Unit 4 The Chosen People - Sophia Institute for Teachers

[Pages:124]UNIT 4

The Chosen People

Lessons in This Unit

Lesson 1: Exploring God's Covenant with the Chosen People with Sacred Art

Lesson 2: God's Chosen People Lesson 3: God Calls Abraham Lesson 4: Isaac Lesson 5: Jacob Lesson 6: Joseph

Connection to the Catechism of the Catholic Church

Lesson 1 50-52, 68-73, 489, 706,

973, 2571, 2617

Lesson 2 57, 60, 201, 218, 287-288,

696, 762, 781, 1287, 2085, 2623

Lesson 3 59-61, 145-147, 2570-2573

Lesson 4 117, 332, 706, 1819, 2572

Lesson 5 2374, 2561, 2573, 2725

Lesson 6 312, 2115

Unit 4 Overview

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Scripture Studied in This Unit

Genesis 6:1-5 Genesis 10 Genesis 11:1-9 Genesis 12:1-7 Genesis 15:18 Genesis 17:2 Genesis 17:6 Genesis 18:14-15 Genesis 22:1-18 Genesis 24:1-32, 49-67 Genesis 25:23-34 Genesis 27:5-10, 15-17, 27-29 Genesis 28:12-14 Genesis 29:25-27 Genesis 30:22 Genesis 30:29-32 Genesis 30:43

Genesis 32:25-39 Genesis 37:5-11 Genesis 37:28-36 Genesis 39:1-6 Genesis 40:9-19 Genesis 41:17-32 Genesis 45:3-5 Genesis 45:7 Exodus 4:22-23 Exodus 20:2-5 Psalm 49:15 Mathew 5:10 Luke 1:30-38 John 3:16 Acts 2:1-13 Hebrews 11:17-19

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Introduction

God revealed Himself gradually and in stages and in words and deeds throughout Salvation History by entering into covenants with the human race. After His covenant with Adam and Eve, and the renewal of all creation through His covenant with Noah, God entered into a covenant with Abraham and made great promises to Him for His descendants. The people descended from Abraham become God's Chosen People to whom God continued to reveal Himself to and through whom He would prepare the whole world to receive salvation.

The End of the Early World

The descendants of Noah disobeyed God's command to "be fertile and multiply and fill the earth" and instead settled in one place. There, they fell prey to the same sin of Adam and Eve and the line of Cain and sought to make a name for themselves rather than honor God. In other words, they sought to make themselves like God by building a tower to Heaven. In punishment, God scattered the language of men and scattered them about the world so they could not unite again to try to supplant Him. At Pentecost, however, with the coming of the Holy Spirit at the advent of the Church, the human race was once again united in Christ, reversing the curse of Babel.

Abraham

God called a man named Abraham to leave his home and follow Him. This Abraham did and became the "father of faith." God led Abraham to the land of Canaan and there made him three great promises: He would make of Abraham a great nation and bless him, He would make Abraham's name great and bless those who blessed him and curse those who cursed him, and He would bless all the families of the earth through him. Each of the promises were made with Abraham, but were for his descendants. To prove to Abraham that He would fulfill His promises to him, God raised each promise to the status of a covenant. And so, God chose a people descended from Abraham to be His and to whom He would deepen His relationship and prepare the entire world for salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ. Each of the promises God made to Abraham find their fulfillment in each of the next covenants in Salvation History. In God's covenant with Moses, Moses leads the Chosen People out of slavery in Egypt into the Promised Land where they would become a great nation. In God's covenant with David, David reigns as king as the first in an everlasting line of kings. And in the New Covenant, Jesus Christ blesses the world with salvation from sin.

Unit 4 Overview

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Through the patriarchs, God continually renewed his

covenant promises and showed the depth of His love and mercy

for His Chosen People.

Jacob's Dream, by Giorgio Vasari

The Patriarchs

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph are the Patriarchs, the fathers of our Faith. The story of the sacrifice of Isaac foreshadows Christ's own sacrifice on the Cross. God calls Abraham to sacrifice his only beloved son, Isaac. On the journey to the mountain of sacrifice, Abraham reveals to his son his faith that God will provide a sheep for the sacrifice. Isaac remains obedient to his father's will, even though he knows it means his own death. In the end, God sends an angel to stop Abraham from killing his son, and instead a ram caught in a nearby thicket is sacrificed. Isaac's son Jacob becomes the fathers of an entire nation of people through his twelve sons, who found the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Along the way, Jacob wrestles an angel to a draw, demonstrating powerfully the battle of

prayer. For his willingness to struggle with God, Jacob's name is changed to Israel, which means, "He who wrestles with God" His name would become the name of the entire Chosen People. Jacob's favorite son, Joseph, endures the rejection of his own brothers in order to bring about the salvation of the people of Egypt and his own family who sold him into slavery. Joseph, through his unerring faith in God, rises to be the second in command of all of Egypt where he saves the people from a great famine.

Through the Patriarchs, God continually renewed His covenant promises and showed the depth of His love and mercy for His Chosen People. And through the stories of the Patriarchs, we receive a small foretaste of the entirety of God's plan of salvation.

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Connections to New York Religion Guidelines

Core Content

The Old Testament is the account of God's saving actions in the history of the Jewish people whom God chose as His own.

Some major figures in the development of God's relationship with His Chosen People are:

?? Abraham

?? Isaac

?? Jacob

?? Joseph

God made a covenant with the Chosen People. The covenant relationship meant that God would be with them, making them His own. The Chosen People were to respond by following the way of life to which God called them.

Prayer and Worship

Pray with the children the Canticle of Zachariah, which the Church prays every day at Morning Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. Explain that this prayer shows how the Christian Church reverently recalls each morning the promises that were made by God to the Chosen People and fulfilled in the coming of Jesus.

Christian Living

The Christian people regard the Jewish people of the Old Testament as our ancestors in faith. We also have a unique relationship with the Jewish people of today because of our common spiritual heritage.

Like men and women in the Old Testament, we are called to live by faith and trust in God. God's faithfulness to us is the model of our faithfulness to Him and to one another.

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Vocabulary

Promise Covenant Hospitality Nephilim Chosen People Gratuitous love Shem/Shemite Tower of Babel Pentecost

Abraham Sarah Covenant Heir Nation Kingship Blessing Typology/Type Isaac

Rebekah Jacob Esau Rachel Leah Israel Typology Type Moral Evil

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Pacing Guide Note

Aim to begin presenting Unit 4 in October.

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Exploring God's Covenant with the Chosen People with Sacred Art

UNIT 4, LES S ON 1

Learning Goals

Promises require trusting relationships.

Covenants establish trusting and loving relationships between God and mankind.

Covenants are part of Divine Revelation; through covenants, God reveals Himself to us and fulfills His promises.

The covenants point to Jesus.

Connection to the Catechism of the Catholic Church

CCC 50-52 CCC 68-73 CCC 489 CCC 706 CCC 973 CCC 2571 CCC 2617

Vocabulary

Promise Covenant Hospitality

B IB L ICAL TOUCHSTONES

"Is anything too marvelous for the Lord to do? At the appointed time, about this time next year, I will return to you, and Sarah will have a son." Sarah lied, saying, "I did not laugh," because she was afraid. But he said, "Yes, you did."

GENESIS 18:14-15

"[F]or nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."

LUKE 1:37-38

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Lesson Plan

Materials

Handout A: The Hospitality of Abraham Icon

Handout B: The Lord Appears to Abraham

Handout C: Trusting God

My Notes

______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________

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DAY ONE

Warm-Up

A. Project an image of the icon on Handout A: The Hospitality of Abraham Icon. Give students several minutes to quietly view the art before you say or ask anything. Allow them to come up and stand closer to the image to examine the details.

B. Once several minutes have passed, ask students: What do you first notice about this work of art? What do you like about it? This painting is done is a style called iconography. Have you ever seen an icon like this? Where? What do you think about the style of this painting? Does it look old or new?

C. Explain that icons are a style of Christian painting. The person making the icon prays while painting. One reason icons are more stylized than realistic is that they try to open our minds to think beyond what we see here on earth and to think about heaven. Many icons, including this one, are "written" (painted) on pieces of wood covered in red paint. You can see the red paint and wood showing through on the edges where the icon is chipped. Many icons, including this one, have real gold backgrounds, gold halos, and gold decoration. This icon was done in the 1300s in Constantinople.

Activity

Arrange your students in small groups and give each group a laminated copy of Handout A: The Hospitality of Abraham Icon. Have them discuss with each other the questions on the back of the handout. Try to keep

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