Lent with Claire 2016: making connections

I'm definitely behind on my reflections on Lent, but I want to finish it out anyway. We were able to see Claire make so many connections during season. We could watch her mull things over, process topics we talked about  + songs we sing+ things we heard at church, and ask questions to sort things out in her mind. It was very encouraging and challenging. One of my favorite moments happened on a Sunday morning (it might have been Palm Sunday) when the responsive reading was from Revelation 7. She perked up as she listened to the words and told me that she KNEW this song! We weren't singing, but she recognized that the scripture was the same as in this song that we often sing at the end of our confession time during the service. We had started singing it with her at bedtime, because she mentioned how much she liked it. I often wonder how much she pays attention to what's going on in the service, so moments like that are a good gauge for me. 

She's also really been honing in on communion. She pays very close attention to the liturgy leading up to it and the process of serving and receiving communion. We've had several conversations about how frustrated she is at not being allowed to participate yet, and we've recently noticed that she has started to pretend that she is serving communion. Incidentally, she can quote the liturgy pretty accurately! It provides us with a great opportunity to talk with her about the gospel. 

I've been very thankful for how structured and intentional our church is about Lent, even for the children. It's a very supportive environment for facilitating these great conversations. I'm praying we can continue them well, despite Lent ending. 

Oh, and she's also really excited about Pentecost. They talk about it regularly in her Sunday school class, and I think she's expecting a party.