Page 9 - Lessons and Activities on the Bible

THE BIBLE, GOD’S BOOK
e children will understand that the Bible is holy because it is God’s word to us.
Catechist Notes
e Bible is the bestseller of all times for good rea- son. God is the author! He in uenced the writers to record what he wanted. In the Bible, God speaks to us today as really as he spoke to Abraham, Moses, and the people in Israel. ere is no blessing for a Bible. It needs none.
Materials
□ A copy of a bestseller list (optional) □ A Bible covered with a cloth
□ A GPS unit
□ A board or a large sheet of poster
paper and a marker □ Pens or pencils
□ Copies of Activity Sheet 1
Activity
1 Show a bestseller list, if possible, and discuss: ▪ Each week, the New York Times newspaper
publishes a list of bestselling books. Under this cloth is the bestseller of all time. What do you think it is? (the Bible)
▪ [Ask a child to uncover the Bible and hand it to you.]
▪ Who is your favorite author?
▪ e Bible is so popular because of its
author. ere is no author’s name on the cover, but who is the author? (God)
2 Explain inspiration through a story. ▪ Suppose you broke your arm and had
to stay home from school. You wanted to send a letter to your classmates, but you couldn’t write. A friend comes over to visit. How could you get your letter written? ( e friend could write
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Objective
it.) Whose letter would it be? (mine) ▪ is is how God is the author of the
Bible. e thoughts are God’s, but many di erent people wrote them for God. God did not dictate the words to them, but he in uenced them to write what he wished. We say that God inspired the writers. e Bible is “God-breathed.” Inspiration is like mental telepathy.
▪ Because the Bible is God’s book, it has no errors regarding matters of faith.
▪ How did God speak to Moses? (in a burning bush) To the Israelites? (through prophets) To Mary? (through the Angel Gabriel)
To Joseph? (in dreams) God speaks to us
in the Bible. God tells us what he is like and how much he loves us. He also tells us how to live so that we will be happy.
On the board or a large sheet of paper write “___ ___ ___ ___ Bible” and
“___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Scripture.”
Explain that the word bible means books and scrip- ture means writing. State that we give the Bible two names that indicate that it is God’s book. Ask what these names are. (holy, sacred) Have the two children who answer correctly ll in the missing letters.
4 Distribute copies of Activity Sheet 1 and have the children work it. When they are nished, check Part I. Answer: e Bible is the word of God in the words of human beings. en discuss Part II. Possible an- swers: 1. God is the author of the Bible who inspired people to write it for him. 2. Read it. Turn the pages care- fully. Cover the Bible. Keep it clean. 3. Don’t throw the Bible, put it on the oor, or doodle in it.
Prayer
ank you, God, for the gift of your word in Scripture. May reading and listening to it bring me closer to you.
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