We entered Lent this year with new friends, renewed in-person worship, and Atrium time and special offerings. Although we think of Lent as a spiritual journey for each individual, our St. Anne’s children know Lent as the count-the-purple-Sundays in the snow season, listening to parables of Jesus about how God’s Kingdom grows with love for our neighbors and ourselves. To make tough concepts concrete memories this year, our children meet once a month in multi-age Children’s Chapel for the love lessons in The Good Samaritan, Psalm 23, and The Sower. They will have art reflections and practice being creators. They will visit The Butterfly Place to introduce one transformation example of Creation. They will have an opportunity to bake bread for Holy Eucharist, as well as make small pillar candles to receive the New Light after Easter.
In our smaller groups in the Atria, they meet in People of God (gr 5-7) to talk about family surprises and reconciliation in Abraham and Sarah’s tent, Rebekah and Isaac’s blessings of their sons, Jacob and Leah and Rachel’s ancient blended family and sibling rivalries. In Mustard Seed (gr 2-4) children wonder about the Good Shepherd and the Found Sheep, then the Found Coin and the parables of the Insistent Friend and the Ten Bridesmaids. In Good Shepherd (gr preK-1) they will hear about the Hidden Treasure, the Precious Pearl, and the Found Sheep.
Our Teen Formation students were invited to walk with families, our warden and priest, and 3,000 others a few days before Ash Wednesday in the WinterWalk Boston, to support the homeless. Teens also meet with Garrett to play games together and countinue the year’s theme of sacred spaces and reflect on how we show up in them. Some of our teens serve the parish community as the Livesteam Techs and Nursery Staff, as well, and we’re so grateful for their involvement and dedication.
And not to be missed, we will have an all-parish Game Night for everyone to play together on a Friday evening in March, hosted by the Family Engagement Commission!
Lent is here, and in community with our own families and wider parish, we learn that by taking part in our faith family at St. Anne’s, we are given new opportunities to grow and build foundational experiences as children of God and followers of Jesus.