Telling, Singing, and Baking: A Recipe for Teaching Orthodox Saints' Stories

“Isn’t it traumatic for children to learn about the beheading of John the Baptist? How do we teach the Orthodox saints in a classical, christian way without all the gruesome details?”

I frequently think about this call I received from a concerned parent of a kindergartner shortly after Christ the Savior Academy opened its doors in 2012. The Beheading of St. John The Baptist is always one of the first liturgies of the Christ the Savior Academy school year – August 29.

Should young children commemorate the beheading of a saint, this mother questioned.

My answer to her then and to anyone else now is “absolutely, yes!” Orthodox christian education requires us to teach children about the beheading of John the Baptist (I’ll explain why in a minute.). In fact. there is a basic recipe in classical christian education for teaching children about Orthodox Saints at home: Telling, Singing, Baking and Eating.

Telling the Saints Stories

First, before your children celebrate any feast day at Liturgy, you should tell the saint’s story at home. I recommend the following readings for St. John the Forerunner:

So, who was John the Baptist?

God chose St. John the Baptist (the cousin of Jesus) to “prepare the way of the Lord.” The angel Gabriel visited John’s father, Zachariah, foretelling his birth. The angel proclaimed that John would call people to repentance and point them toward Jesus.

“The Birth of Saint John the Baptist” by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, circa 1655

True to the prophesy, John the Baptist called people to repent – sparing not even the high and mighty – King Herod and Herodias. You see, King Herod took his brother’s wife, Herodias. John called Herod out on this sin, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Herodias fumed. So, when Herodias’ daughter delighted the King with a dance, the King told the daughter she could have anything she wanted. He even offered her half of his kingdom!

The Gruesome Death of John the Baptist

The daughter consulted her mom, Herodias. What should I ask? Herodias told the daughter to ask for John’s head on a platter. The girl hurried back to the king and made her request, “I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” King Herod was deeply distressed, but he did not want to betray his oath in front of the crowd of people. He ordered an executioner to decapitate John the Baptist. The executioner came back with John’s head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl, in turn, gave it to her mother. The disciples received the rest of John’s body and buried it.

Should we clean up the story when sharing it with our children?

The problem with “cleaning up” the stories of the Bible and the outcome of the saints is that we teach a lie. We fall into the same trap of many modern churches. We begin to teach a doctrine of glorification that goes like this: If you follow Christ and serve Him alone, God will bless you with great wealth, lots of friends, and your job or business will flourish. The problem with this teaching is that it is wrong. Dead wrong. Orthodoxy teaches quite the opposite. As Father Thomas Hopko put it, “If you really do Christianity well, they kill you.”

The Symbol of Our Faith is Barbaric

Think about our symbol of Christianity – a cross. It has become so ubiquitous culturally that even rap singers wear giant gold crosses. The meaning of the cross has been lost on us in modern times. Imagine if the cross you wear on a chain around your neck was instead an electric chair. The very symbol of our faith is jolting, and we don’t – nor should we – change it. It is a reminder daily of what Jesus suffered for our sake, and what our fate is, ultimately, as Christians. John 5:18-20 says, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

Teaching Truth to our Children

It is important for us to teach our children to love the saints and to uphold them as our heroes. It is important that they know the truth – even the gruesome truth – about what those saints experienced. When our children go through difficult times – rejection from their peers, for example – they need to know that they are not alone. The saints, whom they revere, also experienced those troubles.

Celebrate the Saints with Singing!

Just as children learn from stories, they also learn from singing. A fun way to engrain the story of The Forerunner into your child’s mind is to sing a song about him. Gigi Shadid, an Orthodox priest’s wife, was one of the original members of the steering committee that formed Christ the Savior Academy. She has a beautiful song called, “Guess Who?,” about St. John the Baptist. It tells his story from his mission to his martyrdom. You can find this song on Spotify. You can also purchase her music here. Sing it with your children on your way to Liturgy to celebrate St. John’s feast day!

Baking is Making Memories

Next, bake the story into your children’s memory.

St. John the Baptist was known for eating wild honey and locusts in the desert. Khouria Destinie has created a locust and honey crescent roll recipe as another way to seal this story inside your child’s memory. Have your children help you prepare this dessert from the desert. While you eat it, talk about the story of St. John the forerunner’s life.

Food For Thought

Finally, all feast days involve eating. The beheading of John the Baptist is a strict fasting day. Many pious Orthodox Christians will not eat food from a flat plate, use a knife, or eat round food on this day. It is a reminder that John’s head was served on a platter and given to Herodias’ daughter. Khouria Destinie, who writes the Orthodox blog called “Ascetic Life of Motherhood”, has some creative ideas for involving your children. Let your children help you brainstorm ways to serve and prepare food without a knife, round plate (and no round food). Here are some suggestions to get you started: