Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mr. Robertson, and I love RE.

I'm really, really excited to be learning with you today.

We've got a fabulous lesson in store.

Our lesson today is using our big inquiry question, "The world, how do different people explain how it started?" We're going to be thinking all about that big question of the universe, and our lesson is called Creation, Deeper Meanings.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explore the deeper meanings of the creation story for Jews and Christians.

We have three key words in our lesson today.

I'm going to say the word first and then I'd like you to say it back.

Our first key word is creation.

Amazing, our second key word is Shabbat.

Fabulous, our third key word is rest.

Amazing, shall we find out what these key words mean? So creation is the act of making something, Shabbat is the Jewish day of rest and celebration, and rest is to stop work in order to relax.

We are going to be using these keywords in our lesson, and by the end of the lesson, you will know what they all mean.

So our lesson today called Creation, Deeper Meanings has two questions that we are trying to answer, and our first question is this, what deeper meanings did Jews find? Are you ready, everybody? Then let's go.

So we're starting with Sofia and Jun and they're talking about stories.

Sofia says, "Why are we always learning about old stories in Religious Education lessons?" Jun says, "Stories can help us understand different people's worldviews.

We can learn about the difference stories make to people today." So that's why stories are told because stories are really, really important.

How does that affect this lesson? Well, in this lesson, we will be using the story of creation to help us understand Jewish and Christian world views.

Sofia and Jun are carrying on their conversation.

They're thinking about special days.

Sofia says, "My favourite day is Friday because my mum meets me from school on Fridays.

We have time to chat on the way home, then we go swimming and have tea in the cafe." Wow, Sofia, that sounds like an amazing Friday.

School, swimming, tea in the cafe, I love the sound of that Friday.

Jun says, "My favourite day is Saturday.

I like not having to get up early for school.

I have pancakes for breakfast, and then I meet my friends to play football in the park." Wow, Jun, I love Saturdays too.

It's nice to be able to lie in, isn't it? Pancakes sound amazing.

Hmm, I like lemon and sugar on mine.

I wonder what you like on your pancakes.

I wonder which day of the week is your favourite.

Why don't you pause the video, turn to the person next to you or speak to someone else about which day of the week is your favourite? And don't forget to explain why it's important as well.

Oh, look at that beautiful picture.

What can you see in that picture? Can you see the elephant? Can you see a giraffe? I wonder those with real eagle eyes, whether you can see a monkey stealing some fruit? Is that a snake or birds, parrots in the far corner? And some human beings as well.

We are thinking about the creation story, which is found in the book of Genesis, in the Torah and the Christian Bible.

In this story, God creates the world in six days.

At the end of the sixth day, God sees that creation is finished and it is good.

In other words, it's a marvellous, beautiful, wonderful creation.

Hmm, what can you see there? I wonder if you can see the objects inside the glass.

I wonder if you can see the symbol underneath.

Does that link to something you already know? On the seventh day, God stopped and rested after His work of creation.

Jewish families remember this part of the story by celebrating the seventh day of the week.

This special day is called Shabbat, and the photograph shows two Shabbat candles.

And you may have noticed the Star of David symbol, one of the symbols of Judaism.

Let's meet Rebecca.

Hello, Rebecca.

Rebecca has a Jewish worldview.

Rebecca says, "Shabbat is a special day to stop work and remember God.

we celebrate Shabbat from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday.

Shabbat reminds us that God finished His work of creation at the end of the sixth day of the week." Thank you, Rebecca, that's really, really helpful.

That's helped us understand when Shabbat is celebrated, from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday, and also that it reminds Jews about the story of creation.

You may have noticed the word God is written without an O.

That's because the word God is really sacred and important to many Jews, and so Jewish people don't write it in its full form.

Let's just think about what Rebecca's been telling us.

True or false, Shabbat is the same as any other day? Is that true or false, hmm? Let's pause the video and put our RE thinking caps on.

Off we go.

Well done, thinkers, it's false, isn't it? But why is it false? Well, it's false because Shabbat is a special day when Jews stop work and remember that God stopped and rested after creation.

Well done if you got that right.

Here's Victoria, she also has a Jewish worldview.

She's going to explain how she celebrates Shabbat.

Victoria says, "Shabbat is a holy and special day each week.

Everything slows down and there's time to reflect on God and His creation.

The Shabbat candles remind me that God created light from darkness at the beginning of the universe." So that's interesting, isn't it? For Victoria, Shabbat is about slowing down and reflecting on God, and the candles help remind her that God created light from darkness.

Thank you, Victoria.

Victoria's going to explain why she enjoys Shabbat now.

"I work hard all week as a medical scientist, so I look forward to stopping work on Shabbat.

On Friday evenings, I get home early to prepare a Shabbat meal for the family.

Shabbat begins when I light the Shabbat candles and say a prayer of blessing." So for her, it's really important for Victoria, it's a time at beginning of the weekend where she has her Shabbat meal.

Rebecca explains how she celebrates Shabbat.

"Shabbat is a day to connect with God and with others.

On Saturdays, we read and talk together as a family.

There's no work to do, not even homework.

We all switch off our phones so there are no interruptions to this special family time." So it's really about family, isn't it, for Rebecca? And I love the idea of everyone switching their phones off so they could all be present and connect with each other.

Let's just check our understanding again.

Time put on those RE thinking caps.

Which of these might a Jew do on Shabbat, A, read a book, B, do homework, C, make a phone call? Hmm, let's think about what Victoria and Rebecca have been telling us.

Pause the video and have a think.

And the answer's A, isn't it? Read a book, because homework is still a kind of work and phone calls definitely, we heard Rebecca saying that they all turned their phones off on Shabbat, didn't they? Well done if you got that right.

We're going to try a task now, thinking about this question of deeper meanings.

Sofia has been learning about Jewish families, "Jewish families light candles on Friday evenings.

I wonder why they do that?" she says.

Can you help Sofia to understand why Jewish families light candles on Friday evenings? I bet you can.

Pause the video, have a think.

How can you answer that question and help Sofia out? Think about what we heard about the story of creation, think about what some of those Jewish people talked about, what they did and why.

Pause the video, off you go.

I'm really excited to see what you come up with.

Wow, what a lot of amazing work and discussions have been on.

You might've said something like this.

You might've said, "Jewish families light candles on Friday evenings to celebrate Shabbat.

The candles remind them that God created light from darkness.

On Shabbat, Jews remember that God stopped His work of creation on the seventh day." You might've mentioned that God rests on the seventh day, and so Jewish families try and rest as well.

And so the symbolism of the candles is all about this understanding of creation and rest.

Well done if you got that right.

Brilliant thinking, everybody.

Our next big question is this, what deeper meanings do Christians find? We're going to find out even more about the creation story now.

Wow, look at that beautiful illustration.

What can you see there? Can you see light coming out and a dark blue pattern as well? Many Jews and Christians believe that God created the world in the very beginning.

They learn about God and the world through reading and talking about the deeper meaning of the creation story found in Genesis.

And Genesis is the very first book in the Torah and the Christian Bible.

This is Charlie.

Hi, Charlie.

He has a Christian worldview and he attends a Baptist church.

Charlie says, "The Bible tells me that God created the world in six days.

I believe God could do that because He's so powerful and nothing is impossible for Him.

It's important for me to believe exactly what the Bible says about creation." Well, thank you, Charlie.

So we've learned here, haven't we, that the Bible says that God created the world in six days? And for Charlie, it is really important that he believes exactly what the Bible says.

Charlie's going to explain his beliefs about creation now.

He says, "My family and I call Sunday the Sabbath.

We think of it as the Lord's day.

The Bible says it should be a holy day to rest and remember that God rested after creation.

On Sundays I go to church and I do not do any work." Well, that's quite similar, isn't it, to some of the things that Victoria and Rebecca were saying? He calls Sunday the Sabbath.

And that's similar, isn't it, to the word Shabbat? But you might have noticed that for Jews that day is Friday evening and Saturday rather than Sunday, that he rests as well and goes to church.

Let's just check our understanding here.

Why might some Christians choose to rest on a Sunday? Is it A, because Sunday is the first day of the week, B, because God rested after creating the world, C, because they have had a hard week at school or work? Put your RE thinking caps on.

Pause the video, have a think.

Excellent, it's B, isn't it? God rested after creating the world.

That's why some Christians rest on a Sunday.

Let's meet Fergus.

Fergus also has a Christian worldview and he attends an Anglican church.

Hello, Fergus.

Fergus says, "Nobody was there when God created the world.

So we don't know if creation took exactly six days.

The deeper meaning of the story of creation is that God is powerful and creative.

He made it all happen." So that's interesting, isn't it? Fergus's view is slightly different.

He's saying, "We don't know if creation took exactly six days.

But the important thing is, is that it's a story about God's power and creation." And so he's got some ideas the same, hasn't he, as Charlie? But he also has a slightly different way of looking at it as well.

Fergus explains a bit more.

He says, "Sometimes I walk in the countryside on a Sunday when I'm not at work.

I pray and thank God for His wonderful creation.

I can connect with God in nature just as easily as I can in church." So nature is really important, isn't it, Fergus? And he finds it a really helpful thing as well.

He finds he can connect with God in nature as well as he can at church.

Hmm, I've got another question for you here.

RE thinking caps on, everyone.

True or false, all Christians interpret the creation story from the Bible in the same way, is that true or false? Think about what Charlie said, think about what Fergus said.

Pause the video and have a think.

Well done, RE thinkers, it's false, isn't it? Christians don't interpret the creation story in the same way, but why is it false? Well, it's because Christians interpret the creation story in different ways.

Charlie said he thought the world was created in six days, Fergus said he wasn't sure about that, but he definitely thinks that God created the world.

They're both Christians, they have different ways of interpreting the story.

And we're going to do another practise task now.

Jun and Sofia are wondering if everyone believes the same things about creation.

"I think Christians and Jews only understand the creation story in one way," says Jun.

Sofia says, "I think they can find different meanings in the creation story." I wonder who you think is correct and can you give a reason for the person you picked? Can you explain anything? Can you think about what Victoria said, Rebecca said, Fergus said.

Charlie said, can you think of the things they were saying about what they believed about God and how they interpreted the creation story? Did they all understand it in the same way or in different ways? I'd like you to pause the video, I'd like you to go away, really putting knows RE thinking caps on, thinking what we've been learning today and come back with some answers, and I really can't wait to hear them.

Wow, you have been thinking so hard about this question, haven't you? You might have said, "Sofia is correct.

Christians and Jews find many deeper meanings in the Bible story of creation.

Jews celebrate Shabbat to remember that God stopped and rested.

Some Christians might rest on Sundays, others might spend time walking and thanking God for the beautiful world." So actually, there's lots of different ways of understanding creation story, isn't there? If you're Jewish, it might be about celebrating Shabbat, remembering that God created the world, but also resting and finding that a really important part of the creation story.

For some Christians like Charlie, you might also be wanting to rest as well.

But for other people like Fergus, it might be a really powerful story about God creating the world, but actually you might spend times walking in nature and connecting with God in that way.

Well done if you managed to think about some of the different reasons and ideas that people had for different worldviews, you really are becoming star RE thinkers.

Let's summarise what we've learned today.

We've been learning all about creation and some deeper meanings of it.

We've learned that Jews and Christians share a belief that God created the world.

We've also learned the idea of a day of rest is shared by Christians and Jews, although it's interpreted differently.

Jews like Rebecca and Victoria have a special time, the Shabbat, light candles and spend time away from their devices.

Christians might go to church or go for a walk in the countryside.

We've learned that Jews celebrate Shabbat each week to remember the seventh day in the creation story.

We've also learned that some Christians keep Sunday as a Sabbath or rest day.

I have loved learning with you today.

You've been amazing.

I really hope you've enjoyed learning more about the creation story and thinking about some of the deeper meanings of it.

And I hope you might reflect on some of these ideas.

Do you think it's important to have time to rest? Is it important to stop sometimes and think about the world and appreciate it, rather than rushing on to the next thing all the time? And I really look forward to seeing you in another RE lesson soon.

Thank you and take care.