Collective Worship (P): Independence Day

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AGE: Infants and Juniors

THEME: Independence Day

AIM:

To reflect on independence, in the context of Independence Day in the USA and in our own lives.

RESOURCES:

In the days before the collective worship, get some pupils to make a list of the things they would like to do or have if they were 'free'. You can prepare an OHP transparency listing the suggestions ready for the collective worship.

You can make an OHP transparency of the USA's flag from the image provided.

(You could print it directly from your browser, but you are likely to get better results if you save the image to disc, load it into a paint or drawing package, and print it from there.)

DEVELOPMENT:

Show the OHP of the flag. Who knows what flag it is? (Some children may know a little about the history of the flag, for example the meaning of the stars and the stripes.)

Ask who knows why 4th July is a very special day in the calendar for people of the United States of America. Key points to make include:

It was the date of the Declaration of Independence in 1776;
The making of the declaration was an important time in the history of the USA because it was when the leaders of the country decided they wanted to be free from Britain.
In the USA it is celebrated with parades and a carnival atmosphere.
It's a time for family picnics and outings.

We all dream of 'freedom'. Here you might use the list of 'freedoms' which children composed earlier; this could now be shared on the OHP transparency.

Our 'freedom' will always have a 'price'.

You might use some of the examples children made in their list or use some of these:

'Freedom'	'Price'
To enjoy listening to music	It may be too loud for others who don't enjoy my choice
To eat what I want	It may be unhealthy, e.g. too many sweets and their effect on my teeth
To say what I want	It may be hurtful to other people
To go where I want	This may involve damaging something that doesn't belong to me

When Jesus lived, the people in his country were under the rule of the Roman Empire. They were not free but had to live by the rules of the Romans whether they liked it or not.

Even Jesus' own people were divided because they had strict rules that made some people appear to be second class, or less important than others. Jesus' teaching is that we are all equally important to God and that we should feel 'free' of feeling second class or of wanting and needing to feel more important than others.

The 'price' of that freedom is that we should be as concerned about other people as we are about ourselves.

READING:

1 Corinthians 13.4-7; A description of love, being concerned about other people, and how it affects our behaviour. It is being like this that can make us truly free.

REFLECTION:

Get a group of children to make their own prayers of thanks for the freedoms that they feel are theirs.

MUSIC:

'Our eyes have seen the glory of our saviour Christ the Lord', in Junior Praise, no. 191 (Marshall Pickering)
or
'He's got the whole world in his hands' in Junior Praise, no. 78, (Marshall Pickering)

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES:

Find out more background information about American 'Independence Day' by looking at one of the many web sites, e.g. www.holidays.net/independence/
What was the War of Independence about?
Find out more about slavery in America. What must life have been like as a slave?
Listen to some of the traditional spirituals sung by the American slaves. What sort of life do they describe? What sort of hopes could the slaves have?

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