What Is Our Motto?
Fruit of the Spirit
by Manon Ceridwen James (revised, originally published in 2014)
Suitable for Whole School (Pri)
Aims
To explore the school’s ethos by looking at the fruit of the Spirit.
Preparation and materials
- You will need your school’s motto.
- You will also need the Bible passage found in Galatians 5.22–23.
Assembly
- Explain that Paul is a well-known person in the Bible. After a life-changing encounter with God, he went on to become one of the leaders and teachers in the Early Church – possibly the most influential one of all.
- Paul wrote letters to the Churches that he had started or was supporting. In these letters, he gave the Churches advice, and sometimes, told them off! His letter to the Galatians – that is, the people of the Church in Galatia (in Turkey) – was one of these.
Explain that in today’s assembly, we are going to explore something that Paul wrote to the people in Galatia. - The Bible passage Galatians 5.22–23 talks about the kind of people we should be and how we should treat one another.
Read Galatians 5.22–23: ‘The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.’ - What Paul meant by the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ was that all members of the Church should show certain qualities or characteristics, both as individuals and as a group, a Church. These are great principles for us to consider in school!
- Explore further the idea of characteristics by playing the following short game.
Ask everyone to stand up. Then, ask everyone who has brown hair to sit down. Next, ask everyone whose birthday is in January, February or March to sit down. Finally, ask those who enjoy playing a sport to sit down.
How many people are left?
Explain how we are all different and like different things. In other words, we have different characteristics. - Qualities are more difficult to explain, but discuss the following questions with the children.
– Are we noisy people or quiet people?
– Are we a lively person or a still person?
– Are we caring, kind, thoughtful . . .?
Explain that these are qualities. It is not necessarily better to be noisy or quiet, lively or still, but it makes us who we are. Some qualities are good ones for us all to have, such as being kind, caring or friendly. - Talk about how groups of people can also have qualities and characteristics. A school will have a motto (say what your school’s is). Explore a little with the children what the motto means. Explain how, at some stage in the school’s life, the headteacher and the governors decided that this is what they wanted the school to be like. They felt that this was what was important about their school, and created something to aim for – its ethos.
- Explain that Paul wanted the Churches to have certain qualities and characteristics too. He probably would have liked the school motto (make connections here if there are specific links that can be made).
Time for reflection
The fruits of the Spirit are like a motto, an ethos, for every Christian. However, they’re not just about what kind of people we are, but about how we behave to one another.
Ask the children whether there are any words in the list of the fruits of the Spirit that they do not understand. Explain them briefly if needed, and then repeat them: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Read Galatians 5.22–23 again slowly, emphasizing and giving space for reflection after each ‘fruit’: ‘The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.’
Ask the children which of these qualities they find easiest and which they find most difficult.
Encourage them to think about how they can practise these qualities in their lives today.
Song/music
‘Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5.22-23)’, available at: https://youtu.be/qG9SbXG9BaY (2.31 minutes long)
