Words and Motions for Chalice Lighting
We come together (Bring hands together and clasp them in front of you.) To remind ourselves (Touch your index and middle fingers to your temple.) To treat all people kindly (Spread arms wide, encircling.) Because they are our brothers and sisters, (Fold your arms across your chest, in a hug.) To take good care of the earth, (Raise your arms above your head, in a circle.) Because it is our home, (Fold your arms, holding your elbows, and motion as though rocking a baby.) To live lives full of goodness and love, (Put both hands over your heart.) Because that is how we will make our world (Raise your arms above your head, in a circle.) The best place it can be. (Clap your hands quietly.)
Why do we light a chalice?
Goal:
to learn the history behind the UU flaming chalice symbol.
Activities:
• See "Why do we light a chalice?"
• Read: The Healing Cup
• Make your own family chalice or chalice banner. See Early Childhood
Who were the first Unitarians and Universalists?
Goal:
To learn about some of the Unitarians and Universalists in Europe and the United States.
Materials:
The Dangerous Journey game board (copy onto legal-size paper with printer set to horizontal)
Die and pieces for each player
Activities:
Read about King John Sigismund, Joseph Priestley, and John Murray
Read Who’s Who on the Dangerous Journey
Play The Dangerous Journey instructions
The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6: 9 – 13)
Our Father who art in heaven,
Your version:
Hallowed be thy name.
Your version:
Thy kingdom come.
Your version:
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Your version:
Give us this day our daily bread;
Your version:
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors;
Your version:
And lead us not into temptation,
Your version:
But deliver us from evil.
Your version:
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever.
Your version:
Amen.
Your version:
Background for Teachers, "The Psalms"
The living spirit of any religion shines through most clearly in its hymns. The Psalter is
the hymnal of ancient Israel, compiled from older collections of lyrics for use in the temple of Zerubbabel. Most of the psalms were probably composed to accompany acts of worship in the temple and may be classified as follows: Hymns (acts of praise suitable for any occasion and including the sub-types Enthronement Hymns, celebrating the Lord’s kingship, and Songs of Zion, expressing devotion to the Holy City); Laments (in which an individual seeks deliverane from illness or false accusation, or the nation asks for help in time of distress); Songs of Trust (in which an individual expresses his gratitude for deliverance); Thanksgiving (in which an individual expresses his gratitude for deliverance); Royal Psalms… Wisdom Psalms… Wisdom Psalms… and Liturgies.
…The ascription of nearly half of the psalms to David is testimony to the regard in which the great singer of Israel was held.
The book of Psalms reflects many aspects of the religious experience of Israel. Its
intrinsic spiritual depth and beauty have made it from earliest times a treasury of resources for
public and private devotion.
Notes on Psalm 23:
This type of Psalm is called a song of trust. It is an expression of confidence in God’s protection. The Lord is compared to a shepherd. The word "soul" means vitality, life. "Paths of righteousness" or "of rightness," that is, right paths which suits the context better.
"Shadow of death" is the reading of the scribes, but "deep darkness" is the better rendenng from the Hebrew. The Lord is compared to a gracious host. "Dwell in the house of the Lord" means to worship in the temple. "Forever" Hebrew for "length of days," meaning "as long as I live"
Notes on The Gospel According to Matthew (in which to find "The Lord’s Prayer"):
The Gospel according to Matthew is a manual of Christian teaching in which Jesus Christ, Lord of the new-yet-old community, the church, is described particularly as the fulfiller and fulfilment of God’s will disclosed in the Old Testament…
The accounts of Jesus’ deeds and words, drawn from Christian sources both oral and written, are arranged in generally biographical order: chs. 1-2 Birth of Jesus; 3.1-12, Activity of John the Baptist; 3.13-4.1 1, Baptism and temptation of Jesus; 4.12-18.35, Jesus’ preaching and teaching in Galilee; chs. 19-20, Journey to Jerusalem; chs. 21-27, The last week, concluding with Jesus’ crucifixion and burial; ch. 28, the resurrection; Jesus’ commission to his disciples.
Within this natural framework the accounts of what Jesus said or did are grouped by common subject matter. The five discourses of Jesus, a noteworthy feature of this Gospel are collections of teachings on specific themes: chs. 5 – 7, The Sermon of the Mount (including The Lord’s Prayer); ch. 10 Instructions for missionary disciples; ch. 13 The parables of the kingdom of God; ch. 18, On sincere discipleship; chs. 24 – 25, On the end of this age.
This gospel is anonymous. The unknown Christian teacher who prepared it during the last third of the first century may have used as one of his sources a collection of Jesus’ sayings that the apostle Matthew is said to have made. In time a title containing Matthew’s name, and signifying apostolic authority, came to identify the whole.
Notes on the Lord’s Prayer:
The Lord’s Prayer (compare Lk.11.2-4) falls into hvo parts relating to God and to man; after the opening invocation, there are three petitions concerning God’s glory, followed by those concerning our needs… On the basis of David’s prayer (I Chr.29. 1 1-13) the early church added an appropriate concluding doxology…For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Why teach these prayers?
They are part of our culture. We want our children to be culturally literate. Psalm 23 is still very much requested as part of memorial services in our faith.
We are taught by the joke about UU youth:
Two UU youth are arguing about who knows more about the bible.
"Ya, and I bet you don’t even know the "Lord’s Prayer" says one.
"Do, to!"
"Prove it then! Betcha $5.00 you can’t say it."
" OK you are on!…The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…etc" and he recites Psalm Twenty Three.
"Well," says the other, " That’s it allright. Guess I owe you $5.00."
What Am I?
I believe:
that my religion is not just going to church and saying
prayers. My religion is the way I live–the good I can do and
the things I can learn. "I make my life a prayer each day–by
living and doing, in the very best way!
Here is a picture of me.
I know:
everything I say, everything I do is important. What my
friends say and do is important too-even though I don’t
always agree with them. Everyone has different ideas and I
respect them!
Here is a picture of my friend.
I believe:
that all religions have something good to teach, but no one
church knows all there is to know. That’s why in our church
we always try to learn more; by reading and talking and
making things, and by thinking about everything that has
happened since the world began.
Here is where my congregation meets.
Background for "What do UUs believe about God?"
After the list of our Unitarian Universalist principles, which include the principle of a free and responsible search for truth and meaning, and after the listing of the five sources from which we draw, which include direct experience of transcending mystery and wonder, words and deeds of prophetic women and men, wisdom from the world’s religions, Jewish and Christian teachings and humanist teachings, there is a statement which reads:
Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision.
This statement points to one of the great truths of Unitarian Universalism: we are united and brought closer to understanding ultimate things by our belief in the value of different viewpoints. This is not just a passive kind of tolerance but rather a positive awareness that we need to hear different ideas in order to gain the broadest vision of life and its mysteries.
Unitarian Universalists hold a wide variety of views about the word "God." What some people mean by God are views which are close to the traditional Jewish or Christian beliefs; what others mean are more like the views in Eastern religions. What some mean by the word "God" are images from Goddess religion or Native American religion, others mean images from science. Other UUs don’t find the word "God" useful at all, either because it strongly signifies meanings which are no longer believed or because other words seem more relevant in explaining one’s answers to ultimate questions, words like Life, Universe, Creation, Love, Being.
The statements in the story for this session are created out of the ideas of numerous UU adults who have come to workshops or courses in connection with God Images, the curriculum for fifth and sixth graders. They are composite statements based on ideas heard over and over. Members of these groups have been asked to draw a picture of their idea of what "God" means and then to speak to the group later about the picture.
The four types of ideas represented in the story seem to be the most common. One type of picture shows natural objects: stars, sun and moon; trees, flowers, mountains and water and much use of the color green. The people who draw these say they feel close to God when they are out in natural settings. The second type of picture is usually more abstract and has a center out of which all sorts of things radiate. This type usually makes use of reds, oranges and yellows and people relate it to the Big Bang and energy and power. The third type has a person or people in it who often are holding hands.
Sometimes they have a red heart, on which is written "God." The people who draw these speak of connectedness and caring. The fourth type is more mystical and in some way combines images from the first three. There are, of course, other types of wonderfully creative drawings depicting the variety of UUs’ views about God. Children love to hear adults tell them about their beliefs on the kind of profound issues which are God questions. Encourage them to talk with their parents or other adults about their ideas about God.
Developmental Information
Pre-schoolers (ages 3-5) often believe the following:
*Death is temporary and reversible.
*When someone dies, he or she is merely living under different circumstances (e.g., underground, up in heaven); the person still eats, sleeps, thinks, and feels.
*It is possible to visit with, talk to, and maintain a physical relationship with the deceased.
*Others will eventually die, but they will not.
Children of this age have no sense of the permanence of death, so you may find yourself repeating the same information over and over. ("Aunt Janey died of a heart attack, and no, she won’t be at the family reunion this year.") They also display magical thinking, in which they believe they have a lot of control over life events. As a result, they often need reassurance that they did not cause or contribute to a loved one’s death.
When a pre-schooler suffers a significant loss, he or she may respond with aggression or combativeness. It also is common for grieving pre-schoolers to regress to a younger stage of development. Furthermore, children of this age often ask many questions about the physical aspects of death, because they are trying to figure out what it means to be dead.
In general, before a significant loss occurs in a pre-schooler’s life, it is helpful to find teachable moments to introduce the concept of change and death. For example, as you walk around the church yard, point out signs of changing seasons (falling leaves) or the cycles of life. Ask the child what happened when you see a dead animal by the side of the road. Be gentle, but correct any misinformation, emphasizing that death happens to us all, and that once we die, our physical bodies never come back to life.
And don’t shy away from saying the words "die" or "death." Children are literal thinkers, and often conjure up complex images of such euphemisms as "kicked the bucket," or "been called away." "Grandma died" is much less confusing to a young child, who then can enter into a discussion of what this means physically and emotionally.
While many adults are tempted to take it easy on a grieving child, structure and clarity are comforting. If you have a child in your classroom who has experienced a significant loss, don’t excuse inexcusable behavior. Be clear about what you expect, and don’t back off from your standards for appropdate behavior. At the same time, don’t hesitate to express your sympathy and concern, even well after the time of the loss; Many people never mention a death or other significant loss after the first few weeks, which adds to the bereaved person’s sense of abandonment and isolation.
Children from about 6 to 8 intellectually understand that death is permanent and irreversible, but still believe that they are immortal. In fact, they often blame people who die for being too clumsy, too old, or physically unable to escape the monster-like figure of death. This may allow children to think about death in a more distant, and therefore more comfortable, way.
You may be surprised by the questions that children of this age ask about death. The following are typical: "If our minister was killed in a car crash, who will light the chalice? " "Since Janey died, who will sit next to me in Sunday School?" You also might notice that children’s fears and questions about death come out in their actions, not their words.
Try to avoid judgment while remaining honest, calm, and true to yourself. Remind the children that we all die, as do all living things, but that most of us will live to be quite old. Explain that sometimes the world feels out of control, but in fact we are in charge of many aspects of our health and well-being. Remind them that we have the choice to eat healthy foods and avoid obvious dangers (smoking, driving too fast, biking without a helmet, running across the street before looking both ways, etc.).
If students in your class know of a specific death and want to hear more details, don’t panic. Listen to their questions to find out what they really want to know. Also consider asking a few questions of your own: "What have you heard? What do you think happened? Why? How do you feel about this?" This can help you determine the real source of worry represented by their apparent morbid curiosity.
The curriculum for the primary grades introduces the concept of loss through an examination of nature and the cycle oflife. It offers clarification around the meaning of death, and provides ample opportunity for children to voice their concerns, fears, and questions about loss and death.
Background for "God is in Each One of Us"
The story of Svetaketu and his father is taken from the Hindu scriptures called the Upanisads. The word "Upanislld" means to "sit down nearby" and refers to the practice in which one who desires to learn sits down at the feet of a teacher. There are over two hundred Upanisads, written, in Sanskrit, during the 8th to the 6th century B. C. E.. This story is found in the Chandogya Upanisad (6.12) and it is part of a series of discussions between Svetaketu and his father.
The earliest Hindu scriptures are the Vedas which are hymns to the various Gods and Goddesses. In the Upanisads, Hindus begin to philosophize in a more systematic way about the universal religious questions. The concepts in the Upanisads develop toward the understanding that all of the "3306" Gods and Goddesses are in reality forms of the one God, Brahman. Furthermore, this philosophy sets forth the belief that there is in humans what is called the Atman, a spirit-power, a soul, and the Atman and Brahman are the same. In Sanskrit this is expressed in the phrase, Tat Tvam Asi, which means, That Art Thou. Most of the Svetaketu stories end with the father saying to him, "that which is the finest essence-this whole world has that as its soul. That is Reality. That is Atman (soul). That art Thou, Svetaketu." (translated by Robert Ernest Hume).
The theology of the Upanisads has been called monism, which is described in Webster’s Ninth Collegiate Dictionary as, "the view that there is only one kind of ultimate substance" or "the view that reality is one unitary organic whole with no independent parts." Another similar type of theology is panentheism, which is not the same as pantheism. Pantheism is described as meaning that all is God, whereas, panentheism preserves a sense of God’s transcendence by saying that all is in God. The Handbook of Theological Terms, says that panentheism "argues that the world is included in God’s being something as cells are included in a larger organism, although the world does not exhaust God’s being or creativity. Just as a person is both the sum of all his [or her] experiences and parts and yet more than they, so God has all of finite being as part of [God’s] being and experience but transcends it." The Hindu philosophy of the Upanisads can be interpreted in a strict way as monism, but in a more liberal way as panentheism.
At any rate, both of these viewpoints contrast with theistic beliefs in which God and humanity are totally separate entities and where the ultimate values ascribed to God are not applicable to people. A theology based on a belief of "That art Thou," on the other hand, must apply ultimate worth to humans just as it does to God. Therefore, the stories of the Upanisads, support the belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person, one of our Unitarian Universalist principles. They also support the principle which urges respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part and the source of our own direct experience of transcending mystery and wonder.
Children who are on the younger side of the five to seven developmental shift may intuitively feel quite comfortable with the concept that God is in us and we are in God since their thinking isfluid and magical. Girls and boys who are developmentally older and are beginning to classify and analyze may want to examine these ideas in a more rational way. Invite both viewpoints in theconversation and encourage the children to share their differing ideas with each other.
The "Namaste" greeting is used in everyday conversations in India and Nepal and by those who study Yoga. When one says, "Namaste," to another, one is speaking from and to the place in each of us where the spirit dwells.
Background for "Who was Jesus?"
Palm Sunday begins the Christian Holy Week,which commemorates the last week of Jesus life. Several different versions of this important story are recounted in the New Testament (Matthew 21:1-9, Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:28-38). When presenting this story to children, you will want to remind them that this is indeed a story.
Palm Sunday is a celebration of the events associated with the day when Jesus entered Jerusalem, enacting the Coming of the Messiah according to the Jewish traditions. His disciples took branches from the palm trees and placed them on the road ahead of him as he rode in on a donkey. Thus, the name Palm Sunday, a day of joy and triumph. In the seventh or eighth century, the Christian churches started the practice of blessing and distributing palm branches, which is continued in many Christian churches today.
Other events of Holy Week include Maundy (Holy) Thursday and Good Friday. Celebrations are held on Holy Thursday commemorating that day when Jesus washed the feet of his twelve friends (disciples) as he gathered with them for his last supper. The Friday before Easter commemorates the day Jesus was crucified. It is called "good" because Christians believe that Jesus atoned for the sins of the world through his death and was victorious over death.
In celebrating Palm Sunday, focus on the courage of Jesus who chose to come to Jerusalem and speak out about what he held sacred. It is important to reflect on the teachings of Jesus– the right relationship of one human being to another and of each person to her or his God, as exemplified in "The Lord’s Prayer" and in "The Golden Rule." Choose one or both of these teachings to share with the children and make it a Hosanna day.
The teachings of Jesus emphasized in this session are found in the Christian scriptures: The Golden Rule is in Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31; The New Commandment is in Matthew 22:34- 40, Mark 12:28-34, and Luke 10:25-28; and The Lord’s Prayer is in Matthew 6:9-15.
Unitarian Universalist interpretations of these teachings can be found in From Long Ago and Many Lands, edited by Sophia Lyon Fahs, and "The Lord’s Prayer," words by the Rev. Barbara Marshman.
