34 - St. George
In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen
Lesson No. ( 34 )
References
Sinaxarium - Barmudah 23
Notes for Servants
i Do you declare the truth to everyone on every occasion? Do not care for the people's opinion of you, but do the things that please the Lord.
i We must obeyGod rather than men. Note that there is a cross waiting for you. "If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me." (Luke 9:23) i Seek the intercession of Saint George when you are in trouble and the Lord will show mercy to us through his prayers. Amen.
Objectives
General: Be firm and acknowledge Christ.
Specific: The children will be able to:
- Confess their faith and witness Christ with full confidence;
- Learn that they do not have to be killed to become martyrs, it is enough for them to suffer for His name’s sake;
- Know that if they deny Jesus before man, He will deny them before His Father. Bible Verse
" Every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. "
(Philippines 2:11)
Teaching Aids
- Saint George's picture.
- 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) Note that there may be an exaggeration in describing the torture of the saint so when you speak about his torture, be reasonable and do not exaggerate.
(5) This saint is drawn riding a horse and holding a spear in his hand with which he attacks a dragon
to save a girl from it. This is symbolic, not real. The dragon is a symbol of the worship of idols; the girl is a symbol of Christians whom the saint defended during the time of persecution. (6) Teacher should prepare the appropriate questions to emphasize the objectives during the lesson.
Story Time
Saint George was born in the city of Cappadocia in 280 A.D. and was brought up in the Christian faith. When he was 20 years old, his mother died. He joined the army during the reign of Diocletian, a pagan king. Saint George was soon promoted and became a leader.
When the king persecuted the Christians, George distributed his property among the needy and set all his slaves free. He met the king to defend the Christians. "Why do you, your majesty, show anger to the Christians who are humble,modest and righteous? Why do you force them to follow a religion, that you yourself doubt? Your idols are not gods, but worthless stone. Jesus Christ is the true God. He is the Lord of glory.
The king became very furious because the words of the great saint. The king said to him, "Are you a Christian?" The saint said, "I am the slave of Christ Jesus and I trust in him. That is why I have come to you: To bear witness to the truth." The king said, "I have promoted you and raised your status. Deny Christ by words only and raise incense to the idol and I will give youa big reward." "I pray to my God to bring you to Him so that you yourself may worship Him and desert worshipping idols. How can I deny my Lord Jesus Christ whom I love?"
The king was furious because of these words and he tortured George severely. He put him inside a machine full of swords to cut his flesh into pieces, so that St. George would change his mind. The saint prayed and begged the Lord to help him. The Lord healed him. Then the king put St. George in hot lime, but the Lord delivered him. The saint kept saying: "How can I deny my Lord Jesus Christ?"
At last the Emperor commanded that St. George be beheaded. He attained the crown of martyrdom. May the prayers and blessings of St. George be with us all. Amen.
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.
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