(10 minutes, easy set-up)
Students will write poems that reflect the presence of God’s love in the birth of Jesus.
Provide paper and pens. Also, provide a dry erase board and marker.
Learning Goal: Learners will reflect on one aspect of God’s love that was present at Jesus’ birth.
Down the left side of the board, list the numbers 1-5. Distribute paper and a pen to each student. Explain that students will have the opportunity to personally reflect on the presence of God’s love in the birth of Christ.
Ask: What are some nouns that could be used to symbolize God’s love and presence in the birth of Christ? (Responses could include manger, baby, stable, love, presence.) Write these out to the right of number one. Instruct students to number down the side of their papers as you’ve done on the board, leaving room between each number to write. Then, instruct students to use one of the words that you’ve written on the board or to choose another word that defines or explains God’s love and presence.
Pause to allow students to choose a word, and then explain that the word they chose has now become the theme for them to focus on as they reflect on Jesus’ birth. Next, encourage students to write on the second line two adjectives that describe the noun they used on line 1. Remind students to use this as a time to reflect on the presence of God’s love in these adjectives.
After a minute, instruct students to write three verbs that describe their feelings or God’s activity during Christ’s birth. In another minute, instruct students to write a four-word phrase that describes the noun on line 1 in a way that reflects what they’ve discovered about God’s love during this lesson. Finally, instruct students to complete their reflections by writing another noun that is a synonym or renames the noun they wrote on line 1.
As students complete their work, divide students into small groups of three or four and encourage students to read their reflections to the others in their groups. After several minutes for groups to share, ask: What have you discovered about the presence of God’s love through the birth of Christ? After responses, encourage students to pray in their groups as they thank God for His gift of love through the birth of His Son.