A playlist? For the season of Lent? A Lenten playlist? What an odd idea. Lent is often seen as a somber and even silent season. Certainly, there is space for contemplation, for embracing the quiet, for being still to seek out God. Many of us, however, find music a helpful tool for contemplation. So, we offer this playlist as another tool for your worship experience this season. We chose a song for each worship moment in the series from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday. We aren’t suggesting that these are to be used in worship unless that fits your context. This is preparation work, thinking about making connections, about plumbing the depths of heart and soul, of the community of faith and the wider culture. However you use them, let the music be a guide into worship this Lent.

The Children’s Messages for this series, framed around Lent and Holy Week, will provide children and their families an opportunity to build upon contemplation with the spiritual practice of prayer. Throughout the series, the children will create prayer beads as they reflect on lyrics from the songs on the playlist. Each week, a bead will be added that connects prayer to the weekly message. This series will also connect families with the Lenten Coin Calendar and each Sunday prayer that coincides with this resource. Families can create prayer times in their homes using prayer beads. Thanks to Rev. Dr. Leanne Hadley for providing instructions on how to make prayer beads for children and their families.

Children's Message

Luke 4:1-13 NIRV

Jesus Is Tempted in the Desert

4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan River. The Spirit led him into the desert. 2 There the devil tempted him for 40 days. Jesus ate nothing during that time. At the end of the 40 days, he was hungry.

3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Man must not live only on bread.’” (Deuteronomy 8:3)

5 Then the devil led Jesus up to a high place. In an instant, he showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. 6 He said to Jesus, “I will give you all their authority and glory. It has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

8 Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God. He is the only one you should serve.’” (Deuteronomy 6:13)

9 Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem. He had Jesus stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 It is written,
“‘The Lord will command his angels to take good care of you.
11 They will lift you up in their hands.
Then you won’t trip over a stone.’” (Psalm 91:11,12)

12 Jesus answered, “Scripture says, ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’” (Deuteronomy 6:16)

13 When the devil finished all this tempting, he left Jesus until a better time.

Playlist Song:

“Rise Up” by Andra Day

Materials needed:

Beads
Thin ribbon
Charm in the shape of a cross.

Message:

This is the first Sunday of Lent. Why do Christians observe Lent? Have you ever heard the word “Lent” before? What does the word “Lent” mean to you? (Allow children to answer.) That’s right, as we follow the Christian calendar, we are in the season before Easter. Each week throughout this season of Lent, we will learn more about prayer as we use music to help us think and pray about how we can make a difference in the world and offer the love of God to others. In the coming weeks, we will make prayer beads to help remind us of the power of prayer in the lives of our families. I have my ribbon and cross, and today, we will add our first prayer bead. (Have either a handout of the PDF with instructions for each child to take home to make their prayer beads or tell them to go to the site to download the instructions.) I will add a bead to our prayer beads each week when we gather in worship. I encourage each of you to make your prayer beads to use throughout Lent. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you continued to use these prayer beads long after this Lenten season?

Today’s scripture passage is about being tempted. Who can tell me what being tempted means? (Allow children to answer.) When someone is trying to get us to do something that’s wrong, we may be tempted to do it.

Did you know that even Jesus was tempted? Jesus was led into the desert and was tempted by the devil. Jesus was there for a very long time without any food to eat. Raise your hand if you think Jesus was hungry. (Allow children to respond.) Because Jesus was hungry, the devil tried to get Jesus to turn rocks into bread. Next, the devil tried to get Jesus to worship him. Finally, the devil tried to get Jesus to prove he was the Son of God. Each time the devil tempted Jesus to do these things, Jesus thought about what the Bible says to do. Each time Jesus was tempted, he told the devil, “No!”

Jesus understood that God is holy. Raise your hand if you think God should be respected and honored. (Allow children to respond.) In everything Jesus did, he honored God by how he lived his life. We should, too! We can honor God’s name by how we treat others. When we show respect to one another, we are honoring God. We can show God respect when we help one another. A reminder of what we should pray for with our prayer beads throughout Lent can be found on our Lenten Coin Calendar. I encourage you and your family to follow the Lenten Coin Calendar and use the Sunday prayers to guide you. Today, we can pray for those in our lives who live in darkness and may struggle with being tempted. Today, we can pray for Jesus to enter their lives by responding as Jesus did, “Do not test the Lord your God.”

I will add the first bead today as we remember the words, “Do not test the Lord your God.” Today’s scripture passage demonstrates that Jesus honored and respected God, and he could overcome temptations.

Today’s playlist song is “Rise Up” by Andra Day. As you listen to this song with your family this week, reflect on the lyrics. These words remind us of Jesus being tempted in the desert. “I’ll rise up unafraid!”

This week, as we begin the season of Lent, we are reminded that God should be honored and that we can learn to be like Jesus when we find ourselves or others in dark places in our lives. When we are tempted to do something wrong, we can pray. When we see someone else hurting or struggling, we can pray. And when we pray, we will rise up!

Prayer:

(Each week during the prayer, affix a bead to the ribbon when you begin the prayer.)

For you, O God, we will rise up! Help us to remember you in this season of Lent. Help us to always respect you, even when life becomes dark and scary; help us not test you. We also pray for those who are being tempted in this world. Pour your grace upon us all, so that we will rise up and not be afraid. Amen.