**Are you attending Forma? Catch my talk, “Holy Inclusion: Supporting Disabled Participants in Church School Settings” tomorrow, Wednesday 1/24 at 5:30 EST (or on the recording)!**
Dear Friends,
If you’ve made it here, whether you were one of my first readers or you’re one of the most recent subscribers (even if you aren’t subscribed yet, but just found this link somewhere!), you’ve almost certainly gotten the note that I’m a long-time Godly Play practitioner. And yet, if you were to ask people who knew me when I was very young, they’d probably tell you I wasn’t very good at being a kid, and in part that I didn’t really understand how to play.
(We’re not going to unpack the ways that statement is about my early adulthood autism diagnosis right now. We’re just going to run with the basic statement.)
I was a very serious child. I was reading by age three and while I loved playing with dolls and blocks, I preferred to do so by myself. I liked things to be “just so,” as it were – one of my favorite toys was a set of wooden blocks that fit precisely back into a box only if you carefully tucked each piece in, neatly fitting each curve and arch together. I found other children immature and tiresome.
And then I found my people.
I learned how to play – at least how to play in ways that could include others – from other neurodivergent young people when I was in my early teens. Those were the people who understood how to be silly and disruptive in ways that made sense to me, that allowed me to join in, rather than falling by the wayside. There was finger-painting and dress-up and made up holidays and plastic dinosaurs and dances. And vitally, for the temperament of this group, everything was structured by clear (if bizarre) rules. Much more than other teens, our play needed strict and clearly articulated boundaries so that we could thrive. While all play has some natural boundaries, we demanded more in ways only this community of peers could sustain.
Why do I have so much to say about play this week – especially when, last week, I said I’d be writing about Ash Wednesday & Lent planning this week? Well, it does all come back to that preparation and those resources, and to the time before Lent – to Shrovetide & Mardi Gras.
Learning From Ancient Traditions (Your Obligatory History Lesson)
If my family will tell you I didn’t really understand play or “how to be a kid,” then many of my church colleagues will tell you I’m not the best at church celebrations. (As always, when it comes to parties, I point you to my friend and colleague Mtr. Emily Garcia - her parish’s instagram offers an inside look at all that joy and celebration.)
No, at the end of the day, I am an Ash Wednesday character. I love the solemn days of Holy Week. While I know “we’re an Easter people,” that takes a lot of effort for me. And, at the same time, I know that everything we do, we do for a reason. And so I keep going deeper on the historical side of things, trying to better grasp the whole picture. That search has brought me here, to the start of my understanding of Shrovetide.
In the traditional calendar, thought Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras is not until February 13th this year, we are in fact almost in Shrovetide as a season, which begins on Septuagesima Sunday, or the ninth Sunday before Easter – the full period lasts about two and a half weeks. Yes, that’s this coming Sunday, January 28th!
Traditionally, Shrovetide is a time for reflecting on one’s intentions for Lent and it actually initiates the penitential shift in mood – including dropping the Alleluia in worship. There’s no fasting during Shrovetide and, but there’s a real sense of preparation – and, at least for me, it helps Shrove Tuesday, but also all of Lent, make more sense.
As the finally days of Shrovetide approach, the big festival traditions emerge. In the Scandinavian version of Carnival, Fastelavn, children wear costumes, play a game that bears resemblance to typical pinatas, people eat special sweets, and make fastelavnsris, which are sticks decorated with feathers, egg shell, and other symbols of spring and rebirth.
Suddenly, with all the pre-Lent preparation of Shrovetide in place, the feasting and festivities of various Carnivals and Mardi Gras events (here’s a Catholic perspective on Mardi Gras and it’s place in liturgical life) make sense! It really is a break between seasons, a step out of the serious preparation that came before and the deeper penitence on the horizon. Now I understand! I only had to learn words like Septuagesima and Quinquagesima and Fastelavn to figure it out.
Ash Wednesday Resources & Lent Planning
Now we’re ready. Let’s get to it!
Here’s a throwback on BuildingFaith on the history of burying the Alleluia, care of Sharon Ely Pearson. This is one of my very favorite activities, but not one I always get to do to - I “blame” my affinity for it on one of my first mentors in this field, who did this with the children in our parish each year.
It’s well established that this is a space where we include children in all parts of the life of the church, but that doesn’t mean some people won’t have concerns about bringing children to Ash Wednesday worship. If you’re having a tough time articulating how and why children have a place in this liturgical space, this piece from Grow Christians offers a parent’s perspective on why they bring their children to Ash Wednesday worship.
Are you looking for an activity to carry your family or the families in your parish through the entire Lenten season and into Easter? I really like this Activity Eggs set-up from Sparkhouse. They’re easy and inexpensive to set up and simple enough that they won’t have families scrambling to fit a new devotional practice into their already packed routine.
I’ve plugged Glenys Nellist’s newest book, ‘Twas the Season of Lent already, but if you’ve got the availability, I highly recommend her book launch with Traci Smith! Yes, the Traci Smith of the Faithful Families books. While I can’t tell you exactly what will happen, you’ll undoubtedly come away with some fantastic seasonal inspiration. (Plus, the book’s accompanying activity kit from Zonderkidz will be out soon and those are always beautiful.)
Word & Worship has a free download called Our Lenten Journey, created by Trevecca Okholm. While I’d certainly make some changes (like her recommendation fo the Jesus Storybook Bible - no thanks), it has a lot of lovely, simple elements and, since it’s free, it’s worth downloading for the front matter alone. Okholm draws heavily on Sonja Stewart & Jerome Berryman’s work, “Young Children in Worship,” so Godly Players will certainly see a few familiar elements. It’s also really well-grounded in the importance of parents as spiritual role models for their children and the value of asking questions you don’t know the answers to.
We still have more time to prepare. Shrovetide is nearly here, but yes, there is still time. (Plus there’s still all the Holy Week details.)
What are you envisioning for the coming season? Where would you like accompaniment on your journey?
Peace,
Bird