Subject: Infancy Narratives
Title: The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth
Age:
3+
Sources: Luke 1: 39-49,56,
RPC: pp.. 105-113,
GS&C: Chapter 10,
MM pp.79-94,
SPSA
May 2007
Liturgical Time: Advent
Doctrinal
Content:
1. God
desires so much to be with us that God became human.
2. God
is always with us.
3. Jesus
is fully human and fully divine—son of God and of Mary.
4. Mary
is God-bearer even though she is a virgin.
5. All
things are possible with God.
6. The
Holy Spirit is active and present in both pregnancies
7. Mary
is blessed among women
8. The
prophecy of the messiah to come is fulfilled
9. God
does great things with insignificant people
10. Mary proclaims
the greatness of God
11. Mary and
Elizabeth’s response to God’s invitation to serve God is a model for us in response to the action of the Holy
Spirit in our lives.
Direct Aim:
1. To
lift up Mary‘s role as God-bearer.
2. To
lift up Jesus as human and divine. (Question:
“Who is this child?”)
3. To
focus on/participate in the great joy resulting from the recognition of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Indirect Aims:
1. To
prepare for the celebration of Christmas.
2. To
give a sense of salvation history.
3. To
nurture prayer language.
4. To
enhance participation in liturgy.
5. To
nurture wonder and awe.
6. To
lay a foundation of respect for our Judaic heritage.
7. To
prepare for later infancy narratives.
8. To
nurture a personal relationship with God.
9. To
introduce the characters and the events in the Gospel account/narrative/story of Jesus’ coming into the world.
10. To give
a historical and geographical context prior to the events of Jesus‘ birth.
11. To announce
Jesus as the Savior and Messiah promised by the prophets.
12. To nurture
a sense of trust in God.
13. To proclaim
the joy in God’s work of the incarnation.
14. To offer
new names for Jesus and Mary.
15. To continue
the meditation begun in the prophecies on the slow, hidden way God brings great things to pass.
Materials:
Mat,
near the geography area for easy reference
candle,
snuffer, tray for spent matches
Scripture booklet: “The Visitation
of Mary to Elizabeth,” with white cover
backdrop
for Elizabeth’s house, either a triptych or a box as
described in the materials manual
small
figure of Mary, small figure of Elizabeth, figures are 3-dimensional,
about 4-5-1/2 “ tall
a
box or basket to hold the figurines
tracing
packet with white cover
Presentation:
Preparation:
Gather
children around mat in the atrium with the Land of Israel Topographical Map set-up nearby. Set
up basket with Elizabeth’s house and figures of Mary
and Elizabeth nearby.
Introduction:
“We
are in the time of Advent. That time of waiting and preparing for the birth of
Jesus. What do we have here in the atrium to help us with our waiting?” Children respond, talk about Advent candles, purple color for Advent.
“Long,
long ago people were waiting for someone God told them would come. A prophet
that God had given a message to had told the people that some would come who would lead, who would be a great light and that
this light would be born of a young woman..”
“Then
the angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her some wonderful news. The angel said,
‘hail Mary, full of grace.’ The angel told Mary that a baby would
be born who was the long awaited one. The angel told Mary that she would give
birth to this baby. Do you remember what she said in response to the Angel’s
news? She said, ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord.” She said YES to God’s plan.”
“It
says in the bible that after the angel left Mary, she went in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Do you remember what the angel told Mary about Elizabeth?”………”Elizabeth
was to have a baby as well, even though she had never had a baby and she was way beyond the age for having children.”
“So
Mary went to visit Elizabeth.” Show children on topographical map where Mary lived and where Elizabeth
lived and trace the journey Mary made to Elizabeth’s
house.
“We
are going to read from scripture about what happened when Mary visited Elizabeth.”
Solemn
Reading of Scripture with Lit Candle
Light
candle. Take scripture Booklet. Read
scripture story of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth.
First
Meditation (with clarification of vocabulary and text)
“So
Mary went to Elizabeth’s house. What happened when she got there?”……..(Elizabeth’s
baby jumped for joy)
“I
wonder what would make Elizabeth’s baby so joyful”………….
“Did
you hear some of Mary’s words?”
“We
can think of how happy Mary and Elizabeth were to see each other.”
Dialogue
with children about the scripture reading.
Second
Reading with Materials
Put
out Elizabeth’s house on mat. “We can think of this as Elizabeth’s
house.”
Put
out Elizabeth on mat.
“We can think of this as Elizabeth.”
Put
out Mary on mat. “We can think of this as Mary.”
Re-read
scripture booklet, “The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth.” Move figures when appropriate.
Continued
Meditation
Dialogue
with children some more about the Scripture.
“Elizabeth asked Mary, ‘why should I be honored with a visit from
the mother of my Lord?’ How did Elizabeth
know that Mary was the mother of Jesus?”…….
“Why
did Mary go to visit Elizabeth?”……
“What
can we tell from Mary’s words how she felt about this blessing?”……”She said that all generations
will call me blessed and that the almighty has done great things for me.”
Pull
out phrases from the Magnificat. Repeat.
“Mary
and Elizabeth were filled with joy. I wonder who else was filled with joy.”…..
“This
joy is for us too. All of Mary’s words are fur us. We can be part of the joy that is between Mary and Elizabeth, these two mothers, these two babies and God.”
Inviting
/ Welcoming a Response
“Is
there anything that you would like to say or sing to celebrate that joy?”
Invite
the children to sing “Hail Mary,” “Come Lord Jesus,” or other Advent Songs
Restoration
of the Materials
Show
children how to put figures away in basket, and where they belong on shelf, and roll mat.
“This
is your work now, you can use these figures anytime you like.”
Children‘s
Work:
Imaginative
work with the figures.
Original
artwork.
Reading
scripture, copying text.
Tracing
Packet
Children’s Responses: