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Webside
with Chris Weber
 Musings from this
catechetical corner of the Internet
Can we make a
connection between the wood
that held Jesus
in the
manger…
and the wood
that held him
on the Cross?
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December 2006/January 2006
Beyond
the Baby Jesus:
Discovering Easter Hope in
Advent and Christmastide
"That’s what Christmas is all about,
Charlie Brown."
For 40 years, Linus' somber soliloquy in
the classic A Charlie Brown Christmas has
reminded us that Christmas is, first and
foremost, about the birth of Jesus.
For this, Christians around the world owe gratitude to Peanuts'
creator, Charles Schultz. However, I wonder if we sometimes get a bit stuck
in the manger at this time of the year. After all, the birth of Jesus is not the end of the
Christian adventure, but just the beginning. Taking cues from the season of
Advent, and the Christmas story itself, let us consider some ways to bring
our learners beyond the nativity to a deeper experience of Christ.
The Season tells the story
Each year, the liturgical calendar takes us through events
in the life of Jesus. Just before Advent, we celebrate the Feast of Christ
the King. The readings for this celebration are highly apocalyptic in tone,
offering comfort for the afflicted, and proclaiming Christ as ruler over all
the principalities of the world. They herald the
second coming
of Christ in
glory. These images of the Second Coming and Glorification of Christ should
still be fresh in our minds when Advent begins.
Knowing that the story of Jesus will end with his return
in glory, and the ultimate fulfillment of all humanity, we enter into
Advent. The Advent scriptures are rife with images of profound longing and
hope, and dramatic passages depicting the Day of the Lord:
"There will
be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be
in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will
die of fright in anticipation of what is coming
upon the world,
for the
powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
Luke 21:25-27 - First Sunday
of Advent, Year C
The Sunday Scriptures make
no mention of the birth of Jesus until the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Up to
that point, they contain images of a Messiah who is very obviously
an adult! The Lord
will come again in glory, to bring justice and peace to the world. This is
the fully glorified Jesus, the risen Jesus. All of our hopes and dreams rest
in the One who is to Come, God’s Anointed One. Finally, at Midnight Mass on
Christmas Eve, the scriptures proclaim:
For a child is
born to us, a son is given us;
upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name
him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:5
He is here, among us! We rejoice! We take delight in God’s
choice to walk among us, through Jesus. However, we do this with the full
knowledge of all that will follow Jesus’ birth. Immediately following the
Christmas season, Ordinary time begins with stories about Jesus’ adult
ministry, his teaching, rejection, persecution, and death. We celebrate the
Baby Jesus, because we know who he is, and what he becomes.
Make the Easter Connection during
Advent and Christmas
As you prepare for Advent and Christmas this year with
your family members or learners, how can you help them connect not only with the baby Jesus,
but with the resurrected Jesus, too? How can you help them to see the Easter
Jesus in the manger? Here are a few approaches that might make the point:
The Day of the Lord
- Help your learners discover what the
Advent scriptures mean by the “Day of the Lord”. Can they imagine the
beauty and wonder of an entire world transformed? Connect them with hope
in the Lord’s second coming. As the
passages offer images of justice for the world, help them become
sensitized to injustice in the world. As the scriptures talk about
peace, consider the gift of peace that the Lord promises. Advent is a
natural time to get in touch with the Church’s social teaching. Help
your learners to see that by doing the works of peace and justice, they
are sharing in the coming of the Day of the Lord.
Advent “Prepare the
Way for Jesus” Activities - Help
your learners figure out what exactly we are preparing for today: not
the birth of a baby – that happened once, long ago –but an encounter
with Jesus alive in the Spirit, who brings new life to us, and is coming
again soon. Older kids could write “interviews” with John the Baptist,
or with Jews from Jesus’ day, asking them about the Messiah they are
expecting. They could also conduct “post-Resurrection” interviews with
the disciples of Jesus about why they celebrate Christmas.
Life of Jesus
Christmas Cards -
How about having your learners design Christmas
cards for family or friends that depict not just the nativity, but the
whole Jesus story? Parents might be surprised to find a cross or an
empty tomb on their Christmas card, but might be even more surprised
when their children explain all that baby Jesus would do for us when he
is older.
Alternative Ending to
the Pageant -
Instead of ending a Christmas pageant with the
gloria of the Angels, how about an epilogue where the Angel Gabriel
explains to the Congregation/Audience all that will become of this
little child, all that he will do for the world (See
the sample, below). Can we challenge our people to discover Jesus
alive, born in our hearts? Can we make a connection between the wood
that held Jesus in the manger…and the wood that held him on the Cross?
Put the Whole Christ Back into Christmas
Advent and Christmas provide a ripe opportunity to reach out to our
families. Use this time to call all of the members of your community to
renewed conversion of heart. Help them to hear in the cries of the Newborn
Babe the consolation and challenge of the Lord of Glory: “Come, follow me.”
Come, Lord Jesus, Come!
Chris Weber
Director
Catholic Education Ministries of Central Maryland
301-447-3707
This is a shorter version of Chris' article that
originally appeared in the Nov/Dec 2001 issue of Catechist Magazine.
Copyright © 2006 by the Catholic Education
Ministries Center of Central Maryland, Emmitsburg, MD 21727. All rights reserved.
An Alternative Ending
to the Christmas Pageant
The Angel Gabriel
“appears” onstage:
ANGEL GABRIEL:
The stable in Bethlehem is gone. It disappeared hundreds of years ago.
Thousands of pilgrims return to Bethlehem each year, remembering, praying,
celebrating that great event. But Jesus doesn’t return there each year to be
born again – he did that just once.
Jesus left the manger with his family to get on with life. He lived out his
childhood in relative obscurity. Who would have known that the young
carpenter’s son from Nazareth would become the Savior? Who would have known
that the wood of this manger would be replaced by the wood of a Cross? Who
would have known that one person could turn so many hearts to the one he
called “Abba”? You know this today– and you come back to hear the
story every year…because you believe.
Rejoice, O highly favored people! He came to the stable in love; He comes in
the Spirit today; He is coming again in Glory!
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