Most of us now have time for...

"from the heart" communication with God, i.e. prayer; the Psalms are a great place to start. Pray Psalm 23 and see where it leads you in conversation with God;

the kind of reading that builds us up and draws us into deeper relationship with God. Some suggestions: Inspired - Rachel Held Evans; Baptized, We Live: Lutheranism As A Way of Life - Daniel Erlander; Jesus: A Pilgrimage - James Martin, SJ;

family devotions; families could read the weekly Lessons and discuss them. Consider ordering a good study Bible, such as Lutheran Study Bible from Augsburg Fortress. You can read and discuss articles in Living Lutheran or The Christian Century, too.

family meals;

playing board games and pursuing hobbies. 

It's Holy Week! On Maundy Thursday, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. Perhaps in your homes you could remember that occasion in a special way. Prepare a basin or bowl of water and place it, along with a towel, on your home altar or a table. During your evening devotions, meditate on the properties of water, pour it over your hands, or each other's hands, if there are two or more of you in the home, and think about how important it has been to you during this time to have safe, warm, running water in your home. Imagine what it would be like to live without it, as many people in the world do, even in this country. Think about that night in the Upper Room. Imagine Jesus washing the disciples' feet, the job of a lowly servant or slave. Perhaps you might wash each other's feet. Simply place the basin on the floor, then take turns placing your feet in the basin and pouring water over them and drying them. An older child or adult can help the smaller children. Consider how the washing and being washed made you feel. Parents are used to washing their children - what was it like to have your children wash your feet? Perhaps there's a dependent parent living in your home. What must that be like for them?

At the end of the Maundy Thursday service in the church, the altar is stripped. You might think of stripping your home altar of any decorative cloths, candles, crosses, etc., then redecorating it on Holy Saturday for the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday!

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This fifth week of Lent, you and your family can get creative about the palms you'll wave next Sunday. We'd love to see what you come up with. Please post it to the church's Facebook page!

Here’s a great discipleship activity for the whole family to do during Lent:

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Jelly Bean Prayer—

Red is for the blood Christ gave;

Green is for the palm’s cool shade;

Yellow is for God’s light so bright;

Orange is for prayers at twilight;

Black is for sweet rest at night;

White is for the Grace of Christ;

Purple is for His days of sorrow;

Pink is for each new tomorrow.

Some people start this on Ash Wednesday, but it would work at any time during Lent. Each child/family member sets out their own glass jar or container, whatever you can get hold of during this time, with the “Jelly Bean Prayer” taped to it. The jelly beans are not eaten until Easter. You and your parents can decide what the different jelly bean colors stand for, except for the white jelly bean. White jelly beans can not be earned; they represent God’s grace and are put in the grown ups' jars by the kids before they go to bed on Holy Saturday, and in the kids' jars by parents/guardians before the kids wake up on Easter morning.

Here’s what one family did:

Red—each morning they chose something to sacrifice that day—it had to be something they would have expected to have or do on that day; Green—a good deed; Yellow—a kindness to others; Orange—leading or taking active part in family worship; Black (or blue, if you don’t like black jelly beans)—for going to bed on time without arguing; Purple—for apologizing to anyone hurt by their words or actions; Pink—for forgiving.