art—waxed paper trinity sun catchers

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Materials and Preparation Display Poster C (Most CertainlyTrue! Bible Posters). Provide Bibles,waxed paper, scissors, clear gluesticks, pencils, black and coloredstencil gels (found at most craftstores), thin paintbrushes, a paperpunch, and thread or fishing line.

Art—Waxed Paper TrinitySun CatchersSTORY SPARKS: The Trinity brings us light and truth.

Open by holding up a large cutout of a triangle. (You may wishto display other Trinity symbols such as banners and paraments.)Why might this triangle represent God? (God has three parts:God the Father/Creator, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.)

Explore each part of the Trinity by reading the text on Poster Cand reviewing John 1:1-5 (God the Creator); John 3:16 (God theSon); and John 15:26-27 (God the Holy Spirit). What does eachperson of the Trinity bring to us? (God creates us, saves us, and isalways with us.)

Invite learners to fashion a piece of art modeled after stainedglass to be a reminder of the true light the Trinity holds. Stainedglass is an age-old art form, first made by securing colored glass together with strips of lead. It is best known for its use in sanctuaries around the world.

Directions:

1. Glue two waxed paper triangles together, back to back.

2. With pencil, lightly draw the outline of a design on the triangle. Think of the pencil lines as the lead part of the glass.

3. Go over the pencil outline with black stencil gel.

4. Allow some time for the gel to set.

5. Using thin paintbrushes, carefully add colored gel wheredesired.

6. Punch a hole in the top of the triangle.

7. Hang with thread or fishing line.

By displaying the Trinity, we share what we believe. Wheremight you hang this at home?

Prayer

Gather around a lightedcandle and read theApostles’ Creed as it’sprinted on Poster C.Before lighting candles,check your local fire codesand your congregation’sfire policies regarding theuse of open flames.

Most Certainly True! Grades 3-4 Leader Guide © 2004 Augsburg Fortress. May be reproduced for local use only.BELIEVE THE CREED

Options• An easier version of this is

to iron pieces of coloredtissue paper between twosheets of waxed paper.(Be sure to cover thewaxed paper with a towelbefore ironing!) Cut into atriangle shape, and add“lead” lines with perma-nent black marker.

• Another creative Trinitycraft is to make braidedbracelets that hold threebeads. Many craft storesand Internet sites havedirections for simple jewelry making.

OptionIf you have a CD-ROM thatretells the story of the earlychurch in Acts 1, use thatsection of the Bible story tointroduce the concept of theHoly Spirit.

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PrayerHave creed cards avail-able to read. God of allcreation, we thank youfor making our world!We see your presence inall you have made. Helpus to learn and grow aswe study your word.Hear us as we repeat thewords your believershave said for thousandsof years. Repeat theApostle’s Creed aloudtogether. Amen

Materials and Preparation A computer with a word-process-ing program installed, cardstockor business card forms for print-ing, paper, markers, and a lami-nating machine or clear contactpaper.

Computers—FaithfulRemindersSTORY SPARKS: God is with us always, from begin-ning to end. As God’s family we say what webelieve.

Gather the learners together with you around the computer.Start with a blank screen and begin drawing as you talk. When weworship, we say a creed, which is a statement of what we believe.Draw a border or other design, and then add the words, “I believein God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” The Godwe believe in is the creator of the world. We also believe thatJesus, who was born at Christmas, was God’s Son and lived onthe earth. The Holy Spirit is something we cannot see, but weknow the Holy Spirit is with each of us. Print out a copy of thepage for each learner. Give the learners time to color the wordsand add symbols to the page to represent their faith.

Give the learners time to work on the computer, either alone orin pairs, and have them create a list of some of the things theybelieve in. Encourage them to use symbols and words to expresstheir ideas. (Some ideas include writing the creed in differentfonts, or rewriting the creed in their own words.) Have the learn-ers create wallet-sized copies of the creed to print, cut out, andlaminate. They can keep this small reminder of their faith in theirpockets or wallets.


OptionWork with a worship plannerand present your interpreta-tion of the creed during worship sometime in the next week or two.

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Materials and Preparation Provide Poster C (Most CertainlyTrue! Bible Posters), Bibles, emptybut sealed medium-size cardboardboxes (one for every three learn-ers), and books or something elsethat will hold the boxes 3 to 4inches (7.5 to 10 cm) off theground.

Drama—God’s FamilySTORY SPARKS: Three parts in one means strong andcomplete. As God’s family we say what webelieve.

Display Poster C, and invite learners to read the creed aloudslowly. Mention that the Apostles’ Creed is the most widely con-fessed creed among Christians. It is a statement of what the fam-ily of God believes. Here we confess that God created us, Jesusbecame one of us and frees us from sin for life with God, andthe Holy Spirit is God’s continuing presence with us.

Divide learners into three groups. Assign each group one article(section) of the Apostles’ Creed and the corresponding Bible pas-sage (First Article and John 1:1-5; Second Article and John 3:16;Third Article and John 15:26-27). Ask each group to come backwith a skit that communicates what we believe as it is expressedin their material. (You may need to be available to help groups generate ideas.) After the skits have been presented, discuss theinsights and questions that have been a part of the skit prepara-tion and presentation.

Realize that the idea of the Trinity, or God being Three-in-One,is difficult to grasp. To demonstrate the power of three, challengelearners to complete the following challenge.

Divide learners into groups of three. Each triad should have acardboard box that is resting on something holding it 3 to 4 inches(7.5 to 10 cm) off the ground. The challenge is for the group to liftthe box off its resting place, raise it above head level, and hold itthere for as long as possible. Tell learners that the triad will earnbonus points if they can lift the box with only two of the peopletouching it. They will earn even more bonus points if only oneperson can lift the box. The catch is that each person can touch thebox with only the tip of one finger. It usually takes three fingers tolift and hold the box: demonstrating the power of the three.

Prayer

We give you thanks,Triune God, for the family you have created,redeemed, and continueto sustain. Amen


Options• Have additional ice cream

prepared in advance.

• Serve Neapolitan icecream. Relate the three flavors to the three persons of God.

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Prayer

God, we thank you foryour creation, for Jesus,and for the Spirit whohelps us share your lovewith others. Amen

Materials and Preparation Provide measuring cups andspoons, resealable quart- (1 liter)and gallon- (4 liter) size bags,rock salt, duct tape, mittens orhand towels, cups and spoons,and the recipe ingredients listedat left. Before serving any food,always check for learners withfood allergies. Provide an alterna-tive if necessary. Bring MostCertainly True! Catechism Tunesand a CD player.

Food—3-in-1 Ice CreamSTORY SPARKS: As God’s family we say what we believe. Three parts in one means strong and complete.

3-in-1 Ice Cream (serves 2-3)1⁄2 cup (120 ml) milk1⁄4 cup (60 ml) heavy whipping cream1 tablespoon (15 ml) white sugar1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract2 cups (.5 l) ice1 cup (240 ml) rock salt (or 1 tablespoon [15 ml] coarse salt)

Mix the milk and cream together in a bowl. Have sugar andvanilla available.

Greet the learners by name and have them greet each other. Aska volunteer to read John 1:1-5; 3:16; and 15:26-27. It’s good newsthat God is our creator, our friend in Jesus, and our helper inthe Holy Spirit. Let’s say together, “I believe in God the Creator,the Son, and the Spirit.” Show learners the ice cream ingredients(the milk and cream, vanilla, and sugar). Three ingredients aremixed together to make one yummy treat! Does that remindyou of the three persons who make our one amazing God?

Have trios of kids mix the ingredients in a smaller bag. Removethe air from the bag, seal it, and secure the seal with duct tape.Place it inside a larger bag. Add ice and salt to the larger bag. Sealand secure it with duct tape. Note: Rock salt will help the ice creamfreeze faster, but it can irritate skin. Do not let the learners touch it.Rinse the inner bag after the ice cream is done to remove any saltresidue.

Have each trio put on mittens or wrap their prepared bag with ahand towel. Take turns shaking and passing the bag as you try to think of other three-in-one combinations. (Egg: shell,white, yolk. Apple: skin, fruit, seeds.) You might listen to Track 3,“I Believe, I Do Believe,” on the music CD as the learners shakeand pass. After 5-10 minutes, remove and rinse the inner bag.Scoop the ice cream into cups and enjoy. Who are the three persons that make our one God? I wonder why God loves theworld so much. What does Jesus teach us about friendship?About faith? How can you share the Holy Spirit’s love today?


OptionTo make the Three-in-OneRace more difficult, blindfoldone learner in each pair. The pace of the race will slow down. Encourage communication and safety in the learner pairs.

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Materials and Preparation Gather materials to make aCatechism Trivia Board (see page27 of this guide for instructions). If you have already created aCatechism Trivia Board for a pre-vious Deeper Learning activity, youmay choose to reuse the sameboard, writing new categories onmailing labels and new questionson index cards.

For the Three-in-One Race, pro-vide bandanas or other cloth thatcan be used to tie learners’ legstogether.

Games—Catechism TriviaSTORY SPARKS: Three parts in one means strong andcomplete.

See Catechism Trivia on page 27 of this guide for how to play thegame. For review questions, see page 27 (Ten Commandments). Youmay also choose to create one more category about the Apostles’Creed and write questions for this category instead of reviewing aprevious session.

ThreesName the three parts of the Trinity. (Creator, Son, and Holy Spirit.)Name three of the four Gospels. (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.)Name three ways Jesus helped people in his ministry. (Died on thecross, healed people, fed people, and so forth.)Name three things God created before people and animals.(Heavens, earth, water, light, day, night, sky, land, vegetation, sun,moon, stars, and so forth.)

Apostles’ CreedFill in the blank: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, _______of heaven and earth. (Maker/Creator.)Fill in the blank: The third day He arose again from the _______.(Dead.)Who was born of the Virgin Mary? (Jesus, the Son.)Fill in the blank: I believe in the Holy _______. (Spirit.)

NumbersOn what day did Jesus rise from the dead? (The third day.)How many parts are there to the Trinity? (Three.)How many times is “I believe” in the Apostles’ Creed? (Three.)Name three disciples. (Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip,Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddeus, Simon, andJudas.)

PeopleWho was Mary? (The mother of Jesus.)Who was Pontius Pilate? (A Roman ruler who put Jesus to death.)Who is the only Son of God? (Jesus.)Who will come again to judge the living and the dead? (Jesus.)

Ten Commandments ReviewSelect four questions about the Ten Commandments to include.

Three-in-One RaceThe Trinity has three parts that work together all the time. Let’splay a game to help us see how three can work together.

Ask learners to pair up and stand next to each other at the start-ing line. Give each pair a bandana or other cloth to tie their insidelegs together. Learners can race against one other pair, or alllearners can race at the same time.

Prayer

Dear God, help us to seehow each part of theTrinity works in our livestoday. Amen


Options• Listen to “I Believe, I Do

Believe” several times,inviting the learners to singalong and play rhythminstruments with the song.

• Create a “God, Jesus, HolySpirit” rhythmic chant.Begin with “God createsus, Jesus saves us, HolySpirit helps us.” Add moreverses.

• Invite the learners to cre-ate movements to go withthe words of the song “IBelieve, I Do Believe.”

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Prayer

Have one group lead andthe other echo each line.

We praise you, God. You are our creator. We praise you, Jesus. You are our friend and

savior. We praise you, Holy

Spirit. You make us holy. Amen

Materials and Preparation Display Poster C (Most CertainlyTrue! Bible Posters). Have MostCertainly True! Catechism Tunesand a CD player ready. Provide avariety of rhythm instruments,chart paper, markers, and a Bible.

Music—What We Believe!STORY SPARKS: As God’s family we say what webelieve. Three parts in one means strong and complete.

Remind learners of the Bible stories describing God, Jesus, andthe Holy Spirit. Read the Apostles’ Creed to the learners fromPoster C, and remind learners that the Apostles’ Creed was writ-ten to help Christians state what they believe. To review, listen to“Dios Créo la Tierra,” “John 3:16,” and “Every Time I Feel theSpirit” (Tracks 4, 5, and 6 on the music CD).

Let’s listen to a recording of a song called “I Believe, I DoBelieve” to hear how one person set the main points of theApostles’ Creed to music. Play Track 3 on the music CD. Invitelearners to describe what they believe about God, Jesus, and theHoly Spirit. Write their suggestions down on chart paper. Groupideas in categories (God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit).

Choose a simple tune that all the learners know (“Twinkle,Twinkle, Little Star,” for example). Work together to create arhythmically sound song about God the Creator, Son, and HolySpirit using the descriptive list that learners created. Write thenew lyrics on chart paper. Make as many verses as necessary toinclude all the important things they believe. Sing through yournew song several times. Spend a little time evaluating whether thelearners think their song says everything they want it to say. Makeadjustments as necessary.

Invite the learners to suggest simple movements appropriate tothe words of the song. Practice the movements along with thesong. Share the song with other groups of learners and with others in the congregation.


OptionFor a sturdier puppet, usefelt instead of constructionpaper.

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Materials and Preparation Provide clear tape, markers orcrayons, plastic moveable eyes,scissors, and tacky glue. Cut con-struction paper into 2" (5 cm) halfcircles for the bodies and 1" (2.5cm) circles for the heads. Cut yarninto short pieces for hair.

Puppets—Cone FingerPuppetsSTORY SPARKS: God is with us always, from begin-ning to end.

The Apostles’ Creed tells what we believe as Christians. Asklearners to recall the three parts of the Creed. (The first part tellswhat we believe about God the Father. The second part tells what webelieve about Jesus as God’s Son. The third part tells what we believeabout the Holy Spirit.) God sent Jesus and the Holy Spirit to bewith us. As Christians, we believe that we will be with God forever. We believe that God is with us all the time. We are never alone.

Tell the learners that they are going to make cone-shaped fingerpuppets to use in a skit that shows ways in which God is alwayswith us.

Distribute enough materials so that each learner can make twoor three puppets. Bend the half circle into a cone shape. Tape ittogether in the back. Use markers or scrap paper and glue tomake clothes on the cone. Draw a face on the circle, glue on theplastic moveable eyes, and tape the face to the point of the cone.Glue small pieces of yarn to the cone for hair.

Divide learners into small group and ask each group to plan askit that shows a way that God is with them always. Have thelearners take turns performing their skits for each other. Use theseideas to get started.

• The puppet’s parent is in the hospital.

• A sudden thunderstorm happens while the puppets are ridingtheir bicycles.

• The puppet is riding the bus and doesn’t know anyone else.

• The puppet’s soccer team just won the game.

• The puppet just learned that everyone else was invited to abirthday party.

Prayer

God, thank you foralways being with us. Weknow we can always talkto you. Thank you forsending Jesus and theHoly Spirit to us. Amen


OptionHave a water source, icecubes, and an electric teaket-tle. Show the learners thewater, the ice cubes, and thesteam coming from the elec-tric teakettle. Explain thatsometimes we can use thesethree things—water, ice, andsteam—to help us under-stand the Trinity, or theThree-in-One. Even thoughthese all begin as water,they can take on differentforms.

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Prayer

Thank you, God, for theTrinity, Three-in-One—and thank you for alwaysbeing with us! Amen

Materials and Preparation You will need one white carnation,three different colors of food col-oring, three small clear test tubes,and a larger clear vase or jar. You will need several sets of three small rectangular pocketmirrors, clear strapping tape, con-struction paper, and small itemssuch as silk flowers or a small dollor toy animal.

Science—Three-in-OneSTORY SPARKS: God is always with us, from begin-ning to end. Three parts in one means strong andcomplete.

Read these Bible passages about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spiritaloud to the learners: John 1: 1-5; John 3:16; and John 15: 26-27.In the Bible, we can find out more about God and Jesus. We canalso find out about the Holy Spirit. These three—God, Jesus andthe Holy Spirit—are really three persons in one. We call this theTrinity.

Split the stem of a white carnation into three, making sure thethree sections stay attached to the flower. Put three different col-ors of food coloring into small clear test tubes, then insert eachpiece of stem into a different color. Set all three tubes into a largerclear vase or jar. What will happen to the flower? Will it pick upthree different colors? How could this remind us of the Trinity,or the Three-in-One? You should see changes relatively quickly.Leave it for the entire session and encourage learners to check itperiodically.

Give each pair of learners a set of three small mirrors, and showthem how to join the mirrors together to make a triangular tube.Attach the mirrors with strapping tape, covering the outside ofthe mirrors with construction paper. Demonstrate how to lookdown into the triangular tube to see something interesting. As thelearners look down, drop a small silk flower or other small itemin the center. What happens? The prism made of the mirrorsmultiplies the item six times in all directions! It is endless, justlike God’s love for us, from beginning to end.


Options• If time is limited, split the

learners into smallergroups and assign one ortwo question words toeach group. Each groupcan then report on theirpart of the story.

• Invite your pastor to visityour group and share avivid story about the presence of the Trinity inhis or her life, or sharesuch a story from your own experience.

WHO?

WHAT?

WHERE?

WHEN?

WHY?

CREATOR SONHOLY

SPIRIT

God, Father

Made the earth

Where isHe

Healedpeople

Jesus ChristSon of God

Came down like a dove

Where isHe

Why didHe do this

The HolySpirit

Where isHe

When didthishappen

When didthishappen

Where isHe

TheAdvocate

When didthishappen

When didthishappen

In the beginning

Made the earth

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Materials and Preparation On a large sheet of poster board,make a chart with headings forthree columns and five rows. Inthe three columns, write“Creator,” “Son,” and “HolySpirit.” In the five rows, write“Who,” “What,” “Where,”“When,” and “Why.” Providesticky notes and pencils.

Storytelling—Questions, Questions!STORY SPARKS: Three parts in one means strong andcomplete.

Ask learners to name the three parts of the Holy Trinity.Scripture shows us three ways that God is revealed, through theCreator, Son, and Holy Spirit.

One way that newspaper and television reporters get the scoopon a story is to ask a list of questions. Let’s try this strategy tolearn more about each part of the Trinity. Show the poster boardchart with the questions and distribute the sticky notes and pen-cils to learners. Then guide learners through addressing the ques-tions below. They can write their responses on sticky notes andplace the notes in the corresponding place on the chart. Severalsample responses are provided.

Who QuestionsWho is the Creator? (God, the Father.) Who is the Son? (Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.)Who is the Holy Spirit? (Holy Ghost, the Advocate.)

What QuestionsWhat did the Creator do? (Made the earth, animals, people.) What did the Son do? (Healed people, died for our sins.) What did the Holy Spirit do? (Came down like a dove during Jesus’baptism.)

Where QuestionsWhere is the Creator? Where is the Son? Where is the Holy Spirit?

When QuestionsDiscuss the time period when the biblical stories occurred.Talk about how all three parts of the Trinity are present in ourlives today.

Why QuestionsDiscuss why there are three parts to the Trinity, and why wewould need each part to function in a different way.

Prayer

Three-in-One, we praythat your presence in ourlives will make us strongand complete. Amen


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OptionTake a video camera outsideto capture the aspects ofGod that are found in nature.Encourage learners to talkabout what is unseen in ourworld.

Prayer

We pray to you, God, asCreator, Savior, andSpirit. We love yourworld and pray that wewill do nothing to harmyour creation. In Jesus,your Son, we are givenforgiveness, and wethank you. May the HolySpirit be with us as wework, play, and study. Inthe name of the Trinity:Father, Son, and HolySpirit. Amen

Materials and Preparation Arrange to have a video recordera blank videotape, and a televi-sion for making a video in class.You may also need constructionpaper and markers to make signsor symbols to include in thevideo. Display Poster C (MostCertainly True! Bible Posters.)Provide a whiteboard or posterboard and writing utensils. Have acopy of Luther’s Small Catechismavailable.

Video/DVD—We BelieveSTORY SPARKS: As God’s family we say what webelieve. Three parts in one means strong and com-plete.

Draw a triangle on a poster, chalkboard, or whiteboard. Todaywe are going to create a video about the Apostles’ Creed to sharewith others. The creed we say in church is a statement of whatwe believe as followers of Jesus. Read the explanations of eacharticle of the creed from Luther’s Small Catechism, then asklearners to work together to write a description of each part ofthe creed in their own words.

Create a video sequence about the Trinity. Invite learners to usethe creed descriptions they wrote to help them figure out how todramatize each portion of the creed. (God the Creator might beshown creating a beautiful piece of art; God the Son might beshown helping or healing another person; God the Spirit mightbe shown guiding another person along a path.) One group oflearners can film other students performing, and explain the sig-nificance of the performance. Share the video with another groupof kids.

Say or read the creed together using Poster C. Start softly andgradually get louder to the end.

art—waxed paper trinity sun catchers

Documents