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 13:6-9, New International Reader's Version

6 Then Jesus told a story. “A man had a fig tree,” he said. “It was growing in his vineyard. When he went to look for fruit on it, he didn’t find any. 7 So he went to the man who took care of the vineyard. He said, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree. But I haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

8 “ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year. I’ll dig around it and feed it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ”

Playlist Song:

“Lights of Home” by U2. Also recommended: “Cling to Christ” by Sovereign Grace.

Materials needed:

Beads
Thin ribbon
Charm in the shape of the cross
Bible

Message:

How is your prayer life this week? (Allow children to provide answers.) Remember, each Sunday, we pray for people in the world. As we pray for them, we place coins in our Lenten Coin Calendar jar. Did you use your Lenten Coin Calendar this week? How many coins are in your jar? (Allow children to respond.) Did you use your prayer beads? What about your Lenten Playlist? Have the songs motivated your family’s prayer life? Could someone tell me what you prayed for this week? Will someone give an example of compassion you showed someone else? Did you see someone hurting? Did you do something about it? (Allow children to provide examples.) On the First Sunday of Lent, we prayed for those in darkness. Then, on the Second Sunday of Lent, we prayed for people who feel overwhelmed and that they can find comfort and protection in Jesus.

I wonder how you can live your life honoring God. What can you do to show the world how much you love God? (Allow children to provide answers.) Those are all excellent ways!

In today’s scripture passage, Jesus tells a story. He did that a lot. Jesus used parables, a type of story, to help people who heard him speak understand with deeper meaning. A parable is a story with a purpose. Let me read today’s scripture, and let’s see if we can find Jesus's purpose in telling the story.

(Read from your Bible).

8 “ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year. I’ll dig around it and feed it 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ”

The Bible tells us that when we live a life honoring God and showing others what God wants from us, we bear fruit. Like the tree in Jesus's story, people are to bear fruit. A human’s fruits are not apples, oranges, or figs but joy, love, patience, and peace. The apostle Paul calls these the “fruits of the Spirit.” When God is first in our lives, we live lives that show others how much God loves us by our actions. We produce fruit for all the world to see.

I wonder what fruit shows the world how much Jesus means to you. To produce this type of fruit, raise your hand if you think we must be followers of Jesus. (Allow children to answer.) That’s exactly right. We must cling to Jesus in all things. Say that with me, “cling in all things.”

Several songs today express the idea of clinging to Jesus, including one by Sovereign Grace titled “Cling to Christ.” The song's lyrics remind us that Jesus clings to us, offering hope and peace. The song says we must cling to Christ to discover endless joy. In Jesus alone is endless joy. So, we cling to Christ.
This week, you collected coins for your Lenten coin jar for various food items found in your home. This helps us to pray for people in the world who are hungry and might not have enough to eat. That certainly makes us think of one kind of fruit – the fruit we eat. But today, we are also learning that when Jesus clings to us, he urges us to offer the fruit of the Spirit— love, joy, patience, peace, and others. When we offer those fruits to others through our actions, they will see that Jesus brings endless joy.

This week, as you drop your coins in the jar, pray for opportunities to show others the fruits of the Holy Spirit that come with living a godly life. And pray to continue to cling to Jesus.

Prayer:

(Each week during the prayer, affix the bead to the ribbon when you begin the prayer.) Loving God, produce the fruit of the Spirit in each of us as we continue to learn to live a life that allows us to cling to you. Remind us that you alone bring endless joy. Allow that joy to be demonstrated in our actions in this world, so that all will see how much we love you! Amen.