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THE COPTIC ORTHODOX PATRIARCHATE ST. GEORGE AND ST. RUEISS COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM
GRADE FIVE
Revised Edition 2005
PREPARATION AND WRITING Father Rueiss Awad St. George and St. Rueiss Coptic Orthodox Church Toronto, Canada
To Order Write To: St. George and St. Rueiss Coptic Orthodox Church 141 Bond Avenue Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M3B 1M1 (416) 444-1092 or (416) 447-0108
Copyright © 2005 by St. George and St. Rueiss Coptic Orthodox Church All rights reserved No portion of this book may be reproduced or copied in any form without a written permission from St. George and St. Rueiss Coptic Orthodox Church, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
To my blessed two sons: Hegomain Fr. Marcous Elias Abdel Massih and Hegomain Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty.
Peace and love be with you.
Dr. Mahfouz has visited me and brought with him the suggested Sunday school curriculum for the land of immigration. I have studied with him the basic topics of the curriculum without getting into details. Although that I have pointed out some concerns on the doctrine and dogma curriculum, it is clear that the amount of work spent on preparing the curriculum is huge and worth thanking. Nonetheless, the Bible study part of the curriculum needs to be increased. God willing, I will also send you additional details on this curriculum.
May the Lord bless all the effort that our son Mahfouz has done in preparing the Sunday school curriculum, in collecting the relevant topics, and in performing the translation of subjects. May the Lord also bless all those who have joined him in preparing this project and those who revised the topics.
Let our goal be performing our best to try and arrive at perfection given what we have from abilities. Lastly, I would also suggest the addition of different recognized pictures according to our doctrine, dogma and history to the Sunday school curriculum.
May the Lord be with you. Be in peace.
Signed
Pope Shenouda III 22 August 1986 The feast of St. Mary
TABLE OF CONTENTSINTRODUCTION TO THE SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM El- NAYROUZ FEAST AND THE MARTYRDOM OF ST. PHILEMON OUR TALENTS AND HOW TO USE THEM THE FEAST OF THE ELEVATION OF THE CROSS THANKSGIVINGING TO GOD WHO LOVES ME AND TAKES CARE OF ME BY FATIH THE WALLS OF JERICHO FELL DOWN HOW TO GROW IN YOUR FATIH? - (I) HOW TO GROW IN YOUR FATIH? - (II) THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: LOVE - (I) THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: JOY - (II) The Fruit of the Holy Spirit: Peace - (III) THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: KINDNESS – (IV) AND REVIEW OF THE LIFE OF ST. MENA THE PROMISE OF THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH AS MENTIONED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT THE BIRTH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST AND THE BIRTH OF THE LORD JESUS ARE ANNOUNCED MARY’S SONG OF PRAISE AND THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
THEY OFFERED HIM GIFTS “GOLD, FRANKINCESE AND MYRRH” THE LORD JESUS ESTABLISHED THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM THE LIFE OF PRAYER- (II) (ALSO REVIEW THE LIFE OF ST. ANTHONY) CHRIST AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HIS KINGDOM- (I). THE LORD JESUS FACED SATAN AND DEFEATED HIM CHRIST AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HIS KINGDOM - (II) AND HE APPOINTED TWELVE TO BE WITH HIM AND TO BE SENT OUT TO PREACH CHRIST AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HIS KINGDOM -- (III) THE LORD JESUS ANNOUNCED GOD’S GLORY BY HIS TEACHING CHRIST AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HIS KINGDOM - (IV) THE LORD JESUS SHOWED HIS DIVINE GLORY BY HIS MIRACLES AND HIS TRANSFIGURATION JESUS THE HEAVENLY KING ENTERED JERUSALEM RESURRECTION OF CHRIST, ITS EFFECT ON US THE LORD JESUS GRANTED HIS DISCIPLES PEACE THE LIFE OF SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST ST. AUGUSTINE "THE SON OF TEARS" DOES IT BELONG TO YOU? DAVID AND NATHAN THE ASCENSION FEAST, THE BLESSINGS OF THE ASCENSION PENTECOST: THERE WERE ADDED THAT DAY ABOUT THE COMMEMORATION OF THE SAINTS PROPER BEHAVIOUR IN THE CHURCH THE RETURN OF ST. MARK’S RELICS TO EGYPT THE APOSTLES’ FEAST: ST. PETER AND ST. PAUL PSALMS OF DAVID: PSALM 19 THE HEAVENS DECLARE PSAMLS OF DAVID: PSALM 23 “THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, GOD IS READY TO READY TO FORGIVE: ELIJAH TALKS TO KING AHAB GOD’S COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM - I GOD’S COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM - II THE VIRGIN MARY AND THE LIFE OF MEDITATION THE NEED OF THE HUMAN BEING TO THE “RITE”
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Maha Takla |
Mark Botros |
Patty Ibrahim |
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Nermin Tawadros |
Peter Messiha |
Hani Khattas |
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Jessica Gobran |
Margaret Bebawy |
Michael Aziz |
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Elena Neagu |
Youstina Hanna |
Safwat Armanios |
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Marian Barsoum |
Helen Hanna |
Maria Nasralla |
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Angela Salama |
Margaret Massoud |
Martha Tawadrous |
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Mina Gindi |
Nancy Bishay |
Samih Kalilian |
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Fady Dawood |
Nagat Yassa |
Emad Iskander |
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Lillian Ibrahim |
Christina Habib |
Paul Tadros |
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Mariam Tawadrous |
Donna Hanna |
Dina Ayoub |
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Joseph Bishay |
Dina George |
Timothy Gindi |
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Sameh Barsoum |
Marianna Nasralla |
Samy Messiha |
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Sherin Ishak |
Angy Hinis |
Mariana Ramzy |
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Michael Malak |
Monica Sourial |
Nivin Bishay |
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Michael Kalilian |
Mira Henis |
Kamilia Beshara |
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Viola Iskander |
Sarah Deif |
Marina Mouharib |
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Hany Matta |
Peter Gobran |
Georgina Rizk |
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Marline Ayoub |
Michael Abadir |
John Hanna |
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Christina Salama |
George Hanna |
Irini Gad |
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Steven Messiha |
Rasha Michael |
Mohib Tawfik |
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Marilyn Yassa |
Mina Elkatib |
Nadir Deif |
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Sandra Eleigizy |
Sherrine Fidal |
Hidra Bastawrous |
Fr. Rueiss Awad
TEACHER'S GUIDELINES:
HOW TO USE THIS PROGRAM?
1. The teacher should realize that each lesson has been prepared to cover a specific point; starting from the title of the lesson to the end of it.
2. The teacher should read all the materials referred to in the lesson (i.e. the Holy Bible as well as any articles attached to the lesson), and then proceed by emphasizing all the points.
3. The teacher should enlarge the picture ahead of each lesson and use it as a visual aid as he or she is teaching the lesson.
4. The teacher should discuss the practical applications as he or she proceeds with the lesson.
5. The teacher should summarize the main points of the lesson with the students and give prizes.
FEATURES OF THIS SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM
A COMPREHENSIVE SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM
1. This Sunday School program was the very first program to be written in the lands of immigration. This work was initiated in 1974, and the first version was published in 1986. We thank our heavenly Father, Who has given us the opportunity to extensively revise and improve it, in 2005.
2. In this version of the program, any repetition that was in the previous program, has been removed, all lessons were upgraded in both coverage and depth. Moreover, a whole new book, on contemporary issues, has been added.
3. The contemporary issues book covers subjects that are important for children and youth in today's world. These lessons are optional. For churches with regular youth group meetings, these issues would best be discussed during those meetings. On the other hand, for churches that do not hold regular youth group meetings, those issues could be discussed as part of the Sunday School program.
4. This version of the program also includes lessons, which form a basis for a missionary service, a service that should in the ideal situation be practised by every member of our congregation. The objective is that each child, every youth, and in the long run each Coptic individual can behave and act in a way, which is an embodiment of the teaching and tradition of the Coptic Orthodox Church. In other words, our congregation would become role models in their communities, who attract people to our Lord Jesus Christ through their good practices: sincerity, commitment, hard work and dedication, tolerance, forgiveness, and all the other good qualities that differentiate a good practising Christian from those who merely have a Christian education.
5. In this Sunday School Program, we depended heavily on the writings of H.H. Pope Shenouda III as a reference for most of the presented material.
6. The lessons in this version of the program have already been tried in Sunday School classes, reviewed, improved and tried again. This ensures that the lessons are relevant and suit the level of the students.
7. In this version of the program, efforts were put forth to ensure that every aspect of the Christian life in the Coptic Orthodox Church is covered.
8. This Sunday School Program is not merely about giving specific education on Christianity to our children and youth but it is rather an attempt to deeply affect their feelings and spirituality. It is believed that such an approach will facilitate the practical application of the various aspects involved so that Christianity becomes a way of life for the individual, with deeply rooted Christian values, that are manifested as behaviour and attitude.
9. All copyrights of other Sunday School programs, and other writers, have been fully respected.
10. In this version, each lesson comes complete with pictures and songs that are suitable for the lesson.
11. This Sunday School program comes in various formats, for convenience. In addition to being available on this website for widespread use, it is also available, upon request, in hard copy format or on CD.
12. It is our strong belief that this Sunday School program will play a vital role in the spiritual upbringing of our children. May the Lord bless this Sunday School program and all other programs, for the growth of His Kingdom in us.
THE PREPARATION OF SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS
A. What is a Sunday School Lesson?
1. It is not a record of events that we convey to the students with the hopes of appearing to satisfy the required preparation process in front of other people. Neither is it a lecture that we deliver to our audience or student regardless of their interest in the matter.
2. However, it is, on one hand, a fruit of the live reaction between the servant and the lesson and, on the other hand, between the servant and the students. The Holy Spirit maturates this fruit and directs this service towards the salvation of the students and towards the glory of God.
For if the servant who teaches the people does not teach himself, the voice of the Lord rebukes him saying, " You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself ? " (Romans 2:21), and again in James 3: 1: "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment."
Therefore, the servant should engage himself in the lesson through prayers, relevant spiritual readings, and practical application, so that when the servant speaks with his students from experience and true knowledge, he says, with St. John the Beloved, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-" (1 John 1:1)
If a servant is not aware of the spiritual level of his students, he may burden them with instructions and lessons which they cannot handle nor apply and this, in turn, may cause the students to go astray and lose their eternal life. Therefore, it is crucial for the servant to establish a healthy, trustworthy, and fruitful relationship with his students, as well as to share in their joys and cheers, and their sadness and fears, all towards Jesus Christ. This is what St. Paul refers to in his epistle to the Galatians when he says, "My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you..." (Galatians 4:19). This close relationship with the students allows the servant to choose the most appropriate lesson that applies to their needs.
Hence a Sunday School lesson is:
A live mixture between the personal lives of the servants and the students through the lesson; the Holy Spirit creates this mixture and allows it to result in the bearing of fruit.
B. The Requirements for Sunday School Lessons
1. Humility in prayer before God.
God said, "...for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)
My beloved brethren, sit down in peace and tranquility with the Lord and talk to Him about your personal need for Him in your service. Ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and pray saying, " Guide me dear God. What would you like my students and I to learn this week ? " Be obedient to His voice. It would be suitable to maintain a prayer time which equals that of the lesson.
2. Accurate knowledge of the meanings contained within the lesson.
This is achieved through:
a) Occupying yourself throughout the week with understanding the new lesson, beginning from the end of the previous lesson until the beginning of the new one. It is wise to use your free time, time before sleep, and time with fellow servants to increase and enhance your understanding of the lesson.
b) Resorting to spiritual and religious references and literature to help you develop the right understanding and concepts behind the lines.
c) Resorting to general educational references and literature to embody this understanding and these concepts, making them clear in the minds of your students.
3. Aids of presentation.
It is important that you transform your understanding of the lesson into a simple and clear presentation. It has been stated and proved that 85% of knowledge acquired is acquired through the sense of sight and visual learning as opposed to the 10% that is acquired through the sense of hearing. The rest of the knowledge acquired is done so through the other three senses.
In reality, the least effective way of transmitting knowledge to others is by merely talking; this has the weakest influence on the students. In contrast, the most effective way to teach is to use the "Learning by Doing" method, which requires enough time as well as sound experience.
What differentiate between the effectiveness of the two means of presentation are the tools used in the presentation. These tools aid the students in effectively understanding and retaining the purpose of the lesson by engaging both senses of sight and sound. These tools may include audio-visual devices such as pictures and movies, spiritual trips and outings, role playing during class, intellectually stimulating games, etc.
C. Recording the lesson.
It is recommended that the servant records the following during the preparation of the lesson:
- Date of the preparation of the lesson.
- Date of the delivery of the lesson.
- Title of the lesson.
- Purpose of the lesson.
- References.
- Preface.
- Lesson.
- Inference.
- Bible verse.
- Homework.
- Aids of presentation.
- Other points for memory.
- Songs.
- Personal reflections of the servant.
Purpose of the lesson:
It is necessary for the servant to clearly understand the purpose of the lesson at the beginning of his preparation. It is also necessary that the purpose of the lesson should agree with the maturity level of the students. For example, it is more appropriate for children to learn about God's love; on the other hand, learning about the power of God in their lives and in the lives of the saints is more appropriate subject matter for youth. As for young adults, learning about Christian virtues and spiritual practices is most appropriate.
Most importantly, the purpose of the lessons should agree with Coptic Orthodox Christian teachings, whether in specific occasions or in general.
References:
References could include:
a. Stories, examples, verses, etc. from the Holy Bible.
b. Spiritual books and literature.
c. General educational books and literature.
Recording the references is very useful for the servant because it helps the servant to refer back to them, if forgotten.
Preface:
The preface is the background of the lesson. It cultivates the thoughts of the students and directs their thoughts towards the lesson. This allows the lesson to be implanted in their minds and to, eventually, bear fruit.
It is important that the preface remain simple, short, and concise. The introduction could be in the form of focused questions, but should not be in the form of stories. Several stories in one lesson may deteriorate its effectiveness.
The Lesson:
The lesson could be divided into the following sections:
1. Introduction - it should be quick and concise and related to the preface. It should introduce the lesson smoothly without interrupting the chain of thoughts.
2. Body of the lesson - it contains the principle subject of the lesson, and follows these guidelines:
a. You must be accurate and careful when explaining theological concepts.
b. You must be careful when relating events and examples to elucidate the subject of the lesson, in order to properly guide the students' imagination without restricting it.
c. You must diligently expose the Coptic Orthodox doctrine in the lesson.
d. You should not use more than one story during the lesson and the story used should be relevant to the subject matter.
3. Focal Point - the point during the lesson at which the purpose of the lesson is clearly defined. (Examples: The Lord responds to the prayers of a needy person, or the angels come to give the saints their heavenly crowns and take them to heaven after many trials and persecutions.)
4. Conclusion - it should be, like the introduction, short and concise. It can summarize the purpose of the lesson, without introducing any new concepts.
Inferences:
Inference is a method used to determine how much the students have absorbed and retained from the lesson. It should be in the form of questions with the following guidelines:
a. They should clearly show the purpose of the lesson.
b. They should suit the maturity of the students.
c. They should be simple and direct.
d. They should link to each other.
e. They should not be `Yes' or `No' questions.
f. They should each have one correct answer.
Bible Verse:
The memorization of a Bible verse is an excellent way to help the students remember the purpose of the lesson. The chosen Bible verse should meet the following guidelines:
a. It should show the purpose of the lesson clearly.
b. It should be short which allows it to be easily memorized.
c. Children can easily memorize, as well as understand it.
Homework:
The height of your diligence in preparing the lesson is in choosing the proper and effective homework or application. The homework should have the following characteristics:
a. It should contain practical applications that apply to everyday life.
b. It should suit the maturity level of the students.
c. It should help in mastering the comprehension and retention of the lesson.
d. It should not include more than one instruction, in order to simplify the application of the lesson.
INTRODUCTION
Teaching Grade 5 (Age 10 to 11)
(1) Children at this age have molded into a certain shape, into certain patterns of behaviour that were superimposed on their natural character. They have been exposed for years to the influence of their family background, their parents, brothers and sisters and relatives. The cultural and ethical standards of the family have influenced their attitudes, made them different from each other. Whatever their special situation within the family did to affect their personality jealously, rejection, possessiveness, competitiveness, etc., these have left deep traces. They are less spontaneous and more self-conscious than at an earlier age.
Sunday school teachers will find children less open at this age than at earlier ages.
(2) Sunday School teachers have another difficulty in trying to relate to the students’ homes. As Sunday School instruction progresses, it often happens that the religious ideas conveyed there are not in agreement with the concepts of the parents. Thus the teacher has to show great understanding and tact when dealing in class with a child’s statement, “Yes, but Daddy says that…" or “Mother says that the Church teaches...” The teacher must always try to see the element of truth in whatever beliefs are held at home: “Yes, this is very interesting. I think the reason for this is that…" He can then add and expand the ideas he wants to convey.
(3) Relations between boys and girls are very self-conscious. They are definitely two different groups usually critical of each other and slightly inimical toward each other.
(4) The search for meaning is now at the start of a new intensive phase, for the onset of clearer thought creates problems in the child’s religious ideas. Childish concepts are clung to, but the doubts and confusions are already appearing. At previous stages the child happily kept together unrelated and often contradictory ideas, but now he is becoming aware of the need to relate and reconcile these apparent contradictions.
We require an intensive effort in teaching religion at this stage to help them grow into a “one-world” view of life, rather than a dualistic system which separates religion from the rest of life.
(5) The teacher has to have a real theological maturity to be able to put down things clearly, simply and briefly.
(6) Another type of thinking that one frequently meets at this age is a conscious separation of knowledge into two different parts - one that is learned at school, read about in books, or heard about on TV, and the other that is taught in Church and in Sunday School. The task of the Sunday School teacher in this period is to help them in this process. It has to be relevant to their experience of life, to their interests and curiosity, to the secular knowledge they are acquiring at school, to the human relations they are developing. In other words, the Christian doctrine taught must become part of their own thinking and their knowledge of life as a total experience.
(7) The children’s knowledge of the Bible, especially of the New Testament, is very uneven. There are a few stories that they have heard over and over again, and this gives them a false sense of “knowing” the Bible. On the other hand their very limited knowledge of the scriptures, both in facts and in meaning, is quite clear. Not even the Sermon on the Mount has reached their attention in full, and they have no idea of the meaning of the Old Testament, except for a few stories. This age is a good time to train the children in the use of the Bible and especially the New Testament as a resource book. Learning to know which parts of the Bible are used during the church services they attend, and how to find the appropriate readings, increases their familiarity with the scriptures.
SEPTEMBER
FIRST SUNDAY
JESUS HEALS BLIND BARTIMAEUS
Please read Mark 10:46-52, and tell the story with emphasis on the
points below.
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON:
To show the Lord Jesus’ power to heal our spiritual blindness and to be able to see the heavenly kingdom which is prepared for us.
MEMORY VERSE:
“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me” Mark 10:47
PLEASE EMPHASIZE:
U INTRODUCTORY QUESTIONS:
Can you see? Everything? Can you see Heaven? Can you see God?
Many of us are actually blind and cannot see at all. We cannot see the things that are really important in life…..Christ, Heaven.
U Read the Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 10:46-52, explain and discuss with the students its contents.
U This miracle of healing blind Bartimaeus was the last declared miracle that our Lord Jesus did before His triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1-11) and all the events that led to His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension to heaven. Jesus performed this miracle of opening the eyes as His last one before crucifixion to emphasize the need for all human beings to have spiritual sight and the ability to see and appreciate the heavenly kingdom. There are so many people who have eyes but they cannot see and have ears but cannot hear. We mean by this that they are spiritually blind and spiritually deaf; therefore, they cannot accept the word of God.
U Bartimaeus was miserable because he was blind; he could not see the sun, the sky, the trees, etc. and someone had to lead him to walk. He was also poor and someone had to give him some money.
U The people around Bartimaeus could not stop his shouting.
U When he heard that the Lord Jesus was around, he thought that this was his chance of a life-time. He shouted “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me" This shows that Bartimaeus had faith that Jesus is the Messiah for whom the Jews were waiting, to come from the descendants of King David. This is the reason why he called Jesus “Son of David”. It was also known that when the Messiah comes, He will open the eyes of the blind “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped” (Isaiah35:5). There were so many people around Jesus, but one of them had faith in Jesus’ power and presented his needs to Jesus asking His mercy.
U Jesus is kind and powerful and we must ask Him for our needs.
U “Out of the depths I have cried to you, O Lord” PS 130:1. David who wrote this Psalm had an experience. King Saul wanted to kill him by any means. But David cried from the depths and God protected him. Let us cry from the depth of our hearts as David did and Bartimaeus did.
U When an individual is baptized he or she obtains spiritual understanding. “We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding” John 5:20. We have to maintain this pure understanding that we get when we are baptized. If we lost it because of sins we can get it back through repentance. This is why repentance is considered a “second baptism” because through repentance the Lord Christ will open up our spiritual eyes (i.e. understanding) to know the truth just as he gave sight to Bartimaeus.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. Our Lord Jesus Christ who opened the eyes of the blind man so that he can see Him and follow Him is also able to heal our spiritual blindness in order to see Him in His loving kindness and follow Him.
2. We have to ask our Lord Jesus in our prayers to give us depth and understanding of His Word when we read the Holy Bible so that we can get a clear message from Him. Then we can truly live by His Word in our daily lives, love Him from the depth of our hearts and love all people as well.
Songs
AMAZING GRACE
“That having been justified by
His grace we should become heirs..”(Tit 3:7)
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found Was blind, but now I see.
Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come
This grace hath brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home.
When we’ve been there ten thousands years Bright shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we first begun.
Recitation Curriculum:
Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
SEPTEMBER
SECOND SUNDAY
El- NAYROUZ FEAST AND THE MARTYRDOM OF ST. PHILEMON
Please read the attached materials entitled “In the Memory of our Martyrs -
El-Nayrouz Feast”, “The Martyrdom of Deacon Philemon”, “The glory of suffering” and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON
The martyrs gave up their lives for Christ. What did we give up for Him? How much suffering can we bear for Him? What do we get in return from him?
MEMORY VERSE:
“We suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”
Romans 8:17
PLEASE EMPHASIZE:
U What month are we in now? (September)
Has anyone ever heard of the Coptic Calendar?
Does anyone know what month we are in according to the Coptic Calendar? (We are about to or have started the Coptic month of Tout).
The same way we celebrate the normal New Year, the Church celebrates the Coptic New Year, on the 1st of Tout (or approximately on the 11th of September of the Gregorian Calendar).
Today, we are going to discuss where the Coptic Calendar comes from, how the Church follows it, and learn about the life and martyrdom of St. Philemon.
U Please review with the students their background information about the Coptic Year:
- The Coptic New Year (or El-Nayrouz Feast) is celebrated in our church on approximately September 11 of the Julian calendar (which is the 1st of Tout).
- The Coptic Year has 13 months each of which is 30 days except the last month
(5 or 6 days).
- The Coptic (or Egyptian) year existed 5,000 years before the birth of Christ and was used by the ancient Egyptians. They named its months after their ancient Egyptian gods, Tout, Baba, Hatour, Kyahek, Touba, Amsheer, Baramehat, Baramouda, Bashense, Baouna, Abiba, Messra and E1-Nassey.
- In the years of Diocletian, in which the numbers of martyrs increased greatly, the Egyptian year was named the “Martyrs’ Year".
U Review the church system during the Coptic Year, i.e., the nine rounds as shown in the attached material. Ask the students to draw a chart showing the nine rounds of the church system. Promise prizes for the students who can produce the clearest chart, and present it to the class next Sunday.
U Tell the story of St. Philemon and his keen desire to attain the crown of martyrdom.
U Let us discuss: who is a martyr? He is a person who by his own free will is ready to witness the truth of his faith in front of anyone and at any time, even if it is going to cost him his life on earth. In return he gains eternal life. Besides, history tells us that many non-believers when they saw the courage and the unshakable faith of the martyrs became Christians. Hence, when a person is martyred, the number of Christians is not decreased by one, but is actually increased by many more, through his witness.
U Love, hope and faith are the main characteristics of a martyr’s life. A martyr believes that “we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”(Romans 8:17).
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. As the martyrs suffered with the Lord Jesus in order to be glorified with Him, let us also resist all temptations and sins in our daily life so that we can enjoy the inner peace and the glorified life; “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18)
2. As the martyrs were looking forward to their eternal life in heaven, let us also learn to concentrate on heavenly matters and not to get attached to materialistic things as toys, gifts, etc.
3. Life does not have to be perfect. We must train ourselves to accept some pains and discomfort in our lives without complaining. We must stay thankful even under difficult conditions knowing that God will help us and make us happy if we do not complain.
Songs
THE MARTYRS AND NAIROUZ
Come, Ye faithful people, come to the heavenly Jerusalem
Where there is eternal life and we’ll live in peace with our Saviour
Nayrouz is the beginning of the year when we remember our martyrs
Who defended faith without fear and lived in peace with our Saviour
Our ancestors were brave for their faith their lives they gave
Now in Heaven they are crowned And they lived in peace with our Saviour
Our martyrs won their crowns when they laid their lives down
And they opened Heaven’s doors now they live in peace with our Saviour
Never flinched they from the flame nor from the tyrant’s sharpest aim
They shed their blood for His Name Now they live in peace with our Saviour
By their faith they saw the land where triumphant now they stand
They put their souls in His hand And lived in peace with our Saviour
If Satan comes to divide us the voice of God will gather us
And His peace will be with us And we‘ll live in peace with our Saviour
Lord, deliver us from all sin that eternal life we may win
And lead us to Thy Kingdom O our King, and our Saviour
Recitation Curriculum:
Please look at the
recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
IN THE MEMORY OF OUR MARTYRS
EL-NAYROUZ FEAST
U El Nayrouz feast is the beginning of the Egyptian Year. The Egyptian Year is a very old one. The ancient Pharaohs created this system 5000 years before the birth of Jesus, naming its months after the names of their ancient Egyptian gods. The Egyptian year has 13 months; they are: Tout, Baba, Hatour, Kyahk, Touba, Amshier, Baramhat, Baramouda, Bashense, Baouna, Abiba, Messra and El-Nassey. Each month of these months is 30 days; except the last month, El-Nassey, which is only 5 or 6 days.
U Up until the present day, the Egyptian farmers are using the Coptic Year system in their timing for agriculture.
U Egypt had used the Egyptian Year system until the French came to Egypt in the era of Ismail Basha and introduced the Western Year system (January, February, etc.).
U In the years of Diocletian in which the numbers of martyrs increased very much, the Egyptian Year was named “Martyrs’ Year”.
U The church these days celebrates the “NAYROUZ FEAST” which is the “MARTYRS’ FEAST”. This celebration lasts for 17 days until the “CROSS FEAST”. During the Coptic Year (which is the Egyptian Year), the church system, i.e., feasts, fasting and readings in the church, are divided into the following rounds:
Round #1:
This is the Nayrouz round in which the church celebrates the memory of the martyrs who helped establish the church on the sound basis of their faith and their precious blood. (Tout)
Round #2:
The church celebrates the mystery of the Nativity (Kyahek) and this terminates at Christmas.
Round #3:
The Baptism of our Lord Jesus and the unity of the Holy Trinity (The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit). (Touba).
Round #4:
The Jonah’s fast and the preparation for the Holy Forty day fast. (Touba)
Round #5:
The Holy fast. (Am sheer - Baramhat)
Round #6:
The Easter celebration. (Baramouda - Bashense).
Round #7:
The Mission month and the Disciples’ fast. (Abib)
Round #8:
St. Mary’s fast. (Messra)
Round #9:
The short month (Nassey); all the readings in the church in this month are about the end of the world.
I hope you would join the church in celebrating these nine rounds so that you keep in touch with all the events, and hence you partake in the system, remember it, learn from it and be blessed by it too.
THE MARTYRDOM OF DEACON PHILEMON
Ariana, a governor of a city near Melawy (in the Southern part of Egypt) was mainly concerned with torturing the Christians. Other governors from other cities used to send Christians for him to be killed and tortured.
One time, he stood to watch his people torturing Deacon Philemon. The way they were torturing Philemon was by directing swords towards his body. One of the swords hit Philemon and was re-directed and entered Ariana’s eye. Then Ariana went to the young man Philemon and said to him: “If you heal my eye, I will let you go." Then Philemon answered him: “If I heal your eye, you will say that we are magicians and you will let me go. But kill me first, so that I win the crown of martyrdom and after they bury me in the tomb, take some of the dust and put it on your eye and it will be healed."
Ariana killed Philemon and after he was buried, he took some of the dust and put it on his own eye and it was healed.
Ariana and many people who saw what happened became Christians and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
THE GLORY OF SUFFERING
By H.H. Pope Shenouda III
St Paul, the Apostle, says in his Epistle to the Romans, "If indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. " (Rom 8:17)
And so, suffering for the Lord becomes a measure of the glory that awaits the faithful in the eternal Kingdom. Therefore the Church places the martyrs above all the Saints.
They are mentioned in the Church's prayers before the spirit-borne and the solitary fathers, who filled the wilderness with prayers and contemplation. They are also mentioned before our fathers the Patriarchs and Bishops, with all their services in spreading the Word. This is all because of the sufferings they endured for the sake of God.
Even in service, the measure of suffering is also obvious, as the Apostle says, "... and each will receive his own reward according to his own labour.” (1Cor. 3:8).
Therefore, the Lord says in his letter to the Angel of the Church at Ephesus, "I know your works, your labour, your patience... and you have persevered and have patience, and have laboured for my name's sake and have not become weary.” (Rev 2:2-3), putting labour at the beginning.
It is also said in the Bible that, "God is not unjust to forget your work and labour of love... "(Heb 6:10)
Love expresses its existence by labouring for the beloved one, as the Apostle says, "... Let us not love in word or in tongue.” (1 Jn. 3:18)
The depth of love also shows in suffering, when the level of love is raised up to sacrifice and redemption.
Therefore, God's love was shown to us in its deepest form when the Lord was on the Cross, sacrificing himself for our redemption, the just for the unjust. Christ was at the peak of His glory when He was in His deepest passion.
For this reason, He said about his crucifixion, "Now the Son of Man is glorified" (Jn 13:13). The picture of His crucifixion is the picture of His glory...
St. Paul, the Apostle, considers suffering as a gift from God. In this, he says, "For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for his sake." (Phil 1:29)
St. Peter, the Apostle, also talked about suffering saying, "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow his steps" (1 Pet 2:21).
SEPTEMBER
THIRD SUNDAY
THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS:
OUR TALENTS AND HOW TO USE THEM
Please read Matthew 25:14-30, the attached material entitled “Serious Work”, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON:
To learn that God gave us talents and we should use them effectively. We must use our talents to grow spiritually as well as in our daily lives.
MEMORY VERSE
“Enter into the joy of your Lord” Matthew 25:21
PLEASE EMPHASIZE:
U We have many talents, right? (Yes)
What are some of your talents? (Ask each child, if possible, to name one talent
he/she has).
Who gave us these talents? (God)
Today, we are going to talk about a story the Lord Jesus once told about three
servants who received talents from their Master, what they did with these talents, and
what happened to them after.
U First read the Gospel according to St. Matthew 25:14-30 with the students and
discuss its contents.
U In this parable, the Master gave his servants his endowments; to the first he gave five talents, to the second he gave two talents and to the third he gave one talent. He gave “to each according to his own ability” (Matthew 25:15). This means that the Master was not biased toward any of them, but he gave the endowments according to His knowledge of their own abilities. This teaches us not to be proud when we encounter the less talented because all talents are given from one source, “God”. St. Paul said “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all” (l Corinthiansl 2:4-6).
U God does not look at the amount of the profit, but He looks at the honesty of his servants in using their talents. The problem of the man who had one talent was that he was lazy and lived his life inactively.
U Profit brings profit, loss brings loss and sin brings sin. The man who had five talents, as he made a profit (5 more talents), His Master told him, “I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:21). Similarly there was also the man who received the two talents. The man who was endowed with the one talent, however, neglected his talent and lived his life in a lazy manner and lost the talent which he had from God. Not only that, but he fell in the sin of insulting his Master by saying, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed” (Matthew 25:24). The life of laziness led him to commit a sin against His Master.
U The reward for those who used their talents was “Enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:21) and the punishment for the lazy servant was to “cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30).
U God gave us talents: knowledge, health, intelligence, time, mind and body. How are we using them? Are we wasting time watching TV? Are we wasting time on computer games or internet?
U Ask what everyone is most talented in.
U We have to try our best and God will help us to achieve high goals. We must use our talents to achieve spiritual depth and an actual friendly relationship with God. How?
U If we are lazy like the one who was endowed with the one talent, we will not only lose eternal life, but we will also be punished.
U We should give one tenth of all that we have to God. No matter how small it is, we must give back to the church (or to the poor) part of what God gave us.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. We must do our best at school. Let us learn from the present moment to use at least part of our energy or talents to serve our Lord Jesus. If we give to the poor and needy, we are actually giving Jesus Himself.
2. We must also do our best at home and participate in doing house work with the rest of the family members. We can help in cooking, cleaning, tidying things up and helping our younger sisters and brothers.
3. Most importantly we have to use our talents to grow spiritually and have a place in heaven. How? By “Serious Work.” Take praying (in concentration) seriously, read the bible (in respect and concentration) and come regularly to church. In all of these spiritual practices, one has to fully utilize his or her talent. Also in serving the church, one has to utilize his or her full ability.
Songs:
SPEEDILY
Jesus is standing and knocking on your door open up or else He will be there no more
Let Him in to reign on your heart like before open up your heart for Jesus, speedily
REFRAIN
Speedily, Speedily,
Use the only chance you may have been given
Open up your heart for Jesus, speedily
All the day He has been there waiting for you open up and he will bring His Father too
And together They will make a home in you open up your heart for Jesus, speedily
Open up your heart and you’ll be forgiven this may be the only time you are given
So waste not your chance to make it to heaven open up your heart for Jesus, speedily
Open up your heart today and do not wait wake up and repent before it is too late
Hell is full of those who did procrastinate open up your heart for Jesus, speedily
He is knocking on your door, so open up He’s prepared to give Himself for you to sup
Come, receive Him in the paten and the cup open up your heart for Jesus, speedily.
Recitation Curriculum:
Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
SERIOUS WORK
By H.H. Pope Shenouda III
The Bible says, "Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully.” (Jer. 48:10)...
The one who works for the Lord must, "Be faithful until death. " (Rev 2:10). Faithfulness is a principal condition for service...
With this seriousness, the Apostles witnessed for the name of Christ, and they were, "Preaching the Kingdom of God... with all confidence, no one forbidding them. " (Acts 28:31) "And with great power, the Apostles gave witness... and great grace was upon them all. " (Acts 4:33)
As a result of this serious, honest and faithful work, the kingdom of God spread. Listen to what God said to the Angle of the Church of Ephesus. "I know your works, your labour, your patience... and you have persevered and have patience, and have laboured for my name's sake and have not become weary.” (Rev 2:2-3)
Serious work is built on faith...
The more your faith in the weight and importance of your work is true and complete, the more seriousness of your work will be. Leniency in work is an evidence of lack of faith and its importance...
Serious work indicates a sense of responsibility:
Just as what Joseph, the faithful did, stockpiling wheat, fully aware that the life of many depends on his honesty.
So it is with the spiritual service: the life of many depends on the honesty of the servant. If he neglects his service they are lost.
Serious work is controlled from one's inner self...
It is controlled by one's own conscience and the voice of God inside him.
This control is due to his live feelings and holy zeal...
He works seriously because "Time is short" and every minute counts, with any delay or negligence having its dangers...
Serious work is always successful...
It is a perfect work because seriousness brings work to perfection...
Perfect work is a successful work. It was said about the righteous man, "And whatever he does shall prosper" (Ps 1:3)
Serious work does not slow down till completed...
It does not believe in fatigue and does not seek rest...
Its performer does not rest until the work
is finished and he tastes its fruits... Like Lazarus of Damascus who would
not rest till he took Rachel as wife for his master's
son. And when they asked him to rest, he
answered "Do not hinder me. "
(Gen 24:56)
NOTES
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SEPTEMBER
FOURTH SUNDAY
THE FEAST OF THE ELEVATION OF THE CROSS
THE CROSS IN OUR LIVES
Please read the attached material entitled “The Appearance of the Cross in the Sky” and “The Feast of the Elevation of the Cross", “The Cross in our Life”, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
PURPOSE OF LESSON:
To show that beyond our sufferings there is glory. The Cross was followed by the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus.
MEMORY VERSE:
“But we preach Christ was crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:23-24
PLEASE EMPHASIZE:
U What would you do, or how would you feel, if, one day, you went outside and saw
a huge Cross in the sky? It would be amazing right?
Well, this miracle of the Cross appearing in the sky happened three times in the
past.
In fact, the Church celebrates this event in the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross.
Today, we are going to learn about the three times the Cross appeared and why the
Cross is so important to us as Christians.
U Please review the students’ background on the apparition of the shining Cross in the sky three times. In the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross we celebrate the appearance of the glorious Cross of Jesus Christ our Lord by Saint Helena.
U Crossing yourself is a source of strength that makes the devil flee and you do not fear anything. You must Cross yourself before you sleep and before entering any dark place. You should carry the Cross and have one in your room to remember all the time that we gained salvation through the blood of the Lord Jesus which was shed on the Cross.
U When I Cross myself at first I put my fingers on my forehead saying in the name of the Father (thus remembering that my heavenly Father is up in Heaven). Secondly, I put my fingers on my stomach saying and the Son (thus remembering that our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God was born from St. Mary through the Holy Spirit). Thirdly, I move my fingers from the left shoulder to the right one saying and the Holy Spirit (thus remembering that the Holy Spirit Who is inside me since I was baptized guides me and leads me to move from the left side, i.e., the bad side, to the right side, i.e., the good side and become a good person as a child of God).
U The Cross was the central subject of preaching by the apostles. See the memory verse and explain it as follows: the Jews thought of the Messiah as a worldly king and could not believe that He was crucified. The Greeks had no idea about the coming of Christ, so they just do not know. For Christians the Cross means the power of Christ in granting us salvation.
U As the believers carry the Cross, as our Lord Jesus Christ did, they gain a lot of strength in their suffering as they remember the suffering of Christ on the Cross which was much more than theirs. Therefore, the outside appearance of the Cross is suffering, but the inside reality is strength, victory and joy. The church history reminds us that Emperor Diocletian issued a decree for the demolishing of all churches and made infringements on Christians’ rights. Emperor Maximian issued a decree as well forcing Christians to worship idols and to offer sacrifices to them. But the Christians did not obey all these orders. They sacrificed themselves and died as martyrs without denying their faith. All these empires vanished but the Christians remained. The church, while carrying the Cross, has survived because Christ promised that “the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. Let us rejoice that we are Christians. We carry our Cross as our Lord did and have
It as a sign of salvation and strength.
2. We even can see it in our daily lives. If we studied hard and suffered doing that,
we get good results and rejoice. When we try harder in our spiritual life, we will be
better, happier and gain a place in heaven. We get our reward. Glory is beyond
suffering.
Songs
HYMN OF INTERCESSIONS
Hiten ni evki ente pashois
Epouro konstantinos nem
Elanee tefmav ti-ouro
Epchois…
Through the prayers of my
Master, king Constantine
And his mother Queen
Helen, O Lord…
Recitation Curriculum:
Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
THE APPEARANCE OF THE CROSS IN THE SKY (8)
This happened three times:
1. The FIRST time it appeared in the sky to the Emperor Constantine the Great to encourage him before he was set to go to war. He and his officers saw it like a pillar of light in the sky surrounded by the following words: “With it (the Cross) you will conquer." Constantine was encouraged, became a Christian, went to war and was victorious.
2. The SECOND time the Cross appeared to Julius Caesar on the doors of the city of Antioch. It appeared in the East like a pillar of light which startled all those who saw it.
3. The Cross appeared again for the THIRD time to all the people of Jerusalem. This happened in the sacred days of the Pentecostal Feast, to be exact on the 8th of May, 351 A.D. at 3:00 pm (about 9:00am our time) a big Cross appeared in the sky on Golgotha stretching to Mount olive. It was very clear and was seen not only by one or two, but by all the people of the city also. It remained for many hours shining brighter than the rays of the sun. All the people of the city came out to see the apparition. People were astounded, scared, but with great joy they witnessed that heavenly scene. Old and young, men and women of all ages, Christians and non-Christians, from all places praised Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
THE FEAST OF THE ELEVATION OF THE CROSS
In the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross we remember the appearance of the glorious Cross of Jesus Christ our Lord. When the Jews found out the very large number of miracles done in the name of Jesus’ tomb, they became angry and asked everyone in the Jewish country to collect all the dirty things and their waste and put it at the top of the tomb. The Jews continued to do that for over 200 years until a very large pile of dirt was formed. Saint Helena, the mother of King Constantine, went to Jerusalem and asked about the location of the Cross. Nobody told her until she met an old man who told her that the Cross is underneath the pile of dirt. She then ordered that the pile of dirt should be removed. It was then easy to get out the Holy Cross of Jesus Christ. Afterwards she built a church on that site and the Christian people go to visit the Cross and the Church.
St. Helena did that because she loved the Cross as it appeared to her son, King Constantine before he went to war and he won that war.
THE CROSS IN OUR LIFE
By H.H. Pope
Shenouda III
On the occasion of the feast of the Cross, we mention the following points:
Our first relationship with the Cross starts by baptism, where our old Adam is crucified so that sin will never enslave us.
U The Church has carried the Cross during the martyrdom period and in all the persecutions that followed it during the lapse of time...
U The beauty of the Cross is that the Church carried it with joy and patience,... without any complaint or grumbling...
The Cross changed into a longing that the Church desires and proceeds towards.
The way in which the Christians received death puzzled the pagans. It was a reflection of the Christians' faith in eternal joy and disdain of the world, with all its pleasures and enjoyments...
The prisons turned into temples, where hymns and prayers echoed from the Christians who were joyful to receive death...
U The third field where we carry the Cross is narrow gate...
A person might constrain himself for the sake of God. He isolates himself from the world and all its desire. He disclaims everything for God's sake... by fasting devoutness, self control and enduring others' offences.
U The Cross of weariness could also be included this field...
One toils in one's services for God and labours (crucifying the flesh with its passions), as the Apostle says, "He toils in struggling and crucifying the thought and overcoming oneself, " knowing all the time that he "will receive his own reward according to his own labour. "
(I Cor 3:8)
Christianity could never be separated from the Cross....
The Lord Jesus told us plainly that "... In the world you will have tribulation" and he also said, "and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. " (Mt 10:22)
U We welcome and rejoice with the Cross, and see our strength in it. As the Apostle said, "For the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God (1Cor. 1:18)
For the success
of this Sunday
School Program
the teacher should
refer to the
HOLY BIBLE
in his/her preparation
of the lessons and in
teaching the students
in the class
OCTOBER
FIRST SUNDAY
THE STRENGTH OF FAITH
Please read Mark 2:3-12 “A Paralytic Carried by Four Men”, John 4:46-53 “Healing the Son of the Nobleman”, the attached article entitled, “Levels of Faith.”, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON:
To learn that if we have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, nothing will stand in our way.
MEMORY VERSE
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Hebrew 11:1
PLEASE EMPHASIZE:
U Have you ever been in such a tough situation and you had no idea how you were
going to get out of it?
Maybe you are having a difficult time at school, at home, or someone you love is
very sick and there is no medicine to make this person better.
How would you feel? Lost? Confused? Worried?
Would you lose hope?
Today, we are going to explore how if we have faith in God, everything will work out
to our advantage, no matter what happens.
U What is faith?
- Faith is the strong belief in the power of God.
- If we have faith in God, we can even move mountains, as our Lord Jesus said.
- In the Old Testament, Abraham had faith in God. So, when God ordered him to leave his home town and relatives and go to where God was going to tell him, he obeyed…he did not even hesitate. His faith told him that God will take care of him, no matter what, read this in class (Heb. 11:8): “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would afterward receive an inheritance. And he went, not knowing where he was going.”
V Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:1-3). This shows us that by faith we understand things that are not seen through the evidences which are seen. For example, when we look at creation around us, the sun, the moon, the sky, etc., we can understand and have faith that there is a Creator who is God.
V Faith influences the behaviour of people towards God. People who have faith do things that show their belief in God. For example, Abraham had faith: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would afterward receive an inheritance. And he went, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). Please read about the faith of the important personalities in the Old Testament as mentioned in Hebrews 11:4-end, and give some of these examples to the students.
V Tell the two stories from the Bible: “A Paralytic Carried by Four Men” and “Healing the Son of the Nobleman”.
U “A Paralytic Carried by Four Men":
- After a few days, our Savior entered Capernaum and it became known that He is in one of the houses which may be Peter’s house. A large crowd came to the house to the extent “that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.”
- Four men came carrying a paralytic seeking the power of the Lord Jesus to heal him. The paralytic was heavy, they came a long way and when they arrived, they could not reach Jesus because of the crowd. It was easy to give up. But they did not. Their faith was strong. So, they insisted on having the sick man brought in front of Jesus somehow. “They uncovered the roof where He was. And when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven."
- These four men represent the church. Having strong faith in her Lord, she feels responsible to go and bring the world which is paralyzed by sin before the healing power of Christ.
U “Healing the Son of the Nobleman":
Our Lord Jesus was in Cana of Galilee. The sick person was in a different city; he was in Capernaum. The nobleman came to Cana of Galilee seeking Jesus to come to Capernaum and heal his son. “Sir, come down before my child dies." Jesus said, “Go your way, your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.” The man believed in Jesus’ power to heal even without touching the sick child or going to Capernaum. That was just by the word that He spoke.
V Judas Iscariot did not have faith although he saw all the miracles that Jesus did, but still he betrayed Jesus and loved money more than Him.
V St. Peter had gone a long way in his faith. At one point in time he denied that he knew Jesus in front of a servant. But after he gained the strength of the Holy Spirit in Pentecost, he was able to witness without any fear in front of the highest Jewish council that Jesus is the Messiah.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. A strong faith in God can even make miracles happen. Have that kind of faith and find out …God will never let you down. Let us not question the word of God. Let us only obey, believe and act.
2. As the four men carrying the paralytic did not give up despite the several difficulties they faced, we must never give up. We must do our best and have faith that God will have everything work to our advantage no matter what happens.
3. One also has to ask himself or herself: What is the reality concerning the strength of my faith ? Let me make this a regular prayer: asking God to enhance my faith. Lord give me “…the hope of righteousness by faith.” (Gal. 5:6).
Songs
YOU ARE MY HIDING PLACE
You are my hiding place
you always fill my heart with songs of deliverance
Whenever I am afraid
I will trust You
I will trust You
Let the weak say I am strong
In the strength of the Lord
Recitation Curriculum:
Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
LEVELS OF FAITH
By H.H. Pope Shenouda III
There might be a person "who is weak in the faith" (Rom 14:1) or, "of little faith.” (Mt 14:1)
Another person needs to "perfect what is lacking in his faith". (1Thess 3:12) A third is "slow of heart to believe,” like the two disciples of Emmaus. (Luke. 24:25)
On the contrary to this, there are levels of faith...
A faithful person,
Another, “not a novice," (I Tim 3:6)
A third, "... his faith grows exceedingly," (2Thess 1:3) or he "abounds in faith. "(2 Cor. 8:7)
A fourth, "continues in the faith, grounded and steadfast” (Col 1:23)
A
fifth,
“steadfast in the faith.”
(1 Pet
5:9)
A sixth,. “rich in faith. " (Jas 2:5).
Above
all those, a seventh, “full
of
faith.
".
(Acts
6:5)
The Lord said about some, “great is your faith ". (Mt. 15:28)
There is a strong faith in which “signs will follow those who believe” (Mk 16:17) and faith that, “could remove mountains” (1Cor. 13:2), and a greater faith which makes everything possible, “all things are possible to him who believes.” (Mk 9:23)
Concerning all this, what is your position in faith? Are you a true believer? Do you have that... “faith working through love "? (Gal. 5:6) Do you grow in faith? Or is your faith strong and great? Or you need prayers so “that your faith should not fail "? (Lk. 22:32)
Brethren: "examine yourselves as to whether you are in faith. Prove yourselves?" (2Cor 13:5)
Undoubtedly, the word faith bears deep meanings.
OCTOBER
SECOND SUNDAY
THANKSGIVINGING TO GOD WHO LOVES ME AND TAKES CARE OF ME
Please read the attached notes marked (I) to (III) and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON:
To learn that we should give thanks to the Lord at all times because He cares for us. Even if things look bad for us God can turn things around for us. So, let us thank Him at all times.
MEMORY VERSE
“So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive” Acts 27:15
PLEASE EMPHASIZE:
U If somebody gives you something that you need, or does you a favour, you say right away: “Thank you”. This is very good indeed. But, how about God? How much is God giving you? Think about it. Do you take His generosity and love for granted? It is time now to develop an attitude of thankfulness to God at all times.
U Tell the story of the ten lepers briefly. Only one of them came to thank the Lord Jesus, Please read Luke 17:11-19.
U Our church teaches us that the prayer of thanksgiving is very important to the extent that in all church services, we start with the prayer of thanksgiving. Please read to the students the prayer of thanksgiving from the attached material. Please ask the students to try to know this prayer by heart.
U Then mention in more detail “The Lord takes care of Paul in the ship and the island” (Acts 27:1-44 and Acts 28:1-6). From this event we can see that the Lord was keeping Paul safe.
U Let us first realize that Jesus takes care of us all day long. Even if something bad happened to us, it could have been much worse. But Jesus takes care of us. We must thank Him in all our prayers.
U The Lord gives us generously. He said, “ask and you will be given, seek and you will find.” Every time we ask the Lord, He grants us our needs and a lot more.
U God is merciful and treats us according to His mercy. “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is the steadfast love towards those who fear Him.”
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. Let us be thankful to God for all the love and care that He has given us.
2. Let us try to memorize the Thanksgiving prayer and Psalm 103 by heart and think
of every verse in it.
3. It is easy to thank God when something good happens to us. But can we train
ourselves to thank God under adverse conditions? This would require faith that
God will turn everything at the end for our goodness' sake.
Songs
AMEN AMEN AMEN
Amen Amen Amen; Ton
Thanaton so kyrie
Katangelomen: Ke teen
Agiian soo anastasin: Ke
Teen ana lee epsin so
Entees oo ranis se e molo
Goomen. Se e noo men
Se evlo goomen se ev
Kharis tomen kirie; ke theo
Meta soo o theos emon.
Amen Amen Amen:
Your death O Lord we proclaim.
Your holy resurrection and
Ascension we confess.
We praise You, we bless You
We thank You, O Lord, and we
Entreat You, O our God.
Recitation Curriculum:
Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
PSALM 103 - (I)
Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy towards those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. On those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children. To such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them. The Lord has established His throne in heaven. And His kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His words. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul.
PSALM 107
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
THE PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING – (II)
Let us give thanks to the beneficent and merciful God, the Father of our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ, for He has covered us, supported us, preserved us, accepted us unto Him, had compassion on us, sustained us, and brought us to this hour.
Let us then ask Him, the Almighty Lord our God, to keep us in all peace this holy day and all the days of our life.
O Master, Lord, God Almighty, Father of our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ, we thank Thee upon every condition, for any condition, and in whatever condition, for Thou hast covered us, supported us, preserved us, accepted us unto Thee, had compassion on us, sustained us and brought us unto this hour.
Wherefore, we pray and entreat Thy goodness O lover-of-mankind. Grant us to complete this holy day and all the days of our life in all peace with Thy fear. All envy, all temptation, all the workings of Satan, the intrigue of wicked people, the rising up of enemies, hidden and manifest, dost Thou cast away from us and from Thy people, and from this, Thy holy place.
Whereas of things that are good and useful dost Thou grant us, for Thou art He who gave us the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and every power of the enemy. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Through the grace and mercies and love-of-man of Thine only Begotten Son, our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, through whom is due unto Thee glory and honor and power together with Him and the Holy Spirit, the Life-Giver, who is consubstantial with Thee now and ever, and to the age of all ages. Amen
THE LORD TAKES CARE OF PAUL
IN THE SHIP AND THE ISLAND –(III)
U St. Paul, because of his love for the Lord Jesus suffered a lot in travel, in facing persecution and in jail. However, the Lord took care of him and protected him from all dangers.
U In the ship:
- While St. Paul and the people traveling with him by sea had lots of troubles for fourteen days, Paul was praying to God to save their lives.
-
After fourteen days, he asked them to eat and feel good
because the Lord showed him through an angel that He will save them.
- So the Lord saved everyone on the ship because of Paul.
U In the Island:
- After they arrived at the island, Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on fire when a viper came out and was fastened to his hand. When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another: no doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live, He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.
OCTOBER
THIRD SUNDAY
BY FATIH THE WALLS OF JERICHO FELL DOWN
Please read Joshua Chapters 5&6, the attached material entitled, “Faith”, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON:
To learn that we must trust and do what God is telling us even if we do not understand now. The two stories in the lesson show that we win if we submit to God easily.
MEMORY VERSE:
“By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days”
Hebrews 11:30
PLEASE EMPHASIZE:
U Two weeks ago, we spoke together about faith. What did we learn from that
lesson? (We must do our best and have faith that God will have everything work to our advantage no matter what happens).
Today, we are going to continue to talk about the power of faith.
Imagine that there is a very tall, strong, brick wall.
Now imagine that someone told you that if you walk around this wall a few times, and then shout as loud as you can, this very strong, tall wall would just crumble and fall.
Would you believe this person? Would you do it?
Well, this is exactly what happened to Joshua.
Let us explore this story together.
U After the death of Moses, the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, “Now therefore, rise, go over this Jordan to the land which I am giving to them - the children of Israel. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you”.
U The Israelites laid siege around the city of Jericho. They camped around it, so that no one could go in or out. Then the Lord instructed Joshua how to capture the city. The priests carried the ark around the city walls, preceded by seven priests blowing rams’ horns. The armed soldiers went ahead of the trumpeters and the rearguard followed the ark. Joshua told the people to be silent as they marched. They marched around the city in this manner once a day for six days. Then on the seventh day, they marched around seven times. During the seventh march, the priests blew the trumpets and all the people shouted as loud as they could. The walls of the city collapsed, and the Israelites walked right into the city and they seized it and massacred the inhabitants. Those inhabitants were non-believers of God.
U We have to trust the word of God even if we do not understand it. Follow what has been said and you will fully understand later. The Israelites under the leadership of Joshua obeyed what God told them to do in order to capture Jericho. It did not make sense that encircling Jericho, walking around it and blowing horns would make the walls of the city fall. But they did. This is the power of faith.
U At the wedding in Cana of Galilee, St. Mary asked the Lord Jesus on behalf of the people to give them wine because they ran out of it. Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. The people in the wedding had faith and obeyed Jesus by filling the water pots with water. It does not make sense that filling the water pots with water would help to get wine. But they did it anyway. With God everything is possible even if we cannot understand now or even if it does not make sense. But let us obey.
U Let us praise the Name of the Lord because He takes care of us as He did with the Israelites.
U Blessed are those who believe without seeing.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. As we grow up we will understand more about what God is telling us to do. All
we have to do now is trust God and obey Him.
2. If we have faith, we must not worry about anything because we believe that our life is in God’s hands. Hence, a true believer in God will always have peace.
Songs
A GOD LIKE YOU
I have never seen a God like you, my Lord
Who opens the gates, and unlocks the chains (2)
And created roads in the middle of the sea
Never prevented by mountains nor barriers.
REFRAIN:
I have never seen a God like you my God (2)
No one else but you appears in the den
And rescues the souls from the lion’s hem (2)
Who can lighten the darkness but you O King
And fill my heart with joy that I may sing?
You have suffered lots on the wooden Cross
To give me back my life and restore my loss (2)
You have promised me You are coming back
To grant me the eternal life I lack
Recitation Curriculum:
Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
FAITH
By H.H. Pope Shenouda III
Faith is not just a set of rigid beliefs that we learn by from theology and teachings of the church. But faith is rather a deep inner conviction and complete confidence in God, His attributes and His work.
Our faith in God, His existence, care and protection gives us inner peace and comfort in the heart and in the mind. It gives us confidence that as far as God exists. He cares about us more than we do about ourselves. Therefore we have to live in this peace and continue in it.
The faithful never becomeS disturbed because anxiety contradicts faith... faith in God's love, care and protection...
If one believed in God's existence everywhere, one would have an inner feeling of the holiness of any place, since God is always there. As he feels secure in the presence of God, he also feels the necessity to be precise in all his actions, knowing that God sees, hears and observes all his deeds...
In every sin, one says with the righteous Joseph, "How then can 1 do this great wickedness, and sin against God? (Gen. 39:9).
One's faith that God reads one's thoughts and knows the secrets of his heart, his intentions and feelings; such faith grants him modesty in his thoughts and feelings, making him bashful of God who examines all these emotions...
One's faith in the world to come and the day of judgment when he gives an account of all his deeds, thoughts, feelings and sayings, makes him sure that this world is perishing. One then sees the need to be prepared for that fearful day working for eternal life after death...
One keeps this thought in his heart saying with David, “Lord make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. " (Ps 39:4)
Faith is not just to be mentally convinced but is an action inside the heart, to lead one through his whole life...
It is not a specific moment where Man accepts God. It is a life-time job, where one lives in confidence that, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. " (Heb 11:1)
Therefore, the word faith in most cases means the whole Christian life with all its beliefs and deeds...
For the success
of this Sunday
School Program
the teacher should
refer to the
HOLY BIBLE
in his/her preparation
of the lessons and in
teaching the students
in the class
OCTOBER
FOURTH SUNDAY
HOW TO GROW IN YOUR FATIH? - (I)
Please read Mark 9:17-31, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON:
To learn that in order for us to grow in our faith, we have to ask the Lord in our prayers to strengthen our faith. This is part I of a series of two lessons on the steps of growing in our faith.
MEMORY VERSE:
“I believe, Master, help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)
PLEASE EMPHASIZE:
U Last week we talked about the walls of Jericho and how they fell because of the faith of Joshua and the Israelites. We learned that even if we don’t understand what God is telling us to do, all we have to do now is have faith by trusting God and obeying Him, because we will understand more as we grow up.
Two weeks before that, we also spoke about faith, and learned that God will have everything work to our advantage.
We now know that having faith is so important: The more faith you have, the more power from God that you will get.
But, wait a minute! How do we even get this faith? Did you ever think of that?
Today, and next week, we will learn how to grow in our faith.
U Tell the story of the father who brought his son to the disciples, then to Jesus, possessed by a dumb spirit. (Mark 9:17-31)
U Emphasize the following points:
1) Jesus said to the boy’s father: “Bring him to Me.”
In other words: No doubt that you came here knowing that, if anybody could do anything at all for your child, that somebody would be Jesus Christ. Then, what are you waiting for? “Bring him to Me”, said the Lord Jesus.
We go through the same thing …We have a problem or a need …. We try everything to have the problem solved or the need fulfilled …All our efforts go down the drain, all our struggle is in vain … We realize that we need a miracle from God to save the situation. And many times we stop at that.
Here, our Lord Jesus is telling you ... What are you waiting for? Bring this problem or this need to Me.
2) “If you can believe…"
Again Jesus said to the boy’s father: “If you can believe … all things are possible to him who believes.”
In other words: Do you have faith? Things can happen only if you have faith. In fact Jesus is saying: “Mr. … The problem is not whether I can heal your boy or not …The problem is whether or not you have faith that I can heal him.” The more faith you have, the more power you get.
Of course, the father had some faith, otherwise he wouldn’t have brought his boy to our Lord. But again he had some doubts too. For many long years he had met one frustration after the other. He had taken his child from one doctor to the other …none could help. He had tried all kinds of medicine …none could cure him. He brought him even to Jesus’ disciples, and even those could not cast away the dumb spirit.
The father was very honest when he spoke to the Master: “I believe, Master, help my unbelief.”
That was one of the short prayers in the Bible, but it was very honest, very sincere and very strong.
He was saying: “I have faith …but my faith is not strong enough …Lord, strengthen my faith.”
U Now ask the students: How do you grow in your faith? How do you strengthen your faith?
The answer is: By prayer
Be persistent in your prayer. Make it very honest, very sincere and very strong. But how?
U How do you make your prayer very honest, very sincere and very strong?
Or, putting the question in a different way: Why do you sometimes feel that your prayer is weak?
Invite answers. The answers could be something like this:
U Because we pray at the end of the day, when we are tired and very sleepy.
U Because when we pray in the morning, we are rushing to get ready to go to
school.
U Sometimes we pray even without thinking ... etc.
It is good that you pray. But I don’t think that you pray just because you want to pray or because you have to pray.
You want your prayer to be heard and answered. You want to have things moving. You want to feel that you are improving and growing in your faith, in your behaviour …in your spiritual life.
How do you do that?
Very simple …Take some time off before you pray. Jesus said: “When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matt. 6:6). After you read your Bible and before you pray, prepare yourself for prayer.
U Count your blessings so that you can thank God for them one by one if possible …. Remember what we said about the life of thanksgiving the Sunday before last.
U Remember the sins that you committed that day ... the things that displeased God ...And when you pray, mention them before God and ask for His forgiveness … Ask Him to help you overcome them.
U Remember the special things that you want to pray for
a) For yourself … (as an example) Ask Him to strengthen your faith …etc.
b) For others …members of your family, your friends, your church, the Pope, your priest, your Sunday School teachers … and those with special needs, somebody who is sick, or having an exam, or not coming to church, the poor and the hungry …etc.
U Having prepared yourself ... then, pray.
I am sure your prayer will be very honest, very sincere and very strong.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. Before you pray, prepare yourself for prayer.
2. Ask God to help you grow in your faith. A part of your prayer could be like this:
Please God, strengthen my faith so that I can take the sufferings and the pains without complaining to please You … Strengthen my faith so that I can stand strong against all the temptations that face me … so that I can feel secure being beside You, getting the protection I need, the help I need, the forgiveness I need, the peace I need and the wisdom and guidance I need.
Songs
DO NOT LEAVE ME ALONE
Do not leave me alone O shepherd of my soul
Be always near to help me and hear me when I call
REFRAIN
My lord, I’m nothing without Thee I am nothing at all
So take my right hand O Lord, and lead me
Forever in Thy way
Do not leave me alone My guardian and my guide
And hold me lest I fall whenever my footsteps slide
Do not leave me alone if I’m tempted to sin
When outward things are strong keep watch, O Lord, within
Do not leave me alone whenever I feel frail
Subdue Satan before me and let him not prevail
Do not leave me alone when I have gone astray
But take my hand and lead me again into Thy way
Do not leave me alone whenever sins abound
But rather, Lord, forgive me and turn my life around
Do not leave me alone when hope has fled away
But rather reassure me and teach me to watch and pray
Recitation Curriculum:
Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
OCTOBER
FIFTH SUNDAY
HOW TO GROW IN YOUR FATIH? - (II)
Please read James 2:14-26, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON:
To learn the importance of “good works” that should accompany our faith. One must make a move forward towards God. This is part II of a series of two lessons on the steps of growing in your faith.
MEMORY VERSE:
“Faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26)
PLEASE EMPHASIZE:
U Don’t just stand there, do something.
The teacher may tie together the previous lessons on faith as follows:
1) We spoke last Sunday about the father who had a son possessed by a dumb spirit. He had some faith that Jesus could heal his little boy. But he didn’t do anything about it. He didn’t even bring the boy to Jesus.
2) We said that this, sometimes, happens to us. We have all the faith that God can do the miracle …but that is the end of it, we stand there doing nothing. We have to take a step forward.
3) A few Sundays ago, we spoke about the faith of Abraham. He had the strongest faith that God would provide him with what he needed. But what if he had not obeyed God and had not left his home? How could he have shown that faith? God praised him because he showed his faith by his deeds, by his obedience to God’s command, by taking a step forward.
4) The four men who brought the paralytic to our Lord. They had a strong faith that Jesus could heal him …a strong faith that made them persist and not give up in spite of all the obstacles they met What if they had that faith, but they didn’t go through the trouble of bringing the paralytic to Jesus? They took a step and moved forward.
5) Even the nobleman who couldn’t bring his sick boy to Jesus to heal him. He did something …He came to bring Jesus to the sick boy. He took a step and moved forward.
6) Joshua had great faith in God especially after God told him: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” His faith assured him that God would give him the city of Jericho. But he didn’t let his faith stop there. He obeyed God and he led the Israelites and encircled the city for seven days as God ordered him.
a. What are these examples telling us? They are telling us the following:
b. Have faith …Do your part …Obey God …Use your talents … and leave the rest to God.
U The disciple St. James gives us examples:
1) If you see somebody who does not have clothes to wear or food to eat, and you tell him: “Go, put on some clothes and get something to eat so that you won’t get sick.”, but you don’t give him clothes or food …what is the use? Would your advice give him the warmth and the satisfaction he needs?
2) All through the Old and New Testaments, Abraham was known for his faith, why? Not because he said that he had faith … but because, when he was asked to sacrifice his only beloved son Isaac, hard as it was on him, he obeyed.
Now, please read (James 2:14-26)
Again, what are these examples trying to tell us? They are telling us that faith has to be accompanied by good works. Or, that faith is not faith if it stands alone without good deeds. Or, to put it in another way: To grow in faith means to grow in good deeds. Someone said: “Without God, man cannot do …and without man, God will not do.”
U Who is the greatest?
Two of the most beloved disciples of our Lord, John and James, asked of Him, one day, Master, “Grant us to sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your glory.: They believed that He was the Messiah, that is why they asked that.
The other Disciples, when they heard them request that, they began to be angry at them for their selfishness, and they were also angry with themselves for not thinking about these positions first.
So Jesus our Lord solved the problem by putting this principle very clear. He said that, in My Kingdom, “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.” (Mark 10:43).
The thing that makes you great in the sight of God is faith which is shown through good works.
U How can I serve?
Here we go back to the lesson that we studied about our talents and how to use them. (3rd Sunday of September).
You can point out the following:
1) God is putting great importance on the little talent that you have or the service that you can do. The little service that a one-talent man can do equals, in God’s eyes, exactly the great service that a five-talent man can do. Christ our Lord praised the poor widow who put in the synagogue’s offering box two pennies.
2) God might have given us only a little human understanding or a little compassion, or a little kindness or even a little faith … maybe our gift for prayer is small …But, use these little talents and they will grow, or bury them and you will lose them. In other words, your talents, whether they are big or small, use them or lose them. There is no other way.
3) Remember the story about the fig tree. After 3 years without producing fruit, the owner gave order to cut it down. But, because of the plea (or the intercession) of the gardener, it was given a one-year grace … it either bears fruit, or be cut down. Just to stay alive is not enough, we have to produce. This lesson is for every Christian, young or old.
4) You can use your talents by helping others, or pleasing your parents, or doing something for the church, or sacrificing a meal a week and giving its worth to the hungry, or giving up drinking pop for a month and sending the money to the poor …etc. There are unlimited ideas and projects of service that one can think of. Try to help the students to express out their thoughts concerning this subject.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. To grow in faith means to grow in good deeds too. Take a step forward towards God and let Him help you.
2. In your preparation for prayer, find out whether or not you are using the talents which God has given you …how are you using them? … What more can you do? Thank God and ask Him to help you to grow more and do more.
Songs
JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD
“Now you are the body of Christ
and members individually.” (1Cor 12:27)
REFRAIN
Jesus Christ our Lord Saviour of my soul
Let my thoughts be Your thoughts that is all in all
Let my senses be Your senses that is all in all
Let my heart be Your heart that is all in all
Let my will be Your will that is all in all
Let my deeds be Your deeds that is all in all
Let my way be Your way that is all in all
Recitation Curriculum:
Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
NOTES
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NOVEMBER
FIRST SUNDAY
THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: LOVE - (I)
Please read Galatians 5:22, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, the attached article entitled, “Life of sacrifice”, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON:
Introduction to the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Love is the first gift of the Holy Spirit. The life of love is the life of sacrifice.
MEMORY VERSE:
"All will know that you are My Disciples, if you have love for one another."
John 13:35
PLEASE EMPHASIZE:
U Does anyone know what the fruits of the Holy Spirit are? (Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control).
Yes, but what are they, these fruits? (They are the qualities/characteristics each of us needs/must acquire so that we can be true Christians).
So, today, and for the next three weeks, we will be exploring what these virtues are that we want to acquire and how to get them.
Today, we will be speaking of the greatest one of these fruits: Love.
U If we are children of God, we must love one another because “God is love”.
U Love is the basis of all virtues. If we have all good qualities but we do not have love, we cannot have a relationship with God, or as St. Paul puts it, “We are nothing”.
But love must be translated into real deeds. These were mentioned by St. Paul “Love suffers long and is kind, love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; rejoices in the truth; bears all things. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
U As the Lord loved us and showed us that love on the Cross, therefore, we must love each other, “As I loved you, so you too love one another.”
U We must learn to love all people even our enemies. We can love those people more if we look at God and not at their actions, i.e., treat them through our relationship with God.
U Let us have examples of love from the Bible:
U The love of the four men carrying the paralytic:
Mark 2:1-12. Please remind them of the miracle emphasizing the efforts that the four men did for the sick man.
U The love of St. Mary for Elizabeth:
Luke 1:39-56. St. Mary knew from the Angel Gabriel that Elizabeth, who was a very old lady, was pregnant. St. Mary, because of her love, knew that Elizabeth would definitely need help. “She went into the Hill country with haste, to a city of Judah." St. Mary stayed serving Elizabeth for 3 months.
U The love of St. Stephen to the people stoning him:
Acts 7:54-60. While they were stoning him, he asked the Lord for their
forgiveness. “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” (Acts 7:60)
U Love never fails. This is a summary statement to show that whatever happens, love will triumph at last. If we want to have an intimate relationship with God Who is love, we must have love for one another and translate that love into good deeds.
U The Lord Jesus Christ said to His Apostles (and through them to all of us): “Thus all will know that you are my Disciples if you will have love among you” (John 13:39). This is the Christian love. Our Lord Jesus explained this Christian love “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even the sinners love those who love them” (Luke 6:32). By these words, the Lord warns us against the egotistically selfish character of non-Christian, pagan love. In such egotistic love, the main element is our personal “I”, our Self gratification which we receive from this feeling. The Lord commanded something else of us Christians: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who offend and persecute you”. Thus, a Christian loves other people, not for their good or obliging disposition but for themselves; they are dear to him in themselves and the Christians’ love seeks their salvation, even if they treat him as an enemy.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. Let us base all our deeds on love.
2. Love must be translated into actions to show it.
3. To grow in love for others we have to start by stopping to be selfish. We have to get rid of the ego.
4. The life of love is a life of sacrifice.
Songs
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE
Love, love, love, love The Gospel in a word is love
Love your neighbour as yourself Love, love, love
Pantocrator You are my Creator
You created heaven and earth I adore You.
Jesus Christ You are our Redeemer
You are our Sacrifice I love You
Holy Spirit You are our Comforter
You sanctify our souls I need You
Coptic Church You are our blessing and pride.
Through Your Sacraments we are saved I serve you
Agios O Theo-os Agios Ees- shiros
Agios Athanatos Eleison ymas
Eleison ymas
Recitation Curriculum:
Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
LIFE OF SACRIFICE
By H.H. Pope Shenouda III
All that God asks from you is your heart, " My son, give me your heart. " (Prov. 23:26)... When He asks for your heart, He asks for your love. And the evidence of love is sacrifice.
Therefore a spiritual life is a life of sacrifice, offering everything even life itself. " It is more blessed to give than to receive. " (Act 20:35)
You have to give up something for the sake of God, to move your love for Him. And your love is as great as what you give up for God's sake.
Look at Abraham, the father of fathers, how did he start his relationship with God...? it started with God saying to him, "Get out of your country, from your kindred and from your father's house, to a land I will show you." (Gen 12:1)
For God's sake, Abraham left his family and his country. Was God satisfied with that? No! Even in the strange land, God said to him, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and offer him as a burnt offering" (Gen 22:2) Abraham obeyed and went to offer his son...
Moses also sacrificed his princely position, the royal palace and all the riches and authority "...esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt." (Heb 11:26)
The Apostles said to the Lord Jesus "We have left all and followed you”, and St. Paul the Apostle said, "... for when I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Phil 13:8).
Sacrifice reaches its peak when you offer everything: like the widow who paid the coins and the widow who gave the prophet Elijah all the food she had. "Go sell whatever you have and give to the poor and come take your Cross and follow me.” (Mk 10:21)
God himself gave us this love as an example of sacrifice, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son." (Jn 3:16) "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down his life for his friend.” (Jn 15:13).
The martyrs gave themselves up to death and did not want their life because of their love for the Lord Jesus Christ.
What about you dear reader?... What have you sacrificed for the sake of Christ who gave Himself up and became man and died on the Cross?
We do not ask you to sacrifice your life like the martyrs, as it was a special time. But, the most important thing to give up for His sake is your favourite sins.
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