Queen Helen and Constantine
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the church history module for Grade 4 is to understand the beginning of Christian literature and the establishment of our theology. This lesson will focus on Queen Helen and righteous Emperor Constantine's lives and their roles in the appearance of the Honorable Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 5 Minutes
Please review the previous week's lesson. (5 minutes)
Ask them if they can list as many queens & kings names that they know from their Bible readings. Ask them where do they think these queens & kings get their power from? What are the sources of power to us as Orthodox Christians?
HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes
Please encourage the kids to memorize Psalm 24.
Memory Verse
"He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation." (Psalm 24:4-5)
CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 30 Minutes
After talking about different queens/kings who are known to the kids, you will address that today's lesson will be about a special Queen and King who are well known to our Orthodox church.
Queen Helen was born in the city of Raha from Christian parents around the year 247 A.D. They brought her up in a Christian manner, taught her the doctrine of the church and religious ethics. She was very beautiful. When Emperor Constantius the First, Emperor of Byzantium, came to the city of Raha and heard about this her, he sought her out and married her. She gave birth to Constantine. Emperor Constantius left her in El-Ruha and returned to Byzantium. She brought forth Constantine and raised him up very piously, taught him every kind of learning, and sowed in his heart mercy and compassion for the Christians, but she did not dare to have him baptized for fear of the Emperor, his father.
Constantine grew up, and he was a bold and skillful horseman. He went to his father who rejoiced in him when he saw that he was full of wisdom and knowledge. After his father's death, Constantine received the kingdom and became the first Christian Emperor of Rome. He reigned with justice and stopped all unfair practices. All the people loved him, and his righteous judgment spread throughout the Empire.
During the reign of Constantine, Queen Helen saw a vision at night as if one said to her: "Go to Jerusalem and search carefully for the Honorable Cross and the Holy places." When she informed her son about this, he sent her with many soldiers to Jerusalem.
When she arrived in Jerusalem with a multitude of soldiers, she asked about the place of the Cross but no one would tell her. She took one of the Jewish elders and pressured him until he was forced to direct them to the place where they might find the Cross at the hill of Golgotha. She ordered them to clear out the site of Golgotha where they found three crosses. That was in the year 326 A.D., and Christ was Crucified about 300 years before this. However, they did not know the cross upon which Our Lord Christ was crucified, so they brought a dead man and they laid him upon one of the crosses and then the other but he did not rise up, but when they laid the third cross upon him he rose up immediately. They then realized that this was the Cross of Our Lord Christ. The Empress and all the believers knelt before the Holy Cross, and she sent a piece of it with the nails to her son Constantine. Immediately after, she built the churches that were mentioned in the Synaxarium on the seventeenth day of the blessed month of Tout.
King Constantine acted very quickly to bring the era of persecution of Christians to an official end. He issued the Edict of Milan giving freedom to Christians to practice their faith in the empire. Because of this, the Church expanded and flourished greatly during the 4th century.
He rebuilt the city of Byzantium and called it after his name "Constantinia", and he brought to it many of the bodies of the apostles and holy martyrs.
When Constantine established himself in Rome, he and most of his soldiers were baptized by the Pope of Rome, in the eleventh year of his reign, which is the fourth year after the appearance of the Honorable Cross. He sent word throughout the kingdom and commanded to set free all those who were imprisoned for the sake of their faith, and that they should not work during the Passion Week (Holy Week) as the Apostles commanded.
In the seventeenth year of his reign, the Holy Council of the Three Hundred and Eighteen bishops assembled at Nicea in the year 325 A.D., which arranged the affairs of the Christians and put down the canons of the church.
Constantine helped to build churches at some of these sites, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Jerusalem quickly became a great center of pilgrimage for the entire Christian world.
He sponsored copies of the Scriptures to be produced.
He made it easier for the public to attend church on Sunday by making it a weekly holiday. He was honoring Sunday as "the Lord's Day".
For all of Constantine's great efforts on behalf of the Christian Church, and for his own repentance and life of faith, he is revered in the Eastern Church as Saint Constantine the Great.
May their prayers be with us Amen.
DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 5 Minutes
How did Queen Helen raise Constantine?
What qualities did King Constantine have?
How did Queen Helen find the Cross of Our Lord Christ?
How did King Constantine help the Church to expand and flourish greatly during the 4th century?
LIFE APPLICATION - 5 Minutes
Never be afraid to confess our faith the same as Queen Helen despite her husband being a powerful pagan, she remained faithful to teach her son Christian faith and teachings. Also, stand up for Christianity in any way you can like Emperor Constantine did by ending all persecution.
Being faithful and dedicated in our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ are qualities which we learn from the lives of Queen Helen and Emperor Constantine and follow their path. We shall receive a blessing from the Lord.
ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes
Have a treasure (small wooden cross + piece of candy) hidden under a pile of sand/flour in a paper bowl, have kids hold a spoon with their mouth to dig/move away from the pile in their own bowl. They earn their treasures by the end. Talk to them on how to be faithful by showing our Lord Jesus Christ through our actions and lives (Not hidden).