Note: we begin each Sunday School this way:
1. We remind the kids of the Jesus Prayer is:
Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me.
We take the blue bag of prayer ropes and hand one out to each child.
We say the prayer together about 7 times or so.
2. If there are any new children we write down their names, birthday, names day and date of names day.
About this time we pass out the first cracker, of which they will be quite excited about.
3. Then we begin the lesson.
We can begin by asking them if they remember the icon that is the middle of church today,
what is it? What Feast day is today?
Today is the Nativity of the Theotokos!
What does Nativity Mean?
Who is the Theotokos?
Pass out this icon around for each of the kids to see:
1. We remind the kids of the Jesus Prayer is:
Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me.
We take the blue bag of prayer ropes and hand one out to each child.
We say the prayer together about 7 times or so.
2. If there are any new children we write down their names, birthday, names day and date of names day.
About this time we pass out the first cracker, of which they will be quite excited about.
3. Then we begin the lesson.
We can begin by asking them if they remember the icon that is the middle of church today,
what is it? What Feast day is today?
Today is the Nativity of the Theotokos!
What does Nativity Mean?
Who is the Theotokos?
Pass out this icon around for each of the kids to see:
The first thing I want the children to understand
is that without the birth of the Theotokos
there can be no Christmas.
*
The goal is to be able to tell them how
St. Anna and Joachim are the parents to the Theotokos,
Grandparents to our Lord Jesus Christ,
that they are holy, loving and are always remembered in
the church because they are so important.
*
Background information for the Sunday School teacher to know:
From the Prologue of Ohrid:
The Holy Virgin Mary was born of aged parents, Joachim and Anna. Her father was of the lineage of David, and her mother of the lineage of Aaron. Thus, she was of royal birth by her father, and of priestly birth by her mother. In this, she foreshadowed Him Who would be born of her as King and High Priest. Her parents were quite old and had no children. Because of this they were ashamed before men and humble before God. In their humility they prayed to God with tears, to bring them joy in their old age by giving them a child, as He had once given joy to the aged Abraham and his wife Sarah by giving them Isaac. The Almighty and All-seeing God rewarded them with a joy that surpassed all their expectations and all their most beautiful dreams. For He gave them not just a daughter, but the Mother of God. He illumined them not only with temporal joy, but with eternal joy as well. God gave them just one daughter, and she would later give them just one grandson-but what a daughter and what a Grandson! Mary, Full of grace, Blessed among women, the Temple of the Holy Spirit, the Altar of the Living God, the Table of the Heavenly Bread, the Ark of God's Holiness, the Tree of the Sweetest Fruit, the Glory of the race of man, the Praise of womanhood, the Fount of virginity and purity-this was the daughter given by God to Joachim and Anna. She was born in Nazareth, and at the age of three, was taken to the Temple in Jerusalem. In her young womanhood she returned again to Nazareth, and shortly thereafter heard the Annunciation of the Holy Archangel Gabriel concerning the birth of the Son of God, the Savior of the world, from her most-pure virgin body. (Source here).
*
For the kids I am going to read them this short book:
St. Anna and Joachim are the parents to the Theotokos,
Grandparents to our Lord Jesus Christ,
that they are holy, loving and are always remembered in
the church because they are so important.
*
Background information for the Sunday School teacher to know:
From the Prologue of Ohrid:
The Holy Virgin Mary was born of aged parents, Joachim and Anna. Her father was of the lineage of David, and her mother of the lineage of Aaron. Thus, she was of royal birth by her father, and of priestly birth by her mother. In this, she foreshadowed Him Who would be born of her as King and High Priest. Her parents were quite old and had no children. Because of this they were ashamed before men and humble before God. In their humility they prayed to God with tears, to bring them joy in their old age by giving them a child, as He had once given joy to the aged Abraham and his wife Sarah by giving them Isaac. The Almighty and All-seeing God rewarded them with a joy that surpassed all their expectations and all their most beautiful dreams. For He gave them not just a daughter, but the Mother of God. He illumined them not only with temporal joy, but with eternal joy as well. God gave them just one daughter, and she would later give them just one grandson-but what a daughter and what a Grandson! Mary, Full of grace, Blessed among women, the Temple of the Holy Spirit, the Altar of the Living God, the Table of the Heavenly Bread, the Ark of God's Holiness, the Tree of the Sweetest Fruit, the Glory of the race of man, the Praise of womanhood, the Fount of virginity and purity-this was the daughter given by God to Joachim and Anna. She was born in Nazareth, and at the age of three, was taken to the Temple in Jerusalem. In her young womanhood she returned again to Nazareth, and shortly thereafter heard the Annunciation of the Holy Archangel Gabriel concerning the birth of the Son of God, the Savior of the world, from her most-pure virgin body. (Source here).
*
For the kids I am going to read them this short book:
I will also have these icons, that I got laminated,
to show them:
St. Joachim and St. Anna after they both heard from the
Archangel Gabriel that they would be given a child:
They were so happy that their prayers for a
child were about to be answered!
And the child they were given was the a baby girl,
who is the Mother of God, Jesus' Mother!
And today we celebrate the birth of the Mother of God!
*
When passing out the icon of St. Anna make sure to communicate:
Saint Anna is a very loving Mother to the Mother of God
and is the Grandmother of Jesus.
She is very loving and wants us to know that we can
ask her prayers to take care of us too!
Our church has a copy of this icon in our window in a frame
and we can all go to her to pray and to kiss her icon too!
*
The other theme to talk about is that:
This day is one of the days that is the beginning of our salvation
for Jesus when the baby Mary grows up will be born of her!
This day is why we can have Christmas!
The best news ever is that
Christ is Risen
and for Christ to Rise He first had to be born on Christmas day
and for Christ to be born his Mother had to be born
and so today is a day to be very glad!
*
Craft Idea:
Have the children draw the Mother of God as a baby
with her parents, St. Joachim and Anna.
*
Be sure to recollect the prayer ropes at the end of class and put them
in the blue drawstring bag!
to show them:
St. Joachim and St. Anna after they both heard from the
Archangel Gabriel that they would be given a child:
They were so happy that their prayers for a
child were about to be answered!
And the child they were given was the a baby girl,
who is the Mother of God, Jesus' Mother!
And today we celebrate the birth of the Mother of God!
*
When passing out the icon of St. Anna make sure to communicate:
Saint Anna is a very loving Mother to the Mother of God
and is the Grandmother of Jesus.
She is very loving and wants us to know that we can
ask her prayers to take care of us too!
Our church has a copy of this icon in our window in a frame
and we can all go to her to pray and to kiss her icon too!
*
The other theme to talk about is that:
This day is one of the days that is the beginning of our salvation
for Jesus when the baby Mary grows up will be born of her!
This day is why we can have Christmas!
The best news ever is that
Christ is Risen
and for Christ to Rise He first had to be born on Christmas day
and for Christ to be born his Mother had to be born
and so today is a day to be very glad!
*
Craft Idea:
Have the children draw the Mother of God as a baby
with her parents, St. Joachim and Anna.
*
Be sure to recollect the prayer ropes at the end of class and put them
in the blue drawstring bag!
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