Celebrate "40 Days of Faith" as a Family!

By Caroline Park

​Seasons give us rhythm and teach us about balance, letting go of control, and harmony. Over the years of leading the children's and youth ministry, I have come to really appreciate the wisdom of seasons. We learn what we live out, especially children. 

One of those big seasons in the Church calendar is coming up. This Sunday is the first Sunday of “40 Days of Faith,” which is what we call Lent at the River. For families who want to partake in drawing closer to God through this season, here is what we have prepared:  

This Year’s Theme: “The Upside-Down Love of Jesus”
During the Sunday RiverKids and RiverYouth sessions, we want to take a deeper look at Jesus’ love . . . how boundless and radical it is. Because of Jesus’ kind and gentle ways, we often forget how radical his approach to faith and life was. And that’s why people, including his own disciples, were constantly confounded by his words and actions. The world’s understanding of the strong and the weak, the rich and the poor, the greatest and the least, the righteous and the humble, are put upside-down in Jesus’ love.  

During the next 6 Sundays, starting this Sunday, we will hear the stories of Jesus and ponder the Upside-Down Love of Jesus.  

How to Celebrate the Season as a Family

• Regular attendance on Sundays will help everyone in the family immerse themselves in the spirit of the season. Six weeks of looking at different ways Jesus put things upside-down will hopefully influence how we look at others and ourselves.
  

• Family Dinner Liturgy: At home, we encourage families to have a family dinner once a week with a short liturgy we have prepared. The liturgy is an opportunity to take a pause in our busy family lives and intentionally turn toward God together. It has a short opening prayer, candle lighting, and blessing. The Upside-Down Love story of Jesus of the week will be included as well, so you can be part of what the kids are learning on Sunday. You can just read the short story together and chat about it. The weekly liturgy will be sent to your inbox every Sunday. It will also be posted on the River app and the River Families Blog.
  

• Reflection: To deepen the conversation, we included a “Reflection” section in the liturgy. As a family, you can talk about what Jesus is like in the story. Decide together on a word that describes Jesus from the story, put it up somewhere visible, and meditate on it for a week. More detailed instructions will be included in the Liturgy.
  

• Bonus Fun: During “40 Days of Faith,” get together with other families for dinner and liturgy.