Our first Parent-Child Lent Study was awesome with 14 attending! To view more photos go to the Lent Photo Album. The Luke’s cooked an awesome meal. We sang “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” which is a messianic praise hymn. We then sat around a tablecloth on the floor, which was where our mini-Seder was prepared with wine (unfermented), matzo, horseradish, salt water and parsley (sorry, the sweet apple dish was too much to prepare!). We shared joys and concerns together and then talked about the Passover story and slavery. We learned that the institution of the Passover celebration was a result of God’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt, and how part of this story is how God commanded the people to prepare unleavened bread because they would be leaving in such a hurry. As in a real Seder, the kids’ first task was to find all of the chemetz (any leavened bread, in our case 10 tortilla chips!) in the room and put it outside.
We then shared the Passover story and tasted each food item, explaining that it’s not just remembering something that happened long ago but remembering as if we were actually there! The kids were even daring enough to try parsley dipped in horseradish to experience the bitterness of slavery. We then talked about how Jesus revised the liturgy during this last Passover with his disciples (unheard of), taking the matzo and saying, “This is my body, broken for you,” and taking one of the four cups and saying “This is my blood poured out for you.”
After the Adam Hamilton DVD (“24 Hours that Changed the World,” filmed in Jerusalem) on the Seder that was Jesus’ last meal with his disciples, we talked about the differences and similarities between the Seder and Holy Communion – the kids really know their stuff! We then shared Holy Communion around our Seder table.
In line with hiding and finding the “chemetz” we played sardines! The kids could have played all night if we had let them. We turned off all the lights in the house and gave each child a flashlight. One (or a pair) child would hide, and as others found them they would hide with the person. While the kids ran around the house, the adults sat in the dark around a flashlight – it really seemed like a camp fire!
Even after Sardines we continued to hang out together. It’s what the church calls “koinonia”, a sense of community and sharing together that is sacred. I think that’s why none of us wanted to leave.
But we will be meeting every week through Lent, so if you are a parent with a child please join us! Due to conflicting schedules we will be meeting on different days each week:
Wednesday, March 7 at the Luke’s
Thursday, March 15 at the Beavers’
Friday, March 23 at the Paszkos’
Wednesday, March 28 at the Arrisons’
Wednesday, April 4 TBD
Wednesday, April 11 at the Beavers’