During the Lent season, each Sunday I have been spending time in Children's Worship with our children to talk about the lessons Jesus teaches us about prayer. Each week, we reflect on a passage of scripture where Jesus is praying and consider how that may help us understand prayer a little bit more.
This past Sunday, we explored how Jesus teaches us to pray through the Lord's prayer in Luke 11:1-4. I found a great resource that someone shared using six stations with active ways to consider each part of the Lord's prayer and the children traveled through each one. The 2 stations I was helping to lead were, "forgive us our sins" and "as we forgive those who sin against us". I found these two practices to be very meaningful for me as I led the children through them and thought I would share them with you too.
Lent is a time when we are examining our lives and how Jesus sacrifice impacts us in such a significant way. I have found forgiveness to be a huge part of accepting God's gift to us in Jesus Christ.
As you reflect on confessing sin, here is what I shared with our children, think about something you want to say sorry for and say sorry to God. Blow some bubbles. As they float away imagine giving your prayer to God. When they pop remember that God forgives you. I placed my hands on the shoulders of each child and said to them after a bubble popped, "God forgives you".
As you reflect on forgiving those who sin against you, think about someone who has upset or hurt you. Ask God to help you forgive them. Write their name or draw them on a heart and place it on our prayer board. (This is a bulletin board on the second floor hallway). You are always welcome to place prayers here as a visual reminder of them.
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