School Worship Bible Project
Year 2 Ordinary Time - Weeks before Lent
Between Candlemas and Ash Wednesday, there is a period of time whichdoes not belong to any Season. Epiphany is over and Lent has not yet begun. This period of ‘in-between time’ is known as Ordinary Time – meaning ‘marked’ or ‘measured’ time, measured by how many Sundays there were still to go before Easter.
We have taken the opportunity in this short period of Ordinary Time to look at some of the most important parts of John’s Gospel. John includes a number of sayings where Jesus says ‘I am …’ The readings pick out four of these sayings:
- ‘I am the Gate…’,
- ‘I am the good shepherd…’,
- ‘I am the light…’,
- ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’.
These sayings are fascinating and can be explored at many levels -our questions and comments do little more than scratch the surface.
In our readings from the three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), we quite often find that the stories and teachings are in more than one of the gospels. When we read John we do not find so many of these ‘parallels’. The ‘I am …’ sayings are especially important parts of John’s Gospel and are found nowhere else in the gospels.
The readings explore the use of image and metaphor to help us understand John’s view of Jesus. You could use some music which creates images or pictures such as Saint-Saens’ ‘Carnival of the Animals’ or (perhaps for older pupils) Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures from and Exhibition’. If you wanted to be even more ambitious try Debussy’s Images, or even La Mer …
Try letting the children listen without giving them names or titles – what images or pictures do they hear in the music for themselves?
The gospel writer uses metaphor to show that it is not only the teaching and stories of Jesus that are important. The person Jesus is important in himself.
As with all of this material please make such adjustments and alterations as you feel fit to make it appropriate to your own context.
Week 1: The Gate John 10: 1-10Bible Reading
Jesus said, “I am telling you the truth: the man who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who goes in through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him; the sheep hear his voice as he calls his own sheep by name, and he leads them out. When he has brought them out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. They will not follow someone else; instead, they will run away from such a person, because they do not know his voice.”
Jesus told them this parable, but they did not understand what he meant.
So Jesus said again, “I am telling you the truth: I am the gate for the sheep. All others who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever comes in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life — life in all its fullness. / Notes
This reading is quite complex. We can see different dimensions; the sheep, the thieves, the gatekeeper and the shepherd. The sheep are both vulnerable and obedient. They are open to the guidance of two voices – the ‘good’ voice of the shepherd and the ‘bad’ voice of the thieves and robbers. In the background is the more shadowy figure of the gatekeeper and the gate itself.
The whole is a dramatic metaphor, which has a quite dark side to it. This is a picture of the world, withthe sheep representingpeople vulnerable to the influence of the voices of good and evil around them. Notice Jesus’ confidence that the sheep will follow the voice that they ‘know’. There is caution in the tale;clearly, the sheep are in a dangerous place. Jesus uses a metaphor - ‘I am the gate’.It is through the gate that the sheep find safety. See the note in the introduction about these metaphors. Moreover, the tale does not end … it grows into the next reading where we meet Jesus the good Shepherd.
Values:
Compassion:We all need to be cared for, and when we are cared for we learn to care for others.This is how our conscience learns to guide us. This means that as we grow we can listen to our conscience to remind us of the compassion which we should always show to others.
Friendship: It has been suggested that leaders cannot be friends with those that they lead, just as teachers cannot really become friends with their pupils. However, one of the foundations of Christianity is the relationship which formed between Jesus and his disciples. This is vital for the way that the church developed. Inthe book of Actsthe disciplesmake strong relationships and even become good friends despite their disagreements.
Questions:
Jesus says in the reading that he is the ‘gate’. Where do you think that the gate leads?
Whose voices do you think are good ones? Why?
Do you think that the idea of different voices for good and for bad is a useful one? Is it a helpful way of thinking about the way in which we make good choices?
When Jesus talks about the thieves and robbers who do you think that he is talking about?
What do you think ‘life in all its fullness’ means?
How do we keep good relationships and friendships – even with those with whom we disagree about things?
Week 1: The GateReflection
For a moment let us imagine …
Let us imagine that we are walking down a path.
We come to a gate across the way.
What do we do?
Do we open the gate?
Do we turn back?
What would you want to know before you opened the gate?
How would you find it out?
Now in a moment of quiet let us think about what we want to find when we open our gate.
(You might like to suggest that children share their ideas with friends) / Prayer
Lord God
As we grow, we have to make many different choices.
Help us to choose the right things to do by making your voice clear.
Guide usto learn your ways and values so that through our own voices we can guide others too.
Amen
Laying the table
Make a collection of gateways and doorways – or at least pictures of them. Gather some open and some closed examples and encourage children to think about what is on the other side of the doorway or gate. You could include an image of Jesus as the gate – there are a number of pictures on the internet but this idea has not really captured the imagination of artists throughout the ages. Maybe you could create your own artwork on this theme.
Week 1: Extension - The Gate Psalm 118: 19-23A bit more from the Bible:
Open to me the gates of the Temple;
I will go in and give thanks to the Lord!
This is the gate of the Lord;
only the righteous can come in.
I praise you, Lord, because you heard me,
because you have given me victory.
The stone which the builders rejected as worthless
turned out to be the most important of all.
This was done by the Lord;
what a wonderful sight it is! / Notes:
Our extension gives a different slant to the idea of the ‘gate’seen in our first reading. The Psalm is older than the Gospel of John and describes the gate as part of the Temple. From this point of view, the gate is for the ‘righteous’ – those who are followers of the law. The Psalm goes on to speak ofa rejected stone. This seems to be an odd verse in the Psalm but the first Christians chose it as a reference to Christ (for exampleActs 4: 11). Its importance is not to be understated – this ‘stone’ is not part of the Temple, not part of the historic order or the ‘established’ religion. This was seen to be a picture of the way that Jesus and his teachings were rejected by the Jewish authorities – and of course, the first Christians believed that Jesus is more important than all the prophets – in fact that Jesus is indeed God.
A few more Questions
What places are special to you?
Why are these places special?
What makes these places special?
The temple has a very important place in the Old Testament. It was a place of prayer and offering to God. What places do you know where people go to pray and make offering to God?
Some things to do
Find out more about the Temple. Who had the first Temple built? Can you find out why the people of Israel had a Temple? What did they do there?
There were actually a number of Temples, built and then destroyed over time. The last Temple was finally demolished in 70 CE. What has happened to the ruins since?
______
Week 2: The Good Shepherd John 10: 11-16Bible Reading
“I am the good shepherd, who is willing to die for the sheep. When the hired man, who is not a shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees a wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away; so the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. The hired man runs away because he is only a hired man and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd. As the Father knows me and I know the Father, in the same way I know my sheep and they know me. And I am willing to die for them. There are other sheep which belong to me that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them, too; they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd.”
/ Notes
Last week Jesus built up the picture of the gate and the voices. Hemoves on to pick out the idea of the shepherd and shows how this image applies to him. He makes a strong contrast between himself and the ‘hired man’. Jesus says that he is the ‘good’ shepherd and makes a close connection between himself and God – the Father. He talks of knowing God as Father and of knowing the sheep, suggesting the importance of relationships both between himself and the disciples and within the Trinity.
The reading ends with a dramatic statement of inclusivity. Jesusmentions other ‘sheep’ – this extends the metaphor with the people of Israel as those in the sheepfold and others (known as Gentiles) as those who will join the flock.
Values:
Service: This is an essential part of the Christian way of life. The reading shows the way in which Jesus saw his own life as service to the Father. He puts his commitment to this service in very strong terms – as being willing to die for those in his care. The service that Jesus is offering to the Father means that he serves others through teaching and miracles. Jesus, of course, also made disciples and through generation after generation, the teachings of Jesus have led countless people to live lives of service.
Endurance: The idea of the good shepherdsuggests a great deal of patience and endurance. One of the essential strengths of anyone who tends animals is patience and the willingness to take the time needed to care for them properly. The same is the case for those who care for people. The needs of people can be very trying on your patience – ask a teacher … or a nurse …
Questions:
Why do you think that the ‘hired man’ would not care for the sheep?
Why do sheep need a shepherd?
Do wild animals need people to care for them? Why? Why not?
Why do we like to keep animals? How does it feel to care for them?
Which are our favourite animals?
The sheep are a metaphor for people –do you think that this is a good metaphor?
Why?
How can we best take care of people?
What else do we do that requires a great deal of patience?
Week 2:The Good ShepherdReflection
I wonder …
Who would you like to follow?
Where would you be led?
What would you find there?
Is this a place where you want to stay, or will you move on?
Why would you want to stay?
Why might you want to move on? / Prayer
Patient Lord
Many people have followed your lead.
The disciples and apostles built up your church and many Saints have tried to find the best way to make your kingdom known in the world.
Help us also to follow your lead and bring the good things of your kingdom to everyone in the world.
Amen
Laying the table
The Good Shepherd is an image of care. What do we need to care for animals? Make the focus table a collection of the materials needed to take care of animals. You might gather various pet foods or grooming tools. You could include agricultural or equestrian materials too – depending on your context. Encourage the children to reflect on the range of needs that have to be met and both the effort and cost of meeting these.
Week 2:Extension - The Good Shepherd Ecclesiastes 12: 10-11Bible Reading
The Philosopher tried to find comforting words, but the words he wrote were honest.The sayings of the wise are like the sharp sticks that shepherds use to guide sheep, and collected proverbs are as lasting as firmly driven nails. They have been given by God, the one Shepherd of us all. / Notes
The writer of Ecclesiastes uses the shepherd metaphor to help us think about wisdom and learning. The idea being that ‘the sayings of the wise’ are like sharp sticks is a fascinating image! Notice however that the writer (The Philosopher) points out that the wisdom itself is a gift of God.
A few more Questions:
The word philosopher (the word is Greek) means ‘lover of wisdom’ – does that mean that we are all philosophers? How do we show our love of wisdom?
Would you say that wisdom is like sharp sticks? Can you think of a better simile?
Some things to do
Ecclesiastes is a book from the Old Testament – it is one of a number of books known as ‘wisdom’ books, another one of these books is Proverbs. Have a look at these books – what do you think of what they say?
Can you find out about some other philosophers?
Ecclesiastes was written 500 or more years before Jesus (500 BCE). Can you find any other Philosophers from that time?
______
Week 3: I am the LightLuke 8: 12Bible Reading:
Jesus spoke to the Pharisees again. “I am the light of the world,” he said. “Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.” / Notes
This is awell-known saying. Jesus uses the metaphor to continually challenge the traditional leaders’ (Pharisees and Sadducees) understanding of God. The light contrasts with the complexity of law and ritual by its great simplicity.
Values:
Peace: John’s Gospel describes tension, or even conflict between light and darkness. Conflict has been part of the Cosmos from the very beginning of time and it is perhaps important that John’s Gospel does not talk of peace until towards the end (chapter 14 on) when the victory of light overcomes conflict through the dramatic events of Easter and the appearances of the risen Christ. Peace comes about as light triumphs over dark.
Wisdom:The King James Bible mentions that the darkness ‘comprehended … not’ the light. In other words, the darkness did not have the wisdom to understand what the light meant. So there are two sorts of wisdom:
Firstly,the wisdom that helps us to make the best choices; and
Secondly, the wisdom that helps us to see the need for the first wisdom!
Questions:
We have thought about light as a picture or metaphor a number of times.
When John’s Gospel mentions the ‘light of the world’ and the ‘light of life’ do you think that light means the same thing each time? Do you think that light always stands for the same thing?
If light means different things, then do you think that there are different meanings for darkness? When Jesus says ‘walk in darkness’ what do you think that he might mean?
How do you feel when there is no light?
When Jesus says that whoever follows him will walk in light. Who might you be following if you were walking in darkness?
If there are two kinds of wisdom, does this mean that we have two sorts of light?
What do you think that the ‘light of life’ is?
We often have to think about things – how often do we think about thinking?
Week 3: I am the LightReflection
Just for a moment let’s imagine that we are in the dark.
It is warm and quiet and comfortable.
We sit for a while and listen, we can hear things moving, things that we like – I wonder what they are. Perhaps birds, or leaves in the wind …
We reach out and our hands touch something - I wonder what you would most like to feel. The fur of an animal perhaps or the bark of a tree …
Now you feel something else – a switch. The light switch. You are about to turn it on. What is it that you want to see when the light comes?
You press the switch – and there it is in front of you. I wonder what it is? / Prayer
Lord of Light,
Be with us, we pray, when we find ourselves in dark places.
When we are lost or we do not understand…
When we are lonely or we are sad…
Let your light surround us and comfort usand finally guide us to a safe place.
Amen
Laying the table