As I begin this journey with Ancient Faith Ministries, we are continually discussing ideas and hopes between us. My intention is to continue writing lessons for them for many years to come. We all know that many factors are at play and guarantees can never be made, but God willing…the Divine Liturgy curriculum will be just the beginning.
In our parish, we’ve spent the past four years immersing ourselves in the gospels. I have to be honest, I’m going to deeply miss studying Christ’s life, ministry, and miracles as we cycle through three more years of topics before returning to the gospels.
The next time you see lessons from me on the gospels – I don’t know yet exactly how it will be structured. (Although, I’m constantly thinking about it.) There was a suggestion of having only one year studying the gospels. That’s a possibility. I think I’d almost prefer to write one curriculum on the synoptic gospels and then one for the Gospel of John, if I’m not going to write four. We’ll see what happens.
Unfortunately though, I will not be sharing the Gospel of John curriculum on Illumination Learning as I have shared the other gospel lessons. I am truly sorry, especially if you have been diligently following along and this is now your final year with the gospels.
I will not leave you without guidance and some encouragement though: I have learned and am drawn to the gospels now in a way that I have never been in my entire life because of immersing myself in them. Please, spend the summer immersing yourself in the Gospel of John and continue into the school year. You will be changed too.
Gospel of John Lessons for a Year:
Weekly Goals – Each week, write a goal for the lesson. What do you want your students to have learned after you’ve taught the lesson?
Content – The Gospel of John is much more theological than the synoptic gospels. You will not be studying Christ’s life, ministries, and miracles in the same way as in years past.
Instead, focus on:
- the “I ams” of Christ (one per week)
- Signs and Miracles – What is the difference between a sign and miracle? Jesus is God and these acts were for the salvation of mankind.
- How do we respond to Christ’s call to discipleship?
Resources:
- The Gospel of John: Beholding the Glory by Fr. Lawrence Farley
- The Explanation of the Holy Gospel According to John by Blessed Theophylact
- Search the Scriptures Live Podcast with Dr. Jeanie Constantinou – She has a series of podcasts on the Gospel of John.
Look around – there are other books and podcasts as well, but many of the books are out-of-print and hard to find. Search for “Orthodox” and the topic you would like to understand better. Search for icons to supplement your lesson. Please, also feel free to email me with a question (find my email at the bottom of the “About” page) and I will do my best to respond as quickly as possible.
Good strength and may God guide you through your endeavor!
