When We Celebrate. Summary of Today s Story

Transcription

1 Lessons from the Liturgical Calendar ALL SAINTS (November 1) On All Saints Sunday, you may teach a lesson on saints in place of or in addition to an Old Testament lesson. Summary of Today s Story A saint is a person who has found the presence of God in heaven. A saint is the ultimate example of the presence of Christ in human lives. Many saints are well known and are honored with special saints days in our Church calendar. You ll find a list of these saints on pages in the Calendar section of the Book of Common Prayer. Many more saints are unknown or overlooked, but are still saints of God. On All Saints Sunday, we remember and honor all of the holy ones of God, those of all ages and ways of life including those whose names are known only to God. When We Celebrate We celebrate All Saints Day on November 1st or the Sunday following that date. Key Concepts Saints Ordinary people Extraordinary deeds

2 2 Lessons from the liturgical calendar ALL SAINTS WEAVING GOD S PROMISES FOR YOUTH The Episcopal Thread On the Sunday closest to All Saints Day, Episcopal churches will ring out with the hymn For all the saints, who from their labors rest (#287, The Hymnal 1982, New York, NY: Church Publishing, 1985). All Saints Day is one of seven Principal Feasts observed in the Episcopal Church. The Book of Common Prayer states that, though the seven feasts take precedence of any other day or observance, All Saints Day may always be observed on the Sunday following November 1, in addition to its observance on the fixed date (BCP, p. 15). Gathering Check-In Invite group members to sit comfortably, giving them an opportunity to visit with each other, establish friendships and build community. Relationships are an important dimension of Christian formation, so a few minutes of visiting will enrich their spiritual development. This is also the perfect time to check in with your group members by asking them to share how they are feeling at the time or what kind of a week they had. matches cross Prayer Materials: small table with cloth to cover it taper candle or one pillar candle After all group members have a few minutes of fellowship time, gather them together for a simple opening prayer. Ask one of the members to light the candle(s) while saying these words from Psalm 119:105: Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Explain that you are inviting the light of God to be with all of you. (You might consider posting that reading in the meeting room). Invite the member who lit the candle to read this prayer, from page 250 of the Book of Common Prayer: Almighty God, by your Holy Spirit you have made us one with your saints in heaven and on earth: Grant that in our earthly pilgrimage we may always be supported by this fellowship of love and prayer, and know ourselves to be surrounded by their witness to your power and mercy. We ask this for the sake of Jesus Christ, in whom all our intercessions are acceptable through the Spirit, and who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. Telling the Story Set the scene: Once the group has settled in, ask members to share the names of and information about saints they know about. If your church has a patron saint after which it is named, tell his or her story. If you wish, read Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 44:1-15, a relevant passage for All Saints Day. This passage is beautiful and speaks to the lives of people we d consider ordinary, many of whom do extraordinary things every day of their lives. Choose a few different saints and read or tell their stories. (See page 7 in the Appendix for a list of books on saints. ) Don t forget to talk about the saints who are known only to God people we have known and loved who have done God s work of love and service in this world. Such unknown saints may include our own friends and family.

3 3 Lessons from the liturgical calendar ALL SAINTS WEAVING GOD S PROMISES FOR YOUTH Group members may think of the saints who are celebrated in the church, for example, St. Valentine, St. Nicholas and St. Patrick. They may also think of people in the Bible, for example, St. Paul and St. Stephen. And if they belong to a church with a patron saint, they may mention one of these, like St. Luke, St. Thomas or St. Mary Magdalene. You may want to come prepared to talk about the more familiar saints and who they are, for example, St. Nicholas and St. Valentine. Then move on to these questions: Why were these people known as saints? What makes them saints? (They followed God, did the right thing, loved other people, etc.) Are there people you know who have these qualities? Can you think of them as saints also, even though they are still alive? Another question that you might ask is: Are saints always well known? What about the woman who lived very poorly, in a little house, and who gave millions of dollars to charity when she died? What about the people who give a little each day to the poor, when nobody notices? Help the group to see that saints may be here with us on earth as well as dwelling in heaven.

4 4 Lessons from the liturgical calendar ALL SAINTS WEAVING GOD S PROMISES FOR YOUTH Activities: Arts, Crafts, Games, Drama, etc. Select one or more activities to supplement and enhance today s story. For each lesson, there are five suggested activities, one from each of the REACT categories. For a detailed explanation of REACT, see page 10 of the Background. All activities are meant to reinforce the concepts that were central to the day s lesson. Activities for This Week s Session Additional activity ideas can be found on pages 2-6 in the Appendix where we ve provided suggestions and directions for a variety of general activities (craft recipes, music, drama) that can be adapted to any lesson. Also included are outreach and service projects that can be done at any time.

5 5 Lessons from the liturgical calendar ALL SAINTS WEAVING GOD S PROMISES FOR YOUTH Weaving Our Faith Lesson Box Materials: 1 3" x 5" index card for the day s scribe pen or pencil a file box in which to store the cards Ask for a volunteer or assign a student to act as class scribe. Then, ask the group to articulate the most important lesson gleaned from the day s reading. As a prompt, you might ask: A saint is a sinner who keeps on trying. Agree or disagree. Once the group has agreed on its wording, ask the scribe to write the lesson on the card, date it and file it in the box. By the end of the year, you will have a wonderful and thorough summation of the lessons covered in the participants own words. Closing Prayer Before the group leaves, say a closing prayer to send them into the church worship service or back to their homes with God s love and blessing. The prayer can be very simple, or it can be a prayer that you and the group make up on the spot. The verses below come from the hymn We Sing of the Saints, (My Heart Sings Out, New York, NY: Church Publishing, 2005): There are many saints whom we don t know by name For God works through people who never find fame. But, gather together, they now sing God s might, With martyrs and prophets, in heavenly light. We, too, have been chosen to follow the way Of goodness and truth in our study and play. We raise up in song, living saints here below, With heavenly saints, as our praise ever flows. Amen.

6 PICK A CARD, ANY CARD: A CARD GAME ABOUT SAINTS Group members talk about the characteristics of saints, name saints they ve heard of and talk about people in their lives or community they feel are saintly. Materials: 1 or 2 decks of cards (you want to have an ample selection of cards) Directions: 1. Ask the group to sit in a circle. 2. Shuffle the cards well. Leave the jokers in the deck(s). 3. Explain that, one by one, each member will pull a card from the deck. The type of card pulled will determine the response given: If an even number, complete the statement: A saint is If an odd number, complete the statement: A saint is not If a picture/face card, name a saint you ve heard of. If an ace, name someone you know or have heard of who is, in your eyes, a saint. Explain why you feel this way. If a joker, name one of your personal qualities which you feel is saintly. 6 LessonS FROM THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR ALL SAINTS WEAVING GOD S PROMISES FOR YOUTH ACTIVITY

7 OF SYMBOLS AND SAINTS: A SCAVENGER HUNT Group members tour the church looking for pictures of saints and their symbols. Materials: copies of the Symbols and Saints worksheet (p. 8), 1 per group member pens or pencils Preparation: Make enough copies of the worksheet for the entire group. Make sure that the church will be available to your group at the time of the activity. Before conducting the activity, you might want to tour the church yourself and locate the saints likenesses. Directions: 1. Take a few minutes to explain to your group that, over the years, a variety of symbols has become commonly associated with certain saints. For example, the shamrock is usually associated with St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Tell the group that they will be on a scavenger hunt for saints and their symbols. 2. Hand out the worksheet and pens and pencils. 3. To make the game more fun, you might consider offering a prize to the person who locates as many saints on the list as possible. 4. When all have finished the task, bring them back to your meeting space to go over their search. 7 LessonS FROM THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR ALL SAINTS WEAVING GOD S PROMISES FOR YOUTH ACTIVITY

8 SYMBOLS AND SAINTS How many saints can you identify through symbols or emblems? Check the names of the saints you locate and make a note of where they are in the church. Look at all the art work and stained glass windows. Note: You will probably not find all of the saints listed below; however, you may find new ones in your church. Make note of any new ones you do find. SAINT St. Agnes lamb SYMBOL St. Ambrose bees, beehive, dove, or ox St. Andrew Saltire (St. Andrew s Cross blue field with white X) St. Catherine of Siena St. Cecilia St. Christopher St. Columba St. Daniel St. Francis of Assisi St. George St. John St. John the Baptist St. Joseph St. Luke the Evangelist St. Margaret of Scotland St. Mark St. Michael St. Nicholas St. Patrick St. Peter St. Thomas More cross, ring or lily organ, choir carrying child Jesus on shoulder ship lion wolf, birds, fish dragon, knight in armor eagle baptismal font carpentry, plane, purple robe brush and palette; ox reading lion scales, sword, dragon anchor, boat, child shamrock, harp rooster, keys, boat axe What other saints did you find? What were their symbols/emblems? 8 LessonS FROM THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR ALL SAINTS WEAVING GOD S PROMISES FOR YOUTH ACTIVITY CONTINUED

9 WHO DO YOU KNOW? LEARNING MORE ABOUT SAINTS AND DIVINES Group members will use the Book of Common Prayer to learn about the many people celebrated by the Episcopal Church as saints and divines. Note: You may choose to extend this activity by showing the movie, Amazing Grace, or by having the participants look up and talk about some of the people listed in the BCP (see Parts 2 and 3, below, both of which are optional). Materials: copies of the Book of Common Prayer computer(s) or tablet(s) with Internet access reference or other books with biographical information about DVD of the movie, Amazing Grace, the story of William Wilberforce (This movie is available free to churches and youth groups by going to ) Additional resources: To order a copy of Holy Women, Holy Men (New York, NY: Church Publishing, 2010), go to: churchpublishing.org/products/index.cfm?fuseaction=productdetail&productid=7399 Or, go to the following website for more information about saints: Preparation: Gather enough copies of the Book of Common Prayer for the group. Directions for Part 1: 1. Hand out copies of the Book of Common Prayer, one to each group member. 2. Explain that, on pages 19-30, are the names of all major and minor feast days celebrated in the Episcopal Church. 3. Also listed are the names of saints and divines. Ask members to scan the pages and call out the names of any they recognize. 9 LessonS FROM THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR ALL SAINTS WEAVING GOD S PROMISES FOR YOUTH ACTIVITY

10 4. Call group members attention to the following dates and names of more contemporary saints and divines: January 15: Martin Luther King, Jr. March 17: St. Patrick July 20: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Amelia Bloomer, Sojourner Truth and Harriet Ross Tubman July 30: William Wilberforce August 12: Florence Nightingale November 28: Kamehameha and Emma, King and Queen of Hawaii 5. Discuss: What do you know about the person you named? Why do you think he/she was added to this list? What made him/her so worthy of this honor? Which of the more contemporary people do you recognize? What can you tell us about his/her life? Directions for Part 2: 1. Tell the participants to choose one person from the list on pages of the Book of Common Prayer to research. They may work alone or in pairs. 2. Encourage members to use any available resources to them to find a few interesting facts about the people they chose. Directions for Part 3: 1. Show the move, Amazing Grace, the story of William Wilberforce and his role as the founder of the abolitionist movement in England. 2. Once the movie has finished, take some time to talk with the group about what Wilberforce accomplished, how he changed society and why he is now revered as a divine by the church. 10 LessonS FROM THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR ALL SAINTS WEAVING GOD S PROMISES FOR YOUTH ACTIVITY CONTINUED

11 CLOSE TO MY HEART: MY SAINT MY SELF Participants create pendants of clay on which they will inscribe the names and qualities of their chosen patron saints. Materials: clay (oven-bake) or Scupley Clay plastic mats plastic knives toothpicks thin leather cord scissors fine point permanent markers, assorted colors cookie sheets (for baking pendants) rolling pins optional: hairspray copies of the Book of Common Prayer (or other books about saints) Preparation: Preheat the oven to 275. Invite group members to select a saint they would like to have as a personal patron saint. Use the Book of Common Prayer or a book of saints for research. See page 7 in the Appendix for three excellent books about saints. Directions for creating pendants: 1. Once you have selected a saint, start working on your pendant. 2. Make sure there are no air bubbles in the clay by kneading it before shaping the pendant. 3. Make it at least 2 inches in diameter, ¼ inch thick (for best baking results). 4. The pendant may be any shape desired: square, round, oval, etc. 5. Be sure to poke a hole near the top of the pendant large enough for the cording. 6. Once the pendants have been formed, place them on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. 7. Allow the pendants to cool completely. (Note: you may have to wait until the next session to complete the pendants, as clay holds heat for a while.) 8. Once the pendant is completely cooled, write his/her name on one side of the pendant. Embellish it, if you wish, with a symbol or emblem that represents the saint. 11 LessonS FROM THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR ALL SAINTS WEAVING GOD S PROMISES FOR YOUTH CRAFT

12 9. On the back of the pendant, write three words to describe his/her most noble or important qualities (for example, bravery, love, patience, fairness, compassion, etc.). 10. Once the ink has thoroughly dried, spray the pendant in a well ventilated area with hairspray. Allow it to dry, and apply another coat. This will protect the pendant from chipping and fading. 11. Once the pendant is dry, cut a length of leather cording. Pass it through the hole in the pendant and tie the two ends securely. Note: The group might choose to make additional pendants to sell to raise money for an outreach activity. 12 LessonS FROM THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR ALL SAINTS WEAVING GOD S PROMISES FOR YOUTH CRAFT CONTINUED