In order to save time, it would be ideal to have students meet in the outside location rather than meet inside and move to the outside location. Be sure to arrive early so that students who get there early are not left feeling uneasy about being in the right location if they are the first to arrive.
Do not worry about the exact nature of your outdoor location. There will be an understandable desire to find the most “natural” spot filled with the most grass and trees around your building, but in many locations this will simply not be possible. It doesn’t matter where you are, you will still be in the midst of God’s creation. While being in an urban setting may seem like a handicap at first, it may highlight all the more our dependence upon creation.
When the majority of students have arrived, begin by giving some brief instructions for how the day should proceed; this way the opening prayer service can lead directly into the time of observation.
Students will be given 30 minutes to explore the area alone in whatever way is most comfortable. During this time they may walk around and observe or find a place to sit and watch. They may take notes in the weekly handout if they like, but they should not feel pressure to do so. The important thing is that the student engages in some silent observation time. For many people, this will be a hard activity. Our society is not used to quietly stopping and watching. The overarching goal is for the student to look for ways in which they are dependent upon creation, especially ways specific to this environment, whatever that environment may be.
Teacher’s Note: Dependence should be understood in a holistic manner. This includes ways in which we are dependent upon creation in the area physically, spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, etc.
Creation should also be understood in a holistic manner. We are talking about sunlight, rain, air, plants, and animals, but we are also talking about people and man-made objects. (In one setting the church was across the street from an urgent care center, and one of the participants reflected on our dependence on other people, which led to a good and important conversation.)
After 30 minutes students should meet back at the starting location where they will take some time to debrief and share what they have observed.
Use the prayer service provided in the Week 4 worksheet available in the appendix.
Teacher’s Note: Many within the church have pulled away from liturgy in recent decades. Reasons for this vary, but one common theme is that people feel it is meaningless repetition. In recent years, certain church movements have come back to liturgy, but all too often they, too, do not seem to understand why the liturgy is set up the way it is. Below are a few thoughts explaining why the prayer service is set up the way it is. If there is time, you may want to point out some of these thoughts before you begin so that people can more fully understand what they are experiencing.
The prayer service has been designed around Psalm 148, using verse 1 as a refrain throughout. Many of the psalms were written as hymns and have played an integral role in the worship life of the church for thousands of years. Throughout the age of the church psalms have been used in liturgies as refrains in order to highlight certain themes. This service attempts to pull together the theme of joining with all of creation in the praise of the Creator from week 2 with the theme of dependence on God through creation as discussed in week 3, especially in light of the catechetical passages we studied.
The opening begins with an invocation. There is no benediction before the individual prayer and observation time because the service has not come to an end. This time of prayer and observation is a part of the worship. We then come back together to discuss and debrief before returning to the formal part of our worship time with the same refrain from Psalm 148. The second portion of the service ends with a benediction marking an end to the service as a whole.
Allow students to go and explore. Take the time to pray and make observations as well. For students who are still struggling with the concept of what they are “supposed to do,” encourage them to ponder the answers to the questions they will be discussing with their small groups.
Have students come back together in their small groups and debrief on their experience, using the three questions printed in their weekly handout as a guide.
Use the closing prayer service provided in the weekly handout to close the class time.
Be sure to remind the class that you will be meeting in your regular classroom space next week.
Stay around to answer any questions.