Submitted by
S. Daly

Age Group
8-11

Aim
To mark the beginning of Lent and our preparation for Easter

Faith Group
Christian

Resources
Ashes

Time of Year
Ash Wednesday

Other Details
This service is particularly suitable for an Olympics year

Script
PRIEST: When we love someone we want to be very close to that person.
God loves us and wants to be close to us.
We also want to be close to God but we are often so busy with the rush of everyday life that we forget about God and his love for us.
Jesus himself felt the need to go into the desert to get away for a while so that he could be with his father. We are not asked to go into the desert like Jesus. but we are given the period of Lent so that we can stand back and look at ourselves and our love for God.
Today, when we receive the ashes, we are reminded that we are on earth for one thing... to be with God.

READER: Listen to this story. Jennie is a gymnast and Peter is a swimmer.
They both dream that one day they will be able to compete in the Olympics. They train hard.
They meet their coaches and examine their past performance and decide how they must prepare for the future.
They watch video tapes of their performances. They can see more clearly their strong points as well as their weak points.
Their enthusiasm is strengthened as they resolve to train harder to reach their goals and become what they want to be.

READER: Lent is rather like the video. It gives us the chance to look at ourselves and find out more about our strong points and our weak points. As we receive the ashes let us think of our Lenten resolution.

DISTRIBUTION OF ASHES

PRIEST: Teach us, 0 God, to take a good look at ourselves,
To see what is good about us and what is not good
To thank you for the good things
And to ask your forgiveness for the bad things,
So that, with your help, we can grow
To be all that you would wish us to be. Amen.