BEFORE YOU BEGIN SIGNS AND SYMBOLS
Life (( Creation
Where do I come from?
Belonging (( Baptism / Confirmation
Curriculum Directory : ‘Celebration’
Introduction
The understanding of God as Creator is the foundation for the children’s understanding of the new life of Baptism. This second theme, Belonging Baptism/Confirmation is developed through the topic ‘Signs and Symbols’.
The children will explore how, through Baptism people are welcomed into the Christian Church and that there are signs and symbols of belonging. They will learn about the Baptismal rites and the various signs and symbols '' such as water, oil, light, a new garment and the laying on of hands - and their significance. They will also discover that any experience of welcome and belonging is an experience of God and that the signs and symbols we experience in life can be signs of God’s presence. A handshake of friendship can be an experience of God’s friendship. This has implications for how we welcome others and the sign our lives give.
Search
Signs and symbols are part and parcel of everyday experience. We meet signs at every turn '' road signs, body language, facial expressions '' that give us messages to make sense of life. Symbols enable us to express more powerfully something of the profound and mysterious quality of human life and experience.
Which signs/symbols are special to you?
What have been signs and symbols of welcome/belonging or love/friendship in your life?
[Pause for reflection and sharing]
Revelation
For Christians, signs and symbols speak of God’s presence in the world and in our lives. Special symbols are called ‘sacraments’ because they put us in touch in a powerful way with the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus and they point to his continued presence among us today.
In the Book of Genesis, God sets the rainbow in the sky as a sign of the covenant with Noah: God said, ‘Here is the sign of...