Overview & Learning Objective(s):
We began class with a quick overview of our lessons to date by using our Special Word Bank and a game to reinforce the learning blocks set in place as we, over the course of the year, build an elementary understanding of God's plan for man's salvation.
In the Old Testament, God spoke through prophets and revealed Himself in dramatic ways. One example is Moses and the parting of the Red Sea.
Then, in the fullness of time, God sent His Son, the Word made flesh, anointed by the Holy Spirit, to fulfill His promise made to man, as a result of the original sin of Adam and Eve. It is through the birth of Jesus that we were given the power to perfectly reconcile with God. It is through Jesus Christ that we, as believers, know the way, discover the truth and achieve eternal life.
The story of the birth of Jesus has a cast of characters that are not only real, but powerfully symbolic in how they advance the themes about which Jesus would teach later in His life. As we studied the Christmas story, each child was told to listen from one of the characters' point of view.
We talked about Mary, as the beautiful young girl who loved God with all of her heart. We learned that God loved her too. In fact she was full of His favor and grace. Mary is the only person to ever have been born without original sin; she was so pure and good that, although tempted, she remained sinless throughout her entire life.
One day, the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and asked her if she would be the Mother of God. While it was an unbelievable proposition, Mary's faith led her to answer "yes", despite the uncertainty and difficulty that would come with her decision.
We learned that Mary visited her Aunt Elizabeth, who was also with child - John the Baptist. When Elizabeth first saw Mary, the baby within her leapt with joy as she proclaimed, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus." These are words that we say to this day when we pray the "Hail Mary".
Throughout Mary's pregnancy, her husband, Joseph was doing his best to take care of her. He was a carpenter by trade and worked very hard to provide for his wife. One night in a dream he was instructed to take Mary to a town called Bethlehem. As they traveled, it became more and more difficult for Mary to ride on the donkey, and so they began looking for a place to stay. But the answer was always the same - "we have no room!"
Joseph eventually came across an innkeeper who opened his stable doors for the couple to use. And on that cold winter night, the word was made flesh. Jesus was born! Mary wrapped Him in a cloth and laid Him in a manger. The angels appeared above the stable and sang out "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men of goodwill!" Humble shepherds heard the voices, knew and believed!
Three wise men came from the east bearing exotic gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They followed the star and when they found Jesus, fell down to worship for they knew that this newborn baby was worthy of their praise.
Through this amazing story, we learn three valuable lessons:
1. Trust in God. He works to the good in all things for those who love Him.
2. Make room for Jesus. Open your heart. Angels will surround you, filling you with peace as they reveal the will of God.
3. Know that, regardless of your state in life, you have been saved. Rich or poor - the things of this world matter little to the King of Kings!
Soon the Holy Family made their way back to Nazareth where Mary and Joseph raised Jesus. He was a good boy. He had daily routines that would have been similar to those of other children His age.
We know that Jesus was sinless. He was God - loving, prayerful, obedient to His parents, kind, pure, truthful and grateful. Jesus lived by the Ten Commandments.
One day, as He grew older, Jesus was preaching in the temple when a church elder tried to trick Him by asking, "Teacher, which is the greatest of the commandments?" Jesus replied, "You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your mind. This is the greatest commandment. And the second is: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22: 36-40.
In this one encounter, Jesus was able to tell the world how to live a life that is pleasing to God the Father, and, in so doing, how to find the way back to heaven. As Catholic Christians, we must learn to love completely, selflessly, and unconditionally. The perfect model for love is Jesus, and the greatest act of love was His dying on the cross, so that we might be saved.
By the end of the lesson, the children will have been able to retell the story of the birth of Jesus and understand that He came to save us from our sinful ways, and to show us the best way to live.
New Words:
Angel Gabriel, carpenter, Savior, manger
Today's Class Activity for Reinforcement:
We worked to internalize the Christmas Story. In that each child listened to the story from a specific character's point of view, we worked to get in touch with not only the facts, but the feelings that might have gone along with what took place. We used pieces from a floor puzzle as the prompts, and then let the Holy Spirit move us to learn in a memorable way.
At Home Reinforcement:
December is a busy month and, often times, spent shopping for things that are pitched to us as "needed" by convincing advertising campaigns. Think about the possibility of using the spirit of Christmas to slow things down, to limit the gift giving to three (like the Wise Men), and to focus on the greatest gift ever given, Jesus Himself. Work as a family to start a new tradition where your child takes center stage and at your Christmas Eve dinner tells the story of the birth of Jesus, and then glorify Him through song. It will be an evening to remember for a lifetime, as you model the true meaning of Christmas.
No comments:
Post a Comment