The Nativity Season

Opening Prayer

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Thy nativity, O Christ our God,
Has shown to the world the light of wisdom.
For by it, those who worshipped the stars
Were taught by a star to adore Thee,
The Sun of Righteousness,
And to know Thee, the Orient from on high.
O Lord, glory to Thee!

Discussion Starter

Begin by asking the following: What were some of the changes in the world described in the Troparion of the Nativity, which is the Opening Prayer? How did those exterior changes (the star, the arrival of the Magi, the angels singing) bring about internal changes? How were the people who experienced these things changed by them? (They learned about true worship of the true God, and that God comes to His people in the Person of His Son, as no false god would ever do.Let students give other ideas they have.)

Talk more about the words of the Troparion. Point out that those who studied the stars, the Magi, were taught by a star to worship Jesus Christ, the "Sun" of righteousness, the light of wisdom, whom we all should follow in our daily lives. Since your students, at their age,  are probably familiar with the Magi, ask what they already know of them. Give additional information about the three Magi as needed. How did the Nativity of Christ change them? How does it change us?

Nativity Icon

Discuss how we have to wait for many things: for mealtime, our turn during games, our birthdays, etc. During the Nativity Fast, we are waiting for a special birthday, the birthday of God's Son, Jesus. Help the students identify the various figures in the Nativity icon: Mary, Joseph, the animals, the shepherds, the magi, and especially the anticipated baby Jesus. Ask: Who is the “old man” talking with Joseph? (He is the personification of the devil, trying to convince Joseph not to believe the miracle of Jesus' birth. Ask: How does Jesus appear twice in the icon? (He lies next to His Mother, and is also shown being bathed. This detail reminds us that He truly became human and underwent human experiences.)

We wait through the weeks of the Nativity Fast, also called Advent, until Christmas Day when we celebrate the birthday of Christ. Not until the day of Christmas will we hear the priest exclaim, “Christ is Born!” And we will answer, “Glorify Him!” But what does it mean to “glorify” Him? When we answer  “Glorify Him,” we rejoice and celebrate with all of creation (and all those in the icon) that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father, has been born so that God could be here in our midst to help and save us.

As you can see in the icon, the Magi had to wait and follow a star to the cave where Jesus lay. Likewise, the shepherds, hoping and waiting for Christ, went with haste to Bethlehem praising, rejoicing, and celebrating the upcoming birth of Jesus. So too, we can pass these days of Advent with the anticipation of the shepherds and arrive at the feast of the Nativity. Like the magi, our hearts can be excited and can praise His glorious and miraculous birth, so that on Christmas day we may sing with the angels, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” Ask: What do we say when our priest says, “Christ is Born!”? We answer, “Glorify Him!” (Practice exchanging the greeting, “Christ is Born!” with students answering, “Glorify Him!”)

You might show, or talk about, a portion of the 1983 movie directed by Bob Clark based on the novel by Jean Shepherd, A Christmas Story. Show the clip or talk about the scene in which Ralphie asks for a Red Ryder BB gun. How do the students know from this clip that he will not receive it for Christmas? Discussion should focus on foreshadowing as a hint of what will follow. 

Foreshadowing also is clear in the feasts of the Church. When the Theotokos, the Mother of God, is presented in the Temple, her mothering of the Lord is foreshadowed by the fact that she enters the Temple, something even the High Priest only did once a year. Clearly, this young girl is destined for something very great!

The Winter Pascha

Before the older students clean up and prepare for the closing prayer, distribute copies of the Resource Handout The Winter Pascha. Discuss, with students finding answers in the text and giving their own thoughts: 

• What are some similarities between the Winter Pascha and the Great and Holy Pascha, the Feast of the Resurrection?  
• How does the birth of Jesus Christ make us ready for His death and resurrection?

Before saying the closing prayer, clarify the following: “Unapproachable” does not mean that Jesus is frightening or not accessible; rather, in this context “unapproachable” means we should approach Him with awe and due respect because He is God.

Closing Prayer

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today the virgin gives birth to the transcendent one,
And the earth offers a cave to the unapproachable one.
Angels, with shepherds, glorify Him.
The wise men journey with the star,
Since for our sake the eternal God was born as a little child!

Opening Prayer

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Thy nativity, O Christ our God,
Has shown to the world the light of wisdom.
For by it, those who worshipped the stars
Were taught by a star to adore Thee,
The Sun of Righteousness,
And to know Thee, the Orient from on high.
O Lord, glory to Thee!

Discussion Starter

Begin by asking the following:

• What is a patron?
  Look up the word in the dictionary and list the key definitions on a board.
• How is St. Nicholas a patron, and also a protector and intercessor?
  Look up the latter two words as well.

The Life of St. Nicholas

Read one of the following attached Resource Stories with the class:

• The Life of St. Nicholas
• Saint Nicholas of Myra
• St. Nicholas Archbishop of Myra in Lycia

Pause often to emphasize the saint's good deeds, kindness and generosity.  Also pause often to ask students to make “text-to-self” or “text-to-world” connections--times in their lives when they helped someone or did acts of kindness and generosity, as the saint did.

Nearly Everybody's Saint

• Distribute copies of the Resource Handout St. Nicholas--Nearly Everybody's Saint.Have students look through it. 
• Have each student choose five groups of which St. Nicholas is patron--the ones that are most interesting or most surprising to them.
• Have students who wish to tell why they chose the five groups they did.
• Discuss: What does it tell us about this saint that he is the patron of so many people, groups, and places? (He is clearly deeply loved and respected.)

Troparion & Kontakion

Distribute the Troparion & Kontakion of  St. Nicholas attached to this lesson.  After reviewing the words of the Troparion and the meaning students find in them, sing the Troparion for St. Nicholas. Have the class take copies home.

Banners

Using the Resource Activity St. Nicholas Banners attached to this lesson, let groups of 3 or 4 students choose to create a banner, collage, bulletin board, or poster depicting some event(s), which they also choose, from the life and works of St. Nicholas.When the projects are finished, ask one person from each group to tell why the event they chose was significant for them.

Extra Activity: Advent Calandar

Print out the Advent Calendar Template Packet attached to this lesson; each student should have a copy.

With the aid of a current desk or wall calendar, fill in a corner of each box with the dates of Advent, beginning with November 15 and continuing through to December 25 (or continue to January 6). Make sure you place the numbers on the correct days of the week.

Included in the Template Packet is a list of special feast and saints days. Using this list, fill in the boxes with the names of the persons or events that are commemorated during this period. You can also add the prophets and other saints days, or the biblical readings prescribed for these days.

Extra Activity: Christmas Card Project

Discuss how a Christmas card project to shut-ins can be a good work. Have the class decide on someone for whom they can be a patron. Perhaps there is a new family in the parish, someone who has a long term illness, who is elderly, or in need. Have this project be ongoing and, if possible, done anonymously. Students can write notes of encouragement, give icon cards, make small craft gifts, etc.

Wrap Up

As students are cleaning up and preparing for closing prayer, ask the following:

• What is a patron?
• Why is it important to have a patron saint? 
• How are your godparents a type of patron?
• How is St. Nicholas also your patron saint?

Closing Prayer

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Today the virgin gives birth to the transcendent one,
And the earth offers a cave to the unapproachable one.
Angels, with shepherds, glorify Him.
The wise men journey with the star,
Since for our sake the eternal God was born as a little child!

Opening Prayer

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Thy nativity, O Christ our God,
Has shown to the world the light of wisdom.
For by it, those who worshipped the stars
Were taught by a star to adore Thee,
The Sun of Righteousness,
And to know Thee, the Orient from on high.
O Lord, glory to Thee!

Discussion Starter

Begin by playing a recording of the Christmas Kontakion, which is found in the Resources for this lesson as an MP3 file which you can burn to a CD.   Ask students to listen for what is being expressed, and then write their ideas on the chalkboard or a poster. 

After listening to the recording, distribute copies of the Kontakion on the Nativity of Christ, a pdf in the Resources for this lesson. Have the class find these parts of the Kontakion: the prelude, the stanzas or ikoi (strophes), and the refrain.  Also have them check to see how many stanzas are in this kontakion. (Answers: The prelude begins "Today the Virgin..."; the first stanza begins "Bethlehem has opened..."; the refrain of each stanza is "a little child, God before the ages"; there are 24 stanzas.)

Read the 22nd stanza together. It begins "When the blameless Virgin saw..." Ask students: What "trinity of gifts" does the Mother of God ask her Son to accept? (The gifts of the Magi--gold, frankincense, and myrrh--are named in the 21st stanza.Students can look back and find them there if necessary.) Ask: What three things does she ask her Son for? (Seasons that are temperate and pleasant; growth of the crops and fruits of the earth; the well-being of all the people on earth.)

Make sure students understand that both the hymn they heard and this Kontakion were written by St. Romanos. Remind them that transcendent means greater than all others, supreme, or above the material universe. Unapproachable does not mean that Jesus is frightening or not accessible; rather, in this context “unapproachable” means we should approach Him with awe and due respect because He is God.

Discussion

Ask the students what kind of person they think would have written these hymns. Then read the Resource Handout The Life of St. Romanos.

Activity

The Life of St. Romanos

Read the Resource Handout The life of St. Romanos with the class. Discuss the meaning of the story of how he began to sing in church and compose hymns for the services.

The Lives of St. Barbara & St. Herman

Read with the class the life of St. Barbara, given in full in the Resourece section, and the life of St. Herman in the Resource Handouts.   After reading both, ask:

In what ways do you find these three saints to be models or heroes?

What is most appealing to you in what each of them did?

We say that saints are "friends of God." But human friendship is an important part of our life with God. How were these saints friends to others? Who were their friends?

(Let students give their own answers to these questions. Their ideas may vary.)

Discussion Questions

• What makes a saint a saint?
• One of the early Church Fathers said that a saint is someone who falls down and gets up, and falls down, and gets up, and falls down, and gets up again. How does this definition apply to St. Romanos, St. Barbara or St. Herman? How could it apply to you?

Christian Friendship Bracelets

Have each student make a  friendship bracelet following the outline in the Resource Handout Christian Friendship Bracelets. When we wear them, we can think about our church friends and remember them in our prayers.

While students are making their bracelets, discuss how we can be Christian friends to others, including those who might not know about or share our faith. If in the previous lesson the children have adopted a "prayer partner," an older parishioner, the friendship bracelets could be given to him or her.

Extra Activity

Have students work in groups of 3 or 4 and create a role play based on the story of the life of St. Romanos. (Provide tortillas to be used as the scroll he swallows.) This can be presented to other classes, or to the parish as a whole at coffee hour or some other time.

Closing Prayer

As students are cleaning up and preparing for closing prayer, suggest to students that during the week they pray to one or more of the saints you have studied together today. They can ask the saint(s) to guide them in becoming "friends of God" and true friends to other people.

Closing Prayer

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today the virgin gives birth to the transcendent one,
And the earth offers a cave to the unapproachable one.
Angels, with shepherds, glorify Him.
The wise men journey with the star,
Since for our sake the eternal God was born as a little child!

Opening Prayer

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Thy nativity, O Christ our God,
Has shown to the world the light of wisdom.
For by it, those who worshipped the stars
Were taught by a star to adore Thee,
The Sun of Righteousness,
And to know Thee, the Orient from on high.
O Lord, glory to Thee!

Tree of Jesse Symbols

Do the Tree of Jesse Symbols activity with the class, following the instructions in the attached Activity Resource, and starting with the explanation and background provided there.

Discussion Starter

Begin by asking the following questions:

• How are we prepared for the coming of Christ in the Old Testament?(There are a large number of promises of a Savior in the Old Testament. When we read them, they describe many of the things that Jesus did, and many things that were done to Him.)
  
• Why is it important to hear every year the long line of genealogy of Christ? (The genealogy of Jesus Christ--the list of His human ancestors over many generations--reminds us that He really did become Man, a true human being, and lived among us. He was born to a real woman with her own ancestors.)
  

Messages of the Promised Messiah

Distribute copies of the Resource Handout  Messages of the Promised Messiah to the students.  Begin by having the class read Isaiah 11:1-10 aloud, taking turns with the verses. 

List four attributes of the coming Savior (most of the answers will come from verses 1 – 5). Then list four “wonders” that will take place when the Savior fully reigns (answers will come form verses 6 – 8).   As you discuss each of the points have students write them down on the lines provided. Ask each student: Which attributes of the Savior do you think are the most important? Which of the “wonders” would you most like to see?

Next, to continue the investigation into the importance of Isaiah, have students work together or in groups and look up the passages in the second part of the handout and fill in the blanks. 

Now that you have read these quotes and also have read Isaiah 11: 1 - 10, ask the class what mental picture they are getting of the kind of world which will be brought about by the coming of the promised Messiah? Discuss briefly, letting students give their own ideas.

Preparing for the coming Christ

Read Daniel 2: 31-47 and discuss the following  with the class:

The Orthodox Church sees the Old Testament as preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ. How does this passage prepare people for the coming of a Savior who will be like no other? Let them give their own answers, but guide them with the following:

Note that the “image” is described in terms of earthly glory and might. Words such as “gold,” “silver,” “exceeding brightness,” “terrifying” are all used. But then we are told of a stone cut “without human hands” that can break all these to pieces.

This stone refers to Jesus Christ, who was born without a human father. Then we read of a kingdom that is greater than all other kingdoms – the Kingdom of God that Jesus Christ described. So the church sees this reading as a prophecy of the coming of Christ, the Son of God, who will lead His people into the Kingdom. Discuss this image of the glory of God.

Wrap Up

As participants are cleaning up and preparing for closing prayer, ask and review the following:

• Why is it important to remember in church all of the ancestors of Jesus?
• Why do you think there are so many generations mentioned in Matthew and read in church?
• How are we prepared for the coming of Christ in the Old Testament?
• What is the effect of the prophecies of the Messiah?

Closing Prayer

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today the virgin gives birth to the transcendent one,
And the earth offers a cave to the unapproachable one.
Angels, with shepherds, glorify Him.
The wise men journey with the star,
Since for our sake the eternal God was born as a little child!

Opening Prayer

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Thy nativity, O Christ our God,
Has shown to the world the light of wisdom.
For by it, those who worshipped the stars
Were taught by a star to adore Thee,
The Sun of Righteousness,
And to know Thee, the Orient from on high.
O Lord, glory to Thee!

Begin by asking the following questions based on the hymn that is the Opening Prayer, while looking at an icon of the Nativity of Christ:

• Who are those that “worshipped the stars”?(Magi)
• Where are they in the icon of the Nativity?(Shown traveling with star)
  
• Who is the “Sun of Righteousness”?(Christ)
• Where is He in the icon?(Lying near His mother)
  
• Why is He also referred to as the “Orient from on high”? (This term refers to the place in the East where the sun rises, the place our light comes from)
  

The Nativity of Christ

Say: We call Jesus divine because He is the Son of God. We know He is God’s Son because God sent the angel Gabriel to deliver this message to the Virgin Mary.  We call Jesus human because He is just like you and me, but without sin. He was born of a human mother on earth just as we are. Today, we will read about His birthday. Another word for birthday is nativity. 

Jesus was born late one night in a small town. His mother wrapped Him up to protect Him from the shivering cold, then placed Him on a bed of hay to keep Him warm. Jesus ate. He slept. He clung to His mother like all newborn babies do. He had some visitors…the cows and sheep, the shepherds and the wise men or magi, the angels singing joyfully. He had lived with God, His Father. Now He was living with us!

The story of the Nativity of Christ can be found in Luke 2:1-20. Ask students to read and compare and contrast this to Matthew 2: 1 – 12.What things are the same? What things are different? What details are found in account, but not the other?

Vocabulary

Explain the following Vocabulary:

• Every year, on Christmas, our Church celebrates a great feast day. Sometimes we call it the Nativity. Sometimes we call it the birthday. Sometimes we call it the Incarnation. What do all of these words mean?
  
• A birthday is the day we are born. Each one of us was once a tiny baby with our own special birthday. Each year we “celebrate” our birthday and the birthdays of our family and friends.
  
• The Nativity is another way of saying “to be born.” It is a Latin word. If you look closely at the word Nativity you will see the beginning of another word we are more used to: native. To be a “native” of someplace means to be born there. To be a “native” of the human race, or of Mankind, means to belong to the human race, to be human.
  
• The word Incarnation is taken from a few words in Latin. In means just what is says “in” something. Carn means the same as it does in carnivorous or carnation. All these words mean “Flesh.”
  
• Carnivorous means to be an animal which eats flesh. Carnation means a flower which has a flesh-like color (pinkish). So, the word Incarnation means “the act of taking on flesh.” This means Jesus, the Son of God, took on flesh and was born “human,” of the Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit.
  
• Our Church says that Jesus has a “birthday”, like us. He is a “Native” of the human race, like us. This is why we say that He had a human nature; Because He is fully human, like us. His divine nature is shown in the Incarnation: God became man!

Prophecies of Isaiah

Look up the prophecies of Isaiah that tell about the appearance and character of the Messiah. Isaiah 7: 14 – 15; Isaiah 8:9; Isaiah 9: 6 – 7. How do these verses add to your understanding of the image of Christ and His incarnation? How would you explain to someone why the Church reads these verses from the Old Testament often? (They are clear prophecies, from long before the Church began, of the Messiah who came and who is the foundation of the Church.)

Nativity Mobile

Make a mobile of the names of Jesus Christ in the reading from Isaiah 9:6. The pieces can be of any size or shape you wish, and students may decorate them.

• Make a larger top piece with JESUS CHRIST written on it.
• Make smaller hanging pieces, on each one writing one of the names from Isaiah.
• Suspend these smaller pieces from the top piece with thread or string. Use a hole punch to make holes in the top piece, or tape them onto it. The thread/string can be of different lengths.
  

Biblical Reflection

Read the verse from Isaiah 9:6 together and discuss the meaning of words such as government, counselor, mighty, everlasting, Father, prince, peace and how they describe the Messiah:

In its present context, it (the passage) describes the coming Messiah as the ideal king: Government is the symbol of authority. Mighty God is divine in might (power). Everlasting Father signifies continuing fatherly love and care. Prince of Peace is the king who brings peace and prosperity. The king represents the best quality of Israel's heroes (Ezek. 37:25)      - Notes from the New Oxford Annotated Bible   

Nativity Greeting

Practice the Nativity greeting: Christ is born! Glorify Him! Ask students: How do these words reflect the fact that Jesus is both God and Man? (He is the savior, Christ, the divine Son sent by His Father. At the same time He is born as a true human being.)

Wrap Up

As students are cleaning up and preparing for closing prayer, ask the following:

• What is the special greeting that we in the church use for Christmas?
• Where are most kings born? (Most often in palaces or wealthy surroundings)
  
• Where was Jesus born?
• Why was God’s Son, the greatest king of all, born in such simple circumstances? (To remind us that His Kingdom, the greatest of all, is far beyond the circumstances of this world, and that He is King of the poor and powerless as well as the mighty and wealthy)
  

Closing Prayer

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today the virgin gives birth to the transcendent one,
And the earth offers a cave to the unapproachable one.
Angels, with shepherds, glorify Him.
The wise men journey with the star,
Since for our sake the eternal God was born as a little child!