Feted Child, Fated Children

Transcription

1 January 1, 2017 First Sunday after Christmas Day Isa. 63:7 9 Ps. 148 Heb. 2:10 18 Matt. 2:13 23 Feted Child, Goal for the Session After delving into the story of the flight to Egypt, adults will be inspired to extend God s care where people are suffering today. n PREPARING FOR THE SESSION Focus on Matthew 2:13 23 WHAT is important to know? From Exegetical Perspective by R. Alan Culpepper There is nothing sentimental about Matthew s Christmas story, however. It is set in the turbulence and terror of a violent history. Tyrants kill children, and families flee in middle of the night. No shepherds come to see the wonder, and no heavenly choir sings, Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, goodwill (Luke 2:14). Instead, there is a provident God over all who guides a devout and compassionate, dreaming and trusting father so that a child will be able to grow to become the Savior of his people and of generations to come. WHERE is God in these words? From Theological Perspective by Susan Hedahl God s provision finds Joseph and his family leaving the land of Egypt and returning to their home country, but not the locale of Bethlehem. We see God s hiding of Jesus in a remote area, one in which he will pass the next few decades before reappearing definitively on the public scene. The district of Galilee is God s provision of a place and time of interlude, preparation, and shelter for the child Jesus. Since the Gospels tell us almost nothing of the years following this text before Jesus appears as an adult, we can recognize the long-term nurture that God extends to Jesus, and the role of preparation in his life as he grows to adulthood and his unfolding life as God s Messiah. SO WHAT does this mean for our lives? From Pastoral Perspective by Frank A. Thomas The text alludes to God s protective care and power in uncertain times. As God protected the Messiah from the threat of death, so will God provide protection in our times of job loss, bad news, falling stock prices, and unprecedented social and economic uncertainty. Faithfulness and trust in God will yield protective care. God will protect us in uncertain times and hide us in secret places. The Messiah was looked after, provided for, and placed in an environment where he could be nurtured and grow, even in the midst of dangerous and violent circumstances. God will do the same for us. NOW WHAT is God s word calling us to do? From Homiletical Perspective by Thomas H. Troeger With Joseph s nightmares, we might imagine the dream we wish Joseph could have, the dream of a world where, instead of having to flee, the refugee family would find itself at last welcome and secure. Imagine what the Christmas carols would sound like if we brought that dream alive. How would Silent Night, Holy Night sound in our hearts if we had helped to create a world in which baby Jesus would never again be refugee Jesus? 1

2 Feted Child, FOCUS SCRIPTURE Matthew 2:13 23 Focus on Your Teaching For many people, the Christmas season is a happy time, full of celebrations, songs, and peace on earth. For others, Christmas time can be filled with grief and emotional pain. The general expectation that Christmas should be a time of joy and fun tends to accentuate the pain of grief. Experiences such as family problems, academic struggles, and bullying, grief, and suffering, seem to be accentuated during Christmas time. Help participants see the presence of God in the midst of their and the world s grief even when God s presence is obscured. O God, who gives dreams and visions, help me to hear your Word and be guided in your ways. Amen. YOU WILL NEED Christmas cloth or placemat tall white candle lighter or matches newspapers scissors tape copies of Resource Sheet 1 copies of Resource Sheet 2 nativity set king chess piece Bible map Bibles newsprint markers copies of Resource Sheet 1 for January 8, 2017 For Responding option 3: Resource Sheet 1, construction paper, markers, scissors, stapler n LEADING THE SESSION GATHERING Before the session, place a Christmas cloth or placemat in the center of your space and put the candle on it. Collect recent newspapers and arrange them on a table. Bring a complete nativity set that includes as separate pieces the holy family, animals, shepherds, and wise men. You will also need a map of first-century Judah that includes Egypt and Galilee. If using option 2 in Responding, invite the guest and prepare her or him for the presentation. Welcome participants as they arrive and introduce any newcomers. Call attention to the newspapers on the table and ask participants to search these papers for stories about tragedies or people suffering. Have them cut the stories out of the newspaper and post them around the room. Invite the participants to walk around and read the headlines. Remind the group that the church is still in the Christmas season. Light the candle and invite the group members to reflect silently on the question below. Allow a few moments for personal reflection. P After reading about the tragic events in the newspaper, what would you say to those affected, given this is the season of Christmas? Explain that the Christmas story is good news, but as the story of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus continues, tragic events occur too. Offer the following prayer or one of your choosing: God, we gather in your presence, grateful for the birth of your son. Open our hearts and minds to the Messiah you have sent us. Amen. EXPLORING Explain that despite the fact that many people conflate the Christmas narratives from Matthew and Luke, they tell two different stories about Jesus birth and infancy. Distribute 2

3 Feted Child, The reading on Resource Sheet 2 includes reference to the previous story, the visit of the magi. This sets the context for Herod s actions and the family s departure to Egypt. copies of Resource Sheet 1 (Focus on Matthew 2:13 23) and have a volunteer read the What? excerpt aloud. Invite responses to the reading. Distribute copies of Resource Sheet 2 (The Holy Innocents) to three volunteers and assign their roles. Allow them a minute to prepare. Gather around the nativity set as the volunteers read the story. Trace the holy family s journey on the map. Using the scale on the map, invite the group to determine the approximate length in miles of the trip from Nazareth to Egypt and from Egypt to Judea and on to Nazareth. Invite participants to imagine people who were poor making these trips in the ancient world. Ask: P What would be some of the challenges? Form teams of two or three persons. If you have fewer than five present, have them work as one team. Explain that each team is a group of Internet news editors responsible for laying out the front page of the Web site for the day after King Herod had the boy babies in Bethlehem and surrounding areas killed. Ask the teams to create a Web page using markers and sheets of newsprint. Have them tell the story of the massacre and give some background for the events that led up to the massacre. The Web page should include the story of the magi and King Herod, why Herod had all the babies killed, and the escape of the holy family. Encourage the teams to review Matthew 2. After teams have presented their Web pages, ask the participants to imagine what it would have been like to be the parents of the slain children. Ask: P What is your reaction to this part of Matthew s Christmas story? P What would be your reaction to a living nativity that included the story of the slaughter of the innocents? P What was God s role in the story told in Matthew 2:13 23? Invite the participants to imagine what Jesus birth might mean for those who suffer and to practice ways to extend God s care where people are suffering. EASY PREP RESPONDING Choose one or more of these activities, depending on the length of your session: 1. Support a Project Participants will extend God s care to hurting people by committing to projects that help others in need. Many individuals, congregations, and denominations have annual projects during Advent and Christmas that support hurting people locally and beyond. Discuss as a group all the efforts sponsored by individuals and your congregation this past month. Then discuss what ongoing human needs exist on a local, national, or international level where participants might assist organized efforts. Have participants silently commit to one ongoing effort they will support. 3

4 Feted Child, From the Mennonite church: See bc.mcc.org/jesus-refugee for a complete program that explores how many displaced persons in Colombia identify with Jesus, who had to flee his homeland as a baby. Use portions of the program to supplement this activity. 2. Holy Refugees Participants will extend God s care by learning and helping people who are refugees. Most denominations have programs that minister to refugees, migrant workers, persons in prison, or others who are in exile. Local social service agencies would be a good source of information about how to be most helpful to these persons. Ask your guest speaker to talk about refugee statistics and something about how people might feel being in those situations. Inquire about ways members of your group could learn about and support a project dealing with refugees. 3. Chain of Dreams Participants will extend God s care to hurting people by creating a prompt for action. Read the Now What? excerpt from Resource Sheet 1. Invite participants to name some of the characteristics of children who are at risk in your community or in the world. Cut up construction paper into 1 x 8 strips. Give one or more strips to each participant and have them write the names of groups of at-risk children. On the back of each strip, write a way the children are or can be helped. Then connect by stapling each strip in a circle, linked to the others like a chain. Invite participants to take a minute or two to reflect ways they or the church can address the issues facing children at risk. Ask: P What kind of suffering might the chain represent? P What hope do the words of help offer to children who suffer? P What steps can you take to respond to the plight of at-risk children? CLOSING Gather the group around the figures of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, all alone on the table. Invite them to take a minute of silence to look around the room at the newspaper articles and the figures on the table, remembering the hurt and pain so many feel. Place the wise men (astrologers) back around Jesus and his parents. Remind participants that Matthew wished to show God s intention to bring peace on earth. Many, like the wise men, recognized that intent, and we still long to experience that peace today. Ask participants to remember one action they will take to spread God s peace. Conclude with this prayer or one of your choosing: Jesus, who called the children to come to you, as we celebrate your birth we pray for all children of the world. May dreams of peace replace all of their nightmares. Amen. Invite the group members to exchange the peace of Christ with one another. The first person says, May the peace of Christ be with you. The receiver responds by saying, And also with you. Distribute copies of Resource Sheet 1 for January 8, 2017, or it to the participants during the week. Encourage class members to read the focus scripture and resource sheet before the next session. 4

5 January 1, 2017 Feted Child, Adult Resource Sheet 1 Focus on Matthew 2:13 23 WHAT is important to know? From Exegetical Perspective by R. Alan Culpepper There is nothing sentimental about Matthew s Christmas story, however. It is set in the turbulence and terror of a violent history. Tyrants kill children, and families flee in middle of the night. No shepherds come to see the wonder, and no heavenly choir sings, Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, goodwill (Luke 2:14). Instead, there is a provident God over all who guides a devout and compassionate, dreaming and trusting father so that a child will be able to grow to become the Savior of his people and of generations to come. WHERE is God in these words? From Theological Perspective by Susan Hedahl God s provision finds Joseph and his family leaving the land of Egypt and returning to their home country, but not the locale of Bethlehem. We see God s hiding of Jesus in a remote area, one in which he will pass the next few decades before reappearing definitively on the public scene. The district of Galilee is God s provision of a place and time of interlude, preparation, and shelter for the child Jesus. Since the Gospels tell us almost nothing of the years following this text before Jesus appears as an adult, we can recognize the long-term nurture that God extends to Jesus, and the role of preparation in his life as he grows to adulthood and his unfolding life as God s Messiah. SO WHAT does this mean for our lives? From Pastoral Perspective by Frank A. Thomas The text alludes to God s protective care and power in uncertain times. As God protected the Messiah from the threat of death, so will God provide protection in our times of job loss, bad news, falling stock prices, and unprecedented social and economic uncertainty. Faithfulness and trust in God will yield protective care. God will protect us in uncertain times and hide us in secret places. The Messiah was looked after, provided for, and placed in an environment where he could be nurtured and grow, even in the midst of dangerous and violent circumstances. God will do the same for us. NOW WHAT is God s word calling us to do? From Homiletical Perspective by Thomas H. Troeger With Joseph s nightmares, we might imagine the dream we wish Joseph could have, the dream of a world where, instead of having to flee, the refugee family would find itself at last welcome and secure. Imagine what the Christmas carols would sound like if we brought that dream alive. How would Silent Night, Holy Night sound in our hearts if we had helped to create a world in which baby Jesus would never again be refugee Jesus? 2016 Westminster John Knox Press 5

6 January 1, 2017 Feted Child, Adult Resource Sheet 2 Each of the three volunteers has a separate role. The Narrator provides the storyline and some helpful information surrounding the text. The Scripture Reader reads the text. The Prop Person moves the figures around the table top. Begin the story with the manger and any additional pieces, including animals, shepherds, angels, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in his crib. Keep the wise men off for now. Narrator: Luke tells us that after the birth of Jesus, his mother laid him in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. Angels sang and shepherds ran to see the baby. Matthew tells us nothing about a manger or animals. Angels didn t announce the birth. Shepherds didn t appear. Prop Person: Remove absolutely everything except Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. Place the three magi in the distance. Scripture Reader: Read Matthew 2:1 6. Prop Person: Place king chess piece somewhat near Jesus and his family. Move the wise men near the chess piece. Narrator: King Herod ruled in Palestine from 37 BCE to 4 BCE. He was a powerful ruler, closely allied to Rome. Herod was not a Jew by birth. He was jealous, paranoid, and insecure and had a nasty habit of murdering people who might represent a threat to his power. The magi, probably from Persia, would have been part of a long tradition of astronomy, one that marked the constellations, knew that the earth revolved around the sun, and recorded extraordinary events, like supernovas. Scripture Reader: Read Matthew 2:7 11. Prop Person: Move magi next to Jesus and his family. Narrator: Interesting. One of the gifts the magi brought was myrrh. Myrrh is used to prepare a body for death. You d expect myrrh at a funeral, not a birth. Scripture Reader: Read Matthew 2:12. Prop Person: Move magi away in the far distance. Scripture Reader: Read Matthew 2: Prop Person: Move Jesus and parents away in the distance. Scripture Reader: Read Matthew 2: (Pause briefly.) Continue reading Matthew 2: Prop Person: Take the chess piece away and move Jesus and parents part way back toward their original place. Narrator: Herod was not a born king. News of one who had an ancient hereditary right to the throne was a threat to Herod. So he murdered all the boy babies in Bethlehem to ensure the death of one of them. Scripture Reader: Read Matthew 2: The Holy Innocents Prop Person: Take Jesus and his parents past their original place as they had gone south to Egypt and returned farther north from where they originally were in Bethlehem Westminster John Knox Press 6