His Ultimate Plan

OBJECTIVE

As Orthodox Christians, we are blessed to have an enormous amount of resources explaining and describing death and the afterlife in the Orthodox perspective. This module aims to educate our 5th graders in this study (eschatology), presented in an age-appropriate manner. This week we will look at our Lord God's ultimate plan from creation to the end of times. We will talk more about the end of times in the coming weeks. This lesson is to see the goal of our loving Father for our lives from beginning from creation to the end of times.

INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 15 Minutes

Considering raising a caterpillar/butterfly garden during this unit. Butterfly Garden

Preparation for Activity

1 empty plastic water bottle - fill with 1 tsp bleach and the rest with tap water. This will be the "God" bottle.
1 empty plastic water bottle - fill with 1 tsp iodine and the rest with tap water. This will be the "sin" bottle.
1 empty plastic water bottle - 2 TBS tonic water (must have Quinine - this ingredient fluoresces under blacklight) and the rest with tap water. This will be the "You" bottle. Only do this step at the time of class.
3 large clear glass vases
1 uv black light

Almighty God created the world and all creation, including us, perfectly. Remember the events from Genesis 1:1-4, God said everything was good.

Almighty God's original intention was for us to live with Him perfectly in love, along with His beautiful creation for eternity.

At this time, pour the "God" bottle into the first vase in front of the children

Then, sin entered the world "through the envy of the devil". (Talk about why the devil was envious, what the devil wants, define envy - the devil is envious of God's creation and special place in communion with Him. The devil wants to take as many people away from God as he can.)

At this time, pour the "sin" bottle into the second vase

Through our own disobedience, sin entered our lives. We make our own choices and have our own thoughts, because God gave us the free will to do so. We often fall away from God's will for us. This leads us to sin.

Even though we seem good to ourselves, God always sees our thoughts, our hearts, and our intentions. How often do we compare ourselves with other people and think, "I'm better off than that person ...at least I don't do....."

At this time, pour "You" bottle into the third vase. Then turn lights in room off and place "you" water under the blacklight. (please be careful not to have anyone look directly at blacklight for safety. The "you" water will fluoresce

Scary We don't want to drink that water Who knows what would happen God sees some radioactive stuff going on in our lives. At first "You" water seems just like "God" water, but actually it's completely different.

Oftentimes because of our lack of discipline and obedience, we fall into sin.

Now, pour some "sin" water into "You" water. It looks terrible

God loves us so much that He sent our Lord Jesus Christ to die for us while we were still sinners Romans 5:9 "having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." Our Lord took away our sin through His death on the Cross, in order to save us

Pour some "God" water into dirty "You" water. All the brown disappears, it turns completely clear, and it no longer fluoresces under blacklight.

Not only did God save those of us who are redeemed by the Blood of Christ, He saved everyone and conquered sin and death by Christs' death on the Cross.

Lastly, pour "sin" water into "God" water. Nothing happens to the "God" water. (The children love this step the most.)

Now we have been made just like Christ, the way God originally intended

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes

Faith Triumphs in Trouble
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

Christ in Our Place

6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
Romans 5:1-11

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 15 Minutes

Almighty God's Ultimate Plan

In the beginning, God created all creation perfectly and said it was good. He created the world to live. This means that there was no destruction, decay, or death of any of God's creation.

Genesis 1:26-31: "26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; ..." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, ... 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

God created man to live with Him as companions forever in His own image. God created humans to have body and soul living together perfectly. Genesis 2:7 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."

God formed man from dust - this is our physical body,
Then, God breathed the breath of life - this is our soul. Then man became a physical being.

Death was not part of the nature that God originally intended.

Wisdom of Solomon 1:13-16: "For God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the loss of the living. For he created all things that they may exist, and he made the nations of the world curable, and there is no medicine of extermination in them, nor a kingdom of hell upon the earth. For justice is perpetual and immortal. But the impious, with hands and words, have called death to them, and, esteeming it a friend, have fallen away and have made a covenant with death, because they deserved to take part in it."

Sin and death came into the world by the "envy of the devil" (Liturgy). Our own disobedience caused us to fall into sin and caused death.

Death of humans as we know it on earth, means death of the body. The soul separates from the body, then the body decomposes. This is not our Lord God's original intention. The body and soul are not meant to be separated. During the times of the Old Testament, those who died went into Hades. {enter story of Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham} The prophets and saints of the Old Testament were in one area and those disobedient to our Lord God in another area. Our Lord God is saddened by this separation.

Our Lord God solved this problem by sending His only begotten Son Jesus into the world. Jesus Christ was fully human and fully God, lived on earth, and was tempted by sin. He remained sinless until His death on the cross.

Once Christ died on the Cross, "He conquered death by His death" (liturgy). 1 Corinthians 15:55 ""O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" Christ rescued all of His beloved from Hades and placed them in Paradise. {enter reference of thief on the right}.

But WAIT This is still not what our Lord God had intended. All those in Paradise are still waiting, like we are waiting......What are we all waiting for?

We are waiting for the SECOND COMING OF CHRIST This is the time when/where everything God has intended for us will come to pass. This is the time of the final judgement. All those who have already died on earth will be reunited with their resurrected bodies, just like the body that Jesus received when He was resurrected from the dead. {next week}

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 10 Minutes

God loves us and wants us with Him for eternity. We are created to be His companions. If we do the Lord's will for our lives, the Lord will allow us to spend eternity with Him together with the saints and angels in Heaven. We do His will by fleeing from sin and keeping ourselves pure.

What's the first step to cleanse us from that weird, fluorescent stuff inside of us? The first step is Baptism, also called the First Resurrection. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we participate with our Lord Jesus in His death and Resurrection. Since Christ was the first to conquer death and sin, we must be baptized in order to conquer sin and eternal death.

What's the second step to keep us pure from sin? The second step is to continue keeping ourselves pure through repentance and confession. We also partake of the Holy Body and the Pure Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ weekly. Remember that entering Liturgy is like entering Heaven on Earth. Christ is there on the altar, so are His holy angels. We are blessed to partake in this miraculous event on a regular basis.

What else can we do?

LIFE APPLICATION - 5 Minutes

The love our Lord has for us is endless. He is love Focus on how much our Lord did and continually does for us so that we can be with Him for eternity

Keep a log or journal
Read Bible daily
Pray agpeya daily
Go to liturgy every Sunday and partake of Holy Communion
Go to Confession monthly
Practice fasting Wednesdays and Fridays and during the special fasts of the Church.
Practice prostrations and the Jesus Prayer

ACTIVITY - 5 Minutes

Have children depict Holy Liturgy or Baptism. Ask them to make it as colorful as possible.

SERVANT RESOURCES

Heaven: An Orthodox Christian Perspective By H.G. Bishop Youannis