Teaching the Eucharist to Children

I put together this lesson on the Eucharist with a little zine for our kids at church. I tried to make the book appropriate for a broad age range. It simply explains the Eucharist, with quotes from the services, and bubbles telling the children ways they can participate in the Liturgy, with an image to color on each page.

It prints on one page. Fold the paper in half, in half again and in half again, then cut just the center of the vertical fold. Then you can fold it into a zine. Better fold and cutting instructions here or here. I love this easy zine template and make books for my kids frequently with it. I've embedded the pdf below to make it easy to print (if you can't see it, try this link). Print it at actual size (not scale to fit) for the folds to line up correctly.

Holy Week

Christ is risen! 

Just a few pics from Holy Week. The services, and hymns, and smells are all so beautiful - it seems impossible to capture. Yet looking at the few photos I snagged last week warms my heart. 

Before the Taking Down from the Cross at Vespers, the tomb decorated. This brief services was one of my favorites. I loved seeing them wrap Christ in linen and carry the epitaphios to the tomb we helped to decorate. 

The girls love to collect rose petals and bay leaves on Holy Saturday. Such joy!

We usually spend some of the hours of Saturday afternoon shopping and filling our Pascha basket: cheese, sausage, red eggs, lamb, butter, wine, chocolate eggs and bunnies. Next year, God willing, if we're not in a hotel, I'll be able to fill my basket with foods I actually bake myself. :)

And Paschal Matins! The solea covered in beautiful baskets, the clergy taking turns censing the church, proclaiming "Christ is risen!" in many languages. 

Indeed he is risen!

Chant

Here's a lovely article and brief clip about Orthodox chant! This quote below is exactly how I feel:

"From a personal standpoint, I never had a very good voice before we became Orthodox.  I believe that I found my voice in Orthodox music — that I didn’t have it in Protestant music or in secular music.When people say, “Oh, you did such a wonderful job,” I feel like telling them it wasn’t me, because it really wasn’t.  It doesn’t feel like me when I chant.  I’m thinking about God and expressing the words the best that I can."

Baking and Prosfora resources

I'm baking yeast rolls with the girls today - seems to be the most school I can muster amid my other appointments. I suppose that may sound like a big job if you don't bake, but with two rising periods it has mostly been a lazy day.

It got me thinking about prosfora and baking. I have yet to let the kids help bake it, but hopefully we'll remedy that this year. Below I've collected some resources about the leavened bread we use for the Eucharist that will come in handy when teaching the children about the Eucharist.

Some links:

• Raising Saints podcast - about teaching kids about prosfora - especially emphasizing the significance of each ingredient. 
• Leavened vs. Unleavened
• Orthodox Answers deals with this question in a simple and straightforward manner.

A list of the ingredients used in the bread, with scriptures that go with each one. Each ingredient points to transformation, resurrection and life, which is so fitting.

yeast:

I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.  - John 6:51

To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened. Luke 13:21

flour: 

They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs;You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice.You visit the earth and water it,You greatly enrich it;The river of God is full of water;You provide their grain,For so You have prepared it.You water its ridges abundantly,You settle its furrows;You make it soft with showers,You bless its growth. - Psalm 65

The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. - John 12:23-25

Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. - I Cor 15:36-38 

water:

unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. - John 3:6

If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water. - John 4:10

salt:

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. - Matt 5:13

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech alwaysbe with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. - Col 4:5, 6 

wine: 

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when theguests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. John 2:1-11

Children in the Liturgy

We went to church for the feast of the Meeting of Our Lord even though it was the middle of the week. The girls did fairly well for so late at night after the long car ride, but in the middle of the liturgy Veronica got to her usual up-too-late state: wiggles.  She simply can't be still and twists in our arms, making my arms begin to shake from the strain.  At 30 pounds, she isn't a baby anymore. She likes to turn and face forward, so that my arms are like a chair.  I assume she likes to see what's going on, but my weary arms - oh!

At one point, she twisted in John's arms in this way, and I saw him standing next to me holding her forward - with the icon of the Meeting of Our Lord on the wall beside him.  I couldn't help but notice the similarity of his awkward position with that of St. Simeon. Of course, this is also the way that the Theotokos holds Christ in many of her icons. I think it is an iconographic technique, sort of like cheating out onstage, so that the audience can see everyone.

But, in that moment, I was struck by the spiritual nature of my children. I so often get wrapped up in trying to teach them to pray, to whisper, to just please be quiet in church. But these children are also gifts of God, made in his image, and pure in heart.

Parenthood has been hard for me - there is a self emptying in being a mother that I am continually fighting. Fr. Nikolai told us after the liturgy that our struggle is not simply to pray in the liturgy, but to show our squirming children the love of Christ in the liturgy - to respond to them as Christ would.  Lord have mercy!  Then he added that getting through a night time liturgy quietly is our children's struggle. It is easier to love their struggle when you remember it is for their salvation.

Lu whispered to me when we entered the church that night, "Mommy, the icons look different tonight!" I thought so, too.

Come and See

A story told to me by Kh. Susan about the the conversion of Russia on our first visit to St. John which has a beautiful nave covered in icons:

According to the legendary story of “the choice of the faith,” Prince Vladimir of Kiev is said to have sent ambassadors to the Moslems, the Jews, the Latins, and the Greeks in order to choose the best religion. The report that the envoys brought back about their experience in Constantinople made the prince decide without any hesitation for Byzantine Christianity. The ambassadors said, “We did not know if we were in heaven or on earth for on earth such beauty is not to be found.” We are not dealing here with just an aesthetic experience; the report goes much beyond that: “We thus do not know what to say, but we know one thing for sure. God dwells there among men.…”  Evdokimov, Paul (2011). Art of the Icon, The: A Theology of Beauty (Kindle Locations 235-241). Oakwood Publications. Kindle Edition. 

What to Expect on your first visit to an Orthodox Church

I wrote this for a family who wanted to visit the Orthodox Church with us.  The parents wanted their children to know what to expect, and what was happening during the service.  It is similar to Frederica's 12 Things I wish I'd Known, except that it is geared towards children.  I wanted to emphasize the theology we have in common, and show them the beauty and meaning in everything we do. Feel free to correct any mistakes I've made!

I'm going to tell you what to expect at the Orthodox Church. You'll probably notice some differences as soon as you come in, so I'll tell you about those first. You are welcome to participate in these things if you want to, and its also okay if you don't. Everything in the Orthodox Church means something, so feel free to ask questions.

• First, when you come in, the service will already be going on. Don't worry, you're not late. There is a Morning Prayer service (it's called Orthros which means "dawn") before the main worship service (it's called Liturgy which means "work of the people") and people usually come in anytime during the prayer service. You'll know the worship service is beginning when the priest sings loudly, "Blessed is the kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit now and ever and unto ages of ages!"
•  Second, the walls are covered in icons. Icon is a Greek word that means, "image." The bible tells us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. (Col 1:15) We can't see God the Father (and there are no images of Him), but we can see Jesus! These images have many meanings, but most importantly for worship, they remind us that we are not worshipping alone. Jesus is there with us (don't forget to look up!), the angels join us, and so do the great cloud of witnesses: the prophets, the apostles, and the faithful followers of Jesus.
• Third, when people enter the church, they do several things to prepare themselves for worship. They kiss the icons as a way of greeting and honoring Christ, the saints and angels who are with us, and they light candles as they pray to show the light of Christ. They also make the sign of the cross. It is made many times during worship but especially whenever we remember the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; when we begin or end a prayer; or when we honor something like an icon or the Bible. It is a sign of our salvation and that we take up our cross and follow him. (Mark 8:34)
• Fourth, you may smell or see incense. There are many beautiful bible verses about incense (Psalm 141:2, Malachi 1:11, Revelation 8:3-4) that compare it to our prayers, which rise to God like smoke. I especially like to remember the wise men brought frankincense to the baby Jesus because he deserved to be worshipped, and so we offer it to him, too.
• Fifth, the people stand through almost the whole service. This is because we are actively involved in the prayer and singing of the church. We sit to listen to the sermon and during the epistle reading. But we stand during the gospel reading as a way of honoring the scriptures about Jesus. If you need to sit down, that's okay, too.

Next, I'll tell you about the worship service. Most of the service is sung, even the prayers, and so it can feel like one long song. However, there is a definite order. In fact, most of it is exactly the same each week. I hope this will help you understand what's going on.

The first half is called the Liturgy of the Word. In this part we pray, sing songs, and read from the Bible.

•  We begin with prayers called a litany, which are lists of things the deacon says we want to pray for, and the people make the prayer with, "Amen" or "Lord have mercy."
• We sing songs about Jesus (Only Begotten Son, written in the 6th century), Psalm 103 and146, The Beatitudes, songs that remember Mary and the saint remembered that day, songs that ask the saints in heaven to pray for us (O Apostle John), and others.

Then, something happens called the Little Entrance. It is when they carry the Bible to the altar. A long time ago, they only had one Bible, and it was kept somewhere else, so when they brought it into the church it was very special. Most people have their own bible today, but it is still important to remember that it is special. You will hear someone say, "Wisdom, Let us attend!" That means, "here is the Bible, let us honor it."

• Then we will sing a special song called the Thrice Holy Hymn. It is similar to the song the angels sing in Isaiah 6: "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us."
• There will be two Bible readings, one from the epistles, and one from the gospels. After that the priest will give a short sermon (we call it a homily) about the bible readings or saints remembered today.
• Then there is another litany of prayers and a prayer for the catechumens (the people who are preparing for baptism).

The second half is called the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Eucharist is a Greek word that means "Thanksgiving," and it refers to communion because Jesus gave thanks before he broke the bread.

• While the priest prepares the bread and wine, we will sing the Cherubic Hymn. It is sung very slowly and says that we sing to God like the angels in heaven, and we lay aside our earthly cares so that we may receive him.
• Then the Great Entrance happens. This is when they carry the cup with the bread and wine to the altar. The people honor the bread and wine as special, too. The priest will pray for people who have special needs by name as he carries the cup. Many people, especially children, will touch the priest's robe as he passes by. This is an act of faith, like the woman with the issue of blood who touched Christ's robe, and a way in which we send our prayers with his.
• Then someone will say, "Let us love one another that with one mind we may confess Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." To show our love for one another, we turn to the people around us and greet them saying, "Christ is in our midst." And the response, "He is and ever shall be."
• After we show our love for each other, we recite the creed, which is a confession of our faith.
•  Then there are several prayers: prayers over the Eucharist, the Lord's Prayer, and the prayers before communion.

Finally, someone will say, "Holy things are for the Holy!" and the Orthodox who have prepared to take the communion will go forward to receive it. They don't pass it around on plates because they want to treat it reverently (like the icons and the Bible). When people return to their places, sometimes they have bread, and they may offer you some. This bread is not the communion, but it is blessed, and is a sign of friendship. There will also be some in a bowl on your way out, and you are invited to take some.

•  After the communion there are a few more beautiful songs including, "We have seen the true light!" and "Let our mouths be filled with thy praise, O Lord!" Then the worship will come to an end, and everyone will sit for some announcements.
•  When people leave, they file out in a line to kiss a cross or perhaps the Bible that the priest is holding at the front. Many people will also kiss the icons before leaving. If you go through the line, you won't be expected to kiss or say anything. The priest will probably say, "Hi, I'm Father John. Who are you?" But it's also okay, to go out without going through the line.

After church, there is a coffee hour downstairs because most people do not eat before the service. You can come downstairs and get some snacks, visit or play in the playroom.