The Epiphany of the Lord
“Arise! Shine, for your light has come,
the glory of the LORD has dawned upon you.”
We Process In
Opening Words to the Children:
Today is January 8th, Epiphany. It is a feast of Manifestation: “The first idea of the feast is the manifestation (showing) of Christ as the Son of God.” The infant Christ is visited by the three kings, which is a symbol that Christ is the Lord and Savior for all Gentiles (non-Jews). A third meaning for Epiphany is the idea of light: “The Gentiles shall walk in Thy light, and kings in the brightness of Thy rising.”
From CatholicCulture.org
We Sing–We Three Kings of Orient Are
1 We three kings of Orient are;
bearing gifts we traverse afar,
field and fountain, moor and mountain,
following yonder star.
Refrain:
O star of wonder, star of light,
star with royal beauty bright,
westward leading, still proceeding,
guide us to thy perfect light.
We Read and Begin to Learn the Order of the Mass
Excerpts from the Reading for January 8, 2016
Reading 1 (Is 60:1-6)
Lector: “A reading from the Prophet Isaiah”
Then your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.
Children: “Thanks be to God.”
Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
Class Excerpt:
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.
Reading 2
Lector: “A Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians”
Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.
Children: “Thanks be to God.”
Gospel Excerpt
“Gospel Dialogue”Priest (or Deacon):
The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.
Priest (or Deacon): A reading from the
holy Gospel according to _____.
People: Glory to you, O Lord.
Priest or Deacon:
“A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew”
Children: “Glory to you O Lord”
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Children: “Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Order of the Mass–Responses and Prayers
Inspiration for Three Kings Watercolor Comes from Pinterest.
We Meet King David
“Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse replied, “There is still the
youngest, but he is tending the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him; we will not sit
down to eat until he arrives here.” Jesse had the young man brought to them. He was
ruddy, a youth with beautiful eyes, and good looking. The LORD said: There—anoint
him, for this is the one! Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in the
midst of his brothers, and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon
David…”1 Samuel 16:11‐13″
We learn about the life of King David through scripture, storytelling and children’s literature. This segment will take two weeks.
David and Goliath in the Bible
The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Learning the Ancestors of Jesus Through a “Jesse Tree”
Jesse Tree Symbols Learning the Ancestors of Jesus
Our Art Projects
Art Projects 1 & 2
Supplies: Watercolors, Black Sharpies, and Watercolor Paper
The children can make an outline in black by a Sharpie then fill it in with watercolors in the style of the samples here. Or, they can use watercolors “free-style” without using a Sharpie to outline. The theme is “crowns and kings” but it is also about things that have three of something, like peaks on the crowns. We need to remember not simply the three kings of Epiphany, but also the “threes” represented in the Blessed Trinity and the Holy Family. Review is essential for learning and remembering.
Art Project 3
Supplies: Children’s Pastels and Dark Construction Paper
If short on time, the children in our class can do this drawing of the Three Kings using pastels on dark construction paper. This took me less than 20 minutes and the students will have fun doing it.