The Feast of Transfiguration

By Dr. Constance Tarasar

for Children up to 12 yrs. of age (especially useful for camp or summer classes)

The following unit of study is planned for a one-week program of 4-5 sessions, of approximately 3 hours duration. One day is allotted for the liturgical celebration of the feast. No significant changes in the lessons need to be made to allow for the timing of the feast, i.e., whether it falls at the beginning, middle or end of the week. (Note: Session Four should be scheduled on the day preceding the Feast day)

1. Objectives:

To develop an understanding of the word/concept of "transfiguration" -i.e., signifying change or transformation
To give examples of transfiguration or transformation in creation and in our daily lives.
To be able to recognize the icon of the feast and tell the story of the Transfiguration of Christ.
To learn the Troparion and Kontakion of the Feast
To identify the major persons in the biblical story and (with older students) find the
relevant Old and New Testament texts in the Bible
To explain, in a simple way some of the meanings of "light" as it appears in the story and as it relates to our lives as Christians.

2. Presentation:
Session One

By the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:

Describe one example of transformation or transfiguration in nature or daily life.
Give a simple definition of "transfiguration" -i.e.., as change
Be able to sing the Troparion of the Feast of Transfiguration (with music/words)

In Advance: Collect magazines that contain nature subjects, such as fishing and hunting magazines, flower magazines or catalogs, natural history of science magazines for young people, etc.; art supplies: crayons, paint, colored paper, white shelf paper (in a roll) or large sheets of newsprint; and several dictionaries (preferably at different levels of comprehen- sion.

a) Gather together as a group (if the group is very large, it may be divided into two age
levels). Talk about summer as one of the seasons of the year. How do we know when it's summer? What are some of the signs of summer? Of fall? Of Winter? Of Spring? Note changes in animals, plants, temperature, light and darkness, as well as more subtle changes in temperate climates.
b) Put the following words in a list on the chalkboard or on an large piece of paper; have the older children check their meanings in the dictionary , and related words in a Thesaurus: change, transform, transfigure, metamorphosis (point out that this is the Greek word for "transfiguration"). Discuss the meanings of the words in the light of the changed observed in nature during the different seasons. Ask for any other examples in life that illus- trate the meanings of these words.
c) Divide into two groups. Take the younger children for a nature walk. Look for examples
of things that undergo change or transformation, e.g., seeds, eggs, dandelions, leaves, flowers, etc. Divide the older group of children into pairs and send them outside (with some supervision for safety) to find samples of things that undergo change or transformation. Have them come back after 20-30 minutes to show and report on their findings.
d) When both groups have returned, make one or more large collages (a composite picture or collection of images in a framed area) on newsprint or other large sheet of paper or card- board, illustrating the meanings of the words discussed earlier.
e) Discuss the Feast of Transfiguration that will be celebrated this week. Ask the students if they can recall the story of the event. Briefly note that the event focuses on the transfiguration of Jesus: his change in appearance when he revealed his glory to his disciples. (The de- tails of the story will be covered in the next session. )
f) Practice singing the troparion and kontakion for the Feast of the Transfiguration. (Distribute words and music to the older students; you may also wish to send the music home with the younger children.)
g) If your sessions are longer, you may check with libraries for videos or science films and books that illustrate the concept of transformation in nature (prescreen these ahead of time to see if they are appropriate).

Session Two
By the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:

Tell the story of the Transfiguration of Christ, using an icon.
Explain the meaning of Christ's "transfiguration" as a manifestation of God, using other words or synonyms.
(Middle groups) Locate the texts in the Bible, list and explain the major elements of importance.
(Middle/older groups) Explain one of the Old Testament readings for the feast and tell why (pointing out common elements) it is read on this day. "

In Advance: have Bibles available for the older children, and Bible story books for the younger children that contain the following events:

Jesus reveals his glory to his disciples (Matt. 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36) .God appears to Moses in a cloud (Exo. 24:12-18)
God reveals himself to Moses (Exo. 33:11-23; 34:4-6,8)
God reveals himself to Elijah (I Kings 19:3-9,11-13,15-16)

a) Read together the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus, from the Gospel of St. Matthew (or tell in paraphrase to younger children). Have the children list the important elements of the story on the chalkboard (include the following elements in their own words):

Jesus changed in appearance, i.e., His face shown as the sun, his garment became white as light
Moses and Elijah appeared beside Jesus.
Peter's words: "It is good for us to be here!"
The bright cloud and a voice: "This is my beloved Son... .The Disciples fell on their faces; they were afraid- .Jesus spoke they were alone again with him.
Jesus said: "Tell no one until the Son of Man is risen."

b ) Younger Group: Bring out the icon of the Transfiguration of Christ. Have the children identify the elements of the story as they see them in the story .
c) Older Group: Put the following words on the chalkboard (or large paper). Discuss them with the help of dictionaries: reveal, revelation, show, manifest, manifestation, appear, appearance, transform, transformation. Divide the word transfiguration. Ask the students to find other words that describe or use similar parts of the word (cf. Appendix I). Then ask the students to give their own definition or description of what it means to be "transfigured" or "transformed"
d) Practice singing the troparion and kontakion of the feast. Add the festal antiphon verses. Note during the rehearsal the words that relate most obviously to the events that have been discussed thus far.
e) If there is additional time, ask the children if they remember and can tell the class any other stories from the Bible which tell of a manifestation of God (i.e., a time when God re- vealed himself to someone).

Session Three
By the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:

Give examples of the importance of Light in our lives, physically and spiritually. Give examples from the Bible, Liturgy, or icons describing or showing God as Light .(Middle/Older students) Locate and explain biblical and liturgical texts referring to light.
(Middle/Older students) Explain the meaning of St. Paul/s words: "once you were in darkness, now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true) and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. (Eph. 5:8-10)
Sing the Troparion and Kontakion of the Feast of Transfiguration.

In Advance: You may wish to check a library for films, magazines, or other books that would provide information appropriate to the level of your children. Hang a white sheet from the ceiling. Prepare the room so that it can be darkened and place a floodlight about 2- 4 meters in back of the sheet, pointed toward the sheet.
a) When the children begin to gather, select the first third of the arrivals and have them wait in another room. After the class has assembled (on the front side of the sheet, bring the others in (preferably through another door, or in a way that will not permit the others to see who they are). Turn on the floodlight behind the sheet. Lead the smaller group into the area behind the sheet. Have each "mystery" child stand, one at a time, between the light and the sheet, face forward, then in profile. Let the other members of the class try to identify them. After all have been silhouetted, then turn on the lights and lower the sheet. See how many were correctly identified.
b) Discuss the importance of light for seeing. What would the world be like if there were no sun, no light? Would it be possible to live in a world without any light? What is the effect on plants if there is no light? What is the effect on people? Can you give any examples?
c) Tell or read the story of the Blind Man (John 9:1-41). Discuss the story. What part did they like best? How did the blind man receive his sight? How did his parents react they they found out? How did the other people react? How would you react if you saw something similar happen? What did Jesus mean when he said: "I am the light of the world?" (If the group is divided, have the older students read and discuss John 1:1-14). Look up the following words and discuss their relation to the selections from John's gospel: light, illu- mine, illuminate, enlighten.
d) Examine the story of the Transfiguration of Christ as recorded in the three synoptic gos- pels: Matthew, Mark and Luke. Pick out the passages that speak of light or refer to it in some way. Look for references to light in the troparion, kontakion, and the other festal verses.
e) Review the following passages from the Bible. Let the students divide into pairs or small groups of 3 or 4 and choose a passage to illustrate in a poster (or , a panel in a mural, a cloth . banner, etc.). Select verses that are appropriate to the age group.

Genesis 1: 1-5 Creation of light
Psalm 104:1-2 "Thou art clothed with honor and majesty, who coverest thyself with light as with a garment"
Psalm 27:1 "The Lord is my light and my Savior; whom shall I fear?"
Psalm 89:15 "Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O
Lord, in the light of Thy countenance..."
Psalm 90:8 "Thou hast set our iniquities before Thee, our secret sins in; the light of Thy countenance."
Psalm 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."
John 1:4-5 "In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it."
John 3:19ff. "And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world
and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."
John 8:12 "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Provide supplies of crayons, marking pens, paint, colored paper, picture magazines (that can be cut up), white posterboard or large sheets of paper, scissors, scraps of cloth, large pieces of material (old sheets, burlap, etc. for banners), white glue, yarn and other scrap items that can be used for decoration. Dictionaries should also be available for students to check the meaning of certain words.

Session Four
Note: This session should be scheduled for the day immediately preceding the day on which the Feast of the Transfiguration is celebrated.
The focus of today's session is the preparation for the Feast.
Divide the class into two groups: younger students and older students.
Younger Students:
a) Review (or if it is the first day, draw materials from Session One) the concept of transformation or transfiguration. Relate the concept to the manner in which bread and wine are made, i.e., wheat/ flour plus yeast and other ingredients become bread; grapes and. sugar (natural or added) become wine after fermentation. Note that any food we eat is changed into our own flesh and blood, which is how we are able to grow. When we receive holy communion, the bread and wine not only become part of our bodies but make us part of the Body and Blood of Christ.
b) Spend the remaining part of the time making the prosfora for the Divine Liturgy. When making the dough, you may wish to make a small amount without yeast so that the students can compare and see what yeast does to make bread.
c) Make greeting cards for the sick and elderly who will be receiving food baskets. Older Students:
a) Examine the stikhira and aposticha verses for the feast to see what they say about Moses and Elijah, and about the crucifixion of Christ. (For guides in interpreting the texts, see pp. 131-135 in WORSHIP: An Elementary Handbook on the Orthodox Faith, by Fr. Thomas Hopko. Russian Title: Foundations of Orthodoxy)
b) Practice singing the stikhira and aposticha verses for the Vesper service. Review other music for the feast.
c) Prepare baskets of grapes and other fruit or vegetables for distribution to shut-ins (sick and elderly) after they are blessed at the Divine Liturgy. Decorate the church with flowers and others greens, set up tables for the blessing of the fruit, and complete any other prepa- rations necessary for the feast. (Some of the students may be needed to help the younger children prepare the prosfora.)

The Day of the Feast of Transfiguration
The summer feast can in many ways become a special feast day for children, one they will look forward to celebrating each year. The priest may wish to perform the proskomedia in their presence so that they can offer commemorations directly as he cuts the breads that they have made and offered. Having learned the special verses of the feast, the students may sing either parts or all of the service on this day. Non-singers can assist people in bringing their baskets of fruit to the tables where they will be blessed, or assist in placing candles or serving in the altar.
After the service a picnic lunch and perhaps a presentation for the parents can be made, demonstrating what they have learned about the feast. Later, (if distance is not a problem), food baskets can be distributed to the shut-ins. Greeting cards made by the younger children can accompany the baskets that are delivered.