20- John the Baptist Baptizes Jesus Christ

In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen

Lesson No. (20)

References:
Matthew 3:13-17.

Notes for Servants
-It is surprising that the Lord humbles Himself and empties Himself and asksJohn the Baptist whom
He created to baptize Him.
-By baptism, we are born anew and we put on the robe of righteousness and purity which we lost,
and by Holy Chrism we are established in Christ so that we may lead a life of holiness.
-Note how gentle and quiet Jesus was when He talked with John.

Objectives
General: The effect of baptism in our lives.
Specific:
The children will be able to ...
A. Learn that without baptism we can not enter heaven, and we can not be called
Christians.
B. Know that Jesus did not need to be baptise, but to teach us about baptism.
C. Understand the meaning of the Trinity, God the Father in heaven, God the Son in the
water, and God the Holy Spirit as Dove.

Bible Verse

" This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. "
(Matthew 3:17)

Teaching Aids
1. The icon of baptism surrounded with candles. The children carry the icon and go around saying,
"Epiphany feast, Epiphany feast" while holding candles in their hands.
2. Video.

Instruction
(1) Review last week's lesson.
(2) Who remembers the verse?
(3) Remind the children about the church occasions for the coming week.

(4) Servant shows the children that the ritual of baptism is performed by immersion three times.
(5) The Epiphany feast is also called the feast of the Divine manifestation, because of the
manifestation of the HolyTrinity. When the servant says, "A voice from heaven saying, "This is my
beloved Son..." He must say the verse with reverence and awe changing the tone of his voice so
that the children may know that when we stand in the presence of the Lord, we must stand with
reverence and awe. The servant should advise the parents of the children who have not been
baptized to haste and baptize their children so that they may receive salvation and the gifts of the
Holy Spirit.

Story Time
What do you usually see in the baptism room? How does the priest baptize the children?
John the Baptist baptized people in the River Jordan. “Then went out to him Jerusalem and all
Judea and all the region about the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing
their sins.” He said to the people, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after
me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
fire.”
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John the Baptist, to baptize Him. St. John would
have prevented Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" But Jesus
answered him, "Let it be so now for thus is it fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness." Then, he consented
and they went down into the Jordan.
WhenJesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were
opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on Him, and lo, a voice from
heaven saying, "This is my Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

Discussion
1 - Follow up the story by talking about it with the children.
2 - Continue the discussion while they do the activity.

Learning Activities
Activity Sheet.