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Religious Education Modules – New Testament: Stories of the Early Church - Religious Education

Modules – New Testament: Stories of the Early Church - Religious Education Modules – New Testament: Stories of the Early Church - Religious Education








Modules – New Testament: Stories of the Early Church

Stage 3 Module

https://eaglechristianonline.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/pentecost-and-the-power-of-the-age-to-come/

Module Focus

New Testament:Stories of the Early Church

https://eaglechristianonline.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/pentecost-and-the-power-of-the-age-to-come/

The Bible is a text that allows for readers to bridge the gap between the world of the Bible’s subjects and authors to that of the world in which the reader lives. “Readers in totally different contexts, including our own, may uncover meanings, making old texts speak again as God’s living word” (White, L, 1987 Midrash: a Key to the Meaning of the Scriptures p.278).

This module calls for an exploration of the scriptures from the apostolic period i.e. the period where the apostles worked towards establishing an early church based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and built upon a strong heritage from Israel. Students will learn that whilst we can apply these scriptures to our lives today, they were written for very specific purposes and must be understood in that light. Students will become aware that the Church, inspired by the Holy Spirit, developed in the period after Jesus’ ascension, building the foundations of its life and mission in which all members are called to participate.

During this module, students will learn from the scriptures something of the world of early Christians, their lives and their faith. They will investigate Saints Peter and Paul through visiting to the Acts of the Apostles and the Letters of St Paul. They will be invited to explore ways that these scriptures may be applied to our lives today.

The Bible is a life which has turned into text. In the reflection about that life therefore, we can find wisdom that helps us reflect upon our own lives. In this module, the students will have the opportunity to look at some of the wise, reflective and poetic writings of the Old Testament and to discover their universal significance.

Printed with permission© Radiant Light, Elizabeth Wang 2003 - 2010. http://www.radiantlight.org.uk

N e w T e s t a m e n t : S t o r i e s o f t h e E a r l y C h u r c h – S t a g e 3 P a g e | 1

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OutcomesS S3.5a: Identifies the nature and purpose of Biblical writings through which all are invited to share eternal life.SS3.5b: Demonstrates how the messages of Scripture can be applied to contemporary life.CD S3.3b: Researches and reports on significant figures in the history of the Catholic Church.

Learn About Learn ToS S3.5a: God’s self-disclosure through the Scriptures about the early

Church The Scriptures about Saints Peter and Paul and the early

Christians

SS 3.5b: The connection between the message in Scripture and the

lifestyles of early Christians How the stories of the early Christians are relevant to how

we live our lives today

CD S3.3b: God’s gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost The establishment of the early Church. The stories of Saints Peter and Paul The key figures and the impact of their work on the Church

S S3.5a: Read the Scriptures for meaning Identify the connections between the Scriptures about

the early church and the Gospels

SS3.5b: Identify opportunities for the application of messages of

Scripture Research significant people of the early church

CD S3.3b: Describe the characteristics of the life and faith of early

Christian communities. Research and evaluate the lives and contributions of

key figures in the history of the Catholic Church

DISCIPLESHIP CHALLENGE

Students are challenged to value the richness of the Sacred Scriptures Students are challenged to relate messages from the Sacred Scriptures to daily life. Students are challenged to make choices as a response to God’s call.


Catholic Discipleship

“We can’t touch Jesus any more; we can’t see him. But those who believe in him can detect today the mysterious signs of his new and permanent presence among us…The Spirit of Jesus comes to those who welcome him, gentle as a breeze, hot as a flame, close as breath. With the Spirit of Jesus, believers become “Christians”, the other Christs who can continue Jesus’ work…with the Spirit of Jesus, Christians renew the face of the earth; the only law is to love God with all their strength, and their neighbour as themselves. To do this, they join together as Church” Hari, A. and Singer, C. 1993. Alive in the Spirit Today. France: Matthew James Publishing; Novalis

Prayer Focus: The Apostles’ Creed

It is likely that some form of the Apostles’ Creed was developing by about 150CE. Whilst statements of faith were used by the early apostles, the Creed probably wasn’t finalised until a few centuries later. It developed out of the practice of the apostles asking people to profess their faith before being admitted to baptism and later became part of baptismal liturgies of Western Christianity.

It is important to remember that we can reflect our own faith into these early prayers, however in the days of the early church there was no standard lifestyle, culture or language. There was a variety of ways of expressing Christian belief due to the varying situations in different Christian communities. The importance is that the early apostles believed in expressions of faith which have eventually led to the creeds that we have today.

“One of the earliest concerns of the followers of Jesus was how to express their belief that Jesus is Lord, messiah and Son of God. These beliefs were confirmed by the resurrection of Christ, which is the foundation on which Christian belief was based. In their effort to give expression to their faith in Christ the early disciples drew on the language and ideas contained in the Sacred Scriptures. The New Testament reveals that in the presence of a unity of belief among early Christians there was also some diversity. However, as time went on, the first Christians had to deal with false ideas…In order to set the record straight…the Christian leaders eventually saw the necessity for stating the correct doctrine in formulas...these formulas only came into being after a long period of development.” (Woods, L The Christian Story 1995, ACU Press, p.186).

The prayer includes a Trinitarian statement, beliefs about Jesus Christ and statements of faith.

I believe in God,

the Father almighty,

Creator of heaven and earth,

and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died and was buried;

he descended into hell;

on the third day he rose again from the dead;

he ascended into heaven,

and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;

from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,


the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and life everlasting. Amen.

Core Scripture

The Acts of the ApostlesActs 2:1-14 The Pentecost story

Life of the early Christians~Acts 2: 42-47~ Life among the believers

Acts 4: 32-37~ The believers share their possessions

Acts 4:12-16 ~ Miracles and Wonders

Acts 4: 17, 27-29, 40-42 The Apostles are persecuted

Acts 13:13-15,32 ~ Journey and Mission

How Peter and Paul were called Peter~ Mt 4: 18-20;16:13-20

Paul~ Acts 9:1-6, 8-12, 17-20; 13-9

Scripture in Context

Acts 2:1-14 The Pentecost StoryPentecost was the Jewish Feast of Weeks, which occurred 50 days after the presentation of the first sheaf of barley harvested at Passover. It was the second of three Jewish festivals, the first being Passover. Jewish festivals always recalled the story of the Chosen People. They associated this festival with the arrival of the Chosen People at Mt Sinai after the exodus from Egypt. It therefore had a focus on the law as this story was about the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses. An important focus was that people were together, all in one place as they were when they were travelling to the Promised Land.The Pentecost story turns upside down the story of the Tower of Babel. In this Old Testament story, people were divided because of language. In the Pentecost story, people were empowered to communicate with each other and language was no longer a barrier. What was scattered in the Tower of Babel story was now gathered together by Pentecost. Babbling was transformed into enlightenment.The Pentecost event ushered in the birth of the church. Like any birth there was some fear, pain and even confusion. However, it was a transformative event that held great possibilities for the new life of the church that was to come.

The Symbols of Pentecost

Wind:


the breath of life which picks up seeds and scatters them to be reborn; at time gently soothes us and at other times is strong and powerful; it travels on a journey like us as it travels from tree top to tree top; is everywhere, all around us; we can’t see it, but know it’s there; it stirs us at times; it dances; it is mysterious.

Fire: the fire of Pentecost doesn’t bring death and destruction, but new life just like the new life in the bush after a bushfire; like fire, the Holy Spirit ignites and transforms us; like fire, the Spirit of the Lord gives light and warmth; the fire of Pentecost symbolises the fire of Jesus death which embraces the spirit of love and forgiveness.

Dove: the dove is a symbol of peace and hope and is representative of new beginnings

Printed with permission© Radiant Light, Elizabeth Wang 2003 - 2010. http://www.radiantlight.org.uk/

Life of the Early Christians~

Acts 2: 42-47~ Life among the believers Acts 4: 32-37~ The believers share their possessions Acts 4:12-16 ~ Miracles and Wonders


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Acts 4: 17, 27-29, 40-42 The Apostles are persecuted Acts 13:13-15,32 ~ Journey and Mission

According to Luke in the Acts of the Apostles, there were three main features of Christianity:– The followers constantly passed on the teaching of the apostles. In this teaching given to the newly baptised, the

Scriptures were interpreted in light of the resurrection of Jesus.– The followers lived in communion with each other, sharing possessions and having all in common.– The followers constantly broke bread, listened to the Scriptures and prayed together.The early Christians built their faith around Jesus’ resurrection. They came to see his death as just a passage. They experienced a new presence of God through the Holy Spirit. The transformation that happened in the Pentecost experience gave them the confidence to go out to the ends of the earth as they knew it, knowing that the Good News was for all peoples and their mission was to help all people to understand it.Their simple beginnings provided a wonderful example of community. They broke bread with their hands and heart, remembering that the Lamb of God had broken bread and then had been broken himself for our salvation. Jesus’ work of healing was continued by the apostles, representing the beginnings of healing of humanity. The work of Christians in healing others means standing by Jesus in word and action to continue his work of salvation and liberation from evil. Today, Christians who work healing humanity are active signs that Christ is present in the world.The road was not easy for the apostles and their followers. They were often persecuted and placed in jail. Unfortunately, this still happens to some Christians today. We still hear stories of apostles, people who work in mission travel on with courage, knowing that our world is complex and challenging, and that they are showing the face of God in our demanding world.

St Paul’s Letters 1 Cor 13:4-7~ Love is the greatest gift Col 3: 12-15~May the peace of Christ rule in your hearts Eph 1:15-16; 18-19~My prayer is that you know about God’s great power for us. Rom 8: 9-11~ God's Spirit now lives in you.

After Paul left communities, he kept in touch by writing letters to “encourage them in their faith, correct mistaken ideas or praise them for their sincerity…because these letters address specific community situations and problems it is a mistake to read them as always having universal application to all Christians for all times. There are many things that do apply in a universal way, such as Paul’s ideas on faith, salvation, discipleship, resurrection, but there are other issues that only refer to a certain Christian community in the world of the first century.” There were some issues he didn’t touch on as they were taken for granted e.g. he may not have mentioned Eucharist to a particular community of he thought there were no problems in celebrating the Lord’s Supper there (Woods, L The Christian Story 1995, ACU Press, p. 116). Paul’s letters were occasional letters, each written for a specific purpose.

Paul’s teachings were based on his proclamations about Jesus Christ:– Christ Jesus is Lord, more than human, a gift of Grace from God– The basis of Christian belief is the resurrection of Jesus– Jesus plays a crucial role in God’s plan of salvation for humankind– Jesus is without sin in a sinful world. Jesus is the Son of God who was sent to overcome the power of sin and bring

peace.– People can embrace this salvation which is a gift from God, by responding to God’s call of faith in Jesus; by turning

away from sin; and by becoming part of the body of Christ through baptism.– Jesus Christ is the new creation, giving humanity a newness of life.– Christians are called to live in oneness of heart and mind– The Church as the body of Christ

How Peter and Paul were Called


Peter~ Mt 4: 18-20 ;16:13-20 Paul~ Acts 9:1-6, 8-12, 17-20; 13-9

PeterThe calling of Peter is to be found in the Gospels as Peter was called by Jesus himself . Peter’s call to be a ‘fisher of people’ really came into being after Pentecost when Peter was a leading apostle. Jesus’ naming of Simon as Peter, the rock indicated that he would be foundational in spreading the Good News.

PaulLuke describes a dramatic conversion for Saul in the Acts of the Apostles. He wanted to show his readers that Paul was truly an apostle even though he had not known Jesus personally.

When the apostles were sent to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), it ended up being Saul (Paul) who was the most determined to carry out this mission.

The story of Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus is about sudden enlightenment. Paul’s’ story represents the stories of people whose lives have been turned upside down in this manner. Sometimes it happens because of an event such as a birth or death in the family, or sometimes because of a spiritual experience. More commonly though, conversion is more gradual, a coming to be that touches life’s journey at many points.

Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church

nn. 751-752, 777, 804 “Church”

Compendium # 147 What does the word ‘church’ mean?nn.774-776,,780 The Church as a sacrament of salvation

Compendium # 152 What does it mean to say that the Church is the universal sacrament of salvation?nn. 781, 802-804 The Church

Compendium # 153 Why is the Church the ‘people of God’?nn. 782-804 The People of God

Compendium # 154 What are the characteristics of the people of God? nn. 797-798, 809-810 The church and the Holy Spirit

Compendium # 154 Why is the Church called the temple of the Holy Spirit?nn. 787-791, 805-806 The Body of Christ

Compendium # 154 In what way is the Church the body of Christ?


Background for the TeacherThe World of the Early Christians

*** Years are now recorded as BCE (before the common era) and CE (the common era). These terms have replaced BC (before Christ) and AD (after Christ) to be more inclusive to people who are not of Christian faith.***

The Roman EmpireDuring the years following Jesus’ death and resurrection, Rome was building a massive empire. After three centuries of conquest, the Romans began to try to unify their empire. Taxes were levied on all inhabitants. They began to develop a unified justice system e.g. any citizen could appeal to Caesar. However, not all inhabitants had the same status.

Rome had conquered the areas of Palestine and Syria in 63 BCE. This was the beginning of Roman occupation which finally led the capture of Jerusalem by Titus in 70CE when the Temple was destroyed. Thousands of Jews were killed or sold as slaves. However, rather than being the end of Judaism, the Jews received a new lease of life and were determined to be more united.

It was in this environment that what seemed to be at first a small Jewish sect developed into Christianity.

The First ChristiansAt first the apostles and their followers appeared to be a sect of Judaism. They only took the name ‘Christians’ sometime after Jesus’ resurrection. The earliest Christians had different doctrines to the Jews, but essentially the same practices. The Jewish rejection of Christianity started when Gentiles began to be accepted into the church.According to Luke in the Acts of the Apostles, there were three main features of Christianity:The followers constantly passed on the teaching of the apostles. In this teaching given to the newly baptised, the Scriptures were interpreted in light of the resurrection of Jesus.

Establishment of the Church at Syrian Antioch***There was another city called Antioch in Asia Minor, Pisidian Antioch.

Antioch in Syria was the third most important city in the Roman Empire after Rome and Alexandria. It had almost half a million inhabitants. It was linked to the Mediterranean by a river, the Onrontus and by road. It was an important commercial crossroad protected by fortified walls and towers. There were many slaves in Antioch. The city was made up of Romans, Greeks, Jews, Syrians and others. A strong community of disciples of Jesus grew up at Antioch. In many places, new Christian groups seemed like Jewish sects, but it was in Antioch that a new type of Christianity grew up. Different from the Christian communities of Jerusalem it had a new style. At Antioch, disciples who came from Cyprus and North Africa made a new type of community. They weren’t seen as a Jewish sect, but a new religious group. The people of Antioch gave them a new name: Christians. It wasn’t a breakaway group and was still linked to the church in Jerusalem.

The followers lived in communion with each other, sharing possessions and having all in common.The followers constantly broke bread, listened to the Scriptures and prayed together.“The character of each community was moulded by its experience, its historical and economic situation, and its past; a community made up of Jews who had become Christians did not feel the same way as one which had grown up in a Gentile setting” (Charpentier, E., How to Read the New Testament 1981, SCM Press, Paris, p. 32).

Saints Peter and Paul within the Acts of the Apostles and St Paul’s LettersN e w T e s t a m e n t : S t o r i e s o f t h e E a r l y C h u r c h – S t a g e 3 P a g e | 8

The Heroes of Acts of the Apostles: Peter and Paul“Apart from the Holy Spirit, who is behind every good inspiration in Acts, Luke’s heroes are Peter and Paul. Both these figures play major missionary roles in the work of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Luke parallels the careers of Peter and Paul and also makes both of them parallel the missionary work of Jesus” (Woods, L The Christian Story 1995, ACU Press, p.115).

The Missions of Peter and Paul PETERPeter was born in Bethsaida, and like his brother Andrew, had been a fisherman on Lake Genesareth. He became a disciple of Jesus through his brother Andrew. He was given a new name by Jesus, Cephas (Peter or the rock) ~ “ I say to you that you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church” (Mt 16:18). Peter was part of the inner circle of Jesus with James and John and became seen as the first of all the apostles. He was at Jesus’ side in many of the major Gospel events. All Gospels place him in a position of pre-eminence. Apart from Jesus, he is one of the most clearly articulated characters of the New Testament. He is often named “prince of the apostles” and thus is often viewed as the “the first pope”.After Jesus’ death and resurrection, Peter was instrumental in bringing Jesus’ message to the Gentiles, thereby permitting the church to become universal. The Acts of the Apostles records his leadership of the Church in Palestine, a position of great prominence and authority. He was imprisoned by Herod, and then miraculously escaped. He played a significant role in the Council of Jerusalem and, apart from a visit to Syrian Antioch, nothing more is heard of him in the scriptures. However, very strong tradition indicates that he went on to lead the church in Rome, where he was crucified, not in the same manner as Jesus he considered himself unworthy but upside down. It was Peter’s task to organise the Church in the world, hold it together, supervise its growth, and strengthen the faith of others. In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke records speeches by Saints Peter and Paul. A few are addressed to the disciples, but most are addressed to Jews and Gentiles, encouraging their conversion and ongoing faith. In the Acts of the Apostles, five speeches to the Jews are attributed to Peter:

The day of Pentecost ( Acts 2.14-41)

After the healing of the lame man ( Acts 3.12-26)

Two speeches before the Sanhedrin ( Acts 4.9-12;5:29-32)

Before the Roman officer Cornelius ( 10.34-43)

It is likely that St Luke took up Peter’s material and made it into formal speeches with a beginning, a development and an ending. The reality is that Peter’s speeches probably were not as planned as they now appear in the text presented by St Luke. However, it is such speeches that we find the heart of what the early Church taught about Jesus.There are always three elements to these speeches:

1. the event of Jesus is recalled by the speaker

2. interpreted by the Scriptures, placing Jesus in the context of God’s plan

3. the preacher offers a challenge to his hearers

PAULLuke says that Paul was born in Tarsus in Asia Minor (in Turkey today). His name was originally Saul. He was Jewish, but not originally from Palestine. “As a Jew, a Pharisee, he studied in Jerusalem under one of the greatest rabbis of the time, Gamamiel…As a sincere Pharisee, Paul had only one passion: to serve God by scrupulous observance of the Law. He could even say that the Law was his life. When he returned to Jerusalem, he was appalled at the preaching of Peter and others” (Charpentier, E., How to Read the New Testament 1981, SCM Press, Paris, p.45). He reacted strongly against the disciples of Jesus. In fact, he mercilessly persecuted Christians in his early life. He thought that Jesus’ followers were undermining some of the most sacred traditions of Judaism, especially because they didn’t always worship in the Temple, but met together in small worshipping communities. He commissioned the death of Stephen and set out for Damascus to pursue followers of Stephen who had hidden there.

Luke tells us that on this journey to Damascus, Saul (Paul) experienced an extraordinary conversion (Acts 9:1-19).


What actually happened we are not sure, but we do know that through spiritual experience Paul came to realise that Jesus was the authentic way to salvation. The whole of Paul’s theology was tied up with the concept of conversion embodied in the conversion of Jesus who died a wretched death on a cross and was converted into the glorified Lord. He realised that salvation was not for the Jews alone. Paul came to believe that Jesus Christ came to bring salvation and freedom from the power of sin to all peoples on earth. He believed that he had a divine mission to tell people about the message of Jesus Christ. He therefore dedicated his life to spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ throughout Asia Minor and Greece. He set up communities, wrote letters of advice to them and often returned to visit.“There is no evidence that Paul had ever met Jesus in person during his life on earth but he writes that he had certainly encountered the Risen Lord and this convinced him that Jesus Christ was the way, the truth and the life” (Woods, L The Christian Story 1995, ACU Press, p. 115)

Paul’s Missionary JourneysPaul’s missionary journeys have been grouped by scholars so that we can understand his work. He probably wouldn’t have seen them as being organised into such groups, more that he travelled over time spreading his message. However, Paul gave a theological understanding to the concept of journey as part of mission. In some places Paul was rejected and persecuted, but he pressed on to new places confident that he had left the seed. Paul travelled to the margins of the world as he knew it.

From Conversion to First Missionary JourneyAfter his conversion, Paul went to Arabia for three years. He visited Jerusalem and met up with Barnabas, but his life was threatened so he returned home to Tarsus. Paul and Barnabas then went to Syrian Antioch where they set out on their first missionary journey.

Paul’s first journey was from Syrian Antioch to Galatia (around Turkey). He set out with his friends Barnabas and Mark. They are believed to have sailed to Cyprus and visited many places (although Mark returned to Jerusalem at some stage) including: Seleucia; Cyprus, Salamis; Paphos; Perga in Pamphylia (now southern Turkey); Antioch in Pisidia ; Iconium; Lystra, where Paul was stoned; Derbe; Attalia, and sailed back to Antioch in Syria where Paul and Barnabus stayed for a while.

This journey is described in chapters 13 and 14 of Acts of the Apostles. Scholars have identified three key teachings from this period of time:

– Jesus is a true descendant of King David– God raised us as he raised Jesus who was beyond the corruption of death– In Jesus our Saviour, our sins are forgiven.

The second and third journeys were overland to Asia Minor and then by land and sea to Corinth and back.

The second journey began with his friend Silas probably by land through Syria and Cilicia (now south eastern Turkey). They travelled to Derbe and Lystra, where they met Timothy, who continued with Paul and Silas throughout Phrygia and Galatia. They passed through Mysia to Troas, the island of Samothracia, and then to Neapolis in Macedonia (now northern Greece), Athens and on to Philippi. Passing through Amphipolis and Appolonia, they came to Thessalonica, where Paul taught for a few weeks.

Paul then made his first visit to Corinth where he may have stayed for about eighteen months. He probably wrote the letters to the Thessalonians from Corinth. Paul left by boat crossing the Aegean Sea to Ephesus, on to Caesarea and back to Antioch in Syria, where the second journey ended.

The letters to the Thessalonians took up the theme of the coming of Christ.

The third journey began in Galatia (central region of Turkey). He then travelled to Ephesus where he stayed for 3 years (Acts 20:31). Paul probably wrote 1 Corinthians near the end of this stay in Ephesus

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Paul rejoined Timothy when Second Corinthians was written (2 Corinthians 1:1), which was possible written at Philippi.

He travelled through Macedonia (northern Greece), Achaia (southern Greece) and then made a third visit to Corinth, where he may have written his letters to the Romans.

His journey continued through many places including Macedonia; Philippi, Cyprus and Caesarea. Paul then travelled to Jerusalem, where the third journey ended. Here, Paul was beaten and brought before the Sanhedrin. He was taken to Governor Felix, spending 2 years in prison in Caesarea in Judea. When a new Governor arrived, Paul appealed to Caesar.

His letters to the Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians and Romans is concerned with how people become righteous for their own salvation.

The voyage to Rome: Paul, who was still a prisoner, was then taken to Rome under escort. He sailed with Luke and Aristarchus (Acts 27:1-2) as prisoners on the way to Italy. On their voyage to Rome they visited many places such as Sidon; Myra (now southern Turkey); Lasea, on the large island of Crete; Melita, a small island south of Sicily; Syracuse (in Sicily); Rhegium (on the southern tip of Italy); Puteoli (on the western coast of Italy). They were shipwrecked at one point in the voyage.

When they reached Rome, Paul was kept prisoner for 2 years. It is likely that during this time he wrote many letters, probably to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. These are called the Captivity Epistles or Paul’s Letters from prison in which Paul discusses the place of Christ in history and in the universe.

Paul after the imprisonment in Rome: Paul made more journeys after his release. He or some of his disciples wrote the epistles of Hebrews, Titus, First Timothy, and Second Timothy. The book of Hebrews was likely written from Italy (Hebrews 13:24) when Timothy had been released from prison (Hebrews 13:23) and was coming to Paul. These pastoral letters were aimed at organising churches and keeping up the faith.

Paul’s’ missionary journeys spanned three decades from about 35 to 62 CE. The letters of Paul are the first record of Christian writing. His letters preceded the writing of the Gospels. Paul’s last letter to the Romans was written about 56-58CE, about 10 years before the Gospel of Mark.

Somewhere between 62 and 67CE, Paul was executed by the Roman authorities.

Paul’s LettersAfter Paul left communities, he kept in touch by writing letters to “encourage them in their faith, correct mistaken ideas or praise them for their sincerity…because these letters address specific community situations and problems it is a mistake to read them as always having universal application to all Christians for all times. There are many things that do apply in a universal way, such as Paul’s ideas on faith, salvation, discipleship, resurrection, but there are other issues that only refer to a certain Christian community in the world of the first century.” There were some issues he didn’t touch on as they were taken for granted e.g. he may not have mentioned Eucharist to a particular community of he thought there were no problems in celebrating the Lord’s Supper there (Woods, L The Christian Story 1995, ACU Press, p. 116). Paul’s letters were occasional letters, each written for a specific purpose.

Paul’s teachings were based on his proclamations about Jesus Christ: Christ Jesus is Lord, more than human, a gift of Grace from God The basis of Christian belief is the resurrection of Jesus Jesus plays a crucial role in God’s plan of salvation for humankind Jesus is without sin in a sinful world. Jesus is the Son of God who was sent to overcome the power of sin People can embrace this salvation which is a gift from God, by responding to God’s call of faith in Jesus; by

turning away from sin; and by becoming part of the body of Christ through baptism. Jesus Christ is the new creation, giving humanity a newness of life. Christians are called to live in oneness of heart and mind The Church as the body of Christ


What did Paul achieve?

**The ideas in this section come from FR Brendan Byrne’s presentation at the BBI E- Conference, 2009. Paul travelled about 16,000km on foot, in small boats and if lucky on donkeys. His journeys were hard and dangerous.

He was beaten, shipwrecked and lost at sea. He crossed cultural and linguistic divides. He gave us a language to name our faith. Paul only knew Jesus by faith. Jesus and then St Paul gave impetus to a

religion that would emerge. Both emphasised the inclusive sense of Judaism. Paul drew from Abraham- in your seed all nations of the earth will be included. Paul took this to the world.

Paul freely offered his love to a hostile world. For Paul, this grace or favour from God was a force. He felt that he was liberated by the force of God’s grace. He summoned others to join a renewed people of God.

Paul’s sense of God drove his mission. This sense of God was that of a God of grace. Grace comes from ‘charis’ meaning beauty, charm, favour, gift. Charis is freely given, it doesn’t have to be earned or won. For some reason, God finds us loveable, even before we do anything to earn that love. It is freely given, even when we do little to deserve it. “By loving us, God makes us loveable”. St Augustine

Paul gave theological expression to journeys- it gave a radical depth to his mission. .Paul introduced a sophisticated understanding of sin:– He did not understand ‘sin’ in the singular. He looked more at sinfulness, using the term ‘hamartia’, meaning a tyrant

power or slave master.– He saw sin as a symptom of power. Paul saw that there is no use treating the symptoms of sin, we must treat the

disease i.e. human sinfulness. In Christ, God addresses human sinfulness.– To Paul, sin was about radical selfishness and about destructuring relationships~ with God; with fellow human beings;

with creation; and with our own bodies.– To Paul, a sinless Christ intoned into the depths of human sinfulness.

From the Law of Moses, Paul asked, how do you get values into human hearts?– Jer 31:33: I will write it on my heart– Ez 36: 26-27 A new spirit I will put within you.– Rom 5:20: Where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more.

Paul introduced a Trinitarian formulation. The spirit according to Paul is the felt experience of God’s love. See Romans 5:1-2, 5.


Student Context

Please adjust tasks to suit the student context of your class.

Developing the Partnership

Please make connections between the learning in this module and parents and the wider community.

Curriculum LinksIn your planning, please create links with other Key Learning Areas.

Planning a Quality Learning Sequence for your class

Quality religious education will be achieved only by deep thinking about where you are going and how you plan the learning journey to get there. Begin with the end in mind and then consider how you will build field to meet your goals. Remember that you cannot expect children to develop deep knowledge and understanding, unless you as teacher have deep knowledge and understanding yourself. According to the Quality Teaching Framework, quality teaching will occur when you ask yourself four questions:

What do you want the students to learn? Why does the learning matter? What are you going to get the students to do (or produce)? How well do you expect them to do it?

The suggested learning sequence has been planned through such a process. However, it cannot be written with the understanding of the student context of each class and relationship to other learning that is happening in the class. It is therefore necessary for you as teacher to plan your own unit, using this module as a support. Doing so is part of your role as an “activist professional” (a teacher who actively works to improve their professionalism).


Suggested Teaching, Learning and Assessment Experiences

These are suggested teaching and learning experiences. The essential part of teaching this module is that you, as teacher have deep knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. Reading in depth the “Background for the Teacher” and “Scripture in Context” will give you the basic understanding you need.

It is essential to use the whole module to plan your own unit. You might like to change the questions to suit your class. Your unit should be written in acknowledgement of the student context of your class. The suggested learning experiences are meant to be adapted for this purpose. You should design learning experiences for the purpose of formative and summative assessment. When designing quality learning experiences and assessments, they must address the outcomes, learning intentions and success criteria based on the enduring understandings of the module.

The Scriptures of the Early Church help us to live out our call to Discipleship

Key Concepts

B i b l e N e w t e s t a m e n t s c r i p t u r e s A p o s t l e s A c t s o f t h e A p o s t l e s

L e t t e r s o f S t P a u l c o r r e s p o n d e n c e a d v i c e e n c o u r a g e m e n t J e w s

j o u r n e y E a r l y C h r i s t i a n s m e s s a g e c o m m u n i t y B a p t i s m

E u c h a r i s t A u d i e n c e a n d p u r p o s e

C o m m u n a l p r a y e r R e s u r r e c t i o n G e n t i l e s

c o n v e r s i o n F a i t h / f a i t h f u l n e s s r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t n e s s C h u r c h

H o l y S p i r i t P e n t e c o s t B o d y o f C h r i s t d i s c i p l e s h i p s a l v a t i o n

What is Important for Students to Know and Do:

The scriptures of the early church come after the Gospels in the New Testament.

Saints Peter and Paul were leaders in the missionary work of the early church.


The Apostle’s Creed developed out of the early Christians professing their faith before baptism.

St Paul’s letters were the first writings about the teaching of Jesus, as Paul wrote the letters before the first Gospel, that of Mark.

St Paul’s letters were written to early Christian communities that he had established, giving them advice and encouragement and trying to correct what they may have been doing wrong.

The Acts of the Apostles, written by the Gospel writer, Luke gives us information about the lives of Saints Peter and Paul and the people of early Christian communities.

St Peter was regarded as an important leader in the early church, and because of his time in Rome, often called the first Pope.

Both Saints Peter and Paul lost their lives in their mission of taking Christianity to the world as they knew it.

Listen to and experience the scriptures of the early church.

Explore the Apostles’ Creed.

Experience prayer and liturgy which is based on the early church scriptures.

Enduring Understandings:

Thinking about the stories of the early church can help us to be disciples of Jesus.

We can learn from the early Christian communities who lived in community and shared their possessions.

Like the early Christian communities, we tell stories, share Eucharist and share hospitality in the Church today.

We can learn from the courage and determination of the apostles and the early church members who stood up for what they believed, and sometimes even became martyrs.

St Paul’s letters were written for the needs of specific communities, however we can take from them many themes about living as disciples of Jesus.

The early Christians faced enormous challenges, but continued their mission in love and faithfulness, we can also face challenges in our lives with courage.

Suggested questions

What do the early Church scriptures contribute to the understanding of how modern disciples can build community in the Church of today?

What are the ear ly Church scr iptures?

How and why is i t important for people to build community?

How can we learn from the ‘Acts of the Apost les’ about how the ear ly Christ ians bui l t community?


How can we learn about how Saints Peter and Paul bui l t community from the Acts of the Apostles and the Letters of St Paul?

What do the early church scr iptures contr ibute to the understanding of how modern disciples can bui ld community in the church of today? (Ref lect on big question)

Suggested Teaching, Learning and Assessment ExperiencesWhat do the early Church scriptures contribute to our understanding of how modern disciples can build community in the Church of today? Introduce and display big question. Investigate the term ‘modern disciple’.

Teaching Point It is a term we have heard often, especially in our Diocese because our previous Bishop, David Walker (Broken Bay Bishop 1996-2013) called us to be Catholic Disciples.

Mind map the qualities of modern disciples of Jesus (can use www.bubblus on IWB). Or create an online wall using Wallwisher to pose questions, get answers from students and give students feedback. http://wallwisher.com/OR use mind mapping apps such as Popplet, Maptini, Idea Sketch or Simple Mind

Reflect on what the students think are the characteristics of the Church today. On a retrieval chart, record these characteristics. Ask children how similar they think our modern church would be to the early church that began to form after the life of Jesus. Ask children if they know where in the Bible we can find out about the early church. OR use a Culture of Thinking routine, Think-Puzzle-Explore to inquire what children think they know about the church, what puzzles them and how they can explore.

What are the early Church scriptures?

Brainstorm and record all the books of the Bible of which the students are aware. Categorise them into books of the New and Old Testament. Ask children which books of the New Testament other than the Gospels they know about. Name the Books of the Gospels that are found in the New Testament. Look in the index of a Bible and see all the books that come after the Gospels. Ask children why they think there are so many books following the life of Jesus. Using Appendix 1, recall how scripture is referenced, and abbreviated, which can be made into class charts.

Teaching Point The books that come after the Gospels give us the story about how people built communities as they spread the word of Jesus after his life and death, as Christianity spread through the world as the people knew it. Like any Bible story, these stories and letters were told and written with the specific purpose of helping the communities of the time to come to know Jesus. They were different communities to ours and so some things mightn’t make sense to us today, but there are also many important teachings that apply to us as Christians and as people. Tell children that two if the most important scriptures in this part of the New Testament are the Acts of the Apostles and the Letters of St Paul, these will be the main focus in this module.

How and why is it important for people to build community?

Discuss communities to which we belong (school, church, sporting, charity groups like St Vincent De Paul, Australian, cultural e.g. the Italian community etc). Discuss:

– Do communities just happen or do people work towards building them? – Do some communities naturally happen because similar people get together (such as cultural communities

where people like to come together because they have the same ethnic origin)?– Do others happen because people see a need and decide to build a community (such as a school

community)?


http://wallwisher.com/

http://www.bubblus/

Research the building of the school communityWho decided to build a Catholic school in your suburb? Was it a religious order? Why do you think these people may have done so? What did they want to do for the children and families of the time?How might they have built community once the buildings were in place? Some ideas may be:

– working together to get jobs done, even building classrooms– telling stories- the scriptures/ the stories of our Catholic faith– building relationships with people e.g. the nuns and brothers often visited families in their home– hospitality- sharing meals together such as at community bar-b-cues; offering people tea or coffee when

they visited– helping the most needy people in the community- the nuns and brothers often educated poor people

without taking any school fees or allowing people to pay what they could afford– sharing experiences together e.g. concerts and fetes– experiencing liturgy together especially sharing the Scriptures and Eucharist at Mass

Produce a “Then and Now” poster/ chart or on IWB called ‘Building Community in our School” under the categories listed (see Appendix 2). As the unit progresses, the connection will be made with how the early Christians worked together to build community.

How can we learn from the Acts of the Apostles about how the early Christians built community? Tell children that the book of the New Testament called the Acts of the Apostles, written by the Gospel writer Luke,

gives us much information about the early Christian communities. It’s not only about what the apostles did, but about all their disciples who built community and spread the word about Jesus.

Teaching Point: Explain that apostles were the people who had the role of spreading Jesus’ word when he was no longer there and of building Christian communities. Many of the apostles had originally been disciples or followers of Jesus during his lifetime. The Apostles had their own followers too who helped and supported them, these people were their disciples. Today the Pope and other people have the role of leading the Christian community are called the Apostolate, which comes from the word ‘apostle’. By reading the Acts of the Apostles we can learn about how the original Apostles and their disciples spread Christianity and we can reflect on their story and what it means to us today.

Imagine what it would have been like for Jesus’ followers after Jesus died. The man who was their leader and who meant everything to them had been murdered in the most horrible way. Hope came to these people when they realised that Jesus had risen from the dead, but they realised that a new challenge was facing them because they knew that they would have to become the voice of Jesus as he wouldn’t be with them for long. They were frightened, it was a big challenge. Ask children to imagine what the fears of the early apostles might have been, writing ‘What if?” questions together. Here are some suggestions to direct thinking:

– What if they too would be crucified for being followers of Jesus?

– What if their teaching about Jesus offended the beliefs of the Jews? That would be hard because many followers of Jesus were still Jewish, especially in the early days.

– What if people wouldn’t accept them…how would they approach them?

– How would they travel? What if they couldn’t find means of transport?

– How would they live whilst they preached? What if they had no income, nothing to eat?

– What if people didn’t listen to them? Should they keep trying?

Teaching Point: Luke’s Scripture called ‘The Acts of the Apostles’ which follows on from his Gospel, we know that the Apostles gained the courage to address these challenges. This story is a well-known one to Christians today, the Pentecost story. As with most scriptures, we don’t know if Luke’s description describes exactly how events happened


and how much of the story is symbolic. What we do know is that the Apostles had a spiritual experience through which they gained incredible strength and courage for their journeys of mission to come. When the scripture says that the Holy Spirit came, that means that the Apostles could feel the presence of God.

Explore the Pentecost story, reflecting upon how the apostles became the voice of Jesus and gained the courage to spread his message through the gift of the Holy Spirit (the felt presence of God)~Acts 2:1-4. Several ways rae suggested below.

Teaching Point: Pentecost was a Jewish festival to celebrate fifty days after the harvest of the first sheaf of barley at the time of Passover. Because it was harvest festival, it captured the life-giving theme that Christians have applied to Pentecost.o Dramatise using ‘Pentecost Revisited’ (Wintour, Rina-Just Imagine p. 76)

o Sing Pentecost songs such as Pentecost Song by John Burland ( AOV for Kids, 96) Feel the Power and Holy Spirit Come by Michael Mangan ( in True Colours Shine, 2007 Litmus Productions).

o Complete a Y-chart about what Pentecost would have looked, sounded and felt like according to the story in Luke’s scripture

o Read the story from Peter’s point of view, “The Coming of the Holy Spirit” (p. 90 in Stories to Tell and How to Tell Them by Dianne Crehan, 23rd Publications, 1999, Mystic) Complete a thinking routing, Circle of Viewpoints.

o Complete a modified Lectio Divina about the Gospel story.o Create a movie strip of the story including characters and symbols. Reflect upon the symbols using

information from the Scripture in Context.o Compare images of Pentecost, reflecting upon what the artists were trying to capture.o

Suggested Assessment SS 3.5a: Demonstrate knowledge of the scripture, understanding of the purpose of this Biblical writing and its application to modern day life using a scripture investigation (see Appendix 3).

Tell children that the Acts of the Apostles gives us information about how the early Christians lived. Divide children into expert groups, each to explore a scripture about what life was like for these people:

– Acts 2: 43-47~ Life among the believers– Acts 4: 32-37~ The believers share their possessions– Acts 4:12-16 ~ Miracles and Wonders– Acts 4: 17, 27-29, 40-42 The Apostles are Persecuted– Acts 13:13-15,32 ~ Mission

Groups read and discuss their scripture in detail, using a brainstorming sheet:

– Who are the characters?

– What were they doing? Why do you think they were they doing it?

– What messages were in the story for the early Christians?

– Is there a message in the scripture for us today?

Complete an adapted ‘Scripture Jump’ (O’Brien, K and White, D. Into the Deep 2003 KD Publications, Marayong, p. 127). Each group mimes their scripture, with the only dialogue saved for key phrases to put across the message. Each group creates a several frames of their story and freezes for a minute before going on with the next part of the story. At the end of each story, actors tell of the message for the early Christians and the possible meaning for Christians today.

Teacher takes digital photos of the freeze frames which are then placed into a Photo Story or a Movie using Movie Maker called “The Lives of the Early Christians according to the Acts of the Apostles”. This can be done as a class on an IWB or children can contribute in small groups to making the Photo Story or movie. Appropriate music can be added and dialogue if Movie Maker is used.

Suggested Assessment SS 3.5b Complete a movie strip (Comic maker App) applying what you have learnt from the


stories of the early Christians in the Acts of the Apostles to contemporary life. Think about our modern Christian community and how we can benefit from these stories.

How can we learn about how Saints Peter and Paul built community from the Acts of the Apostles and the letters of St Paul?

Teaching Point: Tell children that most of we learn about the lives of Saints Peter and Paul comes from the Acts of the Apostles. However, part of St Paul’s mission was to write to communities that he had set up and to give them advice about how to live as Christian communities. He travelled over 16 000 km around the world as he knew it. He travelled on foot, by boat and by donkey. He was beaten, abused and shipwrecked and eventually like St Peter, he was executed. His letters were to many different groups of people e.g. the Corinthians, Thessalonians, Ephesians, Philippians, Romans, Galatians etc. Each letter was addressed to the specific needs of that community. St Paul’s letters were really the first Christian writings, as they were written before the Gospels. Although they were written to meet the needs of different communities, they still have meaning for us today.

Children research St Paul’s journeys. Print maps to display and discuss. Discuss how St Paul firstly set up Christian communities, stayed for a while and when he travelled to other places, wrote letters of support to the communities he had already visited. Remind children that sometimes he was dealing with very specific problems in communities and so these words mightn’t mean much to us if we don’t know what was happening in those communities at that time. However, there are many themes that are still applicable today. Children are divided into groups, each taking a scripture from the Letters of St Paul and creating a poster, illustrating the meaning we can take in our modern world ( Appendix 4)

– 1 Cor 13:4-7~ Love is the greatest gift– Col 3: 12-15~May the peace of Christ rule in your hearts– Eph 1:15-16, 18-19~My prayer is that you know about God’s great power for us.– Rom 8: 9,11~ God's Spirit now lives in you.

Compare how Peter and Paul accepted their call to follow Jesus’ teaching by reading and discussing the scriptures and then by completing a “Who am I?” chart (Appendix 5):

– Peter~ Mt 4: 18-20 ;16:13-20– Paul~ Acts 9:1-6, 8-12, 17-20; 13-9

Suggested Assessment CD S 3.3b Imagine that you are an author, writing some years after the death of Peter and Paul. Christianity is growing and the people of your time would like to know something about the leaders who were able to spread the Good News of Jesus far and wide. Tell the story of either Peter or Paul showing how they contributed to developing early Christian communities. You will need to research using resources such as internet sites, DVDs and books. Here are some questions to geode your thinking~

– Why did they decide to spread the Good News of Jesus after his death?

– How did they get their message across?

– What challenges did they face?

– How and why did they die as part of their ministry?

– What impact did they have on Christianity?

What do the early Church scriptures contribute to the understanding of how modern disciples can build community in the Church today?

Recall at the very beginning of this module when the class had a discussion about how community was built in the school. Look at the retrieval chart which was created. Discuss how the early Christian communities did similar things. Reflect upon any other ideas about building community that have come up through studying the early Christian scriptures.


Discuss how prayer was very important to the early Christians. In the early days of the church, it was practice for the apostles to ask people to profess their faith before baptism. Eventually, this profession was recorded as the Apostle’s Creed. Today, faith is still professed in baptisms.

Tell children that there are several creeds. At Mass, we usually say a creed called the Nicene Creed. However, sometimes the Apostles’ Creed is said, especially at Masses for children when a Creed is included. Read the Apostles’ Creed. Children are divided evenly into groups and given a line to illustrate. The pages are placed together to make a book or wall chart of the Creed.

I believe in God,

the Father almighty,

Creator of heaven and earth,

and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

At the words that follow, up to and including the Virgin Mary, all bow.

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died and was buried;

he descended into hell;

on the third day he rose again from the dead;

he ascended into heaven,

and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;

from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and life everlasting. Amen.

Children look at the words of profession of faith from baptism of children today and discuss similarities with the Apostles’ Creed. They might like to sing John Burland’s version, “Yes Lord, I believe” from “And with your Spirit”

Celebrant: Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth? Parents and godparents: I do.Celebrant: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? Parents and godparents: I do.Celebrant: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting? Parents and godparents: I do.The celebrant and the congregation give their assent to this profession of faith:

Celebrant: This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord.R. Amen.

Discuss how children can be modern disciples by contributing to building their church community. Discuss commitments with the Parish Priest. Put these into action.



Appendix 1:

Biblical ReferencingThe most common way to write Biblical references is~ Book chapter: versesA colon is used to separate chapter from verse. Abbreviations for books of the bible are used.

Here are some examples:

Book then chapter for a whole chapter Lk 3 If using a range of chapters, include a hyphen e.g. Lk 1–3 To include a verse it is book chapter: verse for a single verse Lk 3:16 For a range of verses book chapter:verse1–verse2 Lk 3:16–17 If verses are not connected, a comma is used to separate the detached verses eg book chapter: verse1 ,verse2 for

multiple separated verses Lk 6:14, 44. If there are two books of the same name, the number of the book comes first e.g. 1 Pet 3:4.

***Note that as well as the Gospel of John, there are also the Letters of St John. There are two letters of John, so they will always have the number of the letter first e.g. 1 John 2-3.

New Testament Abbreviations

Matthew - Mt Mark - Mk

Luke - Lk John - Jn

Acts of the Apostles - Acts Romans - Rom

1 Corinthians - 1 Cor 2 Corinthians - 2 Cor

Galatians - Gal Ephesians - Eph

Philippians - Phil Colossians - Col

1 Thessalonians - 1 Thess 2 Thessalonians - 2 Thess

1 Timothy - 1 Tim 2 Timothy - 2 Tim

Titus - Titus Philemon - Philemon

Hebrews - Heb James - Jas

1 Peter - 1 Pet 2 Peter - 2 Pet

1 John - 1 Jn 2 John - 2 Jn

3 John - 3 Jn Jude - Jude

Revelation - Rev Apocalypse - Apoc

Appendix 2:


BUILDING COMMUNITYThen Now

Working together to get jobs done

Telling Stories

Building Relationships

Hospitality

Sharing Liturgy

Sharing Community Experiences

Supporting the Most Needy in Community

Appendix 3:


Scripture Investigation1. This story was set in Jerusalem after Jesus’ death and resurrection. What do you think it would have been like

for his followers, knowing that some people of Jerusalem had ordered Jesus to be crucified and many others agreed? How afraid would you be if you were in that situation?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Look at the end of Luke’s Gospel as the Acts of the Apostles is like the second part of his book. What events in Luke’s Gospel lead up to the Pentecost story? How do you think these events were important to the Pentecost story? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Imagine that you were a person of the time, thinking about becoming Christian. How do you think you would have felt after you saw the Apostles with so much courage after Pentecost?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Read on after the Pentecost story. What happens in Luke’s scripture in the Acts of the Apostles after Pentecost? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Write down a phrase or sentence in the box that stands out for you in this scripture and follow on by explaining why.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Draw the symbols that you think are important in this passage and afterwards write why.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Why do you think Luke re-told the Pentecost story in this way for the early Christian people?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. How can we apply the meanings of the Pentecost story to our lives today?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. Make a banner illustrating symbols of the Pentecost story and show what they mean in our lives today.

Appendix 4:

The first letter of Paul to the Corinthians(1 Cor 13:4-7)Love is the greatest gift.

Letter of Paul to the Colossians (Col 3: 12-15)May the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.


Brothers and sisters:

Love is kind and patient,

never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude.

Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered.

It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do.

Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.

Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.

Love never fails!

Brothers and sisters:

God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people.

So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient.

Put up with each other,

and forgive anyone who does you wrong,

just as Christ has forgiven you.

Love is more important than anything else.

It is what ties everything completely together.

Each one of you is part of the body of Christ,

and you were chosen to live together in peace.

So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts.

And be grateful.

The letter of Paul to the Ephesians (Eph 1:15-16, 18-19)My prayer is that you know about God’s great power for us.Brothers and sisters:

I have heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus

and your love for all of God’s people.

So I never stop being grateful for you.

My prayer is that light will flood your hearts

and that you will understand the hope that was given to you

when God chose you.

Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours

together with all of God’s people.

I want you to know about the great and mighty power

that God has for us followers.

Letter of Paul to the Romans(Rom 8:9,11)God's Spirit now lives in you.Brothers and sisters:

You are no longer ruled by your desires,

but by God's Spirit, who lives in you.

People who don't have the Spirit of Christ in them

don't belong to him.

God raised Jesus to life!

God's Spirit now lives in you,

and he will raise you to life by his Spirit.

Appendix 5:

How Peter and Paul were Called to Spread the Good News of Jesus

PETER PAUL

Matthew 4: 18-20 ;16:13-20 Acts 9:1-6, 8-12, 17-20; 13-9

As Jesus walked along the shore of Lake Galilee, he Saul kept up his violent threats of murder against the followers


saw two brothers who were fisherman, Simon (called Peter) and his brother Andrew, catching fish in the lake. Jesus said to them, “Come with me and I will teach you to catch people”. At once they left with their nets and went with him…

(Later)…

Jesus went to the territory near the town of Caesarea Philippi where he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

“Some say John the Baptist,” they answered, “Others say Elijah, while others say Jeremiah or some other prophet.”

“What about you,” he asked them, “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the living Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

“Good for you, Simon, son of John!” answered Jesus. “For this truth did not come to you from any human being, but it was given to you directly by my Father in heaven. And so I tell you, Peter, you are a rock, and on this rock I will build my church”.

of the Lord. He went to the High Priest and asked for letters of introduction to the synagogues in Damascus, to that if he should find there any followers of the Way of the Lord, he would be able to arrest them, both men and women and bring them back to Jerusalem.

As Saul was approaching the city of Damascus, suddenly a light from the sky flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul. Why do you persecute me?”

“Who are you Lord?’ he asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you persecute, but get up and go to the city, where you will be told what you must do.”…

Saul got up from the ground and opened his eyes, but he could not see a thing. So they took him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was not able to see anything, an during that time he did not eat or drink anything.

There was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. He had a vision in which the Lord said to him, “Ananias”. “Here I am Lord, he answered.

The Lord said to him, “get ready and go…to the house of Judas and ask for a man from Tarsus called Saul. He is praying, and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he might see again.”

So Ananias went, entered the house where Saul was, and placed his hands on him. “Brother Saul, he said,” the Lord has sent me-Jesus himself, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here. He sent me so that you might see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. At once something like fish scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he was able to see again. He stood up and was baptised, and after he had eaten his strength came back.

Saul stayed for a few days in Damascus. He went straight to the synagogues and began to preach that Jesus was the Son of God….

And Saul, who became known as Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Who am I?About Me Peter or Paul?

I was one of Jesus’ chosen twelve.

I originally hated the Christians because I thought they weren’t observing their Jewish faith properly.


My name was originally Simon. I followed Jesus with my brother Andrew. Jesus changed my name.

My name was originally Saul, but the Christians changed it.

I had a spiritual experience on the road to Damascus which led me to be a follower of Jesus and a teacher of his good news.

Jesus said I was the rock on which his church would be built.

I was with the other apostles at Pentecost.

I was blinded and Jesus allowed me to see again.

I was a personal friend of Jesus.

I persecuted Christians before I was converted.

I once betrayed Jesus.

Appendix 6:

Celebration of ModulesLiturgy Outline

Li turgy Def in i t ion: “work of the peop le” ( i n t h i s c a s e - t h e c h i l d r e n )

A l i tu rg y t o ce le br a te m od ul e le ar n i ng us ua l l y ha s fo ur p a r t s o f w h i c h t he se c a n co nt a i n a l l o r s o me o ne o f th e su gg es t io ns .

Be fo re y o u be g i n s om e o t he r co ns id er a t i on s! ! Wh er e w i l l t h e l i t u rg y be ce le b r a t ed ? D oe s no t ha ve t o b e ce le b r a t ed i n t he c hu rc h o r t he c l as s r oo m. O u t do or s i s a

po ss ib i l i t y - w ea th e r p e rm i t t i ng . Co ns id e r th e p l a c em en t o f ch a i r s a n d sa c r ed s pa ce .


Wh o to i n v i t e ? (p a r en ts , s t a f f , p r i e s t e t c )

W E G A T H E R : Se t t i n g t he s ce ne S ac re d S pa ce ( c l o t h , ca n d le , B i b l e , i c on s e t c ) t o be c r ea te d i n t h i s pa r t . P ro ce ss i on H ym n o r so ng s o f w e l com e W el co me an d i n t r o d uc t i o n to c e l eb ra t i o n O pe n i n g p r ay e r

W E L I S T E N : St o r ie s F ro m th e B ib le O ut l i ne o f w ha t ha s bee n l e a r n t M ul t i me d ia p re se n t a t i on s D ra ma t i sa t i o n / d i a l o g ue o f s to ry H ym ns L i t u r g i ca l M ov em en t o f s t o r y S to r i es o f t he i r l i f e and f a m i l i e s R e l a t ed na r r a t i v e s ( eg Dr ea mt im e s t o r y )

W E R E S P O N D :Re sp on d in g to t he s t o r i e s H ym n o r so ng s L i t u r g i ca l m ov em en t P ra ye rs o f I n t e r ce ss ion P ra ye r M ul t i me d ia p re se n t a t i on s S ha r i ng wo rk f r o m mod u l e (e g a r tw or k )

W E G O F O R T H :Se nd in g F o r th R ec es s i o na l hy mn o r son gs L i t u r g i ca l m ov em en t P ra ye r T ha nk yo u s t a t e m en t

Liturgy can be followed by offer of hospitality

Possible Resources

Th e r es ou rc es i n d i c a t ed b e lo w a r e r e c om me nd e d to as s i s t w i th t h e te ac h i n g o f t h i s mo du le . P le as e a dd o th e rs t ha t a re us ed .

TeacherBrown, Raymond. 1997. An Introduction to the New Testament. Sydney: Doubleday.

Charpentier, Etienne. 1982. How to read the New Testament. London:SCM.

Hari, Albert and Singer, Charles. 1997. Alive in the Spirit Today. Chelmsford: Matthew James Publishing

O’Brien, Kate and White, Dan. 2001. The Thinking Platform. Marayong: K.D.Publications

Ryan, Maurice and Elliott, Mark. 1999. Religion Quick Prints. Katoomba: Social Science Press

Wintour, Rina. Just Imagine Series 1-4 Brisbane: Mountjoy Enterprises.

Woods, Laurie. 1993. The Bible: God’s Word. Blackburn: Collins Dove

LabOra Worship


LiteratureVa r i e t y o f Re so u r ces o f t h e Pe n t e co s t s to ry

MusicPentecost Song by John Burland ( AOV for Kids, 96)Feel the Power and Holy Spirit Come by Michael Mangan ( in True Colours Shine, 2007 Litmus Productions).Yes Lord, I believe John Burland (And with Your Spirit 2011 Litmus Productions

Websites

Mission and Religious Education (Lighthouse) http://missionandreligiouseducation.dbbcso.org/

http://www.scotthahn.com/download/attachment/1514 Timeline of St. Paul’s Life and Missionary Journeys

Other websites

http://wallwisher.com/

http://www.wordle.net/

http://www.tagxedo.com/

http://www.surveymonkey.com/home/

http://www.ning.com/

http://www.wikispaces.com/

Make short art-inspired stories http://storybird.com/

Capzles social storytelling http://www.capzles.com/

Useful Apps

Superbook Bible App The Holy Bible Bible for kids The Pope App

Educreations PuppetPals Show Me Comic Maker

Popplet Simple Mind Idea Sketch Maptini



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