1. Thanksgiving prayer for Holy Communion
2. Hand out prosphora
3. Hand out prayer ropes and pray the Jesus prayer together
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.
4. Our lesson today is on the Nativity of the Theotokos!
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?
Who can explain what it is?
Pass out this icon (printed black and white due to time limitations)
around for each of the kids to see:
NOTE: This year we are going to focus more on
how the Virgin Mother was born and of
St. Joachim and Anna’s life and the miracle of
the Theotokos’ conception.
ALSO NOTE: all icons in this lesson are in the plastic bag for you
to show the kids and pass around.
with this lesson (which is a printout of the link just mentioned).
Show them how the
Newly Born Theotokos is the FOCUS of this icon.
Point out who the people in the icon are:
The Theotokos, St. Anna and St. Joachim
and the others are attendants who helped at the
birth of the Theotokos.
*
an icon showing a time sequence:
1. The Theotokos has just been born and is presented to St. Anna,
who is the Mother of the Mother of God.
2. Then the Newborn Theotokos is in the cradle and St. Joachim is looking lovingly at her.
St. Joachim is the father of the Theotokos who when she grows up becomes
the Mother of God.
When the Theotokos becomes the Mother of God,
who has she given birth to?
(JESUS).
What day is this?
(CHRISTMAS!)
*
Show them this icon also that they saw last year:
Ask them if they can find St. Anna, St. Joachim
and the newly born Mother of God.
(If anyone asks why the Mother of God looks like a boy,
just explain that when babies are born, they
do not have a lot of hair yet.
Also point out to the small script by the baby’s hand on left
are the initials for the Mother of God and show how they are in the other icons too).
Then go quickly on to:
Ask them if anyone remembers the story of St. Joachim and Anna
and about this icon:
St. Joachim and Anna were never able to have children.
They grew old and in that time, if you did not have children,
you were looked on as someone that God did not favour.
They were very faithful to God, they loved God very much
and trusted God even when He did not give them,
for years and years, the child that they prayed God would give them!
Even when people mocked them for being childless!
One day, when Joachim came to the temple to make an offering, he was turned away by the High Priest who chastised him for his lack of children. To hide his shame, Joachim retreated to the hill country to live among the shepherds and their flocks.
As Joachim was praying, his wife Anna was praying at the same time at their house in Jerusalem. An angel appeared to both of them and announced that Anna would have a child whose name would be known throughout the world. Anna promised to offer her child as a gift to the Lord. Joachim returned home, and in due time Anna bore a daughter, Mary.
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 so 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!
If you have time, ask them if they know where her icon is in church.
*
CRAFT:
Have them colour the icon of the Mother of God
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