The Reflectionary

Almost Lent? Seriously? Arghh!

But panic not, dear ‘Flectioneers.  I have some yummy resources for you. It’s repost from 2024 ‘cos I think it’s worth another read.

We have Lent devotional books, printable Puzzle Pages (great for take-home bags), and a beautiful Lent loose-part story, perfect for Godly Play, Out of the Box, CotGS etc. Or just tell the story with whatever you have to hand. You don’t need the official ‘stuff’. Plus! resources and liturgy for Transfiguration Sunday.

Goodness, what a packed show! (Does that sound like the start of The Two Ronnies?) Let’s dig in.

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Lent Books

40 Days with Labyrinths

This came out just over a year ago and has been selling like hot cross buns! I’m away at a conference this weekend and I’m taking loads with me because it’s always my best seller.

Perfect for Lent or for anytime, you can take a few minutes out of the busy hassle to sit in silence with a short reading, a reflection and a prayer, and then ponder while you ‘walk’ the labyrinth with your finger or with colouring pencils. Grab a cuppa and join me on the path.

Looking at themes including ‘Table’ ‘Walking’ and ‘Who is Jesus?’, this is a great gift for a friend or for yourself, a gentle way into thinking about God for the first time or a fresh look at familiar passages. Here’s a recent message:

Dear Fay, I wasn’t sure how to contact you, but just wanted to thank you for your book 40 Days with Labyrinths. I received it from someone as a gift this Christmas and am finding it extremely helpful personally and workwise as a Methodist minister. Every blessing to you for 2024. Thank you. Philip B.

Or how about reading through The Big Story of the Bible?  These easy-to-follow Lent devotions that take you through the Bible from before the beginning of everything to the glory of Easter Day.

Starting with Ash Wednesday and following the Sundays of Lent we see how God has been faithful all through history, leading up to the anguish, mystery and wonder of Easter. Great for individual devotions, group Bible study or a weekly sermon series, and it ‘s got a super-pretty cover!

For inter-gen Bible studies on nine of the Bible’s biggest failures, you can get Broken Bits & Weirdness, which shot to Amazon’s #1 slot in Bible Meditations when it launched!

Each chapter has with LOADS of ways to think about the passage – something for every age / ability / preference. You can have a look at a sample chapter by clicking this link: Broken Bits and Weirdness sample chapter

Available from Amazon, Eden, Waterstones etc, Launde Abbey bookshop or your favourite bricks-and-mortar Christian bookstore (if you can find one of them). If they don’t have it in stock, ask.

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Loose-Parts Lent Story

Click here [Lent] for a PDF script of this Lent story which (attempts to) explain why Christians put ashes on their forehead and how we get ready for Easter. With optional ashing.

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Ash Wednesday / Lent / Transfiguration Resources

• A reflection on Transfiguration in the aftermath of the US elections 2017 – history repeats?
•  An ‘In your Faith’ science activity for Transfiguration
• Reflections and craft on ‘Our Citizenship is in Heaven’
• Paper magic Mobius Strip transfiguration with script
• Reflections on Transfiguration (Oblates of SMI)
• Reflections from the Benedictines of Kylemore Abbey
• Resources from the Church of Scotland

Ash Wednesday

• Mega-round up of Ash Wednesday Links
• Eton Mess + Psalm 51 Cooking the Good Book
• Make a Lenten Tree
• How to do Ashing
• Reflections and Sonnet (Malcolm Guite)
• ‘Fast’ Food – Isa 58 – Fresh ideas for a Lent fast
• ‘Shove’ Tuesday – drama with script and audio
• Pancake Olympics (written for lockdown, but works great in person too)

Puzzle Pages Printable, double-sided A4 sheets of puzzles linked to the events of Holy Week. Each week of Lent focuses on one event from Holy Week, and links with the Lenten Tree above.

• • Click here for Shrove Tuesday / Ash Wednesday Puzzle Pages
  • Click here for Week 1 (Palm Sunday) Puzzle Pages
  • Click here for Week 2 (The Last Supper) Puzzle Pages
  • Click here for Week 3 (Garden of Gethsemane) Puzzle Pages
  • Click here for Week 4 (Crown of Thorns) Puzzle Pages
  • Click here for Week 5 (Peter’s Denial) Puzzle Pages
  • Click here for Good Friday Puzzle Pages
  • Click here for Palm Sunday and Holy Week Puzzle Pages
  • Click here for Easter Day Puzzle Pages

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Liturgy Resources for Last Sunday after Epiphany (i.e. Transfiguration)

Ps 99  plus nods towards Ex 34:29-35,  2 Cor 3:12-4:2, Luke 9:28-43

Confession and Absolution

The Lord is king;
let the people tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim;
let the earth quake!

O Lord, we come before you in sorrow for our sins.
we ask your mercy upon us, especially for …

[pause]

O Lord our God, we cried to you and you answered us,
for you are a forgiving God.
God forgive your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
Amen.

Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool. Holy is he!
Let us praise his great and awesome name. Holy is he!

Blessing and Dismissal

May God, who spoke to Moses and to the people in a pillar of cloud,
speak to you, face to face.
May the Lord Jesus, who was transformed upon the mountain,
reveal to you his majesty and honour.
May the Spirit, who removes the veil from our eyes,
transform your life from glory into glory.
And the blessing …

Go in the strength and knowledge of God,
to work the ministry and do not lose heart.
Amen.