendar here.)

Message:

I wonder if you had to say “I’m sorry” this week. Would one of you like to share what happened? (Choose one child to share an example.) We all do things that are wrong. We all do things that hurt other people’s feelings. Admitting that we were wrong is not easy. It may feel that it is easier to act as if we didn’t do anything wrong. When we hurt others or do something that requires us to say we are sorry, we need to ask for forgiveness. We may feel that our mistakes don’t matter if we pretend we did nothing wrong.

The writer of this psalm is admitting to God that he did something wrong. The writer is telling God how sorry he is. He is asking God to create in him a clean and pure heart, so that he can be a person who does the right thing.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. It marks the beginning of a period of reflection and seeking forgiveness. In the Bible, sprinkling someone with ashes was traditionally a sign that the person had made mistakes, done something wrong, or messed up. What is the word that we use in the church for this? (Allow children to respond.) The Bible uses the word “sin” to describe this. Ashes were placed on people for having committed sins. In the Christian tradition, Ash Wednesday also marked the beginning of preparing for the understanding of the death of Jesus and his being raised again by God on Easter Sunday!

When we do mess up and sin, just as we say we are sorry to others, we should tell God that we are sorry. The next time you are having a hard time telling someone you are sorry, try telling God first. Knowing that God forgives you and loves you makes it easier to say you’re sorry to someone else.

During this worship service, ashes are applied to each person’s forehead. But those aren’t permanent. They don’t remain there forever. Treating others the way that Jesus wants and asking for forgiveness when we do wrong helps those ashes to be washed away. It is such a good feeling to know that God loves and forgives us, isn’t it? (Allow children to affirm.)

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of our journey to the foot of the cross. During the next several weeks, I want your entire family to grow closer together and closer to God in prayer. I want all of us to help others who need our help. Being a follower of Christ means we are to demonstrate compassion and love to those around us. I have a Lenten Coin Calendar to give each of you. I invite your family to collect coins as you find and count everyday objects in your homes. For each item mentioned on each day, place coins in a jar throughout Lent. At the end of Lent, after Easter Sunday, let’s see how much money we have collected. We will all combine our collections and donate it to ______________. (Decide as a church to whom you will make the donation. Fill in the blank with that organization.)

Let’s pray for others who need us to say we’re sorry. Let’s pray for others who need us to show them love. Let’s pray for others who see the ashes on us and realize that we all need the love and forgiveness of God.

Prayer:

God of grace and forgiveness, I am sorry for all the wrong things that I have done and for the ways I have hurt other people. Forgive me. Give me the strength to tell others that I am sorry. God, allow me to offer love and compassion during Lent by collecting coins to help someone who needs them more than I do. Amen.