Christmas

Before talking about the Christmas story with the children it is important that the teacher should be familiar with it and know something about the significance it has for Christians. Because we feel that we have always known the Christmas story, it is easy to ignore the actual Biblical text. Often it is a surprise to find what exactly is there - and what is not.

The birth stories of Jesus are only to be found in two Gospels Matthew and Luke. Mark's gospel starts not with Jesus' birth but with the beginning of his ministry, and his baptism in the Jordan by-John. John's Gospel begins with a long section (Chapter 1 vssl-18) which is more of a theological essay on the significance of the Incarnation, containing the famous phrase "So the Word became flesh: He came to dwell among us, and we saw His glory." This passage is full of symbolism, and adults need to study it carefully to appreciate its full meaning. The same meaning could be said to be conveyed through stories found in Matthew and Luke. Story is a much more accessible method of conveying meaning, as Jesus himself knew and practised in his telling of parables.

The two sets of stories in Matthew and Luke are themselves different, and reflect the particular interests of the Gospel writers. What is usually presented in nativity plays or Christmas services is a conflation of the two sets of stories, and it is all too easy to remain unaware of who said what, so that some of the actual significance of what each Gospel writer is trying to convey can be lost:

The Birth Stories in Matthew

Matthew Chapters 1-2

chp 1 vss 1-17 Jesus' family tree is traced back through the royal Iine of the kings of Judah to King David and then back to Abraham, the father of Jews. Jesus is therefore seen as a Jew and a descendant of David, so fulfilling the requirements of the Messiah - a king. whom the Jews were expecting to restore their fortunes and build them another empire.

chp 1 vss 18-25 The Birth is foretold. In Matthew this is to Joseph by an angel in a dream. We are not told of Mary's reaction to these events From a Jewish point of view it would be expected that the man would receive the news. Revelation through dreams is also a theme which occurs again in Matthew - e.g. chp 2 vs 13 the warning to flee from. Bethlehem, and chp 27 vs 19 Pilate's wife's dream before the Crucifixion. The Jewish laws about marriage and betrothal are referred to here. Joseph is portrayed as being considerate towards his betrothed which he was not obliged to be in such circumstances. He had every right to end the betrothal and publicly disgrace the girl who was found to be pregnant by another man. Joseph is however obedient to the will of God, and the prophecy is fulfilled. The fulfilment of prophecy, which Matthew quotes, is also a theme which recurs in this Gospel:

chp 2: vss 1-12 The Visit of the Wise Men.: These are the only visitors to the child recorded by Matthew. Matthew is concerned to show that Jesus was recognised from the beginning by those of noble birth, so that we see his. visitors going to the royal court to find a prince, and causing anxiety to the reigning king. When they do find him through God's guidance they offer the child gifts which are fit for a king.

We do not know exactly where these visitors came from, what they were or how many there were. East could refer to many places. The term "wise men" (in the Latin "magi") has often been thought to refer to astrologers rather than kings, particularly as it was their study of the stars which caused them to make the journey. The area of Mesopotamia, to the east of Palestine, is known to be the home of astrology and also a large Jewish community lived there. Medieval tradition and nativity plays name the visitors as Melchior of Arabia and Nubia, Caspar of Sheba and Balthasar of Tarse and Egypt, usually representing them as an elderly man, a youth and a middle aged man. Balthasar is often shown with dark skin. Although between them these three figures have the virtue of representing all ages and nations of mankind, they are pure legend. The idea that there were three visitors is a tradition based on the number of gifts which they brought. The idea that they were kings is not in the text, but also part of tradition.

Notice that according to Matthew they visit the house where Jesus was, not a stable - there is no reference to the birth taking place in a stable. Indeed there is no journey which necessitates finding lodgings. As far as we can tell Jesus was born in his own home in Bethlehem.

Symbolism of the Gifts: The gifts are seen as prophetic. Gold was regarded as a symbol of wealth and royalty and as a gift is a mark of high esteem, its colour symbolises pure heavenly light. Frankincense is the air hardened resin of a tree (Boswellia Thurifera), harvested in the same way as rubber. It is one of the world's best burning resins and the name "frankincense" actually means "free burning". It symbolises the divine nature of Jesus as it was widely used in worship. Myrrh is a gum resin used as both scent and ointment, particularly for embalming or as a salve for the purification of the dead; here it symbolises Jesus' ultimate persecution and death.

chp 2 vss 13-18. The killing of the. babies in Bethlehem (The Slaughter of the Innocents) This episode is only found in this Gospel, and there is no reference to it in any historical record. Herod was indeed worried about any threat to his throne. He became paranoid about it, killing his own children when he thought they were plotting against him, So he was certainly capable of giving the order to kill the children, and while it is horrific to us it would not have rated a mention in the official records of the day. Again Matthew finds a quotation from the Old Testament to show it was foretold, although this originally referred to the Jewish exiles in Babylon. That the babies under two years old were to be killed suggests that some time had elapsed since Jesus' birth. Joseph takes the child and his mother to safety in Egypt, waiting until Herod is dead before they return. This, too, is only recorded in Matthew's Gospel:

chp 2 vss 19-23 The Return from Egypt. On their return the family go to Nazareth rather than Bethlehem. This suggests that their original home was Bethlehem, and there is no mention of any journey before the birth. The reason for making their home in Nazareth is political, although it is also seen as foretold. Herod the Great's territory was divided amongst his three surviving sons. Archelaeus was as bad as, if not worse than his father Herod, so bad in fact that the Jews asked the Romans to remove him. This they did and Judaea came under direct Roman rule with a procurator. Galilee was under the rule of Herod Antipas, and it is there that Joseph takes his family, to the town of Nazareth, again, according to Matthew, to fulfil a prophecy.

What age the child Jesus is supposed to have been at this stage we do not know. Neither does Matthew tell us about any other incident in his childhood The narrative moves on to John the Baptist and then to Jesus' own baptism.

Herod the Great died c.4 BCE, which means that Jesus was born before that date.

The Birth Narratives in Luke Chapters 1-2

These are much longer than Matthew's. account, and contain not only thei birth stories of Jesus, but also John the Baptist.

The two men together are seen as the fulfilment of God's plan, and John the Baptist's birth also has sacred features about it. The forerunner of the Messiah is also described as the cousin of the Messiah they are inseparably linked.

The main feature of Luke's stories is that. . much of it is told from Mary's point of view, Joseph taking a less prominent role than in Matthew. Also it is Luke who identifies Jesus with the poor and the outcast, and this is true not only in the birth stories but also in the whole of his Gospel. The parables of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10) and the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), both only found in Luke's Gospel are further examples of this.

chp 1 vss 5-25 The Birth of John the Baptist is foretold. This takes place in the Temple to Zechariah, John's father,_ who was there to fulfil his duty as a priest. He has the vision of the angel Gabriel (literally God's servant) while burning the incense in the holy place. The angel tells him that his wife is to have a child, and when Zechariah doubts this because of their age he is struck dumb until it happens. It is promised that the child will be the one to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah. This is ` the reference to the spirit and power of Elijah in vs 17.

The remarkable thing about this birth: is that the parents are beyond the age of childbearing. There is no suggestion of any other miracle taking place. The reproach among men referred to in vs 25 is that childlessness was thought to be a punishment from God, so that no-one would be able to say that Zechariah and Elizabeth were not in God's favour when the child was born. (There are occasions in' the Old Testament when God sends children to those thought to be too old or barren e.g. Sarah and '--Abraham, and Hannah, the mother of Samuel)

chp 1 vss 26-38 The Birth of Jesus is foretold. In Luke this is directly to Mary, and by the appearance of an angel Gabriel. That Mary was betrothed but not married to Joseph is clearly stated, but it is Joseph's descent from the house of David which is stressed. That the child will be special is also clearly stated. He will be both divine and human, having God for his father in a physical sense which no-one else can claim, and a human mother, so that his nature would be fully human as well as divine.

Mary also queries whether this is possible, but there is no rebuke, only an explanation. Mary humbly accepts God's will with the words "I am the Lord's servant; as you have spoken, so be it."

vss 39-56 The Visitation. This is the name given to Mary's visit to Elizabeth, before Elizabeth's baby was born. The child is said to recognise the mother of the' Messiah, and so does Elizabeth. Her words of joy and humility are taken up by Mary in the song known as the Magnificat, named after its first Latin word. In this Mary talks of how God has honoured her above all who are rich or powerful in choosing her as the mother of the Messiah, and of the hope which this change - this is written in the best tradition of the Old Testament psalms. Mary stays with Elizabeth until just before her child is born.

vss 57-80 The Birth of John the Baptist. Elizabeth's child is born safely and to the delight of all her family. On the eighth day, as was customary, they came to circumcise the child and to name him. It was usual for male children to be named after their father or another relative. As Zechariah was still unable to speak, the family were about to name the baby Zechariah when the father made known to them that the name was John, as the angel had instructed him. Having done this Zechariah was again able to speak. This in itself caused much awe among the people. There follows Zechariah's song, known as the Benedictus, again after its first Latin word. This contains Zechariah's thanksgiving for the fulfilment of God's promises, not only to himself but to the whole of the Jewish people, and his prophecy about the future of this child.

The reference in vs 80 to John being in the wilderness has led some to think that he was one of the religious group known as the Essenes who lived apart from the rest of the people at Qumran. Others think he became a wandering hermit In Jewish tradition the wilderness was where one could be particularly close to God.

clip 2 vss 1-7 The Birth of Jesus. This is very short. The first two verses are taken up with Luke's dating of the event. To unravel this becomes rather complicated. Commentaries on the Gospel are available if people wish to delve into this. There are no records of the enrolment referred to here, but that does not mean it did not happen. To ask everyone to move around seems rather odd and very difficult to administer. However, Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem to be enrolled/registered because that was the home of those descended from King David, which included Joseph. There is no mention of how they got there, how long it took or any. other details or about how many inn-keepers refused them entry! Simply it is stated that the child was placed in the manger because there was no room at the inn. Inns in Palestine in those days were rather different from our idea of an inn. They were rather shelters including areas for animals as well as areas for people. It may be that Mary and Joseph had to find room among the animals if the inn was very full. We are not told that it was a cave, although that is the traditional idea, and it is a cave in Bethlehem which is celebrated as the place where Jesus was born. We do not know for certain about this, and cannot know. Swaddling clothes were the traditional way of clothing a new baby. They were bound tight to help the limbs grow straight and were relatively safe. No special cots could be afforded. The general impression is of a poor birth, with no special attention for the girl or her baby. Birth was a natural occurrence, and was treated as such. But this birth was neither poor nor ordinary. It was welcomed by angels as heaven and earth met in the person of this helpless child.

chp 2 vss 8-14 The Angels announce the birth. There is no mention of a special star in Luke's account, but instead we have angels who appear that night. They make their announcement not to important astrologers, but to shepherds poor people guarding sheep on the 'hillside. It is to them ,that they announce the arrival of the saviour of the world.

chp 2 vss 15-20 The Visit of the Shepherds. Having heard the news from the. angels the shepherds go to find the child and tell what they have seen And heard. We do not know if they took gifts, as the traditional picture so often paints. What does come through the account is the joy that they feel and the wonder of it all.

vs 21 The Circumcision and Naming. The name Jesus is the Aramaic equivalent of Joshua meaning "God is my saviour" - a fitting name for the Messiah. According to the Jewish law the baby is circumcised on the eighth day after birth. We assume the family is still in Bethlehem at this time.

chp 2 vss 22-39 The Presentation in the Temple. Again all is done according to the Jewish law and an offering is made to God for the birth of the child. The two doves or pigeons were the offering of a poor man. In the Temple the child and his parents are recognised by two old and devout people Simeon and Anna. Simeon had been promised that he should see the Messiah before he died, and he realises that this has happened. Simeon's song the Nunc Dimittis is his thanksgiving to God. Simeon also warns Mary of the pain and grief which her son's life will bring her. Anna is described as a prophetess. She is a great age, and very devout. She too recognises the future Messiah and tells others that he has arrived.

v 39 After this the family returns to Nazareth where the child grows up

vss 41-52 The Child Jesus in the Temple. This is the only story from Jesus' childhood which is recorded in the Gospels. It shows Jesus' growing awareness that he had some sort of mission and a special relationship to God. He also shows an understanding beyond his years by holding a debate with the learned teachers in the Temple. It is the equivalent of a twelve year old debating with the senior professors at Oxford or Cambridge. It is noteworthy that there is no further mention of Joseph in the Gospels after the birth narratives. Jesus is known as the son of Joseph, but Joseph himself has no further part to play. For this reason he is often portrayed as an old man, on the premise that he was much older than Mary and died before Jesus started his ministry. This may be the explanation, but there is no proof of this theory. Mary is mentioned again, as are other members of Jesus' family.

Christmas Customs

 

The Christmas Tree: This is a custom imported from Germany by Prince Albert in the 1840s. The original legend links the Christmas Tree with St Boniface whose followers set up candles in a fir tree to light up an outdoors service. Supposedly it is Martin Luther who then brought the lighted tree indoors as a symbol of Jesus who left the starry heights to bring light to the-earth. The f rst-trees- -were decorated with edible gifts and a model of Jesus in the crib, gradually this became an angel and then a fairy whilst the original symbolic candles became the somewhat safer electric tree lights!

Christmas Cards: It is generally Sir Henry Cole, the Post Office reformer, who is credited with inventing the Christmas Card in 1843. The first card was designed by John Horsley, but the idea did not become very popular until improved printing methods and cheaper postage made them more economical to send. The most popular early cards depict robins (the Victorian postmen were often called Robin Postmen because of the colour of their uniform) and mail coaches in snow, commemorating the terrible winter of 1836 only later did the cards start to show pictures of the birth of Jesus!

Christmas Carols: A "carol" is actually a dance. It is meant to be a very lively song and technically can be sung at any time of year, although nowadays the word is particularly associated with Christmas. Many carols have their origins in folk songs of the Middle Ages. Carols such as "In Dulci Jubilo" with its mixture of Latin and vernacular, betray their origins in a time when all worship was carried out in Latin. Following on from the Reformation carols were denigrated as a poor form of music and it was not until the Victorian period that they experienced a revival and new ones began to be written. The most famous carol service in Britain is the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols held on Christmas Eve in King's College Chapel, and on which many present day services are based.

The Christmas Crib: The first crib was created by St Francis of Assisi at Greccio in Italy in 1223. He made it in a cave using real animals and a carved baby and used it as a magnificent visual aid = to explain to the simple villagers the story of the birth of Jesus. In later years he used real orphan babies in his manger, and the children chosen would be adopted by the villagers afterwards. The idea spread and became a popular part of Christmas services when priests would take on the roles of Mary and Joseph. Nowadays crib sets are generally available made out of many different materials and will be found in most churches and many homes at Christmas time.

Decorations: Long before the Christian period evergreens were used to decorate homes and temples in the middle of winter to drive away evil spirits and as a reminder of the coming Spring. Despite disapproval of these heathen customs, this practice was Christianised and the evergreen decorations used in churches. Holly was seen as a visual reminder of Christ's crown of thorns with its beads of blood (see the carol "The Holly and the Ivy") and even mistletoe, strongly associated with the druids, was eventually used in churches also The Yule Log also has pagan origins when it was the custom to bring a huge log into the main hall for a special ceremony and to burn it for twelve days; nowadays the "Yule Log" is more likely to be a cake or a table decoration!

Christingle: Generally assumed to be a custom from the Moravian Church, the Christingle services in this country were originated by the Church of England's Children's Society in the 1980s as a fundraising device. The name means "Christ-Light" and is a celebration of the coming of Christ as the light of the world. The component parts of a Christingle are an orange to represent the world, four sticks to signify the four corners of the earth, fruits for mankind and the fruits of the spirit; a red ribbon for the blood of Christ shed for the world, and the candle for Christ the Light

Celebrating Christmas

The Two Nativity Stories

This exercise is a "must" for older children. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke both have their own story of the birth of Jesus and usually these two stories are combined in Nativity plays etc. The stories are covered in detail on pages 194-8 of these Guidelines. Older pupils working `in groups will be able to write down their combined memory of the Nativity Story and use their Bibles to separate the details which belong to Matthew from those of Luke. Undoubtedly there will be some "facts" left over which cannot be attributed to either gospel, such as there being three kings where Matthew talks simply of wise men in the plural. Are there elements in the Gospels which do not usually find their way into the plays and story books (the Massacre of the Innocents in Matthew chp 2 vs 16-18 is the most obvious example)? Pupils may be able to consider whether the evangelists were writing to a "theme" e.g Matthew is stressing the kingly nature of Jesus while Luke is concerned with Jesus' coming for the poor and outcasts and so concentrates on his humble beginnings and the visit of shepherds (who were outcasts at the time).

The class may develop the material in different ways, exploring it creatively through drama, artwork or creative writing. A popular device is to retell the story from the point of view of a minor character.

The Christmas Symbol Tree

This is a different style of Christmas tree; do not use any tinsel, lights etc but decorate it with Christian symbols made out of such materials as are available. Symbols used could include the candle, butterfly, white rose, cross, five point star, fish, anchor, dove, triangle, Alpha and Omega, cross on the orb, Chi Rho, key, crown....Making the symbols thus becomesa way into looking at the meaning of Jesus' birth and the concept of symbolism.

Homes and Homeless

Mary and Joseph are like refugees in the Christmas story; they leave their home to go to Bethlehem, where there is nowhere to lodge and later, according to Matthew, are forced to flee into Egypt to get away from the murderous King Herod. The topic could include work on homes and reasons for leaving home in this country which may then be compared with homes at the time of Jesus. The work culminates in looking at those who will have no home this Christmas; refugees from war or famine, or our own "Crisis at Christmas". It is possible that pupils may wish to undertake charity fundraising as a response to this topic.

Christmas Cards Survey

Look at the image of Christmas on Christmas cards. There are many different ways these can be sorted and displayed eg

• Religious scenes - these can be subdivided into those taken from the Gospel of Matthew and those from the Gospel of Luke.
• Ideas associated with Christmas such as Peace, Joy, Light.
• Secular cards
• Humorous cards,

Are there negative concepts such as gluttony or materialism displayed?

The work can lead to discussion on the meaning of the Christmas season and how it is celebrated.

Christmas Songs Survey

During December (or even November) the background music in shops and shopping centres, or choices on the radio, changes to reflect the approach of Christmas. The class could keep a chart to show what kind of songs they hear most often and what type of message is being promoted. If you wish, older pupils could attempt to break these down into defined groups eg:

• Traditional carols (0 Come all Ye Faithful, We Three Kings of Orient Are)
• Modern carols and sacred songs (Mary's Boy Child, Calypso Carol).
• Traditional carols normally sung only by choirs (The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came)
• Traditional Secular songs (Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer)
• More Modern Secular Songs (Do they know it's Christmas?)

What do they have on CDs and tapes at home? What are the main messages of the songs?

Some of the traditional carols are not immediately intelligible to young readers. An alternative exercise could be for older children to paraphrase a carol in such a way that their younger colleagues can understand it.

Kristkindle

"Kristkindle" means "Christ Child" and this is a custom which allows each pupil in the class to treat one of his or her fellows as if they were Jesus Himself. Simply put all the names of the class in a box and then each person draws the name of his or her Kristkindle. Every day until the end of term they should try to do or say something nice for their Kristkindle without making it obvious that is what they are doing. The identity of each child's Kristkindle should remain a secret until the last day of term when the pupil may make a card for their Kristkindle with a list of the things done. This exercise points to the fact that Christians seek to serve Jesus by seeing Him in others. You should discuss the principles of this before the exercise, and afterwards how it felt in practice to be both giver and receiver.

The Class Journey to Bethlehem

What was it like to live at the time of Jesus' birth? The class could undertake a research the Roman Occupation etc. Pupils then join together in "family groups" taking on appropriate names and identities. Together the family must travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem; the sketch map on pg 187 will help them keep a "diary" of their journey and end by visiting their fellow travellers Joseph and Mary when they hear that Mary has had her baby. The project would translate into an act of collective worship or a different style of nativity play.

Gifts and Babies

At Key Stage One pupils may explore the idea of Christmas as Jesus' birthday. This could involve collecting stories of their own births and birthdays, talking about the feelings of parents and considering appropriate gifts for babies. This then moves on to the children's devising their own appropriate gifts for the baby Jesus (not necessarily materialistic ones). Ultimately they could be brought to the idea that Christians see Jesus Himself as the gift of God to everyone. The Magi's gifts may also feature here. Are gifts precious simply because of their monetary value? An alternative is to consider gifts to mankind such as the natural world or the senses.