How could you use a baptismal candle with year 1 in a RE lesson - Essay Example

Using a Baptismal Candle with Year in a RE Lesson-Christianity Symbols. Let your light a candle and the sign a hymn in unison. Let the student brainstorm symbolic effect of lighting a candle in church. Lighting a candle in church can be a unifying experience. Often each member of the congregation or religious group holds a candle and sings in unison a hymn or chorus. This unity symbolizes the love and warmth each has experienced from God and the religious community. (The Biblical World, 232)Ask the students the meaning of darkness and the light that result a lit candle.

The candles light provides guidance in the darkness. This is symbolic of the truth of the Word of God as it provides a light and a lamp to guide the path of the believer. Darkness is symbolic of ignorance and death. The lit candle can illuminate for the believer the path of life. (Thurston, 1908) Let the student brainstorm other symbolic function of candle in the Christian faith. Candles can be symbolic of love. The warmth they generate can be felt during a marriage ceremony. The bride and groom often light a candle at this time to symbolize their love.

Their closeness, just like the flame, can produce both warmth and pain.Let the student think further by letting them discuss the origin of light and its symbolic effect on our life. Jesus himself claimed to be the "Light of the World" (John 8:12). The candle can symbolize Jesus Christ, as the believer carries the light of Christ with him or her. The candle itself burns away, as does the material body, but the fire represents the eternal truth of those who believe.The flame of the candle is symbolic of faith itself.

If not guarded, the flame may be extinguished. The believer must protect the flame of faith as she or he does the flame of the candle against the winds of lifes experiences. (Sheehy, 2002:47-59)References.Thurston, Herbert. (1908),"Candles." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 14 Oct. 2011 .John 8:12 (New International Version)Sheehy, Kieron (2002). The Effective Use of Symbols in Teaching Word Recognition to Children with Severe Learning Difficulties: a comparison of word alone, integrated picture cueing and the handle technique.

International Journal of Disability, Development & Education, 49(1), pp. 47–59.The Biblical World ,1899.,The Use Of Religious Symbols In Teaching,The University of Chicago Press:232