Liturgy: The Offertory

OBJECTIVE

Students will be able to gain a better understanding of the first part of the Liturgy, The Preparatory, and The Offertory (Offering of the Lamb) by focusing on the priest's first steps where the priests and deacons wear their garments to when the priest raises the incense. Students will also be able to analyze the direct comparison and relationship between the rites/practices to the Biblical meaning.

INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 5 Minutes

There is so much beauty in what takes place every time we celebrate the Liturgy. There are so many inaudible prayers and sacred actions that we can learn so much about in this lesson.

Hook Suggestion: Describe a time in which you had to prepare for a big event. What did you have to do to get ready? Was it a graduation? Was it a birthday party? How did you dress? Did you have to do something in advance? Ask the students to pair-share and be prepared to share aloud.

Transition to the lesson: Much like how you prepared for the event you described in the hook, the church and the congregation prepare for the Liturgy. The first part of the lesson today is on the Preparatory. We will also discuss the next part of the Liturgy, which is the Offertory (Offering of the Lamb).

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes

Memory Verse - Psalm 30:1 I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
Psalm 93:1 The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The Lord is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 25 Minutes

Lesson Delivery Tips:

Use visuals while giving the lesson to keep students engaged. Pictures of the Atlar, vessels, and the steps of the Preparatory will be discussed.
Would be very beneficial if the Priest of the church can visit the class for this lesson to describe the steps and meaning for the Offertory (Offering of the Lamb).
The servant can use a T-chart to list the actions of the Preparatory and Offertory (Offering of the Lamb) on one side; and then the Biblical/symbolic meaning on the other side. The servant can spark the analytical skills of the students by having them guess or deduce the reasons behind the actions/practices (the right side of the T-chart).

In preparation for Liturgy, Priests and deacons recite psalms as they put on their garments

The psalms recited by the priests during his dressing, is significant because on one hand, the priests remembers the clothes of the eternal wedding (Psalm 29) and on the other hand it is a declaration of God's kingship of his church (Psalm 92).
In other words, every time we serve the Lord, we must take away our daily infirmities in order to put on God's bright vestments, and to be crowned with chastity and righteousness, i.e. to be hidden in him.

They also prepare the altar

Preparing the altar recalls to our minds the events of preparing the upper room of Zion in which the Lord assembles with His disciples to offer the Last supper.
During preparing the altar, the priest arranges, in order, the sacred vessels which are used for the service. These vessels are consecrated by the bishop and used only for Eucharist. They include:
- The Cup; which holds the wine that will become the Holy Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ,
- The Paten; which is for the bread that will become the Holy Body of the Lord Jesus Christ,
- The Spoon; which is for serving the communion at the end of the liturgy and
- The dome; which is used to hold the napkins above the paten.
The Priest offers prayers to God to make him worthy of the service. He confesses his sins and asks God to grant him the power of the Holy Spirit.
As the Priest prepares the altar, we ought to prepare our inner souls for accepting the Christ in ourselves through His Body and His Blood and prepare our hearts to be spiritual altars for offering the spiritual sacrifice of praise.

Priests washes his hands

As he does so, he recites: Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness that the bones, which you have broken, may rejoice. I will wash my hands in innocence, so I will go about Your altar, O Lord that I may proclaim with thanksgiving.
Congregation recites the Creed

The Rite of Choosing the Lamb - The Offertory

This rite speaks of the salvation events united together as if they were one event and beyond the limits of time. Through this rite, the Spirit of the Lord leads us to a journey with Christ;
The priests wrap the Lamb in a white linen napkin (veil),
- We may contemplate on Christ's incarnation
The priest lifts the Lamb covered with the linen napkin and process around the altar
- We can contemplate on Simon the elder carrying the child Jesus in the temple.
The priest puts the Lamb upon his hand and anoints it with water
- We can contemplate following Him to the Jordan and recognize Him as the Lamb of God, Who carries the sins of the world.
Covering the Offertory with the linen napkin invites us to contemplate His death on the cross.

During choosing the lamb, The priest lays his hands on the oblations in the shape of the cross as the priest of the Old Testament, who lays his hand on the sacrifice while the sinner confesses his sins.

This declares that Jesus Christ, The Lamb of God has carried our sins on His shoulders.
For this reason, the Congregation sings; "Lord have mercy", at the time of choosing the lamb.

After the creed, the people sing "Lord Have mercy" 41 times seeking the mercy and forgiveness of our Lord. The number 41 reminds us of the 39 lashes from a whip that Jesus received before His Crucifixion the crown of thorns and the spear which pierced His side, when He was on the cross

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 5 Minutes

What is the significance of the psalms that the priests/deacons recite when they get dressed at the beginning of the liturgy?
When the priest is washing his hands, he is reciting a specific psalm that should sound familiar? Do you know what number it is and when we all say it? (Psalm 50)
In what ways can we better prepare ourselves every week for the Divine Liturgy?
Share or use the T-charts to select 1 or 2 items that you found significant or new and share out with the class.

ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes

Suggestion 1: "Identifying the Symbols" Activity - see attached

Watch a video explaining the St. Basil Orthodox Liturgy. Select portions of the video that pertain to today's lesson.

APPLICATION (ACTION) - 10 Minutes

Suggestion 2: Pray any of the Psalms that the priest recites before you go to church. Prior to the next Liturgy, pray Psalm 29 and 92 in the car with your family.

Suggestion 3: Much like how people prepare for important events like a wedding, the church prepares for the Liturgy. More importantly, the people need to also be prepared. What are some ways in which you can prepare yourselves for the Liturgy? Think about practical things such as your clothing, sleeping early the night before, and coming to church early; but also think spiritually such as confession, preparing prayer lists to remember during the Litanies, and ensuring that your mind is clear from thoughts of the world.

Suggestion 4: (Application Activity) Create a plan for coming to the Liturgy early and share it with your family. The plan's main goal is to arrive at Matins for prayer and to see the Preparatory at the Altar while the Priest prays it.

CONCLUSION - 5 Minutes

Everything that takes place during the liturgy, regardless of it being small or big, has a purpose. There's nothing that the priest does that is random. Everything is tied to Christ Himself and the bible.

RESOURCES

Copticchurch.net (click on the Liturgy tab to find books)

The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil - Reference book, by Fr. Abraam Sleman

PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK

Idea 1: As a family, choose a "church" corner somewhere in the house and find a few items that the priest actually uses during liturgy or have the children create the items and go through the steps discussed in the lesson. Have your child role play as though they are at liturgy.

Idea 2: Encourage the children to go to church extra early to see when the priest chooses the lamb, point out when the priest washes his hands, and connect what they learned in the lesson as it's taking place.

Idea 3: If your child doesn't dress as deacon or deaconness, this would be a great time to encourage him or her.

Idea 4: Creating a plan to attend the Liturgy early. Discuss sleep, waking up routines with estimated times to complete each step, and who is responsible in the family.