God, Revelation and Faith
Chapter 1 – Revelation, the Scriptures and Tradition
OBJECTIVES:
- Students will be able to explain that God reveals himself to us in Scripture and Tradition Students will become familiar with the sections of the Bible
- Students will describe ways to make God known to others
PRAYER
- Beautiful and Splendid Things: Students write down a beauty of nature on paper provided. Then say the prayer on pp. 8-9. Place the papers in the basket on the prayer table.
- A Prayer of St. Thomas More
Leader: Father in heaven,
You have given us a mind to know You, a will to serve You, and a heart to love You.
All: Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.
Leader: Be with us today in all that we do, so that Your light may shine out in our lives.
All: Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.
Leader: May the Spirit of Your Son Jesus guide the words and actions of all Christians today.
All: Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.
Leader: We pray for all who are searching for truth; bring them Your light and Your love.
All: Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.
OPENING
As students arrive, they put labels on their text and read the “Live It!” on pg 21 and think about how they would respond to the questions. Explain/discuss
“I Have” ice breaker: kids in circle with one chair less than number of kids present, one kid has to stand (pick currently most antsy one) in middle of circle and share something about themselves ( I have two brothers, I attend Mabry, etc) everyone about whom this is also true has to get up and find another chair. Continue until seating arrangements have been well mixed, and everyone has to keep their latest seat for the rest of the evening. Add chairs as kids arrive, but always have one less than total number of kids.
LESSON
- Revelation is God making Himself known to us. We are created with the capacity to know. Knowledge is unfolding. God reveals Himself in our human experiences.
- What do we learn about God through these stories? (Genesis 6:11-13, Exodus 12:21-30, Job 1:1-12) What does God reveal and who does He reveal it to?
- Jesus is the perfect revelation of God.
- Read or tell the story of St. Paul on p. 12. The teachings of the Church are the revelations of God.
- Discuss different groups of people and ministries from Transfiguration, as listed in the Sunday bulletin.
- Faith is built on trust. Faith is an anchor in the storm of life.
- A wise man has said that to be a believer means to take a “leap of faith”. What do you think that means? What does the believer leave behind? What does the believer leap toward?
- Should we consider people who do not believe in God to be bad people? Why or why not?
- In terms of religion, would you describe yourself as a faithful person? Are you a believer? What does faith mean to you?
- What are some difficult things that God might ask of us?
- People who do not have faith do not know what they are missing. As people of faith, what do you think they are missing?
- What is the difference between knowing and believing?
- Is it possible to have faith without God’s grace?
- What advice would you give to someone who is having problems with faith? If you yourself are having doubts, what can you do to strengthen your faith?
Rena Cresman, August 2010:
Briefly discuss the following: Revelation is God making Himself known to us. God reveals Himself in our human experiences (broadly tie this in to Scripture and Tradition, and that we will explain
these more later)In terms of religion, would you describe yourself as a faithful person? Are you a believer? What does faith mean to you?Is it possible to have faith in God without God’s grace?Let kids know God is pleased when we pray to Him for an increase in faith. (St Therese Couderc)
Using Bibles briefly explain structure of Scripture and discuss the following: What do we learn about God through this story? (Genesis 4:1-16) What does God reveal and who does He reveal it to? Explain that Jesus is the perfect revelation of God.
Game using What is the Question handout. Using ppg 19-22 of text, have group of three or four work the handout, one question at a time, checking in with teachers to make sure they have the right answer before going on to next question. (create groups from kids sitting next to each other). To avoid having some kids not participate actively, each group has a leader who needs to make sure all group members know the question, because the group gets credit for a question only when the teacher asks any group member at random what the question is for each answer. Candy as prize, winning group gets the most, and so on. Everyone gets at least one piece.
If time allows (if not, next week), do the following: With students still in the three groups, hand out a bulletin to each group. As a class, explain what information is in the bulletin, ask kids to find different sections ; ChrisTeen (not Prep) Page, daily readings, list of ministries, etc. Discuss the different groups of people and ministries at Transfiguration, as listed in the Sunday bulletin.
ACTIVITIES
- Have students work in pairs. Blindfold one student and have the other person lead them through an obstacle course set up in the classroom.
- In pairs, students work together to discover something about the other that the rest of the group would not know. Then they share with the group.
- Handout: How Well Do You Know…Readings from the Old Testament? Sample included.
Answers:1. very good
2. covenantnationsAbrahamGod
3. Here I amsandalsholy ground
4. Israelitesheartspeople
5. wisdomsilvergold
- Use the What’s the Question? handout (sample included). Have the students divide into groups. Each group tries to complete the worksheet (can use pp. 19-22). The first group to complete all items correctly wins.
Answers:1. What is oral tradition?
2. What is the Old Testament?
3. What is the New Testament?
4. What is Sacred Scripture?
5. Who is the Holy Spirit?
6. What is living tradition?
7. Who is Jesus?
8. What is the Deposit of Faith?
9. What is revelation?
10. What is the Deposit of Faith?
- Let each student re-introduce himself or herself, using a flashlight to “highlight” something about each other (just as God introduced Himself).
- Create a “generation” banner. Have the students write down different ways of sharing their faith (pictures, drawings, scripture verses, prayers) that they would like to pass on to the next generation. Hang the banner in the hallway.
- Roll out a sheet of paper about 12’ long, with a long, horizontal line down the middle. Put the year 2000 BC on the far left and the year 2000 AD on the far right. Give the students markers, and have them place the different people, Bible stories, and important dates on the timeline (like the first Gutenberg printing press in 1450 AD which allowed more people to have and read the Bible, or the Council of Nicea in 325 AD). It gives them an idea of when the Bible books were written, what was going on, etc. Sample included.
Timeline
(page 1 of 2)
The Hebrew People
2000 BC / 1650 BC / 1250 BC / 1000 BCThe Patriarchs / The House of Israel in Egypt / Exodus / Conquest of the
Promised Land / Kings
Abraham / Moses / Saul
Isaac / Joshua / Judges / David
Jacob / Joseph / Solomon
The TwoKingdom Period
ISRAEL / Elijah / Elisha / AmosAhab & Jezebel / Hosea / Assyria
930 BC / 900 BC / 850 BC / 800 BC / 750 BC / 722 BC
Micah
JUDAH / Isaiah
The SingleKingdom Period
BabylonJUDAH / 720 BC / 650 BC / 600 BC / 587 BC
Exile in Babylon
2nd Isaiah / 3rd Isaiah
Zephaniah / Ezekiel
Nahum / Habakkuk
Jeremiah
Post Exile Period
538 BC / 500 BC / 450 BC / 350 BC / 200 BCReturn from exile / Alexander the Great / Greek
Nehemiah & Ezra / Seleucids
Zechariah / Obadiah / Ptolemies
Haggi / Malachi / Joel
Maccabean and Hasmonean Dynasty
170 BC / 150 BC / 100 BC / 35 BCMaccabbees Revolt / Roman
Antiochus IV / John Hyrcanus / Herod the Great
Mattathias / Jonathan
Judas / Simon
The Writings of the New Testament
Nero / Domitian4 BC / 33 AD / 70 AD / 80 AD / 90 AD / 100 AD
The Life of Jesus / Oral Traditions / Gospel of Mark / Gospel of Matthew / Gospel of John
Passion / Gospel of Luke
Death
Resurrection / The Minsitry & Writings of Paul / Jewish Revolt
1 & 2 Thesalonians / James / 1 & 2 Timothy
Philemon / 1 & 2 Peter / Titus
Phillippians / Hebrews / Jude
1 & 2 Corintians / Acts / 1, 2 &3 John
Romans / Revelation
Ephesians
Colosians
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Creed I
Chapter 1 – A Divine and Awesome Invitation
Timeline
(page 2 of 2)
The Cannon of the Bible
End of the Apostalic Age / Constantine100 AD / 150 AD / 200 AD / 300 AD / 400 AD
The Church Fathers / Council of Hippo
Clement of Rome / Didache / Clement of Alexandria / Eusebius
Ignatius of Antioch / Polycarp / Irenaeus of Lyons / Arius / Athanasius
Justin Martyr / Origen / Jerome
Hippolytus / Agustine
Gnostics / Tertulian
Marcion
A. Brief History of Bible Translations
1. Latin Vulgate383-405 AD
a. St. Jerome translated from the original Hebrew and Greek
b. Standard Bible for Roman Catholics
2. Wycliff Bible1382
a. English translation from the Vulgate
3. Douay-Rheims Bible1582-1609
a. English translation from the Vulgate
b. Response to the Protestant Reformation
4. King James Bible (Protestant)1611
a. Commissioned by King James
b. Work of 50 scholars; Beautiful use of English
B. Modern Bible Translations
1. Jerusalem Bible – 1966 / New Jerusalem Bible – 1985
a. Annotated; Readable and very accurate; From the original languages
b. Recommended for reading and study
2. New American Bible – 1970
a. Annotated; Readable and very accurate; From the original languages
b. Recommended for reading and study
c. Study Edition contains a Reading Guide
d. Lectionary based on this translation
3. Good News Bible with Apocrypha (Today’s English Version) – 1976
a. Uses “everyday” speech; Some compromise in wording
b. Good reading Bible
4. Catholic Living Bible
a. Paraphrases text; Not a translation; Dilutes meaning of words
b. Not a good study Bible
5. New Oxford with Apocrypha (Protestant)
a. Annotated; Readable and very accurate; From the original languages
b. Recommended for reading and study; Old Testament books not in order
6. Revised Standard Version (RSV) / New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
a. Annotated; Readable and very accurate; From the original languages
b. Ecumenical; Liturgical use
7. New International Version (NIV – Protestant) – 1978
a. Annotated; Readable
b. Evangelical; Update of King James
8. Contemporary English Version (Protestant)
a. Uses “everyday” speech; Some compromise in wording
How Well Do You Know…Readings from the Old Testament?
From the many books of the Old Testament, we learn of man’s search for God, and the many ways God revealed Himself to our ancestors. See if you can fill-in-the-blanks, taken from books that emphasize God’s creation of the world, man’s personal relationship with God, words of prophesy from those blessed by God, and words that give meaning and direction to our lives.
- After creating all the green plants, the wild animals, the birds of the air, and everything that creeps on the earth, God saw all the He had made, and it was ______.
-Genesis 1:31
- God said, “This is My ______with you; you are to be the father of many ______. Your name will no longer be Abram, but ______. I shall maintain my covenant with you and your descendants; I shall be your ______.
-Genesis 17:4-5, 7
- The Lord called out to him from out of the bush, saying, “Moses, Moses!” He answered, “______”. God said, “Take off your ______, for the place where you are standing is ______.
-Exodus 3:4-5
- [The Lord said,] “For this is the covenant I shall establish with the ______. I shall set My law within them, writing it on their ______; I shall be their God, and they shall be My ______.”
-Jeremiah 31:33
- Happy is he who has found ______; he who has acquired understanding. For wisdom is more profitable than ______, and the gain she brings is better than ______!
-Proverbs 3:13-14
What’s the Question?
Answer / Question1 / Talking, singing, telling stories about the living experience of a community with God / What is ______?
2 / The written record of divine revelation that tells of God’s relationship with His people Israel / What is the ______?
3 / The written record of the Good News of Jesus and God’s work in the early Church / What is the ______?
4 / The inspired, permanent writing down of the living experience of the community / What is ______?
5 / Guided the transforming of oral tradition into a written record / Who is ______?
6 / Existed before Scripture was written and helped form it / What is ______?
7 / The fullest and final Word of God / Who is ______?
8 / Contains all the truths of revelation / What is the ______?
9 / God making Himself known to us / What is ______?
10 / Contains the truths of tradition and Scripture / What is the ______?
Name Game: Ask the students to separate themselves into two groups (good memories, not so good memories). The students with the good memories go to the end of the circle where they have to remember all the names that came before them. Play the name game.
Guess Who: Flash picture of celebrities and religious leaders and have students write down the names of the people. Tell the names of the celebrities and allow the students to calculate how many normal celebrities they guessed right on the left and the number of religious leaders on the right. Discussion Points: Who do you hear more about? Who do you see more often? Why is it important to be familiar with Catholic figures?
Review of the Bible: Put students in groups of 4 to 5. Hand each group an envelope. The envelope contains words relating to the bible. Each group must arrange the words in some way (graphic organizer) that makes sense. See example below. Discussion points: Where did the Bible come from? When was the Bible created? Scripture and Tradition. Revelation- book vs God making Himself known to us. How did he reveal Himself to us?
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