| Year Levels Focus: | Jesus is God-with-us (Emmanuel). He shares his Spirit with us. (TCREK018) |
| Aims: |
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| Content Statement: |
Students will investigate the way people gathered in communities after Jesus’ death and resurrection to remember him, especially through the Eucharist, and to tell the story of his compassion and love. They will be supported to grow in understanding that Jesus is the Son of God who shows us the way God wants us to live. They will explore ways in which Jesus’ life and teaching focus on compassion, healing and forgiveness and how the early Christian communities continued to spread that message. They will consider how Jesus (God-with-us) is present in the church community through his Holy Spirit, who continues to heal, enliven and guide us to be healing, forgiving, reconciling people. |
Jesus Christ
The Christian claim is simply this: if God is, then God is love; and if God is love, then God is what Jesus is: total self-giving. Or, to put it even more starkly: if God isn’t what Jesus is, there is no God …
In Jesus we, as it were, encounter the impossible in the flesh: we encounter the victim of our hatred returning to us not as our just punishment, or even as our conditional pardon, but as our peace-bestowing mercy and reconciliation, our “salvation” (which actually means “healing”, from the Latin salve).
Jesus is what God looks like “in person”, in “human flesh”. Why? Because this is what absolute love actually looks like in a world marked by hatred, violence, resentment, fear and vengeance—in a word, sin and death. If this is not so, then there is no God.
In GNFL this understanding of Jesus is developed with these theological emphases:
- The doctrine of the incarnation is principally about us becoming one with God because God becomes one of us. As one of the earliest and strongest defenders of the doctrine of the incarnation, St Athanasius, put it: “God became human so that humanity might become God”. This is the point of the incarnation: human transformation, human divinisation.
- So, to say that “Jesus is Lord” is to say that if God is not what Jesus is, there is no God; and if God is what Jesus is, then God is love; and we are becoming what Jesus is by the power of that love, who is the Holy Spirit.
- The fact that Jesus is utterly human is of the very greatest importance to a properly Christian understanding of what it means that he is God incarnate.
- The fact that he was a Jew is crucial: he was steeped in the Hebrew Revelation, its liturgy and poetry and ethics, its bonds of community and covenant love.
- The fact that he suffered, worked, prayed, cared, healed, and ate with “sinners” and “righteous” alike; the fact that he befriended men and women, and called them into discipleship; the fact that he was a teacher, healer, worker—a “simple poor peasant” (as opposed to a priest, noble, imperial citizen, etc.)—all this is vital to who Jesus was, and therefore to the Revelation of who God is among us.
- For it is in and through his humanity—in all its particularity and “scandalous contingency”—that Jesus reveals what God is really like: self-emptying love.
- Jesus reveals love for what it really is: self-giving for the sake of the one who is loved. Love is not a feeling so much as a desire that the one who is loved should flourish: to love is to want what is good and best for another.
- Jesus is absolute love made real, made “flesh and blood”, revealing that absolute love is who God really is. How?
- By giving himself absolutely for those he loved—namely everyone, even those who hated him so much that they tortured him to death, betrayed him to his torturers (like the apostle Judas), denied they knew him (like St Peter, the first pope), abandoned him (like all the other apostles and most of his disciples) or simply ignored him (like the vast majority of people throughout history).
- His love for all of them was equal because it was absolute: he died for love of us all, and indeed, for each one of us personally. That is how he reveals and embodies the love that is God.
URL link to Theological Conversation chapter (PDF).
- The early Christians gathered in community to celebrate the Eucharist, remembering Jesus, Son of God, and telling the story of his compassion and love.
- Jesus, Son of God, shows and teaches us the way God wants us to be healing, forgiving and reconciling people.
- Jesus (God-with-us) is present in the Church through his Holy Spirit, who continues to enliven and guide us to be healing, forgiving, reconciling people.
Jesus is God-with-us (Emmanuel). He shares his Spirit with us. (TCREK018)
Students will investigate the way people gathered in communities after Jesus’ death and resurrection to remember him, especially through the Eucharist, and to tell the story of his compassion and love. They will be supported to grow in understanding that Jesus is the Son of God who shows us the way God wants us to live. They will explore ways in which Jesus’ life and teaching focus on compassion, healing and forgiveness and how the early Christian communities continued to spread that message. They will consider how Jesus (God-with-us) is present in the church community through his Holy Spirit, who continues to heal, enliven and guide us to be healing, forgiving, reconciling people.
TCREI007
Developing questions for investigating religious ideas, events and rituals (TCREI007)
- developing and posing questions about the Trinity as a community of loving Persons
- generating questions about the Mass and why Catholics say “it is what God does for us”
- asking “why are there different forms of writing in the Bible and why is it not all narrative?”
- questioning and reflecting on how Pope Francis is pope, just as St Peter was the first pope
- formulating questions about, and writing examples of, ways that the Spirit of Jesus lives in others and the church community
TCREI008
Being familiar with some of the most significant stories of the Old and New Testaments and discussing characters and meanings (TCREI008)
- learning words from glossaries of significant words from the Old Testament and the sacraments, e.g., covenant, initiation, sin, reconciliation
- using a range of methods including digital technologies to plan and conduct an information search about the different genres in the Bible, including parables, proverbs, narratives, psalms, miracle stories, etc.
- defining and explaining the different genres of writing found in the Bible
TCREI009
Representing and communicating religious or spiritual ideas and information using diagrams, models and simple reports (TCREI009)
- researching biblical lands and creating three-dimensional maps of geographical areas that relate to important Old Testament stories
- gathering Scripture quotations around a series of themes and making a class mural, story maps or a class big book
- writing student-derived examples of Scripture genres based on biblical texts (e.g., writing a letter to a friend who is far away, encouraging her or him to stay strong and keep going even though she or he is alone)
- retelling Scripture passages illustrating different genres and making shadow puppet plays
TCRED007
With guidance, identifying questions about religious ideas, events or rituals and recording ideas, thoughts and feelings (TCRED007)
- developing searching questions about how the mystery of God helps us grow in wisdom and understanding
- reflecting individually or collectively using imaginative prayer and meditation, journalling, reflective writing
- inviting a guest speaker (e.g., the parish priest) to class to ask him questions, using a Q and A style format, about the Mass, God, the Church, or his vocation
- designing simple surveys to find out what students understand about questions such as “How is the Church animated by the Spirit?”
- using a range of methods including digital technologies to plan and conduct an information search about the teachings of Pope Francis and what he says about the Church today
TCRED008
Weighing up values and ideas to make connections. Sharing thoughts and suggestions with others. Reflecting, contributing to group dialogue, generating questions and drawing conclusions regarding principles for living responsibly, personally and in society (TCRED008)
- examining individually and collectively the idea of covenant
- listening to the stories of the Old Testament prophets
- examining our own actions and decisions in the light of their example
- weighing up choices
- sharing thoughts and suggestions about how families can live more like a loving community
TCRED009
Responding at the personal level or, with others, designing, sharing and, where possible enacting, a simple action plan towards improving specific situations at school or beyond (TCRED009)
- organising and leading an assembly prayer using Scripture, calling us to trust in God to find peace
- constructing visual representations or mosaics highlighting how the sacraments are celebrations of the presence of God in our lives
- journalling during Lent or Advent to invite Jesus into our choices, and living love by practising gratitude and acts of kindness
- creating a class or school prayer calendar using appropriate Scripture passages
By the end of Year 4, students can acknowledge that they and all human persons are created in the image of God, and that Jesus (God-with-us) reveals for us that God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—calls each one of us into a loving relationship with him and each other. They can recognise that Jesus’ loving example, as witnessed in the Gospels, informs the choices and guides the actions of those who follow him. They can recognise that, in the community of the Church, followers of Jesus celebrate God’s loving presence through the liturgy, and are nourished by the sacraments and by his Word in Scripture to live like Jesus. They can identify the Eucharist and describe its ritual elements as the celebration at the heart of Christian prayer and life. They can recognise that Jesus through his sharing of his Holy Spirit is present in the Church and its sacraments, and they can describe how the Spirit enlivens and guides us to be healing, forgiving and reconciling people. They can identify the way we celebrate God’s healing and forgiveness, and describe their ritual elements through the sacraments of Penance and of the Anointing of the Sick.
Students can explore, pose questions about and respond in a variety of ways to religious experiences, texts and stories. They can reflect on living responsibly and can develop, share and enact a response at the personal level and/or a simple plan of action at the school or local level.
Pre-unit assessment
Develop a four-square Graffiti Wall about ways Jesus is with us, ways in which those living with him saw signs of God’s love, ways in which he was alive in the life of the early Christians, signs of his presence now.
Learning Hook
Invite students to help prepare a display of names. Teacher to include the name of Jesus in ancient Hebrew and Aramaic scripts.
Surface
(Giving language, facts, and basic concepts structure to lead into deeper learning)
We live with the Spirit of Jesus, Emmanuel. Why is Jesus called Emmanuel—God with us?
Discuss the significance and meaning of names and lead to considering the name of Jesus and its meaning. Identify and list ways he lived out his name and how the disciples witnessed and experienced God's love through Jesus.
- Leading in through stories, memories etc. and through a focus on the significance, usefulness, family links, meaning, etc. of names, present the background to the given name of Jesus. (Jesus means “God saves”.)
- Consider the different names by which we are known to introduce the title, Emmanuel: God is with us.
(For teachers’ information: Matthew understood that one name [Jesus] was a given, literal name, while the other [Immanuel], similar to Jesus’ title “Emmanuel”, “Christ”, characterised his essence. It is a description of who he is: God with us.) “Christ” in Greek, “Messiah” in Hebrew, means the “Anointed One”. Jesus is the Christ.
- Engage students in using the word “Emmanuel” in quiet prayer or support them through reflective song, for example, the YouTube song, His Name Is Called Emmanuel (Jessie 8165).
- Recall how the disciples came to know Jesus as man and friend and that they came to see that he revealed God’s love.
- List ways in which they or other people saw Jesus was showing God’s love (refer to examples of his love, compassion) (cf. Understanding Faith [UF], Unit 35, Part 2, p. 5, interactive task, “Jesus Human in Scriptures”).
How was Jesus with the Pentecost Christians after his death?
Explore Jesus’ promise to be with us through his Spirit and identify how he fulfilled that promise.
- After discussing special/farewell gifts, promises made and kept, recall Jesus’ promise, fulfilled at Pentecost, to share his Spirit with us and to be with us always. Focus on Jesus, who, through his Spirit, is God-with-us. View Keeping Promises: What Can You Give When Life Must Come to An End? (YouTube), which, depending on the class group could hold possibilities for considering Jesus’ promise of the Spirit and how he lives on in our lives.
How is Jesus with us in the church and in our lives?
Identify how Jesus is with us: within us, in and through other people, in his Word, in prayer, in Eucharist.
- Identify ways through which Jesus is with us; note that he is with us in the church community through his Spirit and that people show God’s goodness to others as Jesus did.
- Discuss times in life when we need a friend, when we need advice, support, practical help. Jesus is with us: within us, through other people, in his Word, in prayer, in Eucharist. Develop a chart/slideshow illustrating the presence of Jesus’ Spirit guiding and strengthening us.
- Read/share the picture storybook, Crenshaw, by Katherine Applegate—about a helper in tough times.
- Offer opportunity for reflective prayer with the Spirit of Jesus.
Deep
(Learning experiences that lead on from beginning experiences to questioning more deeply and exploring ideas in different ways to lead to making connections between faith and life)
Deepen exploration of the question: How was Jesus present with the Pentecost Christians after his death?
Investigate the action of the Spirit in the Pentecost disciples; explore and analyse their experiences and feelings; justify reasons for responses.
- Recall Jesus’ promise of his Spirit, his promise to be always “God with us”.
- Revisit the story of the Pentecost event and the gift of the Spirit. (Artwork could support discussion.)
- Explore selected Acts texts to see how the Pentecost Spirit heals, enlivens and guides. Invite students in groups to explore different stories; share and discuss findings.
- Analyse the responses of those moved by the Pentecost Spirit to show compassion and love.
- View on YouTube: Peter and John Heal a Man Crippled Since Birth (Acts 3:1-8).
- Consider the experience and feelings of the characters. Discuss the event and what might follow. Reflect on such questions as:
1.How was the man offered new life?
2.What might lie before him?
3.What influenced Peter and John?
4.How did they heal the man?
5.How was Jesus present?
6.What did Peter, John, and the healed man do after the man was healed? - Link to and pray the prayer “Come, Holy Spirit”. Engage students in using the words “Come, Holy Spirit” in quiet prayer or support them through reflective song.
- Make use of the short traditional prayer put to music by John Burland, Come, Holy Spirit, Fill the Hearts of the Faithful and Kindle in Them the Fire of Your Love.
Return to the question: How is Jesus with us in the Church and in our lives?
Invite students to share stories, to research and to compare examples of people who show God’s compassion and love.
- Use stories to lead students into investigating ways/situations in which we experience the Spirit of Jesus, “God with us”, guiding us and moving us towards care and compassion.
- Research/consider examples of people from Scripture and people in everyday life whose actions show the compassion and love of Jesus.
- Use students’ researched examples to consider and identify similarities and differences in their chosen exemplars’ actions and impact.
Transfer
(Learning experiences that help students engage with deeper understandings that can be applied in their own lives)
I wonder: Can I listen to and live with Jesus' Spirit?
Provide opportunity for students to explore and practise the examen process to reflect on their lives, examine their actions and identify areas for change.
- Engage in the examen process to support students to recognise the action of the Spirit in their own lives, offering and inviting us to exercise compassion and care, and to identify an area for change and growth. Link to prayers of thanks, to “Lord, have mercy” and to prayers for guidance, for example, “Come, Holy Spirit, help me to spread your love”.
- Develop a table like the following with the group:
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I see the Spirit of Jesus at home when ... I see the Spirit of Jesus in my class when ... I see the Spirit of Jesus in the playground when ... I see the Spirit of Jesus on the bus when ... Etc... |
I show the Spirit of Jesus at home when ... I show the Spirit of Jesus in my class when ... I show the Spirit of Jesus in the playground when ... I show the Spirit of Jesus on the bus when ... Etc... |
- Support students students to demonstrate understanding and transfer by completing and illustrating their own versions of the table, in paper or digital form, recording in the second column their personal statements or commitment.
Resources
Applegate, Katherine. Crenshaw.
Burland, John. Come, Holy Spirit, Fill the Hearts of the Faithful and Kindle in Them the Fire of Your Love. Song.
His Name Is Called Emmanuel. Jessie 8165. YouTube.
“Jesus Human in Scriptures”. Interactive Task. In Understanding Faith. Unit 35, Part 2, p. 5. Online Subscription.
Keeping Promises: What Can You Give When Life Must Come to An End? YouTube.
Peter and John Heal a Man Crippled Since Birth (Acts 3:1-8). YouTube.
* Unless otherwise noted, items listed under “Resources” are books.