First Thoughts: As we draw closer to the celebration of Christmas our lectionary directs our attention to the work of John the Baptist, the one who prepared the way for Christ's introduction to the world. Although this story occurs about three decades after the birth of Christ, the message is still relevant. We always make preparations for important events. The question we must ask is what is the event for which we are preparing? If we see Christmas as a party, we will focus on getting the right food and music and making the house look beautiful. If we see Christmas as a chance to exchange gifts, we will spend a lot of time shopping and wrapping presents to put under the tree. But if we see Christmas as the coming of Christ into our lives, we prepare by making room. That means we empty ourselves of clutter, opting for silence over noise, for stillness over activity, for fasting over feasting. We do this so we don't become lost to the deepest promise of the season -- a chance for rebirth and resurrection in our faith. We are reminded that birth comes out of focused attention and effort, and resurrection occurs only after the stillness of the tomb. Spend some time in silence and stillness as you prepare this lesson for your children this morning, and consider how you might extend that practice to your celebration of the Advent.
Teaching On Your Own: (wears traffic vest, waves traffic flags) Hey everybody! Know what I'm doing? I am directing traffic. Actually I'm practicing directing traffic. The big Christmas parade is going to be held downtown next weekend, and I've been asked to help direct traffic away from the route. It's a pretty important job. If the traffic isn't controlled, a car might drive right into the middle of the parade. It would mess up the parade and maybe even cause an accident. Believe me -- I take this job seriously. Just like the person in our lesson today, John the Baptist.
He was the prophet who prepared the way for Jesus to come. He told people that Jesus was on the way and they needed to clean up their lives and open their hearts. They needed to be ready so when Christ showed up they could hear his teachings and follow his example. His job was even more important than mine. If John didn't do his job, then a lot of people might not have even recognized it when Jesus came. So it is my job to prepare the way for the parade, and it's all our job to prepare the way for Christmas. We have to help each other get our hearts and minds ready and to remember the most important thing about the season -- Jesus is going to be born here on earth. We have to be like John and prepare the way!
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 wears the traffic vest and waves the flags as though he's directing traffic)
Leader 1: Um, (name)? What exactly are you doing?
Leader 2: (focuses hard, looks very serious) Directing traffic.
Leader 1: But there's no traffic. We're in church.
Leader 2: Right, but I'm practicing.
Leader 1: Oh, for what?
Leader 2: The big Christmas parade is going to be held downtown next weekend, and I've been asked to help direct traffic away from the route.
Leader 1: That's a pretty important job.
Leader 2: You bet. If the traffic isn't controlled, a car might drive right into the middle of the parade. It would mess up the parade and maybe even cause an accident.
Leader 1: I'm glad you're taking it so seriously. You remind me of somebody else who took his job seriously -- John the Baptist.
Leader 2: At which parade did he work?
Leader 1: He didn't work at a parade. He was the prophet who prepared the way for Jesus to come.
Leader 2: How did he prepare the way?
Leader 1: He told people that Jesus was on the way and they needed to clean up their lives and open their hearts. They needed to be ready so when Christ showed up they could hear his teachings and follow his example.
Leader 2: So John had an important job too, huh?
Leader 1: He sure did. If John didn't do his job, then a lot of people might not have even recognized it when Jesus came.
Leader 2: (focuses and waves flags again) I can't let that happen to the Christmas parade!
Leader 1: That's right. It's your job to prepare the way for the parade, and it's all our job to prepare the way for Christmas. We have to help each other get our hearts and minds ready and to remember the most important thing about the season -- Jesus is going to be born here on earth. We have to be like John and prepare the way!
Closing Prayer: Loving God, as we draw closer to the celebration of Christmas, prepare our hearts and minds, so we will be ready to welcome Christ into our lives. Help us to be like John, preparing the world for the great event, so as many people as possible can enjoy the peace and joy of this special season. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this message in a home or classroom environment, ask the children to discuss how they get ready for big events like a special visit from somebody, a birthday party, or a new baby. The bigger and more important the event, usually the more we plan. Talk about how Jesus' coming to the earth was one of the biggest events ever, and God wanted to make sure that lots of people knew it was coming. John was one of those folks, and he made it his life's purpose to share the good news of Jesus' coming with everybody he met. Today, as Christmas draws closer, we can do the same thing John did. We can share God's love and peace with others, helping them get ready for the gift of the Christ Child. You can illustrate preparing and leading the way by setting up an obstacle course (using chairs, pillows, stuffed animals, whatever you can find). Let the children take turns being in front and leading the others through the obstacles. After each child has an opportunity to lead, give each child a chance to talk about their experience. When they were in the lead, they were responsible for showing the others the right way to go and getting them through to the end. That's what it was like to be John, showing everybody how they needed to live and grow so they could reach the destination -- the coming of Christ!
For a craft idea, give each child a piece of construction paper and invite them to draw a path or a road on it. Invite them to draw a cross or a manger or some other sign of Jesus at the end of the path. Then give each child a copy of the template provided and tell them that it is their job to use the arrows to show the way to Christ. You can either invite them to write some instructions on each arrow or do it yourself. Some suggestions might be "Pray for peace," "Be kind," "Give thanks," "Love your neighbor." They can decorate the arrows and glue them onto their picture. Close with prayer.
