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Resources for Lent and Easter At–Home Kits

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Lent at Home

As we prepare for another Lent & Easter season during the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen just how creative church leaders have been as you have faithfully reached out and connected with families in your congregations. We’ve also started noticing posts in many Facebook Groups asking for ideas for Lent-at-Home kits or Lent-in-a-box resources for families.

We want to help you design your Lenten and Easter kits with resources that are high-quality, digital, and easy to distribute.

Brand New Resources: If you’d like to learn more about last year’s Lenten offerings, and receive samples of our two recently-released Lent products click here to receive a FREE PDF with all the details.

We have a vast library of resources, and we’ve picked out some of our favorites for you.

FREE Resources

Devotionals for Families

Devotionals for All Ages

Resources for Ash Wednesday

Resources for Easter

Resources for Burying & Raising the Alleluias

Lenten Psalms (Year B) Resources*

Stations of the Cross Resources*

Seven Last Words Resources*

Coloring Pages & Posters

Worship Resources

Please contact us if you have questions about any of these products. Blessings on your preparation for Lent!

*A note about physical coloring posters: Our coloring posters have been fantastic opportunities to gather together in community with people of all ages sitting around a table coloring together. That is obviously not possible during the COVID-19 pandemic, but we’ve seen churches come up with some innovative and creative solutions.

Some churches have set up coloring stations outdoors and invited people to come in shifts to color a poster together. Others have purchased our high-quality physical coloring posters, cut them up and distributed them to families and church members, and then put the pieces back together to create a beautiful art display.

Another option would be to host an online discussion using one of the devotional guides and the coloring pages. Allow participants to color and reflect during the week, and then gather together online to go through the devotional guide and share their reflections.

Aside from the physical coloring posters (which also have digital options available), all of these resources are digital and can be purchased and easily printed and distributed to families and church members, but could also be emailed to people for easy distribution.

3 Dynamic Ways to Engage Kids on Ash Wednesday

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Ash Wednesday is fast approaching, peep, and the beginning of Lent is right around the corner!

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So, you wanna celebrate with your kids but need some ideas. We’re here to help! Use these ideas to foster discussions and more fully engage your kids.

How do you invite your kids into the celebration of Ash Wednesday? We want to know and so does your ICM community. So, share in the comments below!

How’d We Get to Forehead Crosses?

The ashes we receive today are a relic of what was long ago called the order of penitents. Before the Middle Ages, it was only possible to receive forgiveness for one’s sins after Baptism once or twice, and sins had to be confessed publicly to the bishop.

The bishop would then place the person seeking forgiveness in the order of penitents for one to three years. The penitents would sit outside the church begging for alms, wearing itchy sackcloth and covering their heads with ashes.

Over time, churches began the ritual of placing ashes upon the foreheads of the whole congregation instead. Together, the community together recognizes the sinfulness all carry. And it takes notice of the fleeting nature of our earthen footsteps, for from dust we came and to dust we will return.

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Talking About Sin with Kids

Talking about sin with kids can be a daunting task. Since it’s a relevant concept to Ash Wednesday, try approaching it this way.

Explain to your kids that we all miss the mark sometimes by doing things that don’t lead to good things for us, the Earth, other people or creatures. Discuss some examples.

Missing the mark, which we call sin, is part of being human and God lovingly invites us to live each day in alignment with God’s hopes for the world.

When we celebrate Ash Wednesday, we recognize how we all miss the mark, no matter who we are. And in receiving the ashes on our foreheads we remind ourselves that we will continue in our quest to follow God’s ways each day.

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3 Ways to Engage Kids on Ash Wednesday

Create Ashes

If possible, it can be a fantastic experience for children to be a part of the burning of last year’s palm branches. Some churches gather in the courtyard or even at a location off-campus for Ash Wednesday worship, so they can participate together in setting the palms ablaze.

Color

Create a coloring station or hand out coloring sheets and utensils to children as they enter. This is a wonderful way to keep them engaged. And it helps them listen and reflect during the service. Pssst. This is great for kids and adults!

Lenten Practice

Give each congregant the opportunity to write what practice they will give up or take on during Lent. This can be done on paper cut in symbolic shapes. For example, try crosses or butterflies. Then, at a special time during the service congregants can take their intention to the altar or baptismal font.

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Benefits of Engaging Kids on Ash Wednesday

Sense of Belonging

Ash Wednesday is an opportunity for children to see themselves as part of the whole congregation. We all have a fundamental need to be part of something greater than ourselves. Children develop their identity in relationship to others, which means their church can be vital. Rituals like these are powerful reminders that they are not alone.

Learning by Example

The celebration of Ash Wednesday is a beautiful example for children of humility. Together, adults and children alike admit to messing up and commit to strive for God’s ways in their lives. Children learn the curriculum of honesty, vulnerability and grace represented in the practices of their faith family on Ash Wednesday. Additionally, and more importantly, children learn that in spite of missing the mark, we are in God’s presence loved and lovable.

Sensory Experience

Receiving ashes is a sensory experience, which brings to life the intangible elements of faith in the unseen. These experiences engage the body in a way that is not done at any other time during the church year. As a result, children connect more easily to the practice and theology.

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The Power of Ritual

Dr. Barbara Feise, psychologist and professor at Syracuse University, researches the power of ritual in community. She and her team find that it improves overall well being and strengthens relationships and identity. She tells us also that “rituals…provide continuity in meaning across generations.”

As you begin the preparation for the mystery of Easter, we hope you find these ideas helpful and that this Ash Wednesday creates and carries on meaning for your faith family.

And don’t forget to share with all of us in the comments what ways you’re inviting kids to engage in Ash Wednesday this year!

Seven Last Words Coloring Posters for Lent

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Seven Last Words Coloring Posters: The seven last words of Jesus from the cross, also known as the sayings of Jesus on the cross, are commonly used in churches around the world during Lent, specifically on Good Friday. Perhaps you’ve attended a Tenebrae service on Good Friday that focused on the seven last words of Jesus. Or maybe the seven last words aren’t focused on much in your tradition, and these are new to you. Either way, we think you’re going to love our Seven Last Words Coloring Posters.

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GRAB YOUR FREE INFO GUIDE: Would you like to learn all about the Seven Last Words Coloring Posters, and receive a FREE coloring page of one of the posters? Want to read a sample of the devotional? Don’t have time to read this blog right now, but want to print something out to read later or share with colleagues at a staff or committee meeting? CLICK HERE to download your Seven Last Words Infoguide.

Seven Last Words of Jesus for all ages

Seven Last Words of Jesus

As we shared this idea with a group of our customers, some shared an initial concern about the topic of the crucifixion, and how children would receive it. Illustrated Ministry serves communities from over 60+ denominations, and we wanted to create a way to reflect on these seven last words that would be visually appropriate for all ages and for people from different theological backgrounds.

We have spent a lot of time discussing this as a team, and we are excited about the poster designs and the content of the accompanying devotional guide. We think that the coloring posters and devotional guide are age-appropriate for young children, and will appeal to all of our customers.

One-word Focus

Aware that there was so much to focus on with the sayings of Jesus on the cross, we decided to focus on one specific word from each of the seven sayings. That word then informed the direction of our illustrations, as well as the content for the devotional guide.

As we have done in the past, we are publishing a Seven Last Words Devotional Guide, that can be used together with the coloring posters. The devotional guide focuses on the word we chose from each of the sayings. The devotions (appropriate for all ages) focus on connecting the chosen word and Jesus’ life-giving words from the cross, to our daily lives today.

Below you can see our focus word for the poster illustration and devotional guide:

  • Poster 1: KNOW – God, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34)
  • Poster 2: TRUTH – Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise. (Luke 23:43)
  • Poster 3: HERE – Here is your son. Here is your mother. (John 19:26–27)
  • Poster 4: FORSAKEN – My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46)
  • Poster 5: THIRSTY – I am thirsty. (John 19:28)
  • Poster 6: FINISHED – It is finished. (John 19:30)
  • Poster 7: COMMEND – God, into your hands I commend my spirit. (Luke 23:46)
  • Poster 8: BELIEVE – (with a focus on selected verses from Luke 24:1-12)

Product Lineup

We love seeing how communities use our large coloring posters! But if that project seems like a bit too much, we have many other ways to engage with the Seven Last Words theme. We have coloring pages, a devotional guide that one could use with the coloring pages, and more. All of the details are below:

  • Seven Last Words Coloring Posters: You can purchase the physical posters, digital files, or get both. We will also have a colored digital version available for purchase.
  • Seven Last Words Coloring Pages: Our 8.5×11 coloring pages include both the poster illustrations, as well as a simplified design for our youngest coloring friends.
  • Seven Last Words Devotional Guide: While you could go through this devotional guide without purchasing the coloring posters or pages, this guide is meant to accompany the coloring posters and coloring pages.
  • Christ is Risen Coloring Page & Poster: Our Seven Last Words Coloring Posters include seven posters from the seven last words, as well as an eighth poster that focuses on the resurrection and can be used for Easter. You can purchase a digital version of this poster individually.

Poster Details

Our Seven Last Words Coloring Posters include seven 2’x3′ coloring posters, as well as an eighth 6’x2′ poster that focuses on resurrection and Easter, and can be incorporated into your Easter preparations and plans. The seven 2’x3′ posters include an illustration with the seven last words included in a ‘black frame’ around the illustration (see above image for a sample of a colored Poster 1).

The posters will be printed on the same high-quality, 32lb heavyweight white paper that all of our posters are printed on. These posters will be shipped to you in a 25″ heavy-duty cardboard paper tube. For more details about pricing, as well as shipping information, please download your Seven Last Words Infoguide here.

Pricing and ordering information can all be found on our store here.

How would I use these Seven Last Words Coloring Posters?

We’re glad you asked! We have a blog post with many ideas for how to use our posters in many different settings, including churches, schools, nursing homes and retirement communities, and more! You can read it here.

Get ideas here: People are already starting to share ideas about our posters and Lent in our Facebook Group, and that’s a great place to get information – you can request to join here!

Good Friday Services: One of the reasons we are so excited about our these posters is that our community is so creative, and we can’t wait to see how they decide to use them! Since many churches have Good Friday Tenebrae services and use the seven last words of Jesus, we think there could be many ways to incorporate these posters into worship. Or maybe you could color the posters and then set up a guided prayer space for people to use during Holy Week, or they could experience it after a Good Friday Service.

We’ve found that some of the most creative ideas for how to use our products actually come from the churches and communities who use our materials. So, what are YOUR thoughts or questions?

Learn more

Learn more about the Seven Last Words Coloring Posters, and get some samples of the Seven Last Words Devotional Guide, by downloading our Seven Last Words Infoguide here.