They All Gather Together

Note to the Teacher

This lesson offers the opportunity to instill a sense of promise in young people soon enough after our commercialized Christmas is tucked away until next year so they learn to anticipate the joy of Epiphany. Truly a new beginning!

1. Icebreaker (10 minutes):

Option 1: Low-Tech

Explain to students that today’s focus is to “re-member” the body – put the community of Christ back together as the new year begins. With assorted building blocks (Legos, Tinkertoys, etc.), each student will individually assemble a body. Ask each youth to describe their “re-membered” body; display all creations during the rest of the lesson. Resist the urge to make an example figure, which may stymy students’ creativity.

Option 2: High-Tech

Play the New Beginnings worship music video by Gloryfall. Define “epiphany,” and have the youth share how they hope to begin the year ahead in a new way.

2. Read Scripture (5 minutes)

Read Isaiah 60:1-6 CEB and Matthew 2:1-12 CEB.

3. Discussion (15 minutes)

Isaiah, the eighth-century Old Testament Israelite prophet, predicted the impact of the birth of Christ. The season of Epiphany, which starts twelve days after Christmas, celebrates the light of Jesus coming to our world. Think about the ways you experienced light during the recent Christmas season.

• Did your family place lights inside and/or outside your home? Are there decorating traditions around your home you are willing to share?
• When did you see candlelight during this holiday season?
• Light is used as a metaphor a lot in scripture. What would it mean to literally bring light to someone? What would it mean symbolically?
• Who has symbolically brought light to you over the last few weeks? How did they bring it?
• How does gathering as a faith community in worship and in service make our collective light shine brighter?
• Where can you be a light to others in the new year?

Reread aloud Matthew 2:1-2. Think about the role the magi, commonly known as wise men, played in tracking down the baby Jesus and sharing the good news of his birth.

• How might you respond if you were asked to follow a star (light!) for an extended period to meet the long-awaited Savior (light of the world!)?
• What is the most important thing on your calendar that you would need to cancel to devote at least two weeks to this expedition?
• Think about the years your family has invested in helping you grow up or the weeks and months teachers have devoted to your education. Whom do you want to thank because their light has contributed to your growth?
• “Epiphany” comes from the Greek word “phainein,” meaning “to appear.” Whom do you know who might need light to appear to make their life better in the weeks and months ahead?

4. Activity and Discussion (20 minutes)

Loop the instrumental version of “Twelve Days of Christmas” as background music while students, in pairs, list twelve ways they can serve the world around them during the months ahead. Post each list in your classroom space and ask teams to describe the service opportunities. Compile a complete list to engage students in service throughout the year.

Discuss:

• How will serving others in these ways bring light to the world?
• What impact do you expect serving others to have on you? Allow time for youth to reflect and share experiences.
• Just as the wise men invite us to seek the light of Jesus, whom can we invite to join us in serving our community?
• Close with prayer. Focus on walking together into the new year, striving to discover our collective light and shine it in the world’s dark spaces. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light” (John 1:5 CEB).

Total time: 50 minutes

NEEDED RESOURCES:

• LEGO, Tinkertoys, or other construction toys (enough for each student) for the low-tech option, or a device to play the music video for the high-tech option
• Instrumental version of “Twelve Days of Christmas” for the activity
• Butcher paper, tape, markers, Bibles, or copies of the scripture passages from the CEB translation.