Obedience

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the Orthodox Spirituality Module is to teach the fundamentals of what it means to be an Orthodox Christian. In first grade, the lessons focus on obedience in the children's lives, prayer, church, and spirituality. Obedience helps develop the spiritual lives of people, therefore children need to understand the importance of it in regard to their spiritual lives. In this particular lesson, students will learn a story from the Bible that represents obedience and talk about what it means to obey and the importance of it.

INTRODUCTION - 5 Minutes

Pull two children aside and tell one to listen to you and act obedient. Tell the other to not listen to anything you say. To begin the class, act out two scenarios with the children. Start with the child that is not supposed to listen to you and have a conversation with him/her. Ask him/her to do something and the other children will see he/she isn't listening. Then turn to the other student and have a conversation. Ask him/her to do something and they should obey. After these mini skits ask the children what they observed. This should lead to a discussion about obedience. Ask students what it means to be obedient, why it's important to be obedient, and to whom we should be obedient.

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes

Children, obey your parents." Colossians 3:20

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 15 Minutes

Servants can encourage students to act out this story.

When St. John was a teenager (18 years old), he wanted to become a monk (explain what a monk is in case students do not know). He went to a desert in a place called Scete and met a monk named Abba Pemwah (from El-Bahnasa). St. John asked to stay with him but the monk said no at first because he was too young and wanted him to experience the world. He said: "My son, you cannot stay with us for this is a very hard desert and those who dwell in it eat from the work of their hands, besides observing many fasts, prayers, and sleeping on the floor and many other forms of asceticism. Go back to the world and live in the fear of God." St. John begged the monk to let him stay with him.

After Abba Pemwah prayed about whether or not to let St. John stay with him, an angel appeared to him and said, "Accept him, for he shall become a chosen vessel." Abba Pemwah let St. John stay with him, brought him and shaved his head. Abba Pemwah prayed over St. John's garb for three days and three nights. When he put it on, St. John saw an angel making the sign of the cross on it.

• What do the miracles that occurred tell us about St. John?

One day, Abba Pemwah found a piece of dry wood, gave it to Abba John and said, "Take this wood, plant, and water it." St. John obeyed the monk and watered the stick twice a day, even though the water was about 12 miles from where they lived (24 mi roundtrip). After a whole three years it finally sprouted and grew fruit. Abba Pemwah passed out the fruit to the other monks and said, "Take, eat from the fruit of obedience." (Synaxarion)

DISCUSSION (CHALLENGE) - 10 Minutes

• Discuss with the students about how St. John obeyed Abba Pemwah even though it was difficult. However, good things come out of being obedient to our parents and God. How can we apply this to our lives?
• Encourage children to tell you how they will apply what they learned today in their lives (obeying parents at home). Explain that they will work on one or two goals this week to help them practice obedience.

LIFE APPLICATION/ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes

Have students plant seeds in mini pots that they could take home and take care of. Mention that they should take care of it and remember how St. John was obedient.

RESOURCES

Optional - Show the following video about the story of St. John the Short:

PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK

Today we talked about the story of St. John the Short. St. John obeyed Abba Pemwah by watering a stick Abba Pemwah gave him. St. John had to walk miles and miles to get water. He did this for three years, then fruit began to appear. Encourage your child to retell the story to you. Set up one or two goals for the week that your child could do (making their bed everyday, reading daily, or helping wash the dishes). This helps them obey the rules of the house and creates self-discipline.