This has been a serendipitous project and I’ve really enjoyed working on it, so I’m glad to share it with other interested folks.

In our Godly Play practice, we spend a fair amount of time out in the wilderness with the other People of God. During Lent, I replace the water of baptism with a jug full of sand. It’s disconcerting to children in a good way. It’s a reminder that we are in the wilderness, it’s a reminder that we do not baptize anyone during Lent. It parallels the art installation in our church during Lent which features sand and sometimes dry grass, thorns etc.

 

 

 

This year, as a supplement to our usual Lenten activities, I assembled these “Lent Takeout” bags. I had seen other versions of this activity and put a slightly different spin on it.

 

https://www.buildfaith.org/lent-in-a-bag 

^ That link will take you to the basis for this activity that I built on.

I already had the takeout containers and decided to go with the theme of a takeout lunch to create these. I put together a pamphlet to act as a “menu” for the practice during Lent. The word “Lent” has to do with the “lengthening” of the days, so I thought these containers should start out sparse like a zen garden, and grow gradually across the season as we approach Good Friday and, eventually, Easter.

 

All of the items were purchased on Amazon.

Here is a link to the product pages for each item:

Containers: https://amazon.com/gp/product/B01NCL636T/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sand: https://amazon.com/gp/product/B004BNBXJ4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Human Figures: https://amazon.com/gp/product/B0189Y8W44/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Candle: https://amazon.com/gp/product/B01N2RRRI2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Vial of Baptismal Water: https://amazon.com/gp/product/B01D2OHBHU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Heart-Shaped “Crown of Thorns”: https://amazon.com/gp/product/B00114LY8Q/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Stone: https://amazon.com/gp/product/B00KX31FX0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Olive Wood Crosses: https://amazon.com/gp/product/B00I606578/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1