Lent 2023: Coins and Jesus

 Lent is a time for you and your child to prayerfully reflect and reconnect with God. Taking a walk to observe changes in nature can reveal the Lenten story. The seed grows in the darkness into a flower blooming in the light. Jesus walked in the wilderness, experienced a harrowing last week on earth, and then is risen at Easter. If you would like to read Lenten children’s stories with your child, check out “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle and “Make Room: A Child’s Guide to Lent and Easter” by Laura Alary. You are invited to join us on a Lenten journey to deepen our faith and deepen our community as we walk towards Jerusalem in search of new life and resurrection.

Calvary’s theme is “The Currency of Christ: A Devotion Through Coins in the Bible. Using excerpts from Jill. J. Duffield’s book Lent in Plain Sight: A Devotion through Ten Objects, we will explore the ways the imagery of coins is used again and again in scripture. In the Bible, coins are precious items to be found when lost; they are sometimes given to God in offering or used as a means to cheat innocent victims. Coins were used to test Jesus and to betray Jesus. Coins symbolized more than just currency in Jesus’s day, and money (in the form of coins, cash, checks, credit cards, and NFTs) continue to play a large part in our own society. How might coins help us experience the holy in our everyday lives? How can these ordinary objects serve as a means of grace or a connection to the divine?” Parents can explore these topics in the Parent Small Group Lenten Bible Study beginning on Sunday, March 5 at 9 am. The group meets every Sunday through March 26. Sign up for the Lenten Studies Kick Off Luncheon happening this Sunday, February 26 at 11:15 am. Whether you’re new to Bible study and small groups or whether it’s your favorite part of church, all are welcome to join us!

Another way to connect with the meditative spirit of Lent while nurturing your body and spirit is to join our new Kundalini Yoga: Magical Mondays classes beginning on Monday, March 13 at 6 pm. Classes will run on Mondays through April 17. There will be no class on April 10 as Calvary is closed on Easter Monday. Rocky Blumhagen and Laura Paradis are seasoned yoga practitioners and teachers who will welcome you into safe movement with music. No yoga experience required. Laura will also teach the 9 am yoga class for the Women’s Retreat on Saturday, March 18. Join us in community!