Session 3
The Annunciation to the Sherpherds: Yearning and Quest

About the Facilitator: The most important element needed for the success of this class is a facilitator who is at ease with open-minded, sometimes rambling discussion. The job might rotate among several people, or one person could lead all four discussions.

Preparation: The job is the same for each meeting. Find below the list of questions and quotations that amplify the theme of the week. The facilitator’s first work is to prepare the materials: simply print off the list, cut the paper into slips so that there is one question or quotation on each slip, and put the slips into a bowl. Participants will draw a slip randomly. The facilitator moderates by inviting someone to read a slip then opening discussion, encouraging others to contribute, suggesting alternate points of view, inviting participants to ground discussion in examples and personal stories, and deciding when it’s time to move to a new topic.

Structure of the Class: The structure for each meeting is the same: after a few minutes for greetings, the facilitator will open with prayer (suggested prayers are included), lead the group in reflecting on the week’s readings from The Upper Room magazine, read the week’s scripture passage, facilitate the discussion, and close with prayer (guidelines included). If there are carryover ideas from the previous week, the facilitator can attend to those before starting the current week’s discussion.

Other Materials:

• Provide an appropriate and attractive focal point if your room allows. This can be as simple as a purple cloth and a candle, perhaps with a manger to remind participants of the Mystery at the heart of the season. You can invite different participants to set this up each week.
• To encourage fellowship and foster a livelier conversation, you might provide light refreshments and music at the beginning of each meeting. After a few minutes, invite participants to bring their food to their seats and begin the session.
• Ask participants to bring their Bibles and provide a few in the room.
• Provide index cards and pens/pencils each session.
• You will need copies of The Upper Room daily devotional guide each week.

WEEK 3: December 10-16

Note: Some of this week’s questions pertain to Christmas music and caroling. You might want to arrange to do some caroling for other groups in the church building tonight. Be aware that the intergenerational class may be planning to come sing for you!

Prayer: “Shepherd God, some of us are feeling a little lost in the business of Christmastime. Herd us back toward your stable, and grant us the ears to hear your angels sing. Amen.”

Leader says: The scripture passages we read during the Christmas season give us several stories of people traveling – Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men. We often use the image of traveling to talk about getting to know God. We hear people talk about being on a “spiritual journey” – which really means trying to learn how to follow Christ more faithfully. Get into groups of three or four and take a couple of minutes to look back over the meditations in The Upper Room for this week. Where do you see people changing — going to a new place — in these stories? Which writer from this week’s meditations would you most like to talk to? Why?

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:8-20 (The angels tell the shepherds about the birth of Christ)

Questions and Quotes:

• Read the meditation for December 11 in The Upper Room. Chuck Greever describes his quest for an inner change. He wanted people to look beyond his appearance and see Christ in him. Discuss his story. What has prompted such a quest in your own life?
• The meditation for December 13th talks about visiting someone in a nursing home. Who from your congregation is in a nursing home? How does your church remain a part of that person’s/those persons’ life? How might your church minister to all the residents of a nursing home this Christmas season?
• These angels keep telling everyone, “Fear not.” That is the first thing just about every angel says in the Bible, which means that most folks are afraid in the presence of the Holy. What should we not fear?
• The shepherds are pretty easily convinced that they have seen God’s messengers and they hurry off to find the stable. How simple! Are we ever that easily convinced of God’s presence and purpose — even (or especially!) if we saw a multitude of the heavenly host?
• Even though the wise men aren’t in this story, we’re used to seeing them grouped around the manger with the shepherds in Christmas pageants, crËches, and cards. Consider how the lowly and the lofty members of society both seek the Christ. What is the “lowly” part of us that comes to the manger this Christmas? What is the “lofty” part of us that comes too?
• The shepherds seek the Christ Child. What sort of quest do we find ourselves on during this season of Advent — a personal quest? Church-wide quest? National? Worldwide?
• The shepherds seek the Christ Child. What sort of quest do we find ourselves on during this season of Advent — a personal quest? Church-wide quest? National? Worldwide?
• In what ways are we like a people who have walked in darkness and seen a great light?
• It’s interesting that each of these important Advent and Christmastide events is mentioned in only one gospel:
  Annunciation to Zechariah of the coming of John (Luke 1:5-25)
  Annunciation to Mary (Luke 1:26-38)
  Mary’s visit to Elizabeth and Magnificat (Luke 1:39-56)
  Angel visits Joseph and tells him of coming of Jesus (Matt. 1:18-25)
  Birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:57-80)
  Journey to Bethlehem and Nativity (Luke 2: 1-7)
  Annunciation to the Shepherds (Luke 2:8-20)
  Wise men follow star to visit Jesus (Matt. 2:1-12)
  Flight into Egypt, Slaughter of the Innocents, Return from Egypt (Matt. 2:13-23)
  Jesus as Light of World – (John 1:1-18)
  Presentation of Jesus at the temple (story of Simeon and Anna) – (Luke 2:21-40)
  
  The only overlapping part is that Matthew and Luke both report the birth of Jesus. We tend to blend the stories into one narrative. What is going on here? Why don’t the stories overlap more? Does this seem to you like a problem to be solved, or do you consider it no big deal?
• The shepherds are filled with amazement and gratitude. How has your own gratitude influenced your gift-giving practices over the years?
• The appearance of the angels to the shepherds has traditionally been interpreted with lots of music. Talk about Christmas music and carols. What are some of your favorites and not-favorites? Where have you heard truly memorable Christmas music? Tell stories.
• Do you go caroling? The intergenerational class will be singing carols tonight and may come to your door. Your group might want to prepare something to sing for them — or just sing a few carols for the joy of it.

Closing:

Leader says: “As before, write down an idea, question, or line from a carol that stands out to you right now. Keep it mindfully as you go about your week.”

Prayer: Sing together the last verse of “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”

O holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel.