Religious Education 

Grade 5 Liturgy 

Thursday 9th November 

WEEKEND GOSPEL

GOSPEL  1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians

Those who died as Christians, God will bring to life with Jesus.

We want you to be quite certain, brothers, about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like the other people who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus: God will bring them with him. We can tell you this from the Lord’s own teaching, that any of us who are left alive until the Lord’s coming will not have any advantage over those who have died. At the trumpet of God, the voice of the archangel will call out the command and the Lord himself will come down from heaven; those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise, and then those of us who are still alive will be taken up in the clouds, together with them, to meet the Lord in the air. So we shall stay with the Lord for ever. With such thoughts as these you should comfort one another.

 A beginning point for discussion of this week's Gospel with children:

• Who has ever had to wait for someone in the dark?
• What was it like?
• How could you make waiting in the dark easier? (e.g. by being prepared with a torch, coat, umbrella, phone, another person etc)
• Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is like what happened to ten girls with lamps waiting in the dark for the guest of honour.
• How were some foolish?
• How were the others wise?
• Jesus says that we are to be ready and alert and watch for him.
• How can we be alert and ready to meet Jesus among us?