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THIS WEEK’S PASSAGES MATTHEW 2 & LUKE 2
PREPARATION
Make sure you’re familiar with the biblical accounts of the Nativity in Matthew and Luke. You should also be able to explain the significance of the wise men’s gifts (gold for a king, frankincense to imply worship, myrhh to signify death). You will need: a blindfold, plastic bags containing strong-smelling objects, small chocolate prizes, Bibles, pens, paper, Christmas food, Christmas music (and something to play it on), blank Christmas cards and art supplies.
WHAT’S THAT SMELL?
10 mins
The Nativity was probably an extremely sensory experience for Mary – so get into the spirit of that by playing this visceral game. Select a volunteer who can take a joke (and has a strong stomach), and blindfold them. Bring out a series of clear plastic bags containing strong-smelling objects – ranging from the pleasant (ground coffee, freshly baked bread) to the positively stinky (blue cheese, damp, worn socks). Every time they identify one correctly, give them a small prize. Alternatively, turn this into a competition between two volunteers. Explain that today we’re going to look at the reality behind the classic Nativity story – and we’re going to learn that it’s not quite as cuddly and sweet-smelling as Christmas cards and infant school plays might have us believe.
TRUE OR FALSE?
10 mins
Split the group into two teams, and set up a scoreboard. Hold a true-or-false quiz about what really happened during the birth of Jesus and which bits culture has added over the years. Alternate questions, and keep score as you go – the winning team at the end of the quiz divides a bag of sweets or similar prize.
The questions: true or false…
1. Mary rode to Bethlehem on a donkey. (False – no donkey is mentioned.)
2. Jesus was visited by shepherds. (True.)
3. Three kings came and brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. (False – they were astronomers, not kings – and we don’t know how many there were.)
For the rest of the questions see the link section.
As you award prizes to the winners, ask: why do you think we’ve added all these extra bits to the story?
KEY POINT
We’ve all got an image in our heads of what happened when Jesus was born but it’s one created by our culture, not by the Bible. That’s important because those ‘added extras’ can distract us from what Christmas is really all about.
SO WHAT DO WE KNOW?
10 mins
So if the Christmas-card account of the Nativity isn’t quite accurate, what really happened? Split into at least two discussion groups, hand out Bibles, and ask each group either to look at the beginning of Matthew or the start of Luke (reading up to the end of chapter two in both cases). Each group should ask the following questions as they read the text:
Which parts are familiar from the Christmas story you know?
Which parts are new?
What surprises you or jumps out as important?
Bring the whole group back together, and invite feedback. What can they piece together about the Nativity? What’s the real story? What might a more accurate school nativity play look like?
TRUE MEANING
10 mins
Give everyone Bibles, and ask them to read Matthew 2:1–12 with you. Remind everyone of some of the things we’ve discovered about the visit of the wise men: they visited Jesus in a house, long after his birth, we don’t know how many of them there were, and they weren’t kings!
KEY POINT
We might imagine all four Gospels to include a huge ‘Christmas’ element – but actually there’s very little written about Jesus’ birth (Mark and John don’t even mention it). In contrast, Mark gives over six chapters just to Jesus’ final week. Christmas is important, but mainly because it points to Easter.
They might not have been kings, but they knew about royalty. Explain that these men – who believed they could read messages in the stars – were ‘overjoyed’ (verse ten) because they knew the star they’d seen meant a great king had been born. Ask a few of your group:
Why do you think God drew these men to Jesus through their superstitious beliefs in stars?
Why did Herod really want to find Jesus?
Why was all Jerusalem disturbed? (v3)
Why do you think the wise men gave Jesus those three gifts?
Say: Jesus was a new kind of king – and that threatened both the monarchy and the religious leaders. In the verses that follow, Herod tries to have Jesus killed – that’s how dangerous he thought he was. Right from the start, with the slaughter of the innocents and the gift of myrrh, death is the most significant theme in Jesus life. In order to complete his mission on earth, Jesus had to die.
KEY POINT
Christmas and Easter are inseparably tied together as the most important moments in Jesus’ life. Jesus was born to die – not a message you’ll find on many Christmas cards. Perhaps the reason why we’ve created so much extra family-friendly ‘stuff’ around Christmas is that the true meaning is so much darker.
THE NATIVITY RETOLD
15 mins
For this final activity, create a Christmas atmosphere with some festive food and music. Give your group blank cards and art supplies, and invite them to create their own Christmas cards, based on what they now know about the Nativity. Encourage them to be as imaginative as they can, and consider using their ideas to create a group Christmas card that you can send around your church and community.
