Hi, and welcome to Week Five in our online Lent reflection series! If this is your first time visiting, you can find more info about this online group on the introduction post. If you decide you would like to officially join this online group, text me or send an email to kidsandfamilies@htumc.org and I will send you the coloring sheets and a reminder when next week’s video releases, and start your candy bag with a piece added for every time you contribute a comment to the discussion. If you would rather pick up a printed copy of the coloring sheets, let me know and I will help with that. Below are some pics of coloring sheets from previous weeks; if you would like to share a shot of yours, or even just a close up of a favorite bit of one of yours, send it to me and I will add it in!
Now, let’s reflect.
Discussion Questions
- Have you ever participated in a ritual with water or juice or wine–like baptism, or foot-washing, or communion? What was that like?
- Do you think it was hard for Jesus to say, “I am thirsty?” Is it ever hard for you to say when you need something?
Going Deeper
- Surely Jesus felt lots of things, felt lots of needs, on the cross. Why do you suppose he chose “thirsty” as the one to communicate?
- Describe a time when you were really thirsty. What did you need? How did you know what you needed? How was your need met?
- Who speaks words like these (“I am thirsty”) today?
3 Comments
The only feet I have ever washed were my childrens’ when they were babies and toddlers – they were ticklish and didn’t like it so they resisted. Baptism and communion are very special times to remember Jesus and how important these rituals were to him, and how important they are now to us. It is a time of deep sharing within our community. It is an act of unity.
For most of us it is difficult to admit we need something. And to ask for help from another person feels uncomfortable. It exposes our vulnerability, but it also reminds us that we are not always able to be independent- sometimes we need to show our trust in others by asking for their help. When someone asks me for help it makes me feel good. I feel honored that another person would trust me enough to ask for my help, which I am always happy to do. I imagine God is also happy when we trust him enough to ask him for help.
I imagine Jesus was thirsty for companionship and to be comforted. Even in his dying hours he was still trying to connect with us.
I have at times been thirsty for compassion, comfort, forgiveness, redemption, knowledge, and discernment. It is a feeling of restlessness and lack of peace. God is always there waiting for me to ask him for help. It’s a great feeling when I feel God’s presence and finally get the answers I am searching for.
Any person today who feels marginalized, ridiculed, unaccepted, mistreated, unappreciated or held back would feel thirsty for relief.
Ticklish feet! I agree it is difficult to ask for help. It is so important, and you are 100% right that it is a great way to grow connection and show trust. I stubbornly resist it and it causes me problems. I really appreciate your thoughtful answers and musings.
I remember my baptism, because I was baptized as a three year old, when my baby sister, older sister and father were also baptized. It may be my first memory. It is a very grounding memory for me.
I, like Connie mentions in her comment, have thirsted for all those things. I think right now, I thirst most for discernment. What roads to take, what to focus on? I hope for God’s direction and confidence to follow it, because if life has taught me anything, it is that God can be trusted and knows my inner heart, and insisting on my own path does not lead to the things I hope for.