Session 1 - The Annunciation to Mary: Dismay, Turning, Consent

WEEK 1: November 26-December 2

Objectives

1. to hear again the story of Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary
2. to explore the feelings of fear, awe, and bewilderment that Mary feels
3. to name her responses to God’s message
4. to prepare our hearts, minds, and imaginations for God’s annunciatory
   presence among us
5. to memorize and create a scroll with a meaningful verse from the story
6. to encourage participants to spend time with God each day during Advent by reading the daily entries and Bible readings suggested in The Upper Room

Materials

1. A prop to represent each of the following people. Suggestions are in parentheses:
   • Mary (a flame or lit candle, to signify the presence of God in her through the Christ)
   • Joseph (hiking boots, since he follows God’s instructions literally with his feet)
   • shepherds (Christmas-pageant headdresses will do)
   • wise men/kings (3 gifts)
   • Simeon (big glasses, signifying his “vision” of Jesus’ identity and future)
   • Anna (megaphone or cell phone, since she speaks to everyone about the Christ child)
   • Also needed: Extra copies of The Upper Room daily devotional guide so each person has a copy to look at during the session
   This week, the props will simply be displayed so that participants may have a visual reminder of the people we will be studying.
2. Bibles or New Testaments in a variety of translations
3. Index card and pencil for each person
4. Pictures of the Annunciation to Mary as painted by a variety of artists: look in art books at your public or church library. Or someone may have art postcards from a museum. Or bring a laptop and display the whole “gallery” online at Google Images (type “Annunciation” into subject heading). If you have access to an LCD projector, you can project these images from your laptop onto a large screen, which would be ideal.
5. A long strip of 3-inch wide fabric for each participant, and enough colorful sharpies to share easily. Fabric paint is good for decorations if you have extra time. Memory verses will go on these. Fabric should be light-colored so writing will show.
6. The Upper Room daily devotional guide

Welcome

Begin by welcoming each participant to the Advent meeting. Budget about 5 minutes for introductions. Explain that during these four weeks before Christmas, we await the coming of the Christ Child. We take time away from holiday preparations and gift-shopping to remember this miracle: Emmanuel — God is with us.

Introduce the Series:

Remind group members that their preparation for each week’s session is reading at home each day’s Upper Room meditation and its suggested-scripture reading. They should bring their copies of the magazine with them each week, since you will refer to them in the sessions. (Repeat this reminder at the end of this meeting and at the end of each week’s session.) Encourage families to read the meditations together and to talk about them. Direct group members to the four-page center insert in the November-December issue of the magazine and point out the suggestions it offers for having a devotional time. Even if the group members live alone, encourage them to try just one of the guide’s suggestions in the coming week, perhaps the one about copying a phrase from each day’s meditation onto a card to carry with them as a reminder of God’s message to them that day.

Direct the group members to gather in threes or fours and to pull out their copies of the November-December issue of The Upper Room. (Have some extra copies available each week so everyone can have a copy, since families will probably have only one copy. Distribute these so each person has a copy to use for this exercise.) Invite group members to glance back over the week’s meditations and think about what they remember from the daily readings. Then direct them to speak within their group of three or four about one “message” or idea they heard from God in the week’s readings.

Move to the next part of the session.

Leader says (directions in parentheses): “One ordinary day long ago, in an ordinary town, the teenager Mary received an absolutely extraordinary message. It is called the Annunciation, because it is, to put it mildly, an announcement. What happens? An angel of God comes to tell her that she is to give birth to the Messiah, the one for whom all Israel has longed for centuries. Can you even begin to imagine this? What would you do? What would you say? What would you tell your friends and family? How would you be changed?

“It is hard even to talk about it with each other! Mostly we just wonder about the whole thing.

“In this season, we will try to understand more deeply what this visit was like, what it meant, and mostly, how Mary responded to it. We will also look at the stories of some other people who experienced other forms of annunciations as God led them to the Christ Child. (Here indicate the six sets of props as each of the following is named.) First, there’s Mary. Then we have (let the children guess as you hold up each prop) Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men, and Simeon and Anna who saw the baby Jesus when he first came to the temple. All of these people knew something special was going on, and none of them knew the whole story. But through the annunciations given to them, something very important happened. Each one received the spirit and strength and joy to respond to God’s new Mystery among them. And that can happen to us, too.

“In this session we will explore Mary’s story.”

Reading scripture: Ask participants to find a partner and read to each other Luke 1:26-38. Encourage the use of a variety of versions of the Bible. Even if we’ve heard the story a thousand times, it is really special to be read to or to read to someone.

Pictures: If at all possible, try to find a few paintings of the Annunciation. (See note above in “Materials” section.) Even if it’s awkward, pass them around and let each set of partners choose one to talk about, comparing the artist’s vision with their own, and how they would see it differently. Especially, ask them to talk about the expression on Mary’s face and what they think she is feeling. Ask them how they would depict Mary and the angel if they were painting the scene. Encourage them to make a picture this week. Give partners a chance to share their ideas with the larger group.

Second Reading: Now, read the story to each other again. Direct each person to listen for a word or phrase that stands out. On an index card, have participants write down their phrase or draw a picture of it. Invite pairs to tell each other about that bit of the story, and why it catches their attention. Tell them they don’t have to completely understand it! (Mary didn’t.)

Here are a few examples of phrases people might note: “She was much perplexed (or “shaken”) — “Do not be afraid” — “How can this be?” — “God’s spirit and power will overshadow you” — “With God, all things are possible” - “Here am I” — “Let it be with me according to your word.”

Let people share their words and phrases either by speaking them or writing them on a chalkboard if you have one.

Mary’s Turning:

Leader says (possible answers in parentheses): Notice the change that happens in Mary in this scene.

• How did she start out feeling? (perplexed, bewildered, afraid)
• What is her first response? (“How can this be?” - It doesn’t make sense! A baby must have two parents! This is against all the rules!)
• What is her second response? (Here am I, the servant of the Lord -- let it be.)
• What’s happened?

Leader says (directions in parentheses): “Even if you were Mary’s pet dog and didn’t understand a word of Aramaic, you’d know what had happened! You could instinctively, intuitively know the differences in Mary’s feelings as the scene progresses. She turns from fear to trust, from resistance to consent. That much feels peaceful. But that’s not all! She also turns from the ordinary, comfortable, predictable kind of life she’s always known to an amazing, risky, God-only-knows life that she cannot imagine.

“What do you call that? Brave? Crazy? Faithful? What?”

(Ask for other descriptive words, and whether all of them might apply to Mary all at once.)

“And here’s the thing: God visits each of us, in far less dramatic ways, but with no less dramatic a message. This Advent, let yourself hear the words God sends to you: ‘Greetings, favored one. Do not be afraid. You too will bear my Christ in this world, and he will be with you and be visible through you, as you live every ordinary day in my spirit and power. And remember this: Nothing is impossible with God.’”

Making an Annunciation scroll:

Leader says (directions in parentheses): “Long ago, artists who painted this scene might include a rippling scroll emerging from the angel Gabriel’s mouth. They painted on the scroll important words from God, spoken through the angel, so that the message might be more clear. It was a little like medieval cartoons!

“Tonight, to help us remember and hope in the words of scripture, choose a phrase from the Annunciation reading that carries special meaning for you. It can be the one you chose earlier or one you heard another person talk about.

“Pencil in those words on your scroll, and then write them in permanent ink or paint. Take the scroll home and drape it where you can see the words of scripture every day — maybe even on your Christmas tree or Advent wreath. Memorize the words, and, like Mary, ponder them in your heart.

(While people are making the scrolls, refer to this week's meditations from The Upper Room.)

Ask: “In these readings, who has a situation that feels impossible? How does he or she sense God's presence and peace? Who and what are the messengers?”

Specific meditations you might reference are November 27 (On his deathbed, Bill remembers his baptism); November 28 (A little acorn reminds Shirley of God's transformative power.); December 2 (Sounds form a picture of our lives.)

Before closing, remind participants to read The Upper Room each day, and tell participants to bring next week an unneeded, old pair of shoes they can decorate. (The shoes don’t have to be their own; any size or kind will do.)

Closing: Leader prays (or designates someone else to pray):

“Thank you, God of great promise, for your amazing way of breaking into our lives with wings to make our spirits soar, with words that still us and even chill us, with hope for the hearts of all humankind. Be with us as we listen for your word to us this Advent, and help us turn, like Mary, toward you and what you ask of us. Here are we; let it be with us according to your word. Amen.”