Church Seasons
Summary of Workshops:
- Bible Skills (REVELATION TEMPLE)- This is where you will cover all the seasons and talk about the definitions of each and the meanings of the colors.
- Art (GOD'S GALLERY) - Learn the colors representing the Church Seasons, make windsocks.
- Drama (PARABLES PLAYHOUSE) - Love in any language--teach the words for hello, peace, love , joy and Jesus---in Spanish and in sign language. While using the scripture from Acts 2:1-8 and the costumes, have them act out the story.
- Cooking (LUKE'S LAB) - Making Rice Krispie treats the ingredients help show the children there are many different ingredients (parts) of the church and all parts are important.
Scripture Reference:
Matthew 1:18-25, Matthew 2:1-2, Matthew 27 and 28, Acts 2:1-8
Lesson Objectives:
To learn the four colors used in the church and when we use them. The four seasons of the church year and what they mean to us, and how we celebrate them.
To Learn These Key Words: Advent, Lent, Pentecost and ordinary time.
To Explore: The meanings of each of the church seasons: Advent, Lent, Pentecost and Ordinary time.
Advent: Waiting for God's promises to come true, Christmas, Epiphany
Lent: the 40 days prior to Easter a time of repentance and fasting
Pentecost: the birthday of the church, 50 days after Easter
Ordinary time: the rest of the days ?? need simple explanation.
To Understand: The colors of the church:
White signifies purity and is used for the festivals of Jesus Christ, primarily Christmas and Easter, and for All Saint's Day.
Purple represents repentance, royalty, and suffering, and is used during Lent and Advent.
Red symbolizes the pentecostal fire of the Holy Spirit during Pentecost.
Green is appropriate for those times of the year that are not in any specific season and signifies spiritual growth.
Background
[Moderator Notes: check next post in this forum for comments on these background notes.]
Advent: The season of waiting for God's Promises to come true Christmas and Epiphany. Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on the twelfth day after Christmas Epiphany. This six weeks of Advent is a patient time of preparing ourselves for the celebration of Jesus' birth.
Epiphany is the celebration of the visit of the Magi to see the new King.
The colors for advent are purple and white.
Lent: The 40 days prior to Easter. A time of repentance and fasting, giving up something you love as a reminder of what God gave up to save each of us and to make us His children.
The colors for Lent are purple and white.
Pentecost: the "Birthday" of the Church. Fifty days after Easter ( 10 days after the Ascension) the Holy Spirit came down to dwell among us. The disciples began speaking in different languages so that everyone who did not speak the same language could learn about Christ.
The color for Pentecost is red.
Ordinary Time: Just a simple time of learning and growing. The color green is used for the times of the year when there is not a specific season.
Questions to Discuss:
- Ask for a definition of a season?
- What does Christmas/Easter really mean to you?
- Can they tell you what events took placein the scripture-- with each season?
- What has God given you? This is really broad but I want them to understand that God gave us the little things too-don't let them get by with God gave us everything
- Ask them now what would they be willing to give upor give back to God for a certain period of time? (for Lent)
- Tell what they like about each season of the year--winter, fall, spring and summer.
- Tell what they like about each season of the church advent(Christmas time), Lent (Easter), Pentecost, ordinary time
- What are things that you can only do during certain times of the year? Would you decorate your house with Christmas lights in July?
- How could they tell others about Jesus? Especially those who don't speak our language or who cannot speak
Church Seasons
Bible Skills
(Revelation Temple)
Scriptures:
Matthew 1:18-25, Matthew 2:1-2, Matthew 27 and 28, Acts 2:1-8
Use as much or as little as needed with each age group.
Lesson Objectives:
- To learn the four colors used in the church and when we use them. The four seasons of the church year and what they mean to us, and how we celebrate them.
- To learn these key words: Advent , Lent, Pentecost and ordinary time.
- To explore: The meanings of each of the church seasons: Advent, Lent, Pentecost and Ordinary time.
Advent: Waiting for God's promises to come true, Christmas, Epiphany
Lent: the 40 days prior to Easter a time of repentance and fasting
Pentecost: the birthday of the church, 50 days after Easter
Ordinary time: the rest of the days ?? need simple explanation. - To understand: The colors of the church:
White signifies purity and is used for the festivals of Jesus Christ, primarily Christmas and Easter, and for All Saint's Day.
Purple represents repentance, royalty, and suffering, and is used during Lent and Advent.
Red symbolizes the pentecostal fire of the Holy Spirit during Pentecost.
Green is appropriate for those times of the year that are not in any specific season and signifies spiritual growth.
Lesson Plan
Opening:
Welcome to all children, youth and adults.
Be sure to call each person by name and if you do not know everyone please take the time to introduce one another.
Open with prayer !!
Dear God, we thank you for all your many blessings and the many seasons of our church. Lead us now as we learn more about these special seasons of our church and more about your love for us. Amen.
Dig:
Activities: This is where you will cover all the seasons and talk about the definitions of each and the meanings of the colors. Have an advent wreath in the temple and go ever the meanings of each of the candles, pictures of Jesus' last days before his death and then His Resurrection, pictures of Pentecost.
Ordinary time will be the hardest for them to understand. It's the times in-between all the other activities.
Talk about the meanings of the colors--white, purple, red and green and how they are used in the church. The stole that the minister wears, the choir members wear, the cloth for the communion table, the markers for the Bible, have them look in our sanctuary for the different places that we use color to help us celebrate the seasons of the church.
Church Seasons
Art
(God's Gallery)
Scriptures:
Matthew 1:18-25, Matthew 2:1-2, Matthew 27 and 28, Acts 2:1-8
Use as much or as little as needed with each age group we have just completed the rotation on Easter and Lent.
Lesson Objectives:
- To learn the four colors used in the church and when we use them. The four seasons of the church year and what they mean to us, and how we celebrate them.
- To learn these key words: Advent , Lent, Pentecost and ordinary time.
- To explore: The meanings of each of the church seasons: Advent, Lent, Pentecost and Ordinary time.
Advent: Waiting for God's promises to come true, Christmas, Epiphany
Lent: the 40 days prior to Easter a time of repentance and fasting
Pentecost: the birthday of the church, 50 days after Easter
Ordinary time: the rest of the days ?? need simple explanation. - To understand: The colors of the church:
White signifies purity and is used for the festivals of Jesus Christ, primarily Christmas and Easter, and for All Saint's Day.
Purple represents repentance, royalty, and suffering, and is used during Lent and Advent.
Red symbolizes the pentecostal fire of the Holy Spirit during Pentecost.
Green is appropriate for those times of the year that are not in any specific season and signifies spiritual growth.
Lesson Plan
Opening:
Welcome to all children, youth and adults.
Be sure to call each person by name and if you do not know everyone please take the time to introduce one another.
Open with prayer !!
Dear God, we thank you for all your many blessings and the many seasons of our church. Lead us now as we learn more about these special seasons of our church and more about your love for us. Amen.
Dig:
Windsocks
Construct of these materials--hoops, strips of green, purple, red and white material, felt symbols, glue.
Church Seasons
Drama
(Parables Playhouse)
Scriptures:
Matthew 1:18-25, Matthew 2:1-2, Matthew 27 and 28, Acts 2:1-8
Use as much or as little as needed with each age group.
Lesson Objectives:
- To learn the four colors used in the church and when we use them. The four seasons of the church year and what they mean to us, and how we celebrate them.
- To learn these key words: Advent , Lent, Pentecost and ordinary time.
- To explore: The meanings of each of the church seasons: Advent, Lent, Pentecost and Ordinary time.
Advent: Waiting for God's promises to come true, Christmas, Epiphany
Lent: the 40 days prior to Easter a time of repentance and fasting
Pentecost: the birthday of the church, 50 days after Easter
Ordinary time: the rest of the days ?? need simple explanation. - To understand: The colors of the church:
White signifies purity and is used for the festivals of Jesus Christ, primarily Christmas and Easter, and for All Saint's Day.
Purple represents repentance, royalty, and suffering, and is used during Lent and Advent.
Red symbolizes the pentecostal fire of the Holy Spirit during Pentecost.
Green is appropriate for those times of the year that are not in any specific season and signifies spiritual growth.
Lesson Plan
Opening:
Welcome to all children, youth and adults.
Be sure to call each person by name and if you do not know everyone please take the time to introduce one another.
Open with prayer !!
Dear God, we thank you for all your many blessings and the many seasons of our church. Lead us now as we learn more about these special seasons of our church and more about your love for us. Amen.
Dig:
Love in any language--teach the words for hello, peace, love , joy and Jesus---in Spanish and in sign language.
While using the scripture from Acts 2:1-8 and the costumes, have them act out the story. They will need sound effects and props and each person using a different language to communicate with the others.
Have them think and talk about what it would be like if we could understand what everyone else said no matter what language they used. What about those who cannot communicate with words? How do tell others about Jesus when we cannot speak their language?
With the older youth you may want to try to teach them something a little longer, e.g., the Lord's Prayer !!
Then they can sign for us or say in Spanish during worship in June during Pentecost.
Church Seasons
Cooking
(Luke's Lab)
Scriptures:
Matthew 1:18-25, Matthew 2:1-2, Matthew 27 and 28, Acts 2:1-8
Use as much or as little as needed with each age group.
Lesson Objectives:
- To learn the four colors used in the church and when we use them. The four seasons of the church year and what they mean to us, and how we celebrate them.
- To learn these key words: Advent , Lent, Pentecost and ordinary time.
- To explore: The meanings of each of the church seasons: Advent, Lent, Pentecost and Ordinary time.
Advent: Waiting for God's promises to come true, Christmas, Epiphany
Lent: the 40 days prior to Easter a time of repentance and fasting
Pentecost: the birthday of the church, 50 days after Easter
Ordinary time: the rest of the days ?? need simple explanation. - To understand: The colors of the church:
White signifies purity and is used for the festivals of Jesus Christ, primarily Christmas and Easter, and for All Saint's Day.
Purple represents repentance, royalty, and suffering, and is used during Lent and Advent.
Red symbolizes the pentecostal fire of the Holy Spirit during Pentecost.
Green is appropriate for those times of the year that are not in any specific season and signifies spiritual growth.
Lesson Plan
Opening:
Welcome to all children, youth and adults.
Be sure to call each person by name and if you do not know everyone please take the time to introduce one another.
Open with prayer !!
Dear God, we thank you for all your many blessings and the many seasons of our church. Lead us now as we learn more about these special seasons of our church and more about your love for us. Amen.
Dig:
Rice Krispie treats using the Microwave recipe upstairs kitchen
As an example of how to show the children there are many different ingredients (parts) of the church and all parts are important.
Marshmallows represent the Holy Spirit who holds us together, then as the marshmallows melt it is like the Spirit transforming and preparing us to do its work,
Butter can also represent the Holy Spirit and how it melts among us and is invisible but touches each of us.
Rice Krispies represent all the people of the church; the marshmallows hold them together.
Mini M&M's all the colors represent the many special gifts shared in the church.
The older youth can make an extra batch for the kids snack during children's church.
I am the volunteer post-er for this lesson set, not the author. --Roger Short
A Rotation Set from First Presbyterian, Sand Springs Oklahoma
Kim Penrod, DCE
A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.
