Alpha and Omega

We just learned about the Christian Ichthys symbol.

Another symbol Christians use is the Alpha and Omega.

In the Greek alphabet, the first letter is the letter Alpha which looks like an A.
The last letter is Omega, which looks like an O but like a horseshoe.

In the book of Revelation it says "I am the Alpha and the Omega meaning that God is the beginning of everything and the end of everything, and everything in the middle.


(from: wikipedia - alpha and omega)


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Ichthys

We just learned about the christian symbol of the crucifix.

Another symbol is the ichthys, pronounced ick-thes.

The word ichthys is Greek for fish, and was used as an acronym to mean Jesus.

Iota (i) is the first letter of Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς), Greek for "Jesus".
Chi (ch) is the first letter of Christos (Χριστός), Greek for "anointed."
Theta (th) is the first letter of Theou (Θεοῦ), Greek for "God's", the genitive case of Θεóς, Theos," Greek for "God."
Upsilon (y) is the first letter of (h)yios[5] (Υἱός), Greek for "Son".
Sigma (s) is the first letter of sōtēr (Σωτήρ), Greek for "Savior."

Long ago there were some people that really did not like Christians, and so they had to find ways to hide who they were, and to send messages to each other.
So they would draw a picture of the fish as a secret way to mean Jesus.


(from: wikipedia - ichthys)


(from: wikipedia - ichthys)


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Crucifix

We just learned about the Christian symbol of the Cross.

Another Christian symbol is the crucifix.

This is a cross that shows Jesus on the cross being crucified.
Many churches have these crucifixes as artwork by their altar, and some people carry around a crucifix instead of just a cross.


(from: wikipedia - christian symbolism)


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Cross

We've learned all about the Church Calendar.

Let's learn about some of the symbols used in the Christian Church.

The most well known symbol used is the Cross.

Crosses come in all shapes and sizes, and are used to help remember when Jesus was crucified on the cross.


(from: wikipedia - Christian cross)


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Feast of Christ the King

We just learned about All Saint's Day.

The next date in the church calendar is the Feast of Christ the King.


(from: wikipedia - feast of christ the king)


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All Saint's Day

We just learned about Ordinary Time.

The next part of the church calendar is All Saint's Day.

On this day people remember all of the believers who have passed on to heaven long ago.


(from: wikipedia - all saint's day)


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Ordinary Time

We just learned about Trinity Sunday.

Another part of the church calendar is called Ordinary Time.
There are two parts of the calendar for Ordinary Time, and they are the time after Christmas and before Easter, and then after Easter and before Christmas.


(from: wikipedia - ordinary time)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus appears in his disciples house

Trinity Sunday

We just learned about the church day of Pentecost, 50 days after Easter.

The next day in the calendar is Trinity Sunday.

This day is for Christians to celebrate the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.


(from: wikipedia - trinity sunday)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus appears to Peter fishing

Pentecost

We just learned about Easter Sunday.

The next time in the church calendar is Pentecost.

The word means 50th day, and the day is 50 days after Easter.
This is the time when churches remember the Holy Spirit coming to the Apostles.

Many churches use rose petals or images of doves to remember the holy spirit coming down, and some even will lower a dove from the ceiling or drop rose petals from the roof.

Other churches remember the day with confirmation, when young people confirm their faith.

The churches are usually decorated in red, the color of fire.

(from: wikipedia - pentecost)


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Easter Sunday

We just learned about Holy Saturday.

The next day of the church calendar is Easter Sunday.

This is the day when the church remembers Jesus Christ being resurrected from the dead.

There are many different ways that people celebrate this day, like decorating and finding Easter eggs to remember the tomb Jesus was in, or having parades.
Many churches have a sunrise service, where people greet each other by saying Christ is risen, he is risen indeed.
The decorations on the church are usually white, to show the purity of Christ after coming back from the dead.

(from: wikipedia - easter)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus Appears to Mary

Holy Saturday

We just learned about Good Friday on the Church Calendar.

The next day is Holy Saturday.

On this day people remember when Jesus Christ body was laid in his tomb after he was crucified on Good Friday.


(from: wikipedia - holy saturday)


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Good Friday

We just learned about Maundy Thursday.

The next special day of Holy Week is Good Friday.

This is the day for remembering when Christ died on the cross.

Some churches will have prayers to remember each part of Jesus' walk to the cross.
Other countries have parades with large crosses and floats to remember what happened.


(from: wikipedia - good friday)

In some places they make hot cross buns, which have frosting of a cross on the top to remember the cross, and spices inside to remember the spices used when Jesus was buried.


(from: wikipedia - hot cross buns)

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Maundy Thursday

We just learned about Palm Sunday.

The next day in the church calendar is Maundy Thursday.

This day is to remember the Last Supper, when Christ sat with his disciples for the last time, washed their feet and then ate together.

Some churches remember the day by having foot washing ceremonies where everyone washes each other's feet.


(from: wikipedia - maundy thursday)


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Palm Sunday

We just learned about Holy Week.

Another day in the church calendar is Palm Sunday.

On this day, churches celebrate the day that Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey and people waved palm branches and laid them at his feet.

The colors at the church are usually red for Palm Sunday.
Some churches hand out palm branches for people to hold while singing hymns.
These palms are then taken home to put above a cross or picture of Christ.
Some churches keep those palm branches until the next year's Ash Wednesday when they burn them and use the ashes.


(from: wikipedia - palm sunday)


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Holy Week

We've learned that the Lent season begins with Fat Tuesday and then Ash Wednesday, and then goes on for several weeks.

The last week of Lent is called Holy Week, as it gets close to the Easter holiday.


(from: wikipedia - holy week)


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Ash Wednesday

We just learned about how on Fat Tuesday many people would have large feasts right before the season of Lent.

The first day of lent is Ash Wednesday.

For 40 days after this day, not including Sundays, people would not eat meat or even some types of fatty bread.
At church service for Ash Wednesday, some people would take old palm branches that had been saved from last year's celebration of Palm Sunday.
They would burn those palm branches and use the ashes.

Some churches sprinkle ashes above people's heads, and others would make a mark of a cross on their foreheads.

When the priest or pastor would put ashes on your head, they would say:

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
or
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.



(from: wikipedia - ash wednesday)


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Fat Tuesday

We just learned about the season of Lent.

The Lenten season begins on a Wednesday, and the day right before that is sometimes called Fat Tuesday.

It's called that because during lent many people give up eating some types of meat or food with lots of fat in it as a way to remember Jesus living in the desert for 40 days.

So on Fat Tuesday people eat big meals and foods with lots of fat since it's the last chance they will have to eat that food, and some of the food might go bad before lent is over.

One celebration is called Paczki Day which comes from Poland, where people would make big donuts filled with jelly to use up the last of the dough before lent.


(from: wikipedia - pączki)


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Lent

We just learned about the different weeks of Epiphany.

The church calendar season after that is called Lent.

The Lent season is the season leading up to Easter, and there are many different special days on the calendar.

The Lenten season is 40 days long, to help remember the time Jesus went into the desert to fast and was tempted.

Usually the decorations in the church are colored purple for this season.


(from: wikipedia - temptation of christ)


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Epiphany - Transfiguration

We just learned about the time in Epiphany celebrating the baptism of Jesus.

The last part of the Epiphany season is Transfiguration.

This is the time that churches remember when Jesus went up on a mountain with his apostles, and a bright light came on him. Moses and Elijah appeared by him, and God told them that Jesus was his son.

Matthew 17:

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”


(from: wikipedia - feast of the transfiguration)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Crucifixion - Nailed to the cross

Epiphany - Baptism of Our Lord

We just learned about the church season of Epiphany, celebrating the wise men coming to meet Jesus.

The next part of Epiphany is sometimes used to remember when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.


(from: wikipedia - al-maghtas)


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