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Reply to "ART Workshop Lessons and Ideas for Baptism of Jesus / John the Baptist"

The Baptism of Jesus

Art Workshop

 

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Children will either make a bookmark, a collage, or origami.

 

Scripture Reference:

Matthew 3:13-17. 

 

Concept:

God created John for the special purpose of preparing people for the Messiah. John preached repentance and used baptism as a sign of cleansing so that one might be prepared to receive the blessings of the Lord. Jesus was without sin, but came to John as a public announcement of the beginning of His ministry. In his baptism Jesus takes on the sacrificial role, takes on the likeness of a sinner and fulfills all righteousness. It is the moment of separation of the official duty of Christ and the sinless person of Christ. God himself affirms Jesus as the Christ by sending the dove and the flame and in His own voice claiming “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”


Lesson Objectives:

  • God used John to announce the beginning of Jesus’ ministry with the baptism of our Lord.
  • Children will know that baptism is the sign and seal of God’s grace and covenant in Christ. 

 

Leader Preparation:

  • Gather the materials.
  • Read the scripture ahead of time.
  • Make sample projects.

Supplies List:

 

Bookmark:

  • Heavyweight paper
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Gold Braid

Collage:

  • Paper
  • Water Colors
  • Green tissue paper

Origami:

  • Paper


 

Presentation

 

Opening-Welcome and Lesson Introduction:

Open with prayer.

Read the account of the Baptism of the Lord from a Bible Storybook or from Matthew 3:13-17.


For the older children have them read the account from all four gospels. Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; and John 1:31-34. Then have them note any additional information that is presented from one account to the next.

 

Dig-Main Content and Reflection:

Define the word symbol, a symbol is a sign or an object representing something else. Lead the children in a discussion of what symbols are present in the retelling of the Baptism of our Lord.

  • What represents the Holy Spirit? The Spirit of God descends as a dove.
  • What represents God? The voice from the heavens says. “This is my son, the Beloved, in whom I am well pleased.”
  • What does the water represent? The water of Baptism symbolizes the waters of Creation, of the Flood, and of the Exodus from Egypt. Thus the water of Baptism links us to the goodness of God’s creation and to the grace of God’s covenant with Noah and Abraham. Prophets of Israel, amidst the failure of their own generation to honor God’s covenant, called for justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like an overflowing stream. They envisioned a fresh expression of God’s grace and of creation’s goodness - a new covenant accompanied by the sprinkling of cleansing water. In his ministry, Jesus offered the gift of living water. So, Baptism is the sign and seal of God’s grace and covenant in Christ. (Book of Order 2.3003)
  • Why does Jesus submit to John for baptism? Baptism is the sign and seal of incorporation into Christ. Jesus through his own baptism identified himself with sinners in order to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus in his own baptism was attested Son by the Father and was anointed with the Holy Spirit to undertake the way of the servant manifested in his sufferings, death, and resurrection. Jesus the risen Lord assured his followers of his continuing presence and power and commissioned them to go throughout the world teaching and baptizing others in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The disciples were empowered by the outpouring of the Spirit to undertake a life of service and to be an inclusive worshiping community, sharing life in which love, justice and mercy abounded. (Book of Order 2.3001)


Remember to simplify the symbols for younger children. The dove represents the Holy Spirit. The voice from the heavens represents God the Father and announces that Jesus is His Son. This is the beginning of Jesus’ adult ministry. The water represents creation of a new person who has been cleansed of their sins and is worthy of God’s forgiveness and community.

Remember to give older children as much information as they can absorb. The learning is what is important, not the product.

Project:

You may choose to use any of these projects, adjusting for the age group of that particular Sunday or making available to them the choice of which to use.

Bookmark:

  • Cut a 3” by 11” piece of heavyweight paper or posterboard. Make lines with a ruler for lettering. Do printing. Cut shape of bird to represent the Holy Spirit. Fold to create a three dimensional appearance. Use gold braid to represent the movement from heaven to earth and glue to the bookmark. Trim to fit.

Collage

  • Paint on sky in light blue water color. Leave a white space 1/3 from the bottom.
  • Paint blue waves at the very bottom leaving white in between the sky and the water.
  • Make a 2 x 21/2 rectangle in left corner and make a decorative Y. Make lines with a ruler for the lettering. When the paint is dry do the printing.
  • Cut out the shape for Jesus and the bird.
  • Make slits in bird. Fold the wings like a fan or accordian and insert in the slit in the bird body.
  • Glue the bird and Jesus shape on.
  • Make strips of green tissue paper for the water.

Origami:

  • Put an example before the students. Give the students a blank sheet of paper and an instruction sheet and let them work in groups to figure it out.


Closing:

Have the children read the verse together. Then pray together.

Father,
We are thankful that you brought John into the world for a special purpose and that you have a special purpose for each one of use. We thank you that you sent Jesus so that we might be freed from our sins and live as your children. We pray that you will look down on us as we go through this next week and we will be able to hear your voice saying of us, “This is my child in whom I am well pleased.
Amen.


 

A lesson posted by Desoto Presbyterian Church

 

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

 

Last edited by Rotation.org Lesson Forma-teer
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