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Reply to "Different Ways to Teach each Beatitude -by Ann Liechty and Phyllis Wezeman"

The Beatitudes:          link back to summary

 

The Eight Beatitude:

Matthew 5:10 - Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

 

Article ten of eleven part series:

 

by Anna L. Liechty & Phyllis Vos Wezeman

 

Summary:

Twelve methods, with two suggestions for each, offer a variety of useful and practical ideas for exploring and developing activities and for tailoring experiences related to the lesson’s focus.

 

This article continues an eleven-part series on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-11), including an overview of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), an overview of the eight statements, an in-depth look at each Beatitude, and a concluding summary. Christian Educators, as well as pastors, will find helpful materials for teaching children, youth, and adult classes.

 



Architecture


Find pictures of the Catacombs and explain the reasons for the first Christians to need to hide in order to conduct their worship services. Discuss how different worship would be if today’s Christians had to use underground areas in order to avoid persecution.

Research the history and structure of the Roman Coliseum, especially in relation to the persecution of Christians. Connect early Christian history and the persecution they endured to Jesus’ teaching in the eighth Beatitude.


Art


Construct a cross from two-inch masonry nails by wrapping them together with thin florist wire. Discuss the ultimate persecution Jesus endured as a result of his faithfulness to God’s message. Suggest that the cross of nails can remind artists that God is faithful. Jesus was raised from the dead and the cross is empty because of God’s power and love. Our calling as Christians is to remain faithful to God even though we, too, will face persecution.

Make a lantern with a tin can. Draw Christian symbols like a cross or a fish on the outside of a clean, empty can. Fill the can with water and freeze overnight. Remove from the freezer, and before the ice melts, use a hammer and nail to punch holes around the symbol’s outline. Once the ice has melted and the tin can is dry, add a votive candle and enjoy the light shining through the symbols. Discuss that in our lives, persecution provides us with the opportunity to “let our light shine.”


Banners/Textiles


Design a prayer cloth to give as a gift to someone who is suffering. Use a four by four inch piece of cloth and add words with fabric markers or paint. Choose words from the eighth Beatitude to inscribe the cloth and encourage the recipient to endure life’s trials that can result from the pursuit of righteousness.

Make a large cardboard loom and add string to create the warp. Weave light colors through the string, adding in dark threads or strips of cloth to create a design. Explain that our lives are made of both light, joyful times as well as dark, difficult times. However, Jesus helps us understand that, like the dark strands, persecution is part of the pattern of the Christian life.


Creative Writing


Challenge writers to “describe the indescribable.” Ask the participants to imagine the great reward in heaven that Jesus promises for those who endure persecution for the sake of righteousness. In groups or as individuals, write a paragraph that attempts to capture the glory promised in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Create an acrostic poem from the word "rejoice." Ask the students to think of a word that begins with each letter r-e-j-o-i-c-e, and that help us to understand the message of Matthew 5:11. List the words that spell out "rejoice," and share the poems created.


Culinary


Blend ingredients to make cookie dough with a pastry blender or mixer. Discuss how each ingredient “disappears” as the dough comes together. Explain that as Christians we need to be in the world, but not of the world. We need to remain faithful and distinct even though the going gets tough. Add ingredients like coated chocolate candies to the cookie dough and stir. Point out that, like Christians, the candies hold their identity even as they are blended into the mix. Bake the cookies and enjoy.

Offer the participants a taste of juice or fruit flavored drink. Ask what they think will happen if they add water to the drink. Keep adding more water to the mixture and tasting it. Discuss that when something is “watered down” it loses its flavor. Make the connection to Jesus’ teaching in the eighth beatitude. Explain that we must remain faithful to God and not “water down” our beliefs when we find it difficult to follow Jesus.


Dance


Invite a line dance instructor to teach a simple dance routine. Discuss the group’s use of a “side step” in line dancing. Connect their dance routine to the common tendency to “side-step the issues.” Explain that Jesus makes it clear that Christians must face tough situations and not side step or back down when controversy comes.

Play an inspiring musical selection and ask the participants to “leap for joy” as they respond to the music. Make the point that Jesus says in Matthew 5:12a that we should “rejoice” and “be glad” when we are persecuted because of our faith. Talk about the scholar’s translation of the Greek verb agalliasthai, which -- according to William Barclay -- comes from two Greek words that mean "to leap exceedingly".


Drama


Design a “newscast” script to be performed in which reporters “in the field” recount the bravery of Christians, either actual or composite in dramatic or everyday situations, who boldly face persecution for their faith.

View the scene from the Henry V, performed by Kenneth Branagh, to hear the stirring Saint Crispin’s Day speech. Discuss the kind of commitment that Henry inspired in his followers to get them to face the challenge of the battle of Agincourt. Connect the unforgettable challenge found in Shakespeare’s play to the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:10-12.


Games


Construct, or have the students construct, an obstacle course either indoors with chairs and boxes or outside with old tires and saw horses. Run several contests to see which individual or team can surmount the obstacles with the best time. Relate the experience of the obstacle course to the Christian life. Remind the participants of Jesus’ teaching in the eighth beatitude that his disciples must expect persecution and difficulty as they live their faith.

Play a Christian variation of the “Fear Factor” reality show. Design challenges to role play that would require a great deal of fortitude for Christians to perform. Tasks could include social situations requiring such responses as “tell a friend what your faith means to you,” or mental tasks like “recite a Bible verse by heart.”


Music


Sing the verses to the hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” Share the story of the hymn using the message found in the book Hymn Stories for Children: Special Days and Holidays. (Wezeman, Phyllis Vos and Anna L. Liechty. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1994.) Invite the participants to consider what it would mean to dedicate “my soul, my life, my all” to Christ.

Teach the participants to sing the round “Rejoice in the Lord Always” based on Philippians 4:4. Ask them to consider what “always” means in light of the eighth beatitude.


Photography


Look for information about Jane Addams, founder of the Hull House in Chicago, Illilnois. View photographs of the building and of Ms. Addams by using the "images" option to search the Internet. Tell the story of her witness on the South Side of Chicago, as she sacrificed to live out her faith with those she felt called to serve.

View before and after pictures of the site of the Berlin Wall. Discuss the courage of those who spoke for freedom and justice in the face of the Cold War hostilities. Ask how we need to speak for freedom and justice in God’s name today, and look for photographs of places that challenge us to speak as God’s people on earth.


Puppetry


Create puppets to tell the courageous story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego found in Daniel 3.

Make large circles, each marked with an “M,” to serve to tell the stories of “Missionaries & Martyrs.” Develop a puppet script based on telling about famous examples of each “M & M.” Examples to develop include, Hudson Taylor, David Livingstone, Joan of Arc, or modern examples such as Jim Elliot or Nate Saint and other martyrs of the Ecuador mission.


Storytelling


Ask denominational resource people about missionaries who might be available to come and tell their story.

Read Old Testament stories of the prophets who stood up for their faith despite persecution, like Jeremiah, Daniel, and Elijah.

 

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