January 22, 2017

ear ly Chur ch council s

make- up l esson

CONFIRMANDNAME Return completed worksheet to Catherine Curtis or place in your file in class

Would you rather... ...visit another Christian church or visit a place of worship of another faith tradition? Share with each other which you would choose and why.

Conf irmand _______________________________________________ Sponsor __________________________________________________

Focus Script ures Read silently through the scriptures the first time then one person read aloud as the other circles words or phrases that impact them. Then switch.

John 17:20-23 ?I?m

not praying only for them but also for those who believe in me because of their word. I pray t hey wil l be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. I pray that they also will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. I?ve given them the glory that you gave me so that they can be one just as we are one. I?m in them and you are in me so that they will be made perfectly one. Then the world will know that you sent me and that you have loved them just as you loved me.?

Act s 2:43-47

?A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. All the believers were united and shared everything. They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone they met who needed them. Every day they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity. They praised God and demonstrated God?s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved. ?

Encount er ? Why so many chur ches? This lesson explores how the Christian church has divided over the past two thousand years, where denominations are similar and different and how we can learn, understand and work with each other despite our differences, while honoring our own beliefs ? in short, we will construct views on unity and diversity within Christian communities and prepare for visiting other Christian churches this year. One of the core beliefs of the UCC is included in our seal (see above) from John 17: 21a (see scripture to left). We also believe: "In essent ial s?unit y, in non-essent ial s?diversit y, in al l t hings?charit y."

The UCC has no rigid formulation of doct rine or attachment to creeds or structures. Its overarching creed is l ove. UCC pastors and teachers are known for their commitment to excellence in theological preparation, interpretation of the scripture, and justice advocacy. Even so, love and unity in the midst of our diversity are our greatest assets. As we prepare to visit other Christian houses of worship, we can remind ourselves of this. Look up the words in blue & talk about with each other which definitions apply here.

Charity - _______________________________________________________ Doctrine - ______________________________________________________ Creeds - ________________________________________________________

EARLY CHURCH: HOLYSPIRIT & CONFLICT Read t he script ure bel ow f rom The Act s of t he Apost l es 2:1-4 When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

God, who knows peopl e?s deepest t hought s and desir es, conf ir med t his by giv ing t hem t heHoly Spir it , j ust as hedid t o us. - Paul After Jesus' ascension, the early followers were still a fearful group: afraid of Jewish and Roman authorities. They met in secret. But on the day of Pentecost, things changed

for the One whom the Christ had promised, the helper and sustainer, came upon them: the Holy Spirit. After the Holy Spirit filled them the apostles began preaching and doing signs and wonders through the power of God. Some went out into the world beyond Jerusalem and preached and taught to the non-Jewish Gentiles. There were Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. One of the first great conflicts within the early church arose from the different traditions between these two groups of followers.

Read t he script ure bel ow f rom The Act s of t he Apost l es 15:1-2 Some people came down from Judea teaching the family of believers, ?Unless you are circumcised according to the custom we?ve received from Moses, you can?t be saved.? Paul and Barnabas took sides against

these Judeans and argued strongly against their position. After much sharing from Paul and Barnabas, of the miracles and wonders that God did through them, among the Gentiles, the "Jerusalem Council" of the apostles determined:

"The Holy Spirit has led us to the decision that no burden should be placed on you other than these essentials: refuse food offered to idols, blood, the meat from strangled animals, and sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid such things. Farewell. " Not all disagreements within the church have been determined in such a relatively simple and civilized way, with the Holy Spirit as guide. Watch the video above https:/ / youtu.be/ E1ZZeCDGHJE?t=1m15sto

learn about some more.

Schisms

or t hodox chur ch

Have either of you heard about the Great Schism?

In February we will be visiting St. Joseph Orthodox Church in Wheaton.

Wat ch the video below "The Great Schism" at

Wat ch the video below "10 Fun Facts about the Orthodox Church" at https:/ / youtu.be/ HHHRbeJ_nDA

https:/ / youtu.be/ 2qFbWyK5jKg Does anything you learned surprise you? What does not surprise you about church divisions such as the Great Schism? Do you think one side was right and the other wrong? Do you think there is chance that the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church could ever come back together again? Watch ?Pope Francis and the Orthodox? https:/ / www.youtube.com/ watch?v=-sMLQMGAWXU

How would you describe the relationship between these two men?

Before today?s lesson, had either of you heard of the Orthodox Christian church? Have either of you worshiped at an Orthodox Christian church? What was something that you noticed? Do you think any of the differences we?ve learned about today were enough to cause a split or schism in the Christian church? What differences today do you think may cause a split in the Christian church? Why do you think the governing body of our own congregation is called the Church Council?

Look up the definition of "Schism" and write it below:

SCHISM

What are some topics in the Christian church today that seem to be causing schisms?

Act ivit y Some differences are worth serious disagreement. Others are just preferences. We will be doing a ?Forced Choice Activity? now. Read the series of ?either/ or choices? below out loud. You each must choose one or the other of each of the choices. Each of you should write your initials next to your choice. These are fun. Discuss your choices wit h each ot her. ~Peanut butter or jelly

~Summer or Winter

~Hiking or swimming

~Day or night

~Reading or TV watching

~Crunchy or Puffy Cheetoes ~Pizza or ice cream

~Cubs or Sox

What are some dif f erences t hat are serious in our societ y? _______________________________________ ~Pro-choice or pro-life

~Pro-death sentence or against

~Address climate change or ignore

~Legalize homosexual marriages or not ~Humane immigrant practices or send immigrants home

Define what personally makes something a preference or a conviction for you and share with each other. Sponsor ? has t his def init ion changed over t he course of your l if e? Confirmand ? what are some of t he ways yout h in our cul t ure are abl e t o make choices t o support t heir convict ions?

Does everyone in our congregat ion bel ieve t he exact same t hing?

How do YOU think our congregation works toward unity in Christ even when we don?t all believe the same things (theologically, politically, institutionally)?

Confirmand _________________________________________________________________________ Sponsor

_________________________________________________________________________ What do YOU think people in our church have in common?

Confirmand _________________________________________________________________________ Sponsor

_________________________________________________________________________

Ex pl or e?div iding int o denominat ions... Take a few minutes to study the flow chart below together (at least the parts you can read clearly).

Circl e denominat ions you have heard of bef ore. (Use a dif f erent col or f or Conf irmand & a dif f erent f or Sponsor.)

Every day

"The f ait hf ul are cal l ed t o be prepared t o st ay & cont inue t he minist ry of rect if ying what has gone ast ray. That is what shepherds & sheep do amid danger. They st ay wit h t he f l ock. They do not f l ee." - Tom Oden