- Home
- New Church Day
- Visions in Heaven
- Family Overview
(Revelation 4:1)
From-The-Word_Visions-In-Heaven
When John was on the Isle of Patmos, the Lord allowed him to see visions in heaven that are prophecies of the New Church or the New Jerusalem. The woman clothed with the sun is one of these prophecies. She portrays a new church in heaven and on earth and her baby symbolizes the teachings of that New Church.
This beautiful prophecy appeals to all ages. Children like to learn about the beautiful woman, baby, the fierce dragon, and Michael and his angels ready to fight. But there is a deeper meaning to this story, with an important message to all who would like to help the Lord establish the New Church. As with the Christmas story, if parents and teachers discover the underlying spiritual story in this prophecy of the New Church, their deep feelings for it will affect the children around them.
READ: Quotes from the Lord's Word
FAMILY WORSHIP: The Woman Clothed with the Sun
- Read aloud the story in Revelation 12.
- Read one of the family talks or sermons to help your family explore the meaning of the story.
ACTIVITY: Connect the Stars to See a Sign in Heaven (ages 6-12)
Use a felt tip pen or marker with a wide tip or highlighter pen for best results with this project.
CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
There is a wealth of resources to help people learn more about this story:
- The Birthday of the New Church is retold from the book of Revelation by Carol Buss and illustrated by Mary S. Cooper. This is an excellent book to use with younger children (ages 3-9). (A mother of preschoolers suggests reading it to young children over four sessions and doing a project or activity in connection with each section.)
- The Woman Clothed with the Sun is retold from the book of Revelation by Bryn Brock and illustrated by Anna Cole. With its powerful illustrations, this is a great book for all ages.
- The Story of Revelation offers readers the text from the New King James Bible paired with full-page illustrations by Mary S. Cooper. This book also offers a brief summary of the spiritual meaning of John's visions, making it a great resource for families with older children.
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.
(Revelation 12:1)
Imagine the beauty of this woman clothed with the sun! She portrays the New Church being established in heaven and on earth. She is clothed with the sun because the New Church is to be characterized by love to the Lord. And she is about to give birth to a baby boy.
READ: "The Woman Clothed with the Sun"
An introduction to the inner meaning of two of John's visions in the
book of Revelation - a woman clothed with the sun and a great
red dragon - as revealed through Emanuel Swedenborg.
PROJECT: New Church Day Representation (ages 8 and up)
Make a representation of the woman clothed with the sun, using a small
doll and special fabrics. An alternative would be to make figures
with clothespins or pipe cleaners, using tissue paper or beautiful yellow
fabric to clothe the woman, etc.
READ: "The Meaning of the Woman Clothed with the Sun" by the Rev. James Cooper
An in-depth look at the meaning of John's vision of the woman clothed with the sun and its application in our lives.
PROJECT: Make a Crown of Stars (ages 4-10)
Describes several ways to make a crown of stars to wear.
ACTIVITY: Make a Sun Cake (ages 14 and up)
Serve this special cake to your family at a New Church Day celebration!
PROJECT: Woman Clothed with the Sun Stained Glass Window (ages 5 and up)
Print the picture onto a clear transparency or paper that is somewhat translucent before coloring OR color the picture with markers, then apply salad oil to suggest a stained glass window.
ACTIVITY: Dramatization of Revelation 12 (all ages)
A simple script for re-enacting the story.
ACTIVITY: Costume Suggestions for Dramatizing Revelation 12
Here are some great ideas for making simple costumes for dramatizing Revelation 12. For example, the girl being the woman clothed with the sun might be costumed with yellow silk squares or a yellow towel. She might stand on a chair, holding a baby doll up toward heaven while another child makes a crescent moon under her feet.
COLORING PAGE: Woman Clothed with the Sun by Marguerite L. Acton
COLORING PAGE: Woman Clothed with the Sun by Edith Elphick
COLORING PAGE: Woman Clothed with the Sun by Mary S. Cooper
PROJECT: Felt Puppets for New Church Day (gifts for ages 2-6)
Make finger puppets such as the ones pictured here as a gift for young children.
Older children (ages 5-9) could use small paper bags to make their own
puppets for dramatizing this story.
PROJECT: Woman Clothed with the Sun Candle Holder (ages 8-14)
Make a beautiful stand to put in front of a candle or on a window sill so that
the woman clothed with the sun is lit up from behind.
She bore a male Child...and her Child was caught up to God and His throne.
(Revelation 12:5)
This baby boy symbolizes the precious teachings from the Lord - teachings given for the New Church.
READ: "The Woman Clothed with the Sun and Her Baby" (unknown author)
A brief talk for preschoolers about how the Lord protected the Woman's baby from the terrible dragon and how He will protect us as well.
READ: "What Is New About the New Church?" by the Rev. Dan Goodenough
"Everything is new about the New Church primarily because now we can clearly understand the Lord...and what He wants for us and from us."
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Cherishing Special Teachings of the New Church (for teens and adults)
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon
having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.
His tail drew a third part of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.
(Revelation 12: 3,4)
The dragon threatens the reception of the New Church in each of us, because it pictures a superficial acknowledgement of the Lord's truths without any willingness to live according to them.
READ: "Yes, There Are Dragons" by the Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz
In what ways do dragons really exist? How can we overcome the potential dragon in our own lives?
READ: "Visions of Heaven" by the Rev. Robert Junge
An introduction to the connection between John's visions on the island of Patmos and the birth of the New Church which was revealed to Emanuel Swedenborg many centuries later.
FAMILY DISCUSSION: The Great Red Dragon
John saw another sign in heaven - a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. The dragon wanted to eat the child of the woman clothed with the sun.
-
You might ask your children if they can think of someone else in the Word who wanted to kill a precious baby. (e.g. King Herod wanted to hurt baby Jesus. And the pharaoh of Egypt wanted to kill baby Moses and all of the other Hebrew baby boys.)
-
The dragon stands for people who are in love of self and the world. They like to think that knowledge about spiritual things will save them - apart from how they live. They don't want to apply the teachings of their religion to life.
-
The baby boy is a symbol for the beautiful teachings of the New Church. How did the Lord protect the male child born to the woman clothed with the sun? (e.g. You could also ask how did Joseph and the wise men thwart Herod? How did the mother of Moses find a way to save him?)
PROJECT: Make a Dragon with Wooden Beads (ages 4-8)
Use pipe cleaners and wooden beads to make a simple dragon with 7 heads. Then put it near a picture or representation of the woman clothed with the sun.
ACTIVITY: Make a Dragon Piñata (ages 10 and up)
Make a dragon piñata and fill it with small wrapped candies and/or little toys. Let children of all ages take turns "fighting" the dragon, using a wooden sword (or heavy stick).
PROJECT: Egg Carton Dragon Project (ages 6-9)
Younger children might enjoy making one of the dragon's heads from an egg carton.
COLORING PAGE: The Woman's Son Is Taken Up to Heaven by Robert G. Glenn
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon....
(Revelation 12:7-10)
Imagine fighting a fierce dragon with seven heads and a powerful tail! Michael symbolizes those who believe in the Lord God Jesus Christ and that people must live the life of religion not just know about it. Rather than being one mighty angel, Michael represented a whole group of angels defending the Divinity of the Lord and the life of love and charity.
READ: "Michael, the Great Prince" by the Rev. Patrick A. Rose
An overview of the meaning of the name "Michael" and the powerful representation of the angel Michael in the book of Revelation and in our own lives.
PROJECT: Stained Glass Window of Michael and the Dragon (ages 9-14)
READ: "Spiritual Warfare" (unknown author)
Describes how the spiritual warfare seen by John, and later witnessed by Emanuel Swedenborg, repre¬sents the battles each one of us must make to remain loyal to the Lord's teachings.
PROJECT: Make a Simple Sword (ages 5-9)
Cut a sword out of cardboard and cover with aluminum foil or fasten together two pieces of wood to make a simple sword.
PROJECT: Make a Shield (ages 4-8)
Make a shield that can represent Michael fighting against evil and false ideas. A smaller shield could also be worn as a badge.
SONG: "Behold, the Great Red Dragon" (by Lori Odhner)
Children enjoy singing this song, with or without the hand motions!
ACTIVITY: Hand Motions for "Behold, the Great Red Dragon"
COLORING PAGE: Angels War with the Dragon by Mary S. Cooper
COLORING PAGE: Michael's Army Faces the Dragon's Army by Robert G. Glenn
PROJECT: Banner of Michael and the Dragon (ages 12 and up)
Make this banner as a New Church Day decoration for your home. In some New Church congregations, this banner is presented to boys as a New Church Day gift.
FOR REFLECTION: When Am I Like...? (for teens and adults)
The story about the woman clothed with the sun and Michael fighting the dragon is a beautiful prophecy about the New Church. But it also relates to our lives - now. Just think about what the woman, Michael, and the dragon mean. Then ask yourself:
-
When am I like the dragon?
-
When am I like Michael?
-
When am I "clothed with the sun" like the woman?
The church consists of those who from the heart acknowledge the Divine of the
Lord, and who learn truths from the Lord by the Word and do them.
(Apocalypse Explained 388)
The apostle John saw the vision of the woman clothed with the sun and her baby - a prophecy of the New Church. The Lord instituted this New Church in 1770, but it will take time and effort to help it grow in depth and breadth.
READ: "The Birth of the New Church" (family talk)
The disciple John was on the Isle of Patmos when the Lord showed him many pictures in the spiritual world. The picture of the woman clothed with the sun stands for the New Church, and the Nineteenth Day of June is the birthday of the New Church.
FAMILY DISCUSSION: What can we do to help the church?
Answers will vary, but may include :
- read the Word
- learn about the Lord
- do my work to the best of my ability
- be kind to others
JOURNAL PAGE: What Can I Do to Help the Church? (for teens and adults)
As we reflect on the drama of the woman being threatened by the dragon and defended by Michael and his angels, we might wonder how we can help the church pictured by the beautiful woman.
FOR REFLECTION: Wings of an Eagle (for teens and adults)
How can I develop the spiritual intelligence symbolized by the wings of the eagle that were given to the Woman Clothed with the Sun?
READ: "What Is New Church Day" by the Rev. Karl Alden
What happened on June 19th? Why do we celebrate it as the birthday of the New Church?
Decorating Your Home
This month's website offers several projects that can decorate your home for the birthday of the New Church. Among these are the New Church Day representation of the woman clothed with the Sun, the New Church Day flag, and the many art projects. To extend the theme of the woman clothed with the sun, you might decorate the house with yellow streamers and balloons. And if you give your children New Church gifts (such as religious books or song tapes), you might want to wrap them in yellow or gold paper.
PROJECT: "Stained Glass Window Hanging" for New Church Day (ages 5-up)
Use waxed paper, colored tissue paper, and glue to make a "stained glass" window hanging.
ACTIVITIES: Making New Church Day Special
There are many ways to help our children develop affections for this religious festival. New Church congregations may hold an outdoor service, put on a pageant, give gifts to the children, and have a picnic. Families can have a special breakfast or brunch. Choose red and white food to echo the colors of the New Church flag (strawberries and whipped cream, cherry Danish, cranberry juice, etc.) or yellow and orange food to suggest the sun which clothed the woman
(the sun cake, scrambled eggs with cheese, lemon Danish, lemonade, toast with orange marmalade, oranges, etc.).
The reason for celebrating this day may be more obscure for children than why we celebrate Christmas and Easter, but parents and teachers can help children sense its importance by differentiating this day from other days. A minister's wife once observed, "If each one of us makes the day important in our own way, then our celebration will have sincerity and vitality."