A trail and workbook for pupils

Transcription

1 Schools & Families Department A trail and workbook for pupils For Upper KS2 and above

2 2 Contents Introduction 2 Map of the Cathedral Floor & West End of Crypt 3 Section A The Birth of Jesus 4 Section B The Childhood of Jesus 5 Section C The Baptism of Jesus 6 Section D The Adult Life and Ministry of Jesus 8 Section E The End of Jesus Life 10 Section F The Arrest, Trial and Crucifixion 11 Section G The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus 13 Section H Christian Living: Life after Death 14 Section I Christian Living: Following Jesus 16 Introduction Welcome! There has been a Cathedral on this site since 604 CE. Daily Christian worship has taken place here for over 1400 years. Worship means to show how much something is worth to you and this magnificent building was built to demonstrate the glory of God and to remind Christians of how special God is. As you look around the building and follow this trail, you may wish to think about how Jesus, born 2000 years ago, is still having an impact on the lives of millions of people across the world today! Enjoy this amazing place. PLEASE MOVE AROUND QUIETLY AND RESPECTFULLY.

3 3 Cathedral Floor Map of the Crypt & Cathedral Floor A A Stairs Stairs I Stairs F E G Stairs Crypt G B H D D Stairs Stairs C Main Entrance N.B. The letters on the maps match the different sections in this booklet that are in alphabetical order.

4 4 SECTION A: The Birth of Jesus Henry Moore s Mother and Child Sculpture (in the South side aisle/east end) The Gospel story in the New Testament tells how Jesus was born in Bethlehem in what is now Palestine. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but it is estimated at about 4 BCE. The story tells us that a woman called Mary gave birth to Jesus and that he was born in a stable. Christians believe that this was made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit. Why do you think the artist has used this style to represent the mother and child? Does it remind you of Mary and Jesus? What is it made of? Do you like this style of sculpture or would you prefer a more realistic representation of Mary and baby Jesus? The American Memorial Chapel stained glass window (at the East end behind the High Altar) Look carefully at the left-hand stained glass window in here. At the bottom is Mary with the baby Jesus on her knee. She is receiving gifts from the Magi (wise men). The table below tells you what they were:- Gold Frankincense Myrrh A precious metal that is very expensive to buy. A special gift for a king. Lots of jewellery and objects are made from gold. A sticky resin from trees that grow in hot countries. When mixed with perfume and burned on hot charcoal it gives off a lovely smell. It has been burned during worship for thousands of years. A bitter smelling perfumed ointment. In past times it was often used to embalm dead bodies before they were buried.

5 5 SECTION B: The Childhood of Jesus The Gospels in the New Testament do not tell us much about the growing up, childhood years of Jesus. We know that Joseph was a carpenter and a Jew. Maybe Jesus spent time in his workshop when he was a boy. He would also be taken to the Jewish temple to worship God. This is a wooden sculpture of the Crib scene that comes into the Cathedral during Advent as we prepare for Christmas. Do you think Mary would have looked like this? This is one story in the New Testament about what happened when Jesus was twelve years old. He went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem with Mary and Joseph: Every year Jesus parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they travelled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men. Luke 2:49-52 (New International Version) What does this story tell us about the character and abilities of Jesus at that age? How do you think Mary felt when she saw and heard Jesus teaching in the temple?

6 6 SECTION C: The Baptism of Jesus Baptism The Font Jesus was baptised in the river Jordan by his cousin John the Baptist. This marked the beginning of his ministry (work for God). He was about thirty years old. Christians are still baptised today in churches all over the world. It marks the start of a person s journey of faith, as a follower of Jesus. Water is poured over the person s head and he/she is marked with the sign of the cross on their forehead to show that all that separates them from God s love has been washed away. Now they are starting a new journey with Jesus. Why do you think the font is near the main doors in Christian churches and cathedrals? What does this symbolise? Why is water so precious in our lives? Can you think of ways that water is used in other world faiths? During the Baptism service, parents are godparents make special promises on behalf of themselves and the baby. If a child is older or the person is a grown up they make these promises themselve: Do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God? I reject them. Do you renounce the deceit and corruption of evil? I renounce them. Do you repent of the sins that separate us from God and our neighbours? I repent of them. Do you turn to Christ as Saviour? I turn to Christ. Do you submit to Christ as Lord? I submit to Christ. Do you come to Christ, the way, the truth and the life? I come to Christ.

7 7 Do you think it is right for parents and godparents to make promises about faith and life-style on behalf of the baby, or should the decision be up to the individual when he or she is old enough? Baptism is a sacrament. An outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual blessing. It is a gift from God and a sign of his love for them. It is a symbol that they have now started a new journey as a follower of Jesus. Can you think of other Christian ceremonies that are also known as sacraments? How might they help a Christian feel closer to God?

8 8 SECTION D: The Adult Life and Ministry of Jesus After Jesus was baptised when he was thirty years old, he spent several years travelling around teaching people about God s love for them. Look at the memorial to Thomas Fanshaw Middleton, shown here. You can find this in the Cathedral. This man travelled around teaching people in other countries about God s love for them and telling them stories from the Bible. People who do this are called Missionaries. What do you think he is doing in the statue? Do you think it is right for Christians like Middleton to go to other countries and preach about their faith? Did people like Jesus teaching? Can you think of some stories from the New Testament Gospels that tell about the teaching of Jesus or about or special things he did? The Bible The Bible does not tell us how long Jesus was travelling around teaching, but we think it was for about three years. The Gospels are the books in the Bible that tell us about this period of time. The word Gospel means good news. Jesus taught people about the good news of God s Kingdom. He often used Parables (stories with meanings). Stand under the Dome, facing towards the East End window and look up at the mosaic pictures above the pillars. Find the pictures of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Gospel writers. In Christian art they are always shown with special symbols that represent them so that they can be identified.

9 9 Look carefully and see if you can work out what the symbols are near each person one: Matthew Mark Luke John Christians often call the Bible the Word of God. Parts of Bible stories are read out loud during worship services, often from the large brass eagle lectern in the centre of the nave. Can you find this lectern? Different groups of Christians hold different opinions about how to interpret the stories in the Bible. 1. Fundamentalist Christians believe the Bible is literally God s words to us all and therefore means exactly what it says. All of it should be read and obeyed. 2. Liberal Christians believe the Bible is a set of guidelines written down by people who lived in a different culture and at a different time in history to us. They believe it must be studied and interpreted carefully before it is applied to our lives today. These are two extremely different views. What do you think about this?

10 10 SECTION E: The End of Jesus Life Bread and Wine The Bible says that on the night before he died, Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples. They shared bread and wine together. Today, Christians still remember this meal and reenact it regularly. At St. Paul s we do this twice every day and use the Altar (table) under the Dome. It is called Holy Communion or the Eucharist. Christians do this all over the world. What do the symbols you can see on the sculpted picture above mean? These may be found on the front of the High Altar at the East end of the Cathedral. What does the bread represent in the service of Holy Communion? What does the wine represent? Holy Communion is a SACRAMENT (see notes under Baptism). How do you think sharing bread and wine together might help a Christian to feel closer to Jesus? Look at the Dome Altar. Why do we cover it with special coloured cloth called a frontal to make it look special? Are there any other objects on the Altar? Why do we have these and what do they symbolise? Some Christian denominations (types of churches) only share bread and wine together once a month or a few times a year. Why do you think the service is celebrated daily at St Paul s?

11 11 SECTION F: The Arrest, Trial and Crucifixion After the Passover meal Jesus was arrested and put on trial. The Gospels give slightly different accounts, but all agree that he was eventually taken to the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate who sentenced him to death by crucifixion. This wood carving is on the Cathedral s pulpit (the raised box near the Dome where the preacher teaches everyone about the Bible in services). Jesus is wearing a crown of thorns on his head. Why do you think he was made to wear this? The Crucifixion Look carefully at this mosaic picture which shows Jesus Crucifixion. You can find this under the Dome. How are they different? Look at the colours? Why do you think the mosaic artist chose to show the event in this way? Which one do you like best and why? On what day of the year do Christians remember the crucifixion of Jesus? All these events are remembered by Christians across the world at Easter time. The weeks leading up to Easter are called Lent. The final week, Holy week is a special time of prayer worship to get ready for Good Friday, Easter Eve and Easter Sunday.

12 12 Look for other crosses in the Cathedral. You could draw some here. The cross is the symbol of the Christian faith all over the world. Look on the internet for crosses from different countries. There are some really interesting ones! A representation of Jesus nailed on the cross is called a crucifix. Why do you think some Christians pray in front of a crucifix? How might this help them? How would you choose to show the events leading up to the death of Jesus? You could draw your ideas below...

13 13 SECTION G: The Resurrection & Ascension of Jesus After Jesus died his body was placed in a tomb (a cave dug out of rock, as was the custom). This had to be done hurriedly before sunset because the Sabbath was about to begin. The Bible tells us that the tomb belonged to a man of faith named Joseph, from Arimathea The mosaic picture under the Dome, on the right hand side, shows what happened next. Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead. This is known as the Resurrection. How has the artist shown that Jesus is now alive again? What is he surrounded by in the picture? What does this symbolise? Can you think of three ways that Christians (and others) celebrate Easter day? Jesus Ascension After the Resurrection, we are told that Jesus spent a further 40 days preaching and teaching people. The Bible says that he appeared to many people, including over 500 at one time. At the end of this period Jesus ascended (went up) to heaven. Look for the mosaic picture under the Dome that show the Ascension. What can you see happening in it?

14 14 SECTION H : Christian Living Life after death Life after Death Find the memorial to Lord Melbourne called the Gates of Death. It is in the North side aisle, to the left of the Nave. This was designed to help people think about what happens when they die. What is written above the memorial? What objects do the angels hold? These are symbols of judgement. What do you think about this? Christians believe that one day, Jesus will return. They believe that God offers them eternal life if they love him and tell him they are sorry for the wrong things they have done in their lives. This is something very mysterious and special. Do an internet search for Christian art that depicts life after death. Think about how the artists have shown this. Look at the many memorials and tombs in the Crypt and up in the Cathedral. Read the inscriptions and think about how they depict the person who has died. Christians do not believe that people can get to heaven/gain eternal life just by doing good things. They believe that everyone does sinful things, no matter how hard they try. They believe that God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross as a sacrifice on everyone s behalf. They believe he was completely without sin and took the punishment that all people deserved. Because of this all God s people have a chance to be with God, if they follow Jesus in their lives. Jesus said: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

15 15 SECTION I: Following Jesus The Light of the World Find the painting by William Holman Hunt. It is in the Middlesex Chapel, in North Transept. It was painted about a hundred years a go. It is vert famous. The painting is of Jesus. Usually Jesus is shown with dark hair. What colour is his hair in this painting? Look at what he is wearing. How has the artist tried to make Jesus look like a special, holy person? Why do you think artists often make Jesus look like someone from their own culture? Do you think this is a good or a bad thing for an artist to do? Do an internet search for paintings of Jesus from other cultures/countries. The painting shows Jesus carrying a lantern and is called the Light of the World. In the Bible, Jesus said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John Chapter 8 verse 12) What do you think this means for Christians? There are some words written beneath the painting. Write them here. These are from the Bible, from the book of Revelation at the end of the New Testament. Chapter 3 verse 20. Think about what they mean.

16 16 What do you think the door in the painting represents and why is Jesus knocking on it? The Body of Christ St. Paul s Cathedral is the Mother (main) Church for Christians who live in the Diocese of London. Christian communities in their churches often call themselves the body of Christ St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians: 14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honourable we treat with special honour. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honour to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:14-27 (New International Version) What do you think Christians mean by the body of Christ?

17 17 A Helpful Word List! A Ascension Going up. After he came back to life, Jesus taught his followers for forty days. He then went up to heaven, possibly on a cloud. (see Acts 1:9) B Baptism The ceremony in which a person is welcomed into the Christian faith. Sometimes water is sprinkled over the person s head, or they may be fully immersed. It is a sacrament C Crucifix Picture or sculpture depicting Jesus on the cross. Crucifixion The Roman death penalty for non-romans. It involved the criminal being stripped naked and large nails being driven through the wrists and feet. It took several days for the person to die, through blood-loss or suffocation. It was a most humiliating death and the descriptions we have in the Bible are actually the most detailed that survive, because not even Roman writers wanted to describe it. Communion see Holy Communion/also means Christians coming together as a group of praying, worshipping people. F Font A special bowl that holds water. It is used for baptising people. Fundamentalist Someone who believes the Bible is literally true. G Godparents Supporters of a baptism candidate, often friends or relatives of the parents, who make promises on the baby s behalf. Gospels Good News. Four books of the New Testament section of the Bible. Each Gospel contains accounts from Jesus life. Although there are differences between the four accounts, there are also many similarities. H Heaven Where many Christians believe God is. Holy Communion Sharing of bread and wine as symbols of Jesus body and blood. Holy Spirit Part of God. The Holy Spirit is believed to be one of the three persons of the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is the part that Christians believe is with them now, a gift sent by God to help them to follow Jesus and live their daily lives J John the Baptist Jesus cousin who went about preaching, to prepare people for Jesus and his teaching. John baptised people in the River Jordon and Jesus was baptised by John there.

18 L Liberal Someone who believes the Bible is important and contains important teaching about God/Jesus. It was however written by humans, and may therefore contain mistakes. It needs to be studied and questioned. M Magi Three wise men/kings who visited Jesus as a baby and brought him gifts (Christmas story). Mary The name of several women who followed Jesus. The most well know is Mary his mother. N Nativity The story of Jesus birth. P Palestine In 1948, the UN created the state of Israel by dividing up the country of Palestine. The idea was to solve centuries of conflict between Jews and Arabs by creating separate homelands for them. However, this proved very controversial, particularly as many Arabs were deprived of land they had owned for centuries, and Jews were not given some of the key areas that they believed to be theirs by right. Bethlehem, Jesus birthplace, is officially under Arab-Palestinian control. Jerusalem, is split between Arabs and Jewish control. Prayer Communication with God. The way that Christians talk to God and listen to him. R Resurrection Jesus coming back to life, three days after he died and was buried. S Sacrament Outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual blessing. A sacramental ceremony which Christians take part to help them to become closer to God. Stained glass coloured glass used in church windows. It often depicts scenes from the Bible or special people of faith and was a useful teaching tool in the days when people could not read the Bible. 18