Religion 7

Body Biography

• In this activity, you will be creating a body biography of yourself that identifies your personal gifts, talents, personality traits and goals.
• In doing so, you should spend some time truly thinking about who you are.
• Follow the directions provided for your body biography.

Body Biography

• On a piece of provided paper, create a body representation of yourself (it can be a stick figure!!!)

• Heart (3) - Identify three of your personal gifts (the ability to teach, the ability to help those in need, the ability to see things from other people's perspective...)

• Hands (3) - Identify three of your talents (hockey, math, dance...)

• Head (3) - Identify three of your personality traits (confident, humorous, intelligent...)

• Feet (3) - Identify three of your goals (university, a sports team, grades...)

What does it mean to be normal?

Create an Ingredient List of Someone who is Normal

5 Ingredients!

EXAMPLE:

1 Cup of 75% Average Marks

1 Teaspoon of 5'7 Height

Read Story in Textbook

No one is normal - God made us all unique and perfect.

Now...

Create an ingredient list of YOU! What makes you who you are?

7 Ingredients!

How does this quote relate to the idea of being "normal?"

What Makes Us Who We Are?

What are our aspects of "self"?

Come up with what you think four "aspects of self" could be.

For each category, describe three ways you would describe yourself in regards to that aspect of self.

Ex) I attend church to enrich my spiritual self.

God wants us to be whole...

We should always be improving our aspects of self to make us better servants of God.

Self-Care Checklist - How we develop and look after each aspects of self?

"I have come so that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

—John 10:10

• "More abundantly" means to have a superabundance of a thing. John talks about us developing our ‘whole’ self.

• "Abundant life" refers to life in its abounding fullness of joy and strength for mind, body, and soul.

Partner Poster Project:

Create posters that represent Living Life Abundantly.

Be sure to represent all of the following topics and include an example of how to ‘nourish’ that aspect of being whole:

• Developing your mind
• Learning to make good decisions
• Expressing emotions in a healthy way
• Taking care of your body
• Building strong relationships
• Developing your spiritual sense
• Accepting your limits

The Bible:

The Bible is not a history book, even though it contains much history! The Bible was created to help people understand God and their relationship with God.

When we study the Bible, it is important not only to know something of the original context in which events occurred, but also to consider similar events that continue to occur.

We must realize that the biblical story is our story.

The Bible: our story

The word “bible” means “the books.”

It is like a small library of books in one:

• Written by many different people who were guided by God’s spirit.
• Divided into 2 major parts:

Old Testament

Scripture from before Jesus’ was born.

Made up of mostly Hebrew Scriptures.

In them we find the story of God’s love for the Hebrew people (Israelites/Jews).

Were written over a thousand years ago and are the basis of the Jewish faith.

What Jesus, the Apostles, and many other Christians were taught from.

New Testament

The story of Jesus.

Also the stories of early followers of Jesus and how the Holy Spirit formed them into the people of God – Church.

The oldest book in the New Testament was written around the year 51 (about 21 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus).

The other books were written over the next 60 years!

Locating Passages in the Bible:

“2 Timothy 3:16”

“2 Timothy” refers to the specific book

“3” refers to the chapter

“16” refers to the verse

Try to locate these passages:

Luke 15: 8-10

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Books of the bible:

Working with your group, unscramble the titles of the books of the Bible!

Belief VS Trust

“Belief” is a noun which means: (a) an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists or (b) something one accepts as true or real; a firmly held opinion or conviction.

On the other hand, “trust” can either be a noun or verb. As a noun, “trust” means “a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.”

Belief VS Trust

We can say that “trust” holds a greater meaning than “belief.”

You can easily say to someone that you believe him, but when you need to say that you trust him, it needs a deeper consideration.

“Belief” is the product of the mind, while “trust” is the product of both the mind and heart.

Belief VS Trust

Without believing, you cannot reach the stage of trust.

Belief is already halfway to trust.

Consider this...

We can display our belief and trust in dire situations. For example, the plane you are riding in will soon crash to the ground. You have a way to save yourself from dying – and that is to jump and release your parachute. For all of your life, you have believed that a parachute can save someone’s life when faced during this kind of situation. You have believed that a parachute can make you safely land. You have believed that a parachute can lessen the impact of your landing, preventing you from crushing your body. You have always believed that, but you are afraid of jumping. In this particular example, there is no display of trust.

For you to exhibit your trust in the equipment that could save your life, you should go ahead and jump and release it. But if you will just remain there standing and scared, your belief is not great enough to reach the stage of trust. See the differences between “belief” and “trust”? All it takes to believe is to say it; but all it takes to trust is to do it.

Belief VS Trust

Belief is saying, "I think they will catch me."

Trust is jumping.

Can you TRUST someone? - Draw a Twin

Divide the class into pairs. Each member of the team needs a piece of paper and pen/pencil Have one member draw a picture without letting their partner see. When they’re finished, it’s the partner’s turn to draw the same picture with instructions from their teammate.

The teammate must use clues to help their partner draw the same picture, without sharing exactly what it is. Then the team can compare its drawings.

Sarah and Abraham

Personal Reflection

Chapter 2 of God’s story opens with God calling Abram to make the sacrifice of leaving a comfortable life: homeland, friends, family and steady income.

Describe an experience where you had to trust someone without knowing the outcome. What happened? Was your trust rewarded, or broken?

Where can we see examples of covenants in society today?

• Marriage

• A promise you make to your parents

• A promise you make to a friend

• Your word

Prince of Egypt

After we watch the Prince of Egypt Movie, each student will be retelling the story in comic form.

• Everyone will receive a comic template, but not all will be the same.
• Your job is to retell the story with the most important parts present within your comic.

See rubric of Google Classroom.

St. Teresa’s Prayer of Trust

May today there be peace within.

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be content knowing you are a child of God.

Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one of us.

Supplication Prayer

• Prayer is a way we display our trust in God.
• Sometimes, we ask for God's help in a prayer.
• This type of prayer is called Supplication.

Supplication comes from the Latin verb supplicare, which means "to plead humbly."

Mandela Creator

• Each student is going to create a Mandela and print it off.

• Once it is printed off, students will write a prayer about Trusting God in the middle.

• Then students will color in their Mandela for display.

HAVE FUN WITH THIS!

All Saints Day

How does one become a Saint?

Feast Days and Patron Saints

The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint.

If you have a problem, you can pray to the Patron Saint of that issue. For example, Saint Anthony is the Patron Saint of Lost Things.

St. Edmund Patron Saint of Kings

What IS Love?

How does today’s media depict love?

How is love understood and lived out in our society?

How does our understanding of love, as we are influenced by the world, affect our experience of God’s love?

What is Love?

Write down your definition of LOVE!

What is LOVE???

Who are the people in your life that you have difficulty loving?

Why is this?

Who Loves Us Unconditionally?

Fruit of the Spirit

What does the BIBLE tell us love is?

Complete the following reflection using the passage...

Ask yourself: Do I love like the Bible tell me to?

Remember...

• When you feel alone, you can turn to God in prayer and he will comfort you.
• Prayer is a conversation with God.
• We can tell him things, thank him for things and ask him for things.
• We can listen to him by reading the Bible, by sitting still, and by watching and listening to the world he has made.
• We can also pray traditional prayers like the “Our Father,” the “Hail Mary,” etc.
• There is no “right” way to pray.

Write a prayer for parents.

Add illustrations and decorate.

Covenant

Ten Commandments

Brainstorm at your table as many of the 10 Commandments that you can think of...

Ten Commandments

1. I am the LORD your God: you shall not have strange gods before me.

2. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

3. Remember to keep holy the LORD’s Day.

4. Honor your father and mother.

5. You shall not kill.

6. You shall not commit adultery.

7. You shall not steal.

8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

Rewrite the Commandments

Rewrite the Ten Commandments.

The idea is to SIMPLIFY the Ten Commandments.

Change YOU SHALL, to YOU SHALL NOT and vice versa.

Authority

God's Authority

When God created the universe, He established a principle to govern it—the principle of authority. God Himself was the highest authority. Under God were the archangels and under the archangels were many other angels. When man was created, he too was under God's authority.

Authority means the right to rule and the right to be obeyed. All authority belongs to God because He is the Creator of all things. The hosts of heaven worship Him saying,

"You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, And by your will they exist and were created." Revelation 4:11

The Rebellion of the Angels

Among the angels which God created was the archangel Lucifer. He was head over all the angels. He was the most beautiful, the most powerful, and the wisest angel ever created.

Satan rebelled against God. He was not content with being the highest of all the angels. He wanted to take God's place.

He said in his heart, "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation…I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." Isaiah 14:13-14

Lucifer's rebellion was against God's authority. He sought to take God's place. As a result of his rebellion, he became Satan, the enemy of God and the enemy of man. One third of the angels of heaven followed Satan in his rebellion against God. These fallen angels are called "demons" or "evil spirits."

Satan, along with the fallen angels, set up a kingdom opposed to God and His kingdom. Ever since that time, there have been two kingdoms in the universe—the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan.

Prior to Satan's revolt, every created being lived by the principle of obedience to God's authority. But Satan introduced another principle, the principle of rebellion. Rebellion is a heart attitude toward God which says, "I will do what I want to do. I will not obey You."

The Rebellion of Man

Adam and Eve: By the rebellion of Adam, sin entered the world. Adam passed his rebellious nature on to his children and to the whole world. Thereafter, rebellion became a principle in the heart of man. The Bible says, "We have turned every one to his own way." (Isaiah 53:6)

Later, God chose Abraham to be the head of a race of people who would be called God's people. God wanted a people who would be obedient to Him in the midst of the rebellious human race.

Abraham's descendants became the nation of Israel, God's chosen people. It was God's purpose that His people be obedient to Him and establish His authority on the earth. God intended that, through the nation of Israel, all the people on earth would come to know Him.

But the people of Israel were disobedient and rebellious. God had to chasten them many times. Eventually God allowed their nation to be destroyed because of their continued disobedience. Those who were not killed were taken as slaves and dispersed throughout the world.

The Obedience of the Son

God created angels, and many of them rebelled against Him. He created man, and man rebelled against Him. He chose the nation of Israel to be His people, but the people of Israel rebelled against Him.

Then, in the fulness of time, God sent His Son into the world. We know that the Lord Jesus came to die for our sins, but He also came to reestablish the principle of obedience to God. Jesus said,

"For I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." John 6:38

Two Principles in the World

Let us recognize that today there are these two principles in the world:

1) The principle of rebellion, which is the principle of Satan.

2) The principle of obedience, which is the principle of Christ.

Every person lives his life by one or the other of these two principles.

People who have authority may be role models to others.

These authoritative figures can be obedient or rebellious to God's ideals.

Are there good and bad uses of authority in our world?

Examples?

Good Uses of Authority

Authority can be used for good and for evil.

In this project, you are going to be researching someone who used their authority or their power for good.

Authority Poster

Using Google Drawings, you will do a short biography of the person you have chosen.

Your poster must include:

• Three images of your figure. (3 marks)
• Three examples of them using the power for good. (3 marks)
• Three ways this person inspires you. (3 marks)
• Visual appeal of poster. (1 mark)

Advent

Advent is a time for us to reflect on how we are contributing to society,

ARE WE DOING ENOUGH?

What is Advent specifically?

The Three Comings of Christ

1) Jesus' Birth - God sent his only Son to be our Savior. Jesus is a sign of God's love and He teaches us how to follow his will.

2) Jesus' Presence in the Church and Our Lives Today - Jesus comes to us in the present day through the sacraments, the Word of God, prayer, one another, and the Church.

3) Jesus' Coming in Glory at the End of Time - At the end of time, Jesus will come again. He gives us hope because our sins can be forgiven and we will be united with God in heaven.

Jesus Will Come Again

God's Word tells us that Jesus will come again to judge humanity on how we lived and loved each other.

When Jesus returns, He will judge us on how each of us cared for each other, especially those in need.

Advent reminds us that Jesus is coming back, just as He came the first time.

During Advent, we should be especially mindful on how we treat others.

Matthew 25: 31–46

Teacher: A reading from Teacher: A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.

Response: Glory to you, O Lord.

Teacher: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Response: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

Matthew 25: 31–46

What does this passage tell us that we need to do to enter eternal life?

What does Jesus mean when He says

“…just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me”?

Corporal Works of Mercy

The actions that Jesus is asking us to perform are called the Corporal Works of Mercy.

The word corporal means “relating to the body.” The Works of Mercy Jesus describes take care of one’s physical needs.

Corporal Works...

For each corporal work, brainstorm 3 things you can actually do to help fulfill the want of Jesus.

Spiritual Works of Mercy

Genesis 1.1-2.4

https://www.biblica.com/bible/niv/genesis/1/

What did God create?

How did God ask us to care for the world?

The World That God Made - pg. 74

Wall.E Pre-Viewing Questions

Should we be concerned about the condition of the Earth? Why or why not?

How has life and society changed in the last 100 years?

What has enabled so much change to occur in such a short time?

Do you think technology is a curse or a cure for Canadian Society?

How might life and American Society change in the future – the next 100 years?

With the way in which our technology is ever increasing, could you envision a future in which robots and machines perform many of the activities currently done by man?

Do you think life would be better or worse if we had robots and machines to perform everyday tasks?

Design a Robot

Choose one of the ways humans have destroyed the earth and design a robot that could fix this problem.

Include three specific characteristics or functions of the robot that will help to clean up the mess we made.

Wall-E Assignment

The story of Wall-e is very similar to the story of Noah's Arc.

Using the graphic organizer, compare the two stories.

Try to consider the similarities of the story. Which characters match up with each other?

What is the underlying theme of the two stories?

What do both stories teach us about protecting our earth and obeying God's wishes for us?

Human Dignity

“Our God-given dignity as human persons with human rights comes from having been created by God and being capable of knowing, loving and glorifying God, unlike all other earthly creatures.”

Each person is created in the image of God. The inherent dignity of the human person which comes from God, and the right to have that dignity respected from conception to natural death, is at the core of all moral and social teachings which are rooted in scripture and the teachings and traditions of our Catholic faith.

Card Activity

Each of your are going to get a card.

Hold the card above your forehead. Walk around the room interacting with students. The higher the card they have, the more you want to be their friend. If they have a small card, you do not want to associate with them.

You are NOT to say anything MEAN! If someone has a low card, simply walk away.

Reflection

How was this activity for you? What are some feelings you experienced?

How were you aware of your ‘position’ compared to others?

Did you want to quit and look at your card? When?

Did you seek out the high cards? Did others seek you out? How did this make you feel?

On what basis were you judging and being judged?

In what ways is this like the world we live in?

Did you get a lot of attention? What was it like?

Did you get very little attention? What was it like?

If you had a choice, would you like more or less attention from others?

What are some good/bad ways we get attention from others?

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

- Genesis

What can we infer from this quote about inclusion?

The Face of Inclusion

The human face is the clearest reflection of God’s presence in the world.

The Bible continually refers to God's face as our face and how we all live in God's image.

It is our responsibility to live up to this face and to treat others with the same dignity that God would.

What are some names of Jesus?

Complete the following sheet by researching Jesus' various names and finding scripture references where He is called by this name.

On A Sheet of Paper... Reflect

What expectations are there of you in school? (In the classroom, at recess, in the lunchroom)

Who holds you accountable for these actions?

Reflection

Think about an attitude or behavior that you have witnessed in school that you believe Jesus would challenge.

Explain the story as to what happened.

Explain how you felt in that moment.

Explain why you did not act to change the behavior or challenge the attitude of that person.

Explain what you will do next time if you see the same behavior.

Textbook

Read “I Believe” page 99

 Discuss: How has Jesus shaped your life or the lives of people you know?

Believing in God

This song talks about how most people only talk to/believe in God when bad things are happening...

No one laughs at God in a hospital

No one laughs at God in a war

No one's laughing at God

When they're starving or freezing or so very poor

No one laughs at God

When the doctor calls after some routine tests

No one's laughing at God

When it's gotten real late

And their kid's not back from the party yet

No one laughs at God

When their airplane start to uncontrollably shake

No one's laughing at God

When they see the one they love, hand in hand with someone else

And they hope that they're mistaken

No one laughs at God

When the cops knock on their door

And they say we got some bad news, sir

No one's laughing at God

When there's a famine or fire or flood

We Encounter Jesus Everyday

Most times in our lives, we will only pray to God when we are struggling... However, Jesus is with us everyday.

Every time something good happens, Jesus is there. It is because of Jesus that we can experience moments of faith, joy, peace, and hope.

Write about a time you experienced joy.

Write about a time you experienced faith.

Write about a time you experienced hope.

Write about a time you experienced peace.

Encounters with Jesus

Reflect on these moments in your life that have filled you with love, joy, faith, hope or peace.

Select 3 of these moments and depict them in art, poetry or song using the title “Encounters with Jesus”

Which image or images represent the Kingdom of God?

What is the Kingdom of God?

What do you picture when you think about a Kingdom?

The Kingdom of God

Unlike a physical kingdom where a king or a queen rules over a group of citizens, the Kingdom of God is not a physical place on earth – you cannot draw a map of it or visit it for holidays.

The Kingdom of God is the domain over which God reigns as King. So wherever God is ‘in charge’, that’s where his kingdom is.

So ALL of these images can be representative of the Kingdom of God.

So... If the Kingdom of God is here on Earth, are we all a part of the Kingdom?

Discuss at your tables!

Not Exactly!

Yes - we can all be a part of the Kingdom of God, but we must live a certain way in order to do so.

Jesus taught that to enter the Kingdom of God, people must not follow their own ways, which are often self-centered, but live a life with God in control.

How to Build the Kingdom of God

We help build the kingdom of God by living righteously.

This means, we look to the teachings from the Bible to help guide us toward appropriate behavior.

When we act justly and righteously, we help build the Kingdom of God here on Earth.

The Kingdom of God IS...

1) A place where God Reigns over All Things.

2) A place where God has expectations for us: follow the 10 Commandments.

3) A place that we choose to enter - God invites EVERYONE, it is up to us to accept.

4) A place that requires Belief and Repentance. To be in the Kingdom, we must believe in God and ask for forgiveness for our sins.

5) Mysterious. We will not always get answers from God, but we must always trust Him in order to live within His Kingdom.

The Kingdom of God Travel Brochure

In this project, you are going to create an travel brochure that encourages others to join the Kingdom of God.

Using Adobe Spark, you will complete a brochure that demonstrates your understanding of the Kingdom of God.

Include three pictures somewhere on your Brochure!

What Do I Need to be Happy?

What Society Tells Me

Society tells us...

Society often tells us that we need THINGS to be happy.

We need a nice house, the newest technology, the nicest clothing, etc.

However, this is not what the Bible tells us.

Using the Beatitudes on the screen, try to work out what the Bible tells us we need to be happy and to find happiness on Earth.

What Do I Need to be Happy?

What the Beatitudes Tell Me

What Society Tells Me

For each Beatitude, write down what you think they mean.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

What this looks like:

• Someone prays every day, but always offers prays for others and not him or herself.
• A person gives up all of his or her free time in order to volunteer.
• A family works to ensure that God is part of their daily lives.

"Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

What this look like:

• The families and friends of the victims of 9-11 are in despair, but the Lord shall provide for them, whether now or in the future.
• A person loses a very close family member. God provides for that person by allowing them to reunite in the hereafter.

What this look like:

• One individual feeds a homeless individual.
• Groups of people anonymously leave clothing for a clothes drive.
• A person humbles him or herself before God in prayer.

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they shall be satisfied."

What this look like:

• Volunteers peacefully march against an unjust law.
• A student stands up for an individual who is being bullied, teased, and thereby tormented.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."

What this look like:

• A child forgives someone who hurt him or her at school.
• Anytime someone truly forgives another, mercy is shown.

"Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God."

What this look like:

• An individual reads the Bible, completely opening his or her heart to the message.
• Children play together at a park with no bias or prejudice of one another.
• A person completes a good act without expecting a reward in return.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called

children of God."

What this look like:

• Leaders of countries work towards and bring about peace.
• Two old friends decide to let go of a grudge.
• Family members who have not spoken in 35 years reunite with each other.

"Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

What this look like:

• Someone is mocked for standing up for an individual that others do not like.
• A person states that he or she is a Christian, even though the individual knows that there will be consequences.

In this section, we have been learning about ways we can live our lives accordingly to enter the Kingdom of God. Last class, we were discussing the Beatitudes as a way to help guide our lives toward moral behavior.

Jesus also used Parables as a way to help guide behavior.

A Parable is a story that uses metaphors based on daily life to convey religious truths.

Comes from the Greek word parabole, meaning “comparison.”

What are the common or core elements of Jesus’ parables?

•Compare things.

•Use elements from everyday life to relate to audience.

•Contain a surprise twist to engage audience.

•Describe God—God’s nature, qualities, or attributes.

•Give examples of people’s relationships with one

another.

•Explain how God wants people to act, especially if they want to be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven.

•Describe the Kingdom.

Importance of Parables

•They describe God.

•They describe God’s Kingdom.

•They are an invitation to enter into the Kingdom of God.

•They describe how God wants people to act,

especially if they want to be a part of the Kingdom.

•They are mirrors for people to see their behavior, especially what they need to change.

•They are a concrete reality that confronts people with the choice to examine their priorities and make difficult choices.

Interpreting a Parable

A Parable is not LITERAL! It is not a REAL story that Jesus is telling.

Instead, he is telling a story that is simply intended to prove a point or teach a lesson...

We are going to practice reading BETWEEN the lines of Jesus' parables.

The Sower - What does it mean?

“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Sower

Who does the Sower represent?

What do the seeds represent?

Who are the thorns in our lives?

The Sower

Seed on the Path represents someone who hears God's word but doesn't believe it. They never plant the seeds of faith.

Seeds on rocky soil represent someone who plants seeds of faith, but when times get difficult, they no longer believe. Their faith does not have strong enough roots to withstand hardship.

Seeds in thorns represent someone's faith that is tested by non-believers. When we grow up in an environment where no one else believes, it is very difficult for us to grow our faith.

Seeds in good soil represent someone who plants their faith in a place where they know it will grow. They attend church, pray, etc.

The Sower is US!

The seeds are our FAITH!

The thorns are non-believers!

Parable of the Lost Son

Read the parable of the Lost Son and try to decipher the message Jesus was trying to teach.

Answer the questions on the back of the sheet provided.

What Does it Feel Like to be Picked On?

How does it feel when someone makes fun of you?

Threatens you?

Bullies you?

Insults you?

Jesus' Last Days

Jesus was picked on during his finals days on earth. He was bullied, beat up, laughed at, spat on, etc. The people of Jerusalem turned on him and had him crucified.

When Jesus rose from the dead, he greeted his Apostles and asked them to carry on his teachings.

This Glorious Mystery is called the Pentacost.

Pentecost

The Christian holy day of Pentecost, which is celebrated on the seventh Sunday after Easter, commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1–31). In Christian tradition, this event represents the birth of the early Church.

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit down on the Apostles to give them the strength and power to carry on the teachings that He had taught them.

Who were the Apostles and why would they perhaps NOT want to continue to preach Jesus' teachings?

Pentecost

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

What power did the Holy Spirit give the Apostles?

Why would this have been useful in spreading Jesus' teachings?

Jesus' Commandment

Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

In these last two verses of Matthew, Jesus instructs His disciples to carry on the work He began in Israel. They are to go throughout the world, sharing the word of God to “all nations” and spreading the truth of His good works so that everyone may know. The last phrase, “I am with you always, to the end of the age,” can be tremendously comforting to God’s people. No matter where He leads us, we will never have to doubt that His presence is with us.

Sacrifice

The Apostles had to sacrifice many things to spread God's word.

They were arrested, beaten, and even killed for continuing to preach the word of God, but they all continued, nonetheless.

As a result of their hard work, Christianity still exists today with over 2.18 billion followers.

Apostles Project

They were not the kind of group you might have expected Jesus to send forth on his mission to reach the world. There was nothing special or spectacular about them. The twelve apostles were just ordinary working men. But Jesus formed them into the backbone of the church and gave them the most extraordinary task imaginable: calling the entire world, including the mightiest empire ever known, to repentance and faith in the risen Christ.

Your job is to research an Apostle to understand the sacrifices they made in their life for Jesus.

classroom.google.com

Where do we find hope?

“Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all.”

- Emily Dickenson

What is Hope?

The word “hope” in everyday English vocabulary is usually different from the idea of certainty. Typically when people use the word hope they mean, “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I hope it happens.”

Then again, when you read the word “hope” in the Bible (like in 1 Peter 1:13—”set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ”), hope is not wishful thinking. It is a certainty of things to come, a confidence that God keeps all of his promises. Therefore, hope and faith overlap; hope is faith in the future tense.

Hope

Often we put our hope in things that fail us. We hope our marriage lasts, but it doesn’t. We hope our job lasts, but it doesn’t. We hope our health lasts, but it doesn’t. We think we can control those things, but when we cannot, and they fail us, we lose hope. We trust in things that fail us.

But God has said, “not to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17). True hope, the kind that does not fail, only comes from God. God is always good and He keeps his promises.

Hope

There is a story of an old sailor who looked at the skies and saw a dark storm coming. As the sea became rough and choppy, the old salt calmly lowered the heavy-chained anchor link by link, battened down the hatches and went to bed for the night.

He knew the storm would be rough. But he had faith in the grasp of the anchor. He knew his boat would be there in the morning.

As a follower of Christ, we too have an anchor called hope that helps us weather the storms of life. In fact, the Bible describes this hope “… as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19).

True hope is found in Jesus. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, or what you have done, God loves you and He wants you to know him. God has a plan for your life, a plan, “not to harm you but to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Hope Collage

Sometimes, it is going to feel impossible to find hope. You must remember the things that bring you joy and look for signs that everything will be okay. You must trust God's path for you and understand that He will take care of your burdens.

In this assignment, you are going to create a collage of images that you believe represent hope for YOU! Think of symbols, signs and images that make you feel calm and trusting in God.

Please do this project on the Google Classroom by creating a DRAWING on the assignment!