A Sand Garden for Lent

Lent is a ritual journey through wilderness. To bring that to life, I created a sand garden in the center of our sanctuary where our neighbors could pray with sand and rocks.

The garden was constructed with a wooden frame of inexpensive 2x4’s and a bottom layer of painter’s tarp. About 15 bags of sand were used to fill the sandbox, and rocks & candles were added to create designs.

Each week of Lent, I changed the garden with new rock designs and interactive elements. For example, one week we asked visitors to place a rock in areas representing prayers for “Help,” “Thanks,” and “Wow.” Another week, we added free succulents for neighbors to take and grow in the deserts of their own lives.