Religious Education 

 

Be strong, and let your heart take courage,

 all you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24 

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Last Monday  afternoon, the students gathered together in the Church for the last Advent service. Some of the Year Five and Six students shared their interpretations of different images of the Nativity. Their responses are shared with you below:

5/6 C looked at the image below and responded 

Tia

In this artwork, I think the baby is Jesus because in the Nativity story, Jesus was laid in a manger and in this image, the baby is lying in a box too. He is surrounded by two black stick figures who I think might be Mary and Joseph looking over him. I see new layers of meaning through the hands coming down from the sky and the yellow dots. I think that they represent the angel’s light, because in the Nativity story, the angels shone light around the shepherds to guide them to the good news of the newborn king. 

Lily

In this artwork, I think that the baby is Jesus and the other two stick figures are Mary and Joseph. I think that the three people kneeling are the three wise men because they are wearing crowns and the animals next to them are gifts for Jesus. I think that the black dots represent the night sky when Jesus was born. The yellow dots might be the guiding star because it shines on Jesus. Through interpreting the gospel’s text with the symbols of this artwork, I think the hands coming down are God’s hands giving everyone peace and salvation on earth. 

Oliver 

In this artwork, I think the kangaroos, emus and crocodile symbolise the animals in the stable in the Nativity story. I think the hands coming down from the sky are God’s hands blessing Jesus and everyone on earth. In the background, I can see Uluru which is an important part of Aboriginal culture and history. I think that it compares the importance of the creation of Uluru to Aboriginal people with the importance of Jesus’ birth and Nativity to us in our faith. Through dialogue with others, we discussed the significance of Uluru and Nativity in both traditions. 

5/6 J looked at the image below and responded:

Marcus 

When looking at this piece, I looked at the illustrators interpretation of text and symbols. I wonder if Mary is holding the bread and wine, because it could represent the body and blood of Jesus. The body and blood of Jesus is only introduced within the Bible at the end of Jesus’ life, so I wonder why the illustrator decided to include these in this nativity scene. I think the bag represents how Jesus’ sacrifice saved the lives of many. I can tell this because the bag says blood saves lives.

Harley

I wonder if the three men holding utensils represent the three wise men and their three gifts. I can make a connection with the Bible to the plant in the background, because it looks like the palms waved on Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem. Like Marcus stated, it is strange that this is included in the nativity scene, when Palm Sunday is an event that happens later in Jesus’ life. This has made me continuously search, question and inquire why the illustrator has put this in their reimagining.

Philippa

I can identify new layers of meaning to this artwork, as I think I know why the illustrator chose a petrol station to be the setting of this reimagined nativity scene. I wonder if the petrol station is a modern representation of a stable. I think the illustrator has put this scene into a petrol station, because if Jesus was born today he would not be born in a luxurious mansion or hospital. Like in the earlier times where a stable did not have nurses or medical supplies, a modern day petrol station would also not contain these items for Mary and Joseph.

5/6 K looked at the image below and responded:

Cooper 

I think the author created this artwork to re-contextualise the traditional Nativity scene. This artwork has been set in the modern day to stress the importance that we are no less important than anyone else. For me this painting represents that some people might not accept you as you are, like the man depicted in the backyard. I believe this man to be Joseph, who at the time was still coming to terms with accepting baby Jesus. This painting also reminds me that there will always be people who will accept you as you are. This is depicted by the Men (three wise men) bringing gifts to the mother (Mary) to show that they do accept baby Jesus. I saw and listened to the new layers of meaning when we unpacked the re-contextualised Nativity scene artworks and when we listened to the artist's interpretation of the meaning behind his artwork. 

Stef

I think this re-contextualised artwork of the Nativity was created to show everyone the modern day version of the Nativity scene and to inspire people of today. I think this painting inspires people of today to reconnect to their faith. I think Mary is placed in the middle because she just had a baby and is a significant figure in this artwork. 

The three men who represent the three wise men are bringing modern day gifts to baby Jesus to welcome him. They bring gifts such as a high chair, baby bottle, and toys. 

I also think Joseph is in the garden because he wasn’t ready for the baby Jesus. 

I saw new layers of meaning when listening to other people's understanding of their interpretation of the recontextualised Nativity scene. 

Neve

I agree with my peers, however I also wanted to add that I believe that the artist created this artwork to also show that Jesus is always with us, whether from thousands of years ago or today. I was dialoguing with others when we were unpacking the re-contextualise painting of the Nativity and sharing our thinking using a see, think, wonder routine. 

Have a lovely week

Bernadette Reed

(Religious Education Leader)