The big picture The big picture

THE BIG PICTURE can you see Jesus in other people? by Theresa Borg

Theresa Borg works in a school with a Christian character, and describes here her use of the work of art Je Cherche Ton Visage to explore a spiritual idea from Activity Christianity – that Jesus can be seen in others. for pupils (suitable for homework) Je Cherche Ton Visage is a powerful composite the idea that being like Jesus creates peace. of Jesus in the artwork and how it shows image of about 400 photos of human faces, Is that contagious? I wondered if the children that we come together as one. The image is assembled (before computers could do this) as felt that we can see that Jesus is amongst us also often referred to in class when someone Je Cherche Ton Visage features in Picturing a collaged image of the face of Christ crowned in everyone we see. After lighting the advent demonstrates that they have Jesus’ hands! Jesus: Fresh Ideas, published by RE Today. with thorns. The title (in English I seek your candle we passed around a ‘box of hands’. Picturing Jesus tells gospel stories from face) comes from Psalm 27:8–9. The Jewish Each child had already selected another Teachers might use this image across a wide Bethlehem to the resurrection. The images psalmist pictures the seeker after God. There child’s name card from class. Without saying age range to explore Christian ideas about are supported by full teachers’ notes, is an implicit reference to Jesus’ teaching in whose name they had got, each child wrote solidarity with the poor, redemption, action black-and-white line drawings, ideas for Matthew 25 as well: ‘Whatever you do for the on a hand how they think that person is like for justice and the ‘image of God’. classroom learning across the age range, least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you Jesus. Their work has been displayed in the links to syllabuses and copiable materials do it for me.’ classroom, as the photos below show. I intend for the classroom. to build on this image with the children I will Picturing Jesus Fresh ideas Visit shop.retoday.org.uk In our Catholic school, I used the image for RE be teaching over the years. Lat Blaylock and school worship, as a focus on a display. to get your copy. Some of the ‘faces’ were replaced with those Here is a YouTube reference to a of children, myself and the teaching assistant Christian worship song, based on the in my class. We listened to and watched the verses from the Psalm: hymn ‘Christ Has No Body Now But Yours’, a www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0TuiTF-xnE text from Saint Teresa of Avila. I wanted the pupils to consider the idea that, for Christian The children thoroughly enjoyed the learning A web resource to support people, human hands can be the hands of in both RE and our liturgy. They took a lot readers of this article is Jesus. We considered whether Christian of pride in their work. They enjoyed seeing available at www.natre.org.uk/ 24 powerful images of Jesus from global contemporary art people might be able to ‘act for him’. We then the original image being transformed with Thoughtful visual strategies for learning for all ages from the gospel narratives retoday-e-resources/ watched and listened to the song ‘Give A Little their faces on it. They liked looking for how INCLUDES CD ROM Love’ by Noah and the Whale. This opened up they can physically see their face in the face Anonymous, gift of Gerard Levy. France/Israel, 1989.

Class display of ideas about whether Jesus Individual work about the idea of can be found today in other people. seeking Christ in other people.

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