diocese of oxford€¦ · web viewsin is a very difficult word in our culture, its mis-use and...

School Worship Bible Project Year 4 Remembrance and Advent (Christmas)

Introduction

The Bible has many stories and accounts of the real lives of people. During this season we are going to look a little more closely at some of the people who first followed the example of Jesus and at some of the ways in which people were encouraged to follow this example. The last four weeks of this season follow the themes in column 2 of this ‘Advent’ table which is also found in the Matthew section of the Bible in Worship Project.

Week Meaning

1 2 3

1Patriarchs – remembering the early leaders; Abraham, Jacob …

Hope Prophets’ Candle – indicating hope as spoken by prophets

2Prophets – those who spoke out the word of God

Love Bethlehem Candle – showing faith in the commitment of the journey of Mary and Joseph

3John the Baptist – cousin of Jesus

Joy Shepherd’s candle – reflecting the joy on hearing of the birth of Christ

4Mary – the mother of Jesus Peace Angel’s Candle – expressing the message

‘Peace on Earth…’

The third column of the table is a little confused – it strays out of Advent and into Christmas. However, in schools it is usual to do this and celebrate Christmas at the end of term.

The last four weeks do not have a ‘laying the table’ section. It is suggested that this aspect is replaced by the Advent wreath and following the Advent Ceremonies found below.

Throughout these readings there are a number of references to ‘Gentiles’ as people who were not from Jewish heritage. These are passages which emphasise the Christian belief that the love of God is freely given to all and is seen supremely in the life and resurrection of Jesus. It must be stressed that this is the Christian viewpoint and must be treated with care when discussing these ideas with pupils (and adults) of other faiths. It must be ensured that no one is made to feel as if they are to be considered ‘Gentiles’ in the ancient sense – those who are outside the circle of faith.

In several readings we have come up against the concept of sin. Sin is a very difficult word in our culture, its mis-use and mis-appropriation by many people in the past has led to many people shying away from using it. The term is very important in Christianity, it often refers to our sense of self-awareness and those things which limit us or cause us to cause sadness, loss or harm to others. While there is a moral dimension to sin it is not the only or even the most important dimension, sin is not to be equated with being naughty. Sin is more to do with those things which cause our relationships to become strained or broken, including our relationship with ourselves and especially our relationship with God. The latter might be expressed in our sense of the spiritual or our understanding of the numinous.

1

School Worship Bible Project Year 4 Remembrance and Advent (Christmas)Some of these readings are quite ‘adult’ in their content. This serves to remind us that the Bible is not a children’s book and we should not treat it as such. As always, we urge you to use this material as is appropriate to your context and make such adjustments as you feel are necessary.

Music for this season would change after Week 3. For the first three weeks, while the readings centre around people and communities a good choice might be Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland. The Advent weeks (4-7) could be accompanied by traditional Advent/Christmas tunes. These would best be instrumental versions which would conjure an atmosphere without the complication of lyrics.

2


Week 1: People Acts 13: 1-5

Bible Reading:

In the church at Antioch there were some prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon (called the Black), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (who had been brought up with Governor Herod), and Saul. While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said to them, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul, to do the work to which I have called them.”They fasted and prayed, placed their hands on them, and sent them off.Having been sent by the Holy Spirit, Barnabas and Saul went to Seleucia and sailed from there to the island of Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues. They had John Mark with them to help in the work.

Notes Here we read some names of the first Christians. This part of the story of Acts shows us things that were important in the lives of people who follow the values that Jesus taught:

Serving Fasting Prayer

These are only some of the qualities that are found in the early church, but they do seem to form a core of activity.

This is almost the last time that Saul is called by this name – after this the book of Acts calls him Paul.

Values:

Service: this is a very important part of the life of Christians, the willingness to serve others, no matter how great their need. This is a value which is shared with many other people from all kinds of belief. One of the valuable things about values (!) is that they can help us to understand better the things that we share with each other.

Endurance: being picked for a special job or for a team means that we must be prepared to put in the work that will be needed. Being picked means that we are being trusted to do our best. Like Barnabas and Saul, we will need to ensure that we can persevere and show the necessary endurance to see a task through. In this case we can see that values often do not work alone but are found in pairs (such as trust and endurance, as here) or even larger groups.

Questions:

Are the things that were important to the first Christians (Serving, Fasting, Prayer) still important now?

Are there some new things that have been added to them in modern times?

What do you think that the purpose of fasting is?

What do you think that God most wants us to do? Why do you think this?

3


Week 1: People Reflection

Let’s wonder together – how do we serve other people?

What would you choose to do for others?

What would you choose to do for God?

Whatever we choose to do by way of service, whether it is for God or for each other we need to ask ourselves the question -

Will this take hard work and persistence?

What do you think?

Prayer

Lord God,

The first Christians had many ways to honour you and each other; prayer, fasting and serving.

Help us we pray, to be like them and find ways of our own to show reverence to you and your creation and honour our friends and teachers so that our relationships will grow stronger.

Amen

Laying the table

Use the table to bring out the ways in which people serve their communities. This could include the Poppy appeal but should also include other forms of service. This need not be restricted to charities; there are, for instance, a range of services which are provided by Local Authorities. The table could include leaflets or other material from libraries or even sports centres. This might also include the National Health Service – something that our community provides for itself through taxes. You could also have a discussion with older pupils about how tax itself is a form of service.

Week 1: Extension 1 Peter 1: 12-13

A bit more from the Bible:

God revealed to [the] prophets that their work was not for their own benefit, but for yours, as they spoke about those things which you have now heard from the messengers who announced the Good News by the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These are things which even the angels would like to understand. So then, have your minds ready for action. Keep alert and set your hope completely on the blessing which will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Notes

In these words, Peter ties together the Old and the New Testaments. This Christian belief is that some of the things that the prophets and others in the Old Testament said were prophesies or ‘foretellings’ of some things that are found in the New Testament story of the life of Jesus.

A few more Questions:

What do you think that Peter means by Good News here?

What are the sorts of things that we should have in our minds so that we can be ready, ready for the ‘blessing which will be given’?

4

School Worship Bible Project Year 4 Remembrance and Advent (Christmas) Some things to do:

Find out a bit about fasting.

The season of Advent is a fasting season as is the season of Lent. It has been a modern fashion to ‘give something up’, especially for Lent. However, the reasons for fasting were not only about giving up but also about other changes. It may be helpful to find out about fasts in other faiths than Christianity too.

__________________________________________

5


Week 2: Service Acts 11: 25 - 30

Bible Reading

Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. When he found him, he took him to Antioch, and for a whole year the two met with the people of the church and taught a large group. It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.

About that time some prophets went from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and by the power of the Spirit predicted that a severe famine was about to come over all the earth. (It came when Claudius was emperor.) The disciples decided that they each would send as much as they could to help their fellow believers who lived in Judea. They did this, then, and sent the money to the church elders by Barnabas and Saul.

Notes

This reading is not terribly well known but is something of a high point in the Bible – the time when Christians were first called Christians. The reading goes on to take our understanding of the church to an interesting place. When the prophets gave their warning the people of the church responded by having a collection so that they could help other churches.

Values:

Community: in this reading we can see one of the ways in which the Christian communities supported each other. This continues today with church communities supporting each other around the world.

Reverence: notice that the prophecy of Agabus is understood as being ‘by the power of the Spirit’. This links it to God’s Spirit at Pentecost and even back to the Spirit of God in the creation of the world. As such, the writer of Acts is pointing out that it is God who is guiding the actions and intentions of the people.

Service: This reading shows us Christians responding to what they felt God was asking them to do through different forms of service. In this reading two aspects of service are seen, giving and the work of sharing out the gifts.

Questions:

Which is the easiest thing to do: give or share what has been given?

How many different kinds of service can you think of?

How do you think that people feel when they think that God is guiding them to do certain things or make certain choices?

6

School Worship Bible Project Year 4 Remembrance and Advent (Christmas)Week 2: ServiceReflection

I wonder – how important are names?

We give names to all sorts of things, people, houses, boats and even groups and churches.

What makes a good name?

Is Christian a good name for the people who follow the teachings of Jesus?

Why do you think this?

Prayer

Generous Lord,

One of the lessons that we can learn from the first churches is that the communities tried to help each other.

We ask that you guide the leaders of all our communities today so that they will be able to find ways of helping each other and, in this way, bring help to everyone in need.

Amen

Laying the table

Use this as an opportunity to create a display of the range of things that are found in your local community. These might be very obvious such as businesses or amenities. However this is also a chance to see some of the less visible things such as book clubs or other societies. A parish or community magazine may be a good place to start.

Week 2: Service 2 Corinthians 8: 1-7

A bit more from the Bible

Our friends, we want you to know what God's grace has accomplished in the churches in Macedonia. They have been severely tested by the troubles they went through; but their joy was so great that they were extremely generous in their giving, even though they are very poor. I can assure you that they gave as much as they could, and even more than they could. Of their own free will they begged us and pleaded for the privilege of having a part in helping God's people in Judea. It was more than we could have hoped for! First they gave themselves to the Lord; and then, by God's will they gave themselves to us as well. So we urged Titus, who began this work, to continue it and help you complete this special service of love. You are so rich in all you have: in faith, speech, and knowledge, in your eagerness to help and in your love for us. And so we want you to be generous also in this service of love.

Notes

In our first reading we saw that the church responded to a famine by raising money. In this reading we see that members of the church are praised for the way in which they give from limited resources.In this part of his letter, Paul is urging the members of the church to give and not only money but also love. Pauls builds up quite a strong argument to both persuade and encourage the church members in their efforts.This reading also mentions Titus who gets a letter from Paul all to himself – it is full of instructions and exhortations about how to be an effective leader in the church.


Is there more to being generous than giving money?

7

School Worship Bible Project Year 4 Remembrance and Advent (Christmas)Does it matter why people give money? Is the giving enough on its own?

Some things to do

This is an opportunity to look specifically at charity which is related to Remembrance – Help for Heroes or the British Legion for example. These are charities which offer a service to those who have served. Encourage children to find out why these charities are needed and to think about how sacrificial service is understood in today’s communities.

________________________________

8


Week 3: Community Acts 15: 12-19

Bible Reading

The whole group was silent as they heard Barnabas and Paul report all the miracles and wonders that God had performed through them among the Gentiles. When they had finished speaking, James spoke up: “Listen to me, my friends! Simon has just explained how God first showed his care for the Gentiles by taking from among them a people to belong to him. The words of the prophets agree completely with this. As the scripture says,

‘After this I will return, says the Lord, and restore the kingdom of David.I will rebuild its ruins and make it strong again.And so all the rest of the human race will come to me, all the Gentiles whom I have called to be my own.So says the Lord, who made this known long ago.’

“It is my opinion,” James went on, “that we should not trouble the Gentiles who are turning to God.”

Notes

The very first Christians found great difficulty in understanding that the message of Jesus was for everyone. In this part of the story of Acts, James – who was Jesus’ brother – realises that the things that Paul (Saul, remember?) and Barnabas, Simon (Peter) AND the people of the Old Testament were all saying that the promises of God are for everyone. Many people of the Old Testament, and many in the New Testament saw the people of the world as divided between the People of God and the Gentiles. What is being recognised here is that this message is for everyone - the whole human race. James’ final words are very important, there were many Christians who thought that people should change in all sorts of ways before they could join the church. James here is saying that everyone should be welcome and that the church should not make life difficult for them.

Values:

Humility: When we disagree, it is very easy to want to be the last to speak and to make your ideas the most important. When James and the others in this reading had their disagreement, in the end they all had to show humility to each other so that they could ‘disagree well’ -

Hope: When Barnabas and Paul (Saul) were sent out they went in the hope that their mission would be successful. Like last week, the value of hope does not stand alone. It is when hope is mingled with service and endurance that success can be seen.

Wisdom: The church leaders managed to reach a wise decision about how to treat the Gentiles in the church. This was partly because they took care to be humble about their ideas but also because they prayed to make sure that decisions were blessed by the Holy Spirit – that is they were taken in the context of the whole Christian community.

Questions:

Christians believe that the Church is a special community with good things to offer. Do you think that everyone should be able to join in? Why?

If you were God, how would you care for the people that you had created?

What are the best ways to share good things?

9

School Worship Bible Project Year 4 Remembrance and Advent (Christmas)What do friends do with good things?

What are the things that make up a friendship?

Week 3: CommunityReflection

Let us wonder for a while …

What does it mean to be special?

Are there some things that are special?

Are there some places that are special?

Are there some people who are special?

What is it that makes people special?

Prayer

Dear Lord,

We read of the first Christians debating and having different ideas and, in the end, agreeing what to do.

Guide us, when we disagree, to have the humility to listen to each other and understand the ideas of others so that we can make choices that will be good for everyone.

Amen

Laying the table

Follow on from last week’s table but this time include material that is specifically related to charities. The children could choose their own or it might be worth just gathering the charitable flyers etc. that come through the ‘junk-mail’.

A development would be to pick out Christian (or Faith based) charities, there might be scope here for including the local church.

Week 3: Extension Acts 15: 7-11

A bit more from the Bible

After a long debate Peter stood up and said, “My friends, you know that a long time ago God chose me from among you to preach the Good News to the Gentiles, so that they could hear and believe. And God, who knows the thoughts of everyone, showed his approval of the Gentiles by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he had to us. He made no difference between us and them; he forgave their sins because they believed … We believe and are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are.”

Notes

This section is the words that Peter spoke in the debate found in the main reading. It is very important for modern Christians that Peter recognised that God made no difference between people – that everyone can have the grace of God. This reading also mentions forgiveness and sins. These are important parts of Christianity, Jesus talked about forgiveness a great deal – we see this in the Lord’s Prayer for example.


What do you think that ‘sin’ is?

10

School Worship Bible Project Year 4 Remembrance and Advent (Christmas)Do you think that all sins need to be forgiven?

Some things to do

Hold a debate and see how challenging it is to disagree well. You could choose a motion that comes out of this week’s theme:

This class believes that there are some things that cannot be forgiven; or

This class believes that we should not share our wealth with poorer people:

… you could, of course, choose any motion you like.

___________________________

11


Week 4: Hope Romans 15: 7-13

Bible Reading

Accept one another, then, for the glory of God, as Christ has accepted you. For I tell you that Christ's life of service was on behalf of the Jews, to show that God is faithful, to make his promises to their ancestors come true, and to enable even the Gentiles to praise God for his mercy. As the scripture says,“And so I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to you.”Again it says,“Rejoice, Gentiles, with God's people!”And again,“Praise the Lord, all Gentiles; praise him, all peoples!”And again, Isaiah says,“A descendant of Jesse will appear; he will come to rule the Gentiles, and they will put their hope in him.”May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Notes

This follows on from our earlier readings. The theme of everyone being important to God.This reading includes a list of quotes from the Old Testament which it calls ‘scripture’. All of these mention the Gentiles: the first three all emphasise praise and rejoicing – just the same as the angels who sang to the shepherds in Luke’s Gospel.One of the great themes of Advent is Hope which we see here is for all people. This is the hope that is celebrated in the coming of Jesus at Christmas. The last quote from scripture speaks of a descendant of Jesse. Jesus is often known as a son (or descendent) of Jesse. This is because Jesus was from the family of David and Jesse was the father of David. This is all found in Matthew’s Gospel Chapter 1 verses 1-16.The writer says ‘even the Gentiles’ as if these people are somehow different or lesser people but the scriptural quotes show that this is not really so, God is just as much the God of all these people as of the Jews.

Values:

Friendship: This reading does not mention friendship as such, but it does remind us that we can find friends where we don’t expect to find them. Just as the man going from Jerusalem to Jericho did not expect to find a friend in the Samaritan, the early Christians did not expect to find friends amongst the many people who lived around the Mediterranean, the people that the ancient Jewish people called Gentiles.

Creation: The reading speaks of God’s promises. For the folk of the Old Testament these promises went right back to the creation and the place of people in the world. These promises are found in the stories of such people as Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Ruth, Esther and David to name but a few. The early Christians believed that in Jesus the relationship between people and God has been taken back to the very beginning and can now grow into what it should have been all along.

Trust: when we trust, what are we doing? One of the ways to answer this question might be that we are putting our faith in someone or something. When we put our trust in a ladder for instance we have faith that it will hold our weight. As part of this we will also hope that this continues until the job is done. When we trust God, we are also hoping that our faith will be fulfilled. In Advent Christians see an exploration of the hope expressed in the Old Testament and its fulfilment in the

12

School Worship Bible Project Year 4 Remembrance and Advent (Christmas)coming of Jesus.

Questions:

How important are promises in our lives? Look on a five-pound note, what does the word promise mean here? (There are specimens on Google Images)

People make promises when they get married or buy a house – what happens when these promises are broken?

The idea of promise is close to trust. When someone passes a driving test do you promise to stop at red lights? If you don’t then how can other drivers trust that you will stop?

Why do you think that the first Christians trusted Jesus?

Week 4: HopeReflection

Let’s think for a moment about hope.

What do we hope for?

(Gather ideas, you can use talk partners etc. for this. Encourage the group to discern between ‘realistic’ hopes and those that are, perhaps, not so. Do not dismiss aspirational hopes too quickly!)

What do we need to do to make our hopes come to pass?

When is ‘having faith’ a good way to make the hope come to pass? Is having faith what we do when we are, for example, promised a gift at Christmas?

Prayer

Lord of All

Many years ago, the first followers of Jesus found friends amongst people where they least expected to.

Help us to have generous hearts and to be prepared to look for friends and make friends everywhere that we go. In this way we can spread your goodness and love wherever we go.

Amen

Laying the Table

Please refer to the introduction and Advent Ceremonies.

Week 4: Hope Psalm 22: 22-28

13



I will tell my people what you have done; I will praise you in their assembly:“Praise him, you servants of the Lord! Honour him, you descendants of Jacob! Worship him, you people of Israel!He does not neglect the poor or ignore their suffering; he does not turn away from them, but answers when they call for help.”

All nations will remember the Lord. From every part of the world they will turn to him; all races will worship him.The Lord is king, and he rules the nations.

Notes

This Psalm sums up some of the most important elements of the Christian faith. From one side we see the ways in which people respond to what God has done

Praise Honour Worship

From the other side we can see that God is trusted to care for the poor, and to take care of those who suffer.The hope of Christmas is that this trust is fulfilled and that care for the poor and suffering becomes a lasting reality.

A few more Questions

What do you think God has done? Has God brought happiness or wisdom or peace?

You might like to invite a Christian visitor to discuss this question with you. (It might be a job for the clergy)

Why do you think that people would want to praise God, or honour God?

Some things to do

The New Testament mentions Jesus as being the ‘New’ Adam:

For the scripture says, The first man, Adam, was created a living being”; but the last Adam is the life-giving Spirit. It is not the spiritual that comes first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first Adam, made of earth, came from the earth; the second Adam came from heaven. Just as we wear the likeness of the man made of earth, so we will wear the likeness of the Man from heaven.1 Corinthians 15: 44-45, 47, 49

This means that the first Christians were looking forward to a time when the order and trust between God and people will be restored to what God intended. This has not happened yet – do you think that people have a role to play in making it happen? Why do you think this?

________________________________

14


Week 5: Love 1 John 4: 7-12

Bible Reading

Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Whoever loves is a child of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. And God showed his love for us by sending his only Son into the world, so that we might have life through him. This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.Dear friends, if this is how God loved us, then we should love one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in union with us, and his love is made perfect in us.

Notes

The second week of Advent brings us to the idea of love. There are many references to love in the Bible. This reading is a very important passage about love. Here John writes that the important thing about love is not that we love God, but that God loves us. This love goes further as the reading points out; it is in loving and being loved that the Christian community is nurtured.

Values:

Friendship: These words from the first letter of John mentions ‘friend’ from the very beginning and builds up a picture of how it is love that makes friendships strong. This love is not, of course, the same kind of love that is found in romantic relationship – this has led to people identifying different kinds of love – go to https://www.oxford.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/4-loves-notes.pdf to find out more

Forgiveness: forgiveness is central to this love, the two are almost halves of the same thing. This is perhaps what makes the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15: 11-32) so powerful. The need for us to be prepared to forgive is also found in the Lord’s Prayer.

Thankfulness: This theme of love leads to thankfulness, but this is not expressed by saying ‘thank you’. It is shown, as in the reading, by returning to God what God has given to people. In this case by both loving God and by loving each other.

Questions:

How may ways can you think of that people show you love?

How many ways can you think of that you show love to people?

Have you forgiven someone because you love them?

Who do you love the most? Why?

15

https://www.oxford.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/4-loves-notes.pdf



Week 5: LoveReflection

I wonder, how easy is it to forgive?

Perhaps you can help me, have you ever forgiven someone?

Would you forgive them again?

Why?

Are there things that you would find difficult or impossible to forgive?

If this happened what would you do?

Prayer

Lord of love,

Many of the first Christians spoke about or wrote about love and encouraged the first churches to build their relationships on love.

We ask you to guide us to make love the most important thing in our school community so that we can become stronger friends and always be able to forgive each other.

Amen

Laying the Table


Week 5: Love Romans 13


The commandments … are summed up in the one command, “Love your neighbour as you love yourself.” If you love others, you will never do them wrong; to love, then, is to obey the whole Law.

You must do this, because you know that the time has come for you to wake up from your sleep. For the moment when we will be saved is closer now than it was when we first believed. The night is nearly over, day is almost here. Let us stop doing the things that belong to the dark, and let us take up weapons for fighting in the light.

Notes

The letter to the Romans was written by Paul to help the people in the church to understand how they can become stronger in their faith. Notice that this is really in two parts. Firstly, there is the commandment to ‘love your neighbour as you love yourself’, and the astonishing statement that to love, is to obey the whole law. This is followed by words that summarise the consequence of really following this love – it is a metaphor which picks up the very well known image of light taking away darkness.


Look in Luke Chapter 10 verse 27 - what else is included in this summary of the law? Why do you think that Luke’s version and the version above are different?

16

School Worship Bible Project Year 4 Remembrance and Advent (Christmas)Some things to do

Find out about different kinds of love. How many different ways of loving can you think of? Do we love friends in the same way as we love pets? When we say things like ‘I love that song’, what do we really mean?

You might like to look again at https://www.oxford.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/4-loves-notes.pdf

__________________________________________

17



School Worship Bible Project Year 4 Remembrance and Advent (Christmas)Week 6: Joy Philippians 4: 4-9

Bible Reading

May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord. I say it again: rejoice!

Show a gentle attitude toward everyone. The Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.

In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honourable. Put into practice what you learned and received from me, both from my words and from my actions. And the God who gives us peace will be with you.

Notes

This reading starts with joy and by the end it has worked its way though a number of Christian themes. These include gentleness, thankfulness, peace, goodness, and things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honourable.

This passage says a great deal about the expectation of the Christian life and about the things that Christians share. Paul created a number of lists like ‘noble, right, pure, lovely and honourable’ – the most famous being the list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians.

Another very important theme are the words ‘The Lord is coming soon’. The earliest Christians believed that Jesus would be returning to the world very soon. This gave them a great sense of urgency in everything that they did.

Values:

Compassion: this value can be very complicated, there is a wide range of ways of showing compassion – one of these is to ‘show a gentle attitude’ so that people feel comforted. Some other aspects of compassion might be thoughtfulness, peace and service. You may be able to think of more than this.

Peace: peace is a challenging value to understand. This can be seen in the number of wars and conflicts that are still going on in the world despite the number of treaties, accords and Nobel Peace Prizes. Peace in Christian terms is often seen as what happens when all the other values are working well, it is a wholeness or completeness which is summed up in the Old Testament word ‘shalom’. There is more on this in week 7.

Questions:

Why do you think that there are still so many wars and conflicts when people talk about peace so much?

How many ways can you think of to ‘show a gentle attitude’?

When do you need people to be gentle with you?

How do we learn to be gentle?

18


Week 6: JoyReflection

Let’s think together:

What brings joy?

(Gather ideas)

Do the same things bring joy to everyone?

Are there little joys and big joys?

Does making others joyful make us joyful? Why?

Prayer

God of joy,

It is often good to read of things that bring joy to people and we read that following the teachings of Jesus brought joy to the first Christians.

Help us to understand the things that Jesus taught so that in following them we too will find the same joy as the first disciples.

Amen

Laying the Table


Week 6: Joy Zechariah 9: 9, 16-17


Rejoice, rejoice, people of Zion! Shout for joy, you people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you!He comes triumphant and victorious, but humble and riding on a donkey— on a colt, the foal of a donkey …

… the LORD will save his people, as a shepherd saves his flock from danger.They will shine in his land like the jewels of a crown.How good and beautiful the land will be! The young people will grow strong on its grain and wine.

Notes

These words are from the Old Testament prophet Zechariah and have become very important for the Christian Church. The second part of the reading gives us a very positive picture of God the shepherd leading the people to good things. The first part of the reading is just as positive but for the Christian Church it also has a reminder that the story of Jesus is not just about the joy of a new baby but also the joy that comes out of Easter, the joy of resurrection and new life.

(Zion is really just another word for Jerusalem – it has nothing to do with modern day ‘Zionism’)


We have seen that there are differing kinds of love – do you think that there may be different kinds of joy too?

What is the difference, for instance, between the joy surrounding the birth of a child and the joy of welcoming a new king?

19

School Worship Bible Project Year 4 Remembrance and Advent (Christmas)Do you think that the joy of Mary and Joseph was the same as the joy of the disciples on Easter morning?

Some things to do

The early Christians thought that Jesus was coming back very soon. Do you think that it matters that Jesus has not come back? Why do you think that the first Christians might have hoped that Jesus would return (as a king) very soon?

_________________________________________________

20


Week 7: Peace Colossians 3: 12-17

Bible Reading

You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you. And to all these qualities add love, which binds all things together in perfect unity. The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make; for it is to this peace that God has called you together in the one body. And be thankful. Christ's message in all its richness must live in your hearts. Teach and instruct one another with all wisdom. Sing psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing to God with thanksgiving in your hearts.

Notes

Here we find a summary of the whole Christian message. It is the message that the first Christians were trying to share with the cities around the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The message is packed with what are often called Christian Values: compassion, kindness, gentleness, patience, tolerance, love, peace and more.In the end we find that it all comes together into what we might recognise as church, a place where people sing, give thanks and share Christ’s (Jesus’) message.

Values:

Reverence: all of the values that are found in this reading are ways of showing reverence to God, and at the same time showing reverence and care to everyone in the Church community. It is significant to note that in Christianity, reverence for others is very important.

Community: our reading shows us some of the things that join the Christian community together. The values are important because they do this but, on their own, they cannot achieve anything; it is the way that the community uses them and the passion and conviction that the members of the community work at them.

Peace: notice that of all the values in this passage it is peace that comes last, even after love. It is almost as if peace is what happens when all the other values are followed properly. This, as we have been noticing in this season is the idea of shalom (the Old Testament word for peace) in which peace is expressed as wholeness or completeness – when our values are all gathered together in the way that we behave and live together, then there is peace.

Questions

How would you tell other people about peace?

How many ‘Christian’ values can you think of? Which would you think is the most important?

What do we need to do to make the values come together to make the peace that the reading talks about?

What is the most peaceful thing that you can do?

21


Week 7: PeaceReflection

As Advent comes to an end let’s wonder together about peace.

Everywhere … righteousness and justice will be done. Because everyone will do what is right, there will be peace and security forever. Isaiah 32: 15-17

So … what comes first: peace or doing what is right?

Prayer

Lord of all good things,

The words of the first Christians show us many different values and qualities.

Help us to bring all of these together in our lives and in our school so that we can create a place of peace and help others to see that the message of Jesus really is one of peace for all.

Amen

Laying the Table


Week 7: Peace Ephesians 2: 14-18


Christ himself has brought us peace by making Jews and Gentiles one people. With his own body he broke down the wall that separated them and kept them enemies. 15 He abolished the Jewish Law with its commandments and rules, in order to create out of the two races one new people in union with himself, in this way making peace… by means of the cross he united both races into one body and brought them back to God. 17 So Christ came and preached the Good News of peace to all—to you Gentiles, who were far away from God, and to the Jews, who were near to him. 18 It is through Christ that all of us, Jews and Gentiles, are able to come in the one Spirit into the presence of the Father.

Notes

This is quite a ‘grown-up’ reading but it emphasises very clearly one of the main themes of this season – that the things that Jesus did and said were (are) intended to bring peace to everyone. To give some common ground so that this peace and prevail.Notice that the writer points out that all people are being brought ‘back’ to God. This takes us back to the very beginning when people were made in God’s image. Notice also that the things that were of importance (such as the law) are put into perspective and lose significance in the light of the peace that Jesus spoke of.


Do you think that the stories and other words of Jesus do give a ‘common ground’ for establishing peace?

Do you think that the church is successful in communicating this message of peace? If not, why not?

Some things to do

There have been many attempts to bring peace to the world. How might you begin to bring peace to

22

School Worship Bible Project Year 4 Remembrance and Advent (Christmas)the world?

Would this be through:

Politics? Charity? Direct action?

It could be a mixture of all of these – or you may be able to think of other ideas.________________________________________

23


Advent CeremoniesThese ceremonies form a sequence which leads through the season. They will complement the use of an Advent Crown (Wreath); in doing so they stick quite strictly to the Advent story (see introduction). The ceremonies involve the use of an Advent Crown or Wreath, so it may be appropriate for you to make one.

Instructions for the famous Blue Peter crown are available here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/bluepeter/makes/advent.pdf

There are many other possibilities, try: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/98657048058774629/?lp=true

You can replace traditional candles with one of the many battery powered ones that are now available. The ceremonies use the themes of column 2 of the table in the introduction.

In each ceremony there is a time to share hope, joy, love, peace. This is rather like the peace that is shared in church. There are various ways of doing this:

With a small group (class) it would be possible to pass a handshake or an object (see below*) round the whole group;

In a larger assembly it might be appropriate to pass a handshake (object) along each line (this is more difficult if your seating is in loose, informal groups);

It can be done as a simple response e.g. Hope be with you, and also with you. However this is less ceremonial.

*If you choose to pass an object then this can be chosen to be representative of the theme – for example card stars for the light of hope, hearts for love, musical notes for the song of joy and (of course!) a dove for peace.

There are further ideas for the peace here https://www.worshipworkshop.org.uk/resources/

Music (see introduction) can be played during the time of reflection and when sharing hope etc.

Hope

Hope, Love, Joy and Peace be with youAnd with us all

In our first ceremony we light a candle for the hope spoken by the prophets. Here are some of their words:(Light the candle as the words are spoken)

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.They lived in a land of shadows, but now light is shining on them.

24

https://www.worshipworkshop.org.uk/resources/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/98657048058774629/?lp=true

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/98657048058774629/?lp=true

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/bluepeter/makes/advent.pdf

School Worship Bible Project Year 4 Remembrance and Advent (Christmas)You have given them great joy, Lord; you have made them happy…A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler.He will be called, “Wonderful Counsellor,” “Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,” “Prince of Peace.”He will rule as King David's successor, from now until the end of time.

In a moment of quiet let’s think about hope, our own hopes and our hopes for our friends(Music if desired)

An Advent prayer

Lord, your love reaches the heavens; and your faithfulness reaches to the skies.People and animals are in your care.Your constant love is precious to us and we find protection under the shadow of your wings.Thank you for the plentiful food you provide; for your goodness and the goodness we find amongst our friends.Help us to see the guiding light that Jesus brought into the world when he was born in Bethlehem . (adapted from Psalm 36)

Share hope in one of the ways outlined in the introduction.(Music if desired)

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yoursnow and for ever. Amen.

May God, the source of hope, fill us all with joy, love and peace through our faith, so that our hope will continue to grow. Amen

_________________________

25


Love


(Light the candles in order as the words are spoken, hope candle first…)In our second ceremony we light a candle for the hope spoken by the prophets and a candle for the love shared among us.

“Listen now, my chosen people,I am the Lord who created you; from the time you were born, I have helped you.Do not be afraid; you are my servant, my chosen people whom I love.“I will give water to the thirsty land and make streams flow on the dry ground.I will pour out my spirit on your children and my blessing on your descendants.

In a moment of quiet let’s think about love, about who we love and who loves us.(Music if desired)

An Advent prayer


Share love in one of the ways outlined in the introduction.(Music if desired)

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptation

26

School Worship Bible Project Year 4 Remembrance and Advent (Christmas)but deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yoursnow and for ever. Amen.

May God, the source of love, fill us all with hope, joy, and peace through our faith, so that our love will continue to grow. Amen

________________________________

27


Joy


(Light the candles in order as the words are spoken, hope candle first…)In our third ceremony we light a candle for the hope spoken by the prophets, a candle for the love shared among us and a candle for the joy of sharing the good things that God gives us, especially joy at the coming of Jesus. John the Baptist was the last of the prophets who Mark says spoke of the advent of Christ in these words:

“God said, ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you to open the way for you.’Someone is shouting in the desert, ‘Get the road ready for the Lord; make a straight path for him to travel!’”

And other Old Testament words say…

“I will make a highway across the mountains and prepare a road for my people to travel.Sing, heavens! Shout for joy, earth! Let the mountains burst into song!The Lord will comfort his people; he will have pity on his suffering people. (Is 49:11, 13) In a moment of quiet let’s think about joy, what brings us joy and what brings joy to our friends.(Music if desired)

An Advent prayer


Share love in one of the ways outlined in the introduction.(Music if desired)

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,

28

School Worship Bible Project Year 4 Remembrance and Advent (Christmas)your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yoursnow and for ever. Amen.

May God, the source of love, fill us all with hope, joy, and peace through our faith, so that our love will continue to grow. Amen

______________________________

29


Peace


(Light the candles in order as the words are spoken, hope candle first…)In our fourth ceremony we light a candle for the hope spoken by the prophets, a candle for the love shared among us, a candle for the joy and a candle for peace, the peace of God, peace within us and peace across the world.

In the Christian faith the peace of God is seen in the life of Jesus who the Old Testament prophets spoke of in these words:

The spirit of the Lord will give him wisdom and the knowledge and skill to rule his people.He will rule his people with justice and integrity.Wolves and sheep will live together in peace, and leopards will lie down with young goats.Calves and lion cubs will feed together, and little children will take care of them.Cows and bears will eat together, and their calves and cubs will lie down in peace. (Isaiah 11:2, 5, 6-7)

In a moment of quiet let’s think about peace, peace in our own hearts and peace across the world(Music if desired)

An Advent prayer


Share peace in one of the ways outlined in the introduction.(Music if desired)

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.

30

School Worship Bible Project Year 4 Remembrance and Advent (Christmas)Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yoursnow and for ever. Amen.

May God, the source of peace, fill us all with hope, joy, and love through our faith, so that peace will continue to grow. Amen

___________________________________

31

diocese of oxford€¦ · web viewsin is a very difficult word in our culture, its mis-use and...

Documents