Sunday School Syllabus Year 4 COPTIC ORTHODOX DIOCESE of LONDON Generated on 01/09/2020 Contents OCTOBER 4 Week 1 { The Characteristics of the Angels and their Role: The Guardian Angel . .4 Week 2 { God Loves Me and Gave Me Friends: The Healing of the Paralytic Man . .8 Week 3 { I Am Special and Have Feelings to Express: David and Jonathan . 13 Week 4 { The Five Loaves and Two Fish .................................. 18 NOVEMBER 23 Week 1 { Obedience:Ruth .......................................... 23 Week 2 { Respectful Discussion: Meeting of the Canaanite Woman with Jesus . 25 Week 3 { Be Strong and of Good Courage: Introduction to the Book of Joshua . 31 Week 4 { Personalities from the Old Testament: David was Chosen by God to Serve . 35 DECEMBER 37 Week 1 { The Life of St Matthew ...................................... 37 Week 2 { When It Comes to God, Do Not Say \How?" as Zacharias Did ............... 40 Week 3 { Let us be Obedient: The Birth of the Lord Jesus was Announced . 42 Week 4 { St Mary the Servant and Mother of God ............................ 44 JANUARY 46 Week 1 { Birth of Christ: Why did God Incarnate? . 46 Week 2 { God does not Leave Himself without Witnesses ........................ 50 Week 3 { The Second Birth: The Sacrament of Baptism . 52 Week 4 { God is Fair .............................................. 57 FEBRUARY 59 Week 1 { The Cross is a Sign of Life: Raising the Son of the Shunammite . 59 Week 2 { The Lord Jesus did these for Me not for Himself ....................... 64 Week 3 { Disobedience and Obedience: The Book of Jonah . 66 Week 4 { Leadership and Discipline: Nehemiah . 69 MARCH 73 Week 1 { Pope Kyrillos IV: The Father of Reform . 73 Week 2 { God is Love Therefore He Gave Me My Body and I Must Look After It: Boundaries . 78 Week 3 { I Am Heavenly: The Tabernacle . 83 Week 4 { I Feel My Family: Miriam, the Sister of Moses, and Her Feelings Towards Her Mother . 89 APRIL 93 Week 1 { Covenant Thursday: Washing the Disciples' Feet and the Holy Eucharist . 93 Weeks 2-3 { No lessons due to Palm Sunday and the Feast of the Resurrection ............... 96 Week 4 { The Resurrection is the Glory of Christianity .......................... 97 MAY 99 Week 1 { Joy of the Resurrection: The Lord at the Lake of Galilee after His Resurrection . 99 Week 2 { The Life of St Mark: How was Christianity Planted in Egypt? . 101 Week 3 { Kindness: I Can Solve My Problems With Kindness: Ibrahim El Gohary . 105 Week 4 { Ascension: \He Blessed Them" . 109 SIX WEEKS KEPT FREE FOR COPTIC FESTIVAL PROGRAMME 111 2 JULY 112 Week 3 { St Paul the Apostle I: His Life Before and his Ministry with the Holy Spirit working in him . 112 Week 4 { St Paul the Apostle II: His Personality: Strong, Yet Kind . 116 AUGUST 119 Week 1 { How to Reach Heaven I: Prayer: Saint Pishoy . 119 Week 2 { How to Reach Heaven II: Strong Faith: Saint Simon the Tanner and the Moving of the Mokattam Mountain . 123 Week 3 { Fasting in the Church: St Mary's Fast and the Fast of Wednesday and Friday . 128 Week 4 { Simplicity of Faith: Flying Pigeons . 132 SEPTEMBER 138 Week 1 { The First Lie and the Forbidden Fruit .............................. 138 Week 2 { The Cross at the Highest Point Inside and Outside the Church ............... 141 Weeks 3-4 { Two weeks kept free for Coptic Festival revision and exam ................... 144 FILLER LESSONS 145 Week 1 { Think Before You Speak: The People of Judea Kept the News in Their Hearts . 145 Week 2 { The Importance of the Passion Week in the Coptic Orthodox Church ........... 147 Week 3 { The Seven Major and Minor Feasts of Our Lord Jesus Christ: The Lord Jesus Entry to Egypt149 Week 4 { Jacob's Trip to his Uncle ..................................... 151 My Eternity First Sunday of October The Characteristics of the Angels and their Role The Guardian Angel Lesson Aim: To always remember that the angels protect us. Lesson Objectives: Know: God loves us and commands His angels to guard us. Feel: Happiness and not to be afraid of anything because your Guardian Angel is with you. Practice: To ask for the intercession of the Guardian Angel. Memory Verse: \For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." (Psalm 91:11-12) Yr4 Sunday School Syllabus (10-1.tex)4 Coptic Orthodox Diocese of London My Eternity First Sunday of October Background Information for the Servant Some of the Church Fathers believe that angels were created on the first day when God created light, but others believe that they were created before then, i.e. before the creation of the Earth. The nature of the angels is spiritual, as they are spiritual beings. The Bible teaches us that the roles of the angels are: 1. Worshipping God. 2. Fulfilling His will. 3. Serving the heirs of salvation. It is also said that they are surrounding Christ, and they are always ready to fulfil every service asked from them for the progress of His Kingdom. In the Old Testament, they appeared many times to God's servants to manifest to them His will. They hit the Egyptians with plagues, and they were present with God when He gave Moses the law on Mount Sinai. They accompanied the Children of Israel during their wanderings in the wilderness and destroyed their enemies and encamped around them with a wall during the time of danger. They announced and celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:20, Luke 1:31, 2:13). They served Him during His temptation in the wilderness, and during His sufferings of his trial and crucifixion (Matthew 4:11, Luke 22:43). They preached His resurrection and announced his ascension into heaven (Matthew 28:5-6, John 20:12, Acts 1:10-11. They released Peter from prison (Acts 5:19, 12:7) and they are always serving the believers (Hebrews 1:14) and guarding the children (Matthew 18:10). They carry the souls of the dead to Abraham's bosom (Luke 16:22) and they are going to accompany Jesus Christ in His second coming, and gather His people to His kingdom (Matthew 13:39, 16:27, 24:31). In addition, we conclude from the Holy Bible that the angels are: 1. Able to do things both inside and outside our world, according to the will of God. And since their nature is higher than ours, they can do things above our understanding, for example, only one angel killed in one night the firstborn of the Egyptians. 2. Able to work in our minds, as they can move us to do good things according to the law of our nature, using suitable ways. There is a difference between their effect and the effect of God and the Holy Spirit in us, in that the angels show us the truth and guide our thinking as if a human is changing our thinking. The Holy Bible says that God has granted the angels authority, some for general guidance and protection and others for giving inner strength and comfort. Just as an angel strengthened our Lord Jesus Christ in Gethsemane during His passion, and was also able to strengthen the believers. As the fallen angels are able to tempt men with sin, God's angels are able to attract them to holiness; they protect the believers from their enemies, and they protect children (Matthew 18:10) and help everyone (Psalm 34:7) and transport the believers to paradise (Luke 16:22). God promised us to be protected by them: \For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." (Psalm 91:11-12). All of this is true and not exaggerated, as proven by what Jesus Christ said (Matthew 26:53). 3. Serving for the progress of the church. In the Old Testament the law was given by the direction of the angels (Acts 7:53, Hebrews 2:2). And God commanded them concerning His people (Psalm 91:11-12) and in the New Testament it was said that they were attending the meetings of the saints (1 Corinthians 11:10) and they fought the dragon and his angels (Revelation 12:7). The teaching of the Bible of the service of the angels is comforting to the believers and makes them joyful, because it is proven to them that the angels are encamping around them as soldiers of the Most High, day and night, protecting them from their invisible enemies and surrounding dangers. Guardian Angels Some say that every believer has their own guardian angel, according to what Jesus Christ said, \I say to you that in heaven their [the children's] angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 18:10). Furthermore, according to what the people gathered in the house of Mary (St Mark's mother) said about St Peter: \It is his angel." (Acts 12:7-15). In the first verse, it appears that for children there are angels who guard them and stay awake for their good and their best interest but it doesn't prove that for every child or believer he/she has their own guardian angel. We say that the second verse doesn't prove that Peter hasn't got his own guardian angel, because what is said about Peter's angel wasn't said by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (although the Holy Bible itself is inspired by the Holy Spirit), rather what is mentioned in the Bible about this was a general thinking between two groups of people in the house of Mary.