"Since the beginning of time, a plan has existed in the mind of God, to bring humankind to the full enjoyment of the Kingdom of God. "
This month, our Kid's Small Groups have learned about the grand history of God's Kingdom and it's three key moments of Creation, Redemption (when God came to earth in the person of Jesus), and Parousia (when God will be all in all). They also were invited to consider what their unique role is in this History of the Kingdom of God.
Many times when we look at religious education, we tend to fragment different events that occurred (i.e. Creation, Moses, the Flood, Jesus, etc.) without constantly going back to see how it fits in to the greater Story. This is difficult for children who are longing to see how it all fits together as a unified whole.
This semester has focused on understanding those foundational elements of that Greater Story--how Jesus was a real person who lived, who walked on this Earth in the Land of Israel, that he comes to us in a special way at Mass and through the Holy Bible. The children have be welcomed into a routine of prayer during small groups by setting up their prayer space each week, reading Scripture together and learning how to journal and find a language of prayer. As we start entering into the Advent season, we will focus more on Advent and those stories of Jesus' infancy and how those events fulfill the prophecies found in the Old Testament.
Next semester, we root ourselves back in the Story--the History of the Kingdom of God--as we start looking at those key stories, events, and people who call us into a deeper relationship with Christ.
In Christ,
Sam