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The Boy Who Loved God and Became the Champion of Truth Sunday Service Children’s Story
Materials:
• Map of Great Britain and Ireland • Picture of Saint Patrick showing the clover • Picture of shamrock • Picture or statue of Saint Patrick as a saint • Focus of threefold flame
Preparations: • Prepare any necessary materials • Invite children up to steps of altar. • Reader of story sits in a chair with children sitting on floor in front of her.
• Include children’s story, even if there are no children in your congregation, to welcome families who may come to the service.
• You can add your own creativity to the stories. You may feel comfortable using props or presenting them just as they are written.
• Feel free to adjust the content to fit your time frame. However, for the spiritual development of the child, we encourage keeping as much of the Ascended Master’s Teachings as possible.
Time: 8 -‐ 10 minutes, depending on storyteller delivery and children’s responses.
Good morning and welcome to our children’s story. Today we celebrate
Saint Patrick who is now an ascended master. He was born many centuries
ago in the country called Great Britain in Europe. He grew up in a devotional
family. His father was a strong believer in God and Patrick often saw his father
praying.
Let’s listen to the story of Saint Patrick.
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Saint Patrick
One day, when Patrick was about the age of fourteen, he was outside
with friends when a group of Irish raiders invaded the area and captured him.
They took him away and boarded their ship and sailed far from his home in
Great Britain across the Irish Sea to Ireland. (Show route ship sailed on map)
Patrick was then sold as a slave. His owner said to him, “You will tend
sheep for me and do as I instruct you.”
“Yes, Master” replied Patrick as he had to be obedient to his owner. He
knew that his life did not really belong to this man and that his true master
was Jesus. He missed his family and his freedom.
Instead of feeling sorry for himself, Patrick made the choice to pray. He
remembered his father giving his devotions to God. So, during the long, lonely
hours in the fields and hills of Ireland, Patrick found comfort in praying. Day
after day, year after year, Patrick prayed and his faith continued to grow. He
became closer and closer to Jesus.
He wrote in his journal: “I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in
the night, nearly the same." "I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even
before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain."
Can you think of any reason of why Patrick did not feel bothered by the
snow or ice or rain? (Allow children to answer.) Sanat Kumara explained to
us that the love of God within Patrick was so strong that the fire of Patrick’s
heart was a light even in the snow and rain. Can you imagine this? Think
about the light and heat from a campfire for a moment. That can keep you
warm, right? (pause and let children respond) Patrick’s threefold flame in
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his heart was blazing so intensely that it kept him warm despite the harsh and
cold weather conditions.
One night, Patrick had a dream. The person in the dream said, “Patrick,
you are to leave Ireland by going to the coast.” When he awoke, Patrick was
so surprised, but he decided to be obedient to God, for he knew that the
person in his dream represented his Higher Self. So, Patrick snuck away very
quietly in the night and escaped.
Certain that God was leading him, Patrick plunged through the bogs and
scaled the mountains, which separated him from the sea. When he reached
the shore, he found some sailors. He asked them, “Can I go with you on your
ship to Britain?
“Sure, mate, if you can work on board.”
After six years of slavery, Patrick believed working on a ship would be
worth his freedom. “Yes, I can do whatever needs to be done,” he replied.
Patrick was so happy that he was finally free. He sailed back home to be
reunited with his family. Back in Britain, Patrick continued to pray and
realized that his mission should be to serve God. He shared with his father, “I
want to study to become a priest.” After years of study and devotion, Patrick
became a priest and then a bishop.
Later in his life, Patrick decided to return to Ireland. He desired to teach
the Irish people about Jesus. Many miracles are attributed to Patrick.
Probably the biggest miracle was that after sixty years in Ireland, he had
created over 300 churches and baptized over 120,000 persons in Ireland.
Also, among the number of legends and miracles attributed to Saint
Patrick are many interesting resurrection stories, including bringing a horse
back to life.
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Saint Patrick often used the shamrock to explain about the trinity of
God. As Patrick was preaching outside, he would pick up a shamrock that was
growing on the ground there in Ireland. He would gather the people around
him and ask, “How many leaves are there on the shamrock?” (Hold up the
shamrock and ask the questions to the children and let them respond.)
“Yes, there are three! That is what the peasants told Patrick also.” Then
Patrick asked. “How many seeds are needed for a shamrock to grow?”
“One.”
Patrick would respond: “This is the same as the Trinity -‐ God the Father,
God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are three parts of one single God”.
Here is a picture of Saint Patrick. (Show picture.)
CONCLUSION:
Let’s talk more about the shamrock. (Hold up shamrock.) Three leaves
on the one stem of the shamrock represent the Trinity -‐ Father, Son and Holy
Spirit and the corresponding energies of Power, Wisdom and Love.
Can you think of something that is the manifestation of God in each one of
us that embodies the energies of love, wisdom and power? (Allow children to
answer.) The Threefold Flame! (Hold up a focus of the threefold flame.)
Yes, just like Saint Patrick we can blaze the fire of our hearts and expand the
threefold flame in our hearts each day to become closer to God and our Holy
Christ Self and I AM Presence. We have a wonderful decree that helps us do
that: Balance the Threefold Flame.
OPTIONAL: recite it one time through with the children
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OPTIONAL: I am handing you an illustration of a shamrock in honor of
Saint Patrick and a reminder of your own threefold flame. (Give each child a
picture of a shamrock.) Thank you for joining us. Have a wonderful day.
Permission is granted to copy and share this lesson in its entirety, including all copyright and contact information. This lesson may not be sold or used in any way to gain profit.
Published by Montessori International. Copyright © 2014 Summit Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.
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