Easter Assignment: Palm Sunday and Cleansing

Theme: Palm Sunday and Cleansing


Palm Sunday, which is a week before Easter, commemorates the entrance of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem as children waved palm fronds. Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy Week.




This painting was created by George & Diana Voyajolu, Iconographers, Kamena Vourla, Greece. The Entry into Jerusalem. Byzantine style, contemporary artists.


Study Guide Assignments

1. Read Matthew 21:1-17. This passage references the Old Testament three times. Copy down a quote in at least one of the verses (5, 13, or 16). Then read the Old Testament references, along with other adjacent verses in context: Isaiah 62:11-12, Isaiah 56:6-8, and Psalm 8:1-4.
2. When Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem, the first place he went was the temple, where he “cleansed” it of all of the unholy things that were going on there. The temple is a symbol of our own hearts that Jesus wants to cleanse and transform into houses of prayer where he can dwell. Read Psalm 51:1-12 and think about it. Copy down the first verse.
   
3. The hymn “All Glory, Laud and Honor” is about Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Read the words and listen to the music on-line at: All Glory, Laud and Honor. Read about the hymn and lyricist at Hymn Story and Theoldulph of Orleans. Write down when and where Theodulph lived and died.
4. Click on each of these links to see a classic painting. For each one, tell me who the artist was, as well as about what year the painting was created. Entry Into Jerusalem and Christ's Entry Into Jerusalem. Then look at this stained glass: Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and write at least one sentence about it. Be sure to read the descriptions!
5. Choose one thing from today's assignments -- either a Scripture, the hymn, or a piece of artwork -- and write a response paragraph of at least five sentences that describe it and tell of your personal opinions about it.

Easter Assignment: The Last Supper and Trial

Theme: The Last Supper and the Trial

1. The painting "The Last Supper" (above) is by Leonardo da Vinci. He painted it in 1498 on the refectory (dining room) wall in the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. It is 15 feet high and 29 feet long! Click on the picture to enlarge it. Then, pay attention to the details in the picture and write down a few sentences about what story it is telling.
2. All four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) include the story of the "Last Supper" but each one differs in how they present what happened. Read Matthew 26:17-35, Mark 14:12-31, and John 13:1-37. Write down at least one detail in each passage that wasn't in the others. What parts of the story do all of them include? What is one thing that you can apply in your own life from these passages?
3. Read about Gethsemane and the trial at Matthew 26:36-75. Copy down the four section headings from the Scripture passage.
4. The painting "Ecce Homo" is by Swiss artist, Antonio Ciseri (October 25, 1821 – March 8, 1891). "Ecce Homo" means "Behold the Man." The scene is Jesus' trial before Pontius Pilate, who is listening to the crowd. Please click on it to enlarge it. Write a two sentence response to it.

Easter Assignment: The Death of Christ

Theme: The Death of Christ

Study Guide Assignments

1. Read Isaiah 53:1-12 and Psalm 22:1-18. These prophecies were written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, yet they foretell his death as the Messiah. Copy at least two verses from one of these passages. Write down at least two words from Isaiah 53 which are synonyms for the word sin.
   
2. Click on When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. Read the lyrics, listen to the audio, and click on the verse reference. Copy down the Bible verse and the first stanza (four lines) of the hymn. Who is the lyricist (the man who wrote the words)? About how many centuries ago were the words written?
3. Michelangelo sculpted the Pietà during the Renaissance era. ("Renaissance" is a French word which means rebirth.) Look at the sculpture carefully, and then write two sentences describing it. Then write another sentence telling who made it (including his last name), when it was created and where it is now. Then go to http://www.dictionary.com/ to find out what “pietà” means, and write the definition. What would it have been like to be Mary, holding Jesus' body after it was removed from the cross?
   
4. Read Luke 23:26-56 and let it sink in. Imagine what it would have been like for you to be right there. Write several sentences as if you were making an entry in your journal the next day. You will continue this tomorrow in the assignment about the resurrection.
5. Read the poem below and copy the first stanza.

"WHO OVERCAME EVIL BY GOOD"
by Mary Whitcomb Hess after a homily by Saint Amphilochius in the 4th Century

They stretch Him
On a Cross to die ---
Our Lord Who first
Stretched out the sky

Whose countenance
The cherubim
Dare not gaze on …
They spat on Him

And gave Him gall
To drink
Though He
Brings us wells
Of eternity.

He prays for them
“Father, forgive…”
For He was born
That all might live.

Round the sealed tomb
Of Him they’ve slain
They set a guard
In vain, in vain

Round Him
Creation can’t contain
Who dies for us
To rise again.

~*~*~

6. This tapestry below, "The Crucifixion" by Pieter Pannemaker, is found in the National Gallery of Art. You can click on it to enlarge it. How can you use your creative skills -- in visual arts, music, writing, or public speaking -- to communicate the message of Christ?

Easter Assignment: The Resurrection

Theme: The Resurrection




"The Resurrection of Christ" was painted by Russian Orthodox artist Mikhail Nesterov at end of the 1890's.








Study Guide Assignments

1. Read the story of the resurrection and the ascension in Matthew 28 and Luke 24. Copy at least one verse from each passage.
2. Continue the journal entry you started yesterday, writing as if you were there when these things happened.
3. Listen to Christ the Lord is Risen Today! by Charles Wesley. What word appears at the end of each line, and what is an alternate spelling for this word?
4. Read a blog post by Julia Knowles on her 3 month mission trip to Bolivia: *Behold, I am making all things new* :) Revelation 21 At the bottom, she talks about heaven. What famous preacher did she quote and when did he preach his sermon, "No Tears in Heaven"?
5. Look at the painting, "Le Jour des Morts" (The Day of Death) by William Beaugereau in 1859. According to 1 Corinthians 15:35-58, what hope do we have because of the resurrection of Christ?
6.