Entrance to the Temple

OBJECTIVE

Forty days after the Feast of the Nativity, we celebrate this feast on which the Holy Virgin Mary underwent the ritual of purification and offered sacrifices as prescribed by the Mosaic Law. Our Lord was met by Simeon the Elder and Anna the Prophetess (Lk. 2:22-38). The Holy Church teaches us to pray Simeon's prayer every night at the Prayer of the 12th Hour, as well as at the third watch of the Midnight Prayer. We celebrate the minor feast of the Entrance of our Lord into the Temple on the 8th day of the Coptic month of Amshir or February 15.

INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 10 Minutes

Option One: Comparing our own experiences

Talk with students about what happens when babies are born in their family. Ask the students if they have a baby cousin or sibling that they can remember.

Ask the students leading questions: How did everyone feel about the baby? Did the parents have Abouna come to their home to bless the baby? Why did the parents do this special bath for their baby?

Make sure there is no confusion between the Bathing Prayer in the home with the Holy Baptism. Guide the students to think about how each member of our families is blessed by God, starting from their earliest days.

Babies in our church are dedicated to the Lord through the prayer and faith of their parents and loved ones. In today's story, the students will learn about when our Lord Jesus was taken by His mother, Saint Mary, and Saint Joseph to the temple for dedication.

Option Two: Piecing together the prophecies of the Old Testament

The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ was sort of like a piece to a great puzzle of promises and prophecies.

Have students split into two teams and give each team either a simple jigsaw puzzle or a picture that has been cut into multiple pieces. Adjust the level of difficulty to the grade level. Have the teams race to see who can finish their puzzle first. However, they cannot look at the box for the big picture or know what the puzzle will look like.

Discuss how it can be difficult to know how to put something together without understanding the end result. We are blessed because we have faith that God knows the big picture of our lives. He has plans for our good and always keeps His promises.

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 10 Minutes

Please read the story of the Holy Family's entrance into the temple, found in Luke 2:22-38.

Memory Verse - "For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel." (Luke 2:30-32)

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 15 Minutes

When Jesus was 40 days old Mary and Joseph traveled to the temple in Jerusalem for an important ceremony. Many, many years before, God had given Moses laws for His people to obey. One of those laws was that any family who had a firstborn son had to take that son and have him dedicated at the temple. To dedicate someone means to offer him to God.

The Virgin Mary and Joseph loved and obeyed God's commandments, so they traveled from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, bringing the offering of two young doves.

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem there was a righteous man named Simeon, who loved God. It says in the gospel of St. Luke, that the Holy Spirit was upon Simeon. Remember the Holy Spirit came upon believers in the Old Testament but did not live inside them like after Pentecost. After our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again, the Holy Spirit came to live in our hearts.

Simeon listened and obeyed God's voice. Earlier in Simeon's life God told him that he would not die until he had seen with his own eyes the Promised Christ, the Messiah. This must have been an exciting promise to Simeon. Many years passed and Simeon continued to worship and serve God. He was so old that he lost his sight, but he kept his faith in God's promised Savior.

One day as Simeon was going about his day, he heard God's voice speaking to him. The Holy Spirit was urging him to go to the temple. He went to the temple and went inside. A young woman holding a baby in her arms and her husband walked through the temple doors. God's Spirit told Simeon that this baby was the Promised Savior.

Immediately, Simeon went to Saint Mary and reached out to hold her Baby Boy. He held him in his arms and could see again He immediately began to praise God.

Listen to what Simeon said: "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation" Saint Mary and Joseph were amazed at Simeon's praises to God. He was thanking God for sending the Savior and allowing him to see Him before he died.

As this was taking place, there was another person in the temple that day. Her name was Anna, she was 84 years old and a widow. She was known as a prophetess, who served in God's temple. Anna stayed in the temple everyday praying and fasting.

Because she had a close relationship to the Lord, she knew that God had promised to send a Savior. The very day the Savior was presented in the temple she was there. As soon as she saw the Child, she immediately thanked the Lord for sending the Savior who was going to take away the sins of the world.

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 10 Minutes

Open the icon of the Presentation of the Lord at the temple in the Discussion attachment. Share the icon with the students and ask them to share what they see. Engage the students in a discussion about the story of the entrance to the temple and how we can learn from the story.

  • Why did Saint Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph take our Lord Jesus Christ to the temple? To dedicate Him to the Lord.
  • In what way were you dedicated to the Lord when you were a baby? "7 day bath"
  • What is faith? Faith is being sure of what we hope for, certain of what we do not see.
  • What did God promise Simeon? That he would see the promised Savior.
  • How did Simeon know that he should go to the temple courts that day? The Holy Spirit told him.
  • How did God keep His promise to Simeon? He saw the Savior before He died.
  • What did Simeon do when he saw Jesus? Praised God and prophesied God's salvation
  • Who was Anna? A widow, prophetess, who worshiped daily in the temple.
  • What did she do when she saw Jesus? She gave thanks to God
  • What do we need to believe by faith? We believe in One God, that our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and that He was raised from the dead.
  • How should we live our lives as we wait for God's promises? Living a life to please God every day.
  • What are some ways you can stay focused on worshiping God while in church? Keep your whole body involved: eyes and ears on altar, feet firm, hands folded or raised up
  • What are some other promises God has made that we haven't seen yet? His Heavenly Kingdom, Congregation of Saints, Hosts of Angels
  • We can hear the Holy Spirit in the Word of God. What is the best time for you to set aside to read your Bible and pray? Discuss schedule ideas with students and remind them to talk about with their families

LIFE APPLICATION - 5 Minutes

Simeon and Anna remind us that sometimes we have to wait in order to witness God's plans coming to fulfillment. However, it is always worth that wait, and rich blessings will come to those who trust and have faith in the Lord. We can joyfully hope in our Lord Jesus Christ and trust that God always keeps His promises.

We who live in the Church see the Lord Jesus with the eyes of our spirits. Like Simeon the Elder, we too can claim our meeting with the Lord through the Divine Sacraments in the Church and can say that our eyes have seen the salvation of God in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ.

ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes

Option 1: Simeon Puppet

Print the "Simeon Puppet" document on cardstock. Have the students color and cut out the paper puppet so they can reenact Simeon's revelation for their parents at home.

Option 2: Crossword Puzzle

Print the "Crossword Puzzle" document for each child. Distribute Bibles so they can look up the clues in the verses. Allow them to work with partners and offer help when needed.

Option 3: Dedication Cards

Have students make special dedication cards to remind them that they are meant for something special. Provide coloring materials, card stock, and string. Students can turn their creations into bookmarks or just something to look at. They can put their names, a Bible verse, or a simple sentence reminding them to always seek their Savior and be dedicated to Him.

Option 4: Doxology

Sing the Doxology of the Entrance into the Temple as a class.

SERVANT RESOURCES

PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK

Review the story of the Presentation of our Lord at the temple. Share the photos of their 7-day bath with your child and your memories of that special day. Pray through the intercessions of Simeon the Elder and Anna the Prophetess in your prayer routines this week at home.

LESSON ATTACHMENTS

Discussion Icon (3-5- Entrance to the Temple).pdf

Simeon Puppet (3-5 -Entrance to the Temple).pdf