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Welcoming the Prince of Peace

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Christmas Pack #14
Gifts of Peace: Young Adults

Welcoming the Prince of Peace

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Welcoming the Prince of Peace

A Four-Session Activity Guide

For Leaders of Young Adults

by Karen Greenwaldt

Introduction

Once again Peace comes to the world at Christmastime. Peace, known as Jesus Christ, enters our lives, our institutions and our world. Peace comes - to bring again the ancient message of love, reconciliation, justice and hope. When this message confronts us each year, we welcome the coming of Peace with very different thoughts, feelings and expectations. For some, the message is received with gladness and joy. For others, the message comes as a stark reminder of the ways individuals and systems continue to hurt, abuse, ignore and destroy people and the creation itself. And for others, Jesus comes, and the message is lost in the sea of preparation for the season.

This resource is designed to guide leaders of young adult groups to consider the meaning of the coming of Peace to our world again this year. Participants will consider the interconnection between the message of Peace to the institutions of self, family, community, church and world.

In four sessions, the meaning of Welcoming the Prince of Peace will be explored. Session One considers how Jesus enters into our inner worlds of self and creates a space for discovery of Peace. Session Two invites participants to recognize the impact of Peace in the family. Session Three explores the meaning of Peace in the community and the church. Session Four encourages participants to recognize how God is creating a new community across the world and invites people to engage in that new creation.

PURPOSE: By exploring various peace issues, this study guide will help young adults seek peace within themselves and become peacemakers in their families, communities, churches and world.

DESIGNING THE SESSIONS: Recruit young adults and any additional leaders to participate in a four session study during the pre-Advent or Advent season. These sessions can be scheduled over a series of weeks or days, beginning in mid-October or November. In addition, you might arrange for a weekend retreat at a nearby camp or retreat center. Each session is designed to last for about one hour. Arrange for comfortable meeting space and refreshments. Remember that many young adults prefer interactive sessions which include times of input, small group interaction and fellowship.

EARLY PREPARATION: Read the four sessions and gather needed materials. Before each session, do the work in the session yourself. Be aware of your own experiences of welcoming Jesus and note your own openness and resistance to the coming of Peace again this year. Learn as much as you can about the participants. Pray for them and for your time together in the sessions. Begin to expect that Jesus will be a part of the sessions as you and the young adults prepare once again for this year's coming of the Christ.

Session One: Inner Peace

INTRODUCTION: At some point in our lives, many of us embrace a process of self-discovery in which we attempt to find a sense of inner peace, a center of quietness and solitude. For some of us that process is fearful and uninviting. Others of us find the journey of self-discovery enjoyably creative and energizing. This session will provide a process for young adults to begin or to continue exploring the meaning of inner peace for themselves.

GOALS:

MATERIALS NEEDED: A Bible for each person; construction paper; scissors; glue; colored markers; modeling clay; large chalkboard or newsprint; chalk or marker; note paper; pens or pencils; name tags

PREPARATION: Arrange the chairs in a semicircle facing the chalkboard or newsprint. Allow enough room so that participants can gather together in a "worship center" in the middle of the semicircle. Set up work tables in different parts of the room. Provide a refreshment table and a table for supplies. Read over the session plans carefully.

SESSION PLANS

Opening (5 min.): Welcome participants as they arrive. Invite them to make name tags and to help themselves to the refreshments.

Activity (10 min.): Invite participants to move to work tables. Ask them to use the construction paper, scissors, glue, markers or modeling clay to creatively express a time when they felt lonely or alone.

Discussion (15 min.): Ask the participants to join you in the semicircle of chairs. Make two lists on the chalkboard or newsprint: one titled "Aloneness" and the other "Loneliness." Ask those in the group to offer words they use to define the word "alone" and write their responses under the "Aloneness" column. Then ask them to offer words they use to define "lonely" and write those responses under the "Loneliness" column. Once all participants have had an opportunity to respond, ask them to turn to their neighbors in groups of threes to discuss these questions: "When do you feel lonely? When do you feel alone? How do you describe the differences between your experiences of feeling lonely and alone?"

As a group, talk about the differences between these two words as revealed in the listing of definitions and the discussions. Ask them how our culture responds to the words "lonely" and "alone." When does our culture suggest that being lonely is inappropriate or appropriate? How does the culture support or not support persons being alone? What are the different cultural messages given to experiences of being lonely or alone?

Bible Study (25 min.): Using Bibles, invite people to find the Scripture passage, John 14:25-27. Ask a volunteer to read the passage aloud. Talk about how the Spirit reminds us that Jesus' peace is given to each of us. How do we experience the peace of Jesus? What is the world giving to us that the Spirit does not? How do we understand the message "not to let our hearts be troubled or afraid"?

Break into groups of threes. Ask the groups to discuss these questions: "How do these assurances from Jesus support our search for inner peace? How do these assurances create a space inside each of us where we can be alone with God? How can loneliness be transformed into a positive sense of being alone with God?"

In closing the Bible study, ask young adults to write down three ways they plan to create moments in the next few weeks in which they can explore their own search for inner peace, quietness and certainty that God is present with them. What will they do? With whom will they talk? How will they know if they have begun or continued their search for inner peace during these weeks before Christmas?

Closing (5 min.): Gather the group in the worship center in the middle of the semicircle of chairs. Ask participants to spend a few moments in silent prayer asking God to be with them during the coming weeks of study and reflection. Close this time of prayer by reading the words, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. Amen."

Session Two: Peace in the Family

INTRODUCTION: As the days leading up to Christmas become fewer and fewer, many people experience rising busyness, anxiety, frustration and excitement within their families. For some people, these days intensify feelings of loneliness and isolation. For others, these days give rise to increased hopes and dreams for family peace and love. This session invites young adults to explore their experiences of peace in the family and provides them with ways to continue or to begin the process of creating peace in the family.

GOALS:

MATERIALS NEEDED: A Bible for each person; magazines with pictures of people of various ages and ethnic groups, single people, couples, etc.; poster paper (8" X 10"); glue; scissors; chalkboard or newsprint; chalk or marker; name tags

PREPARATION: Arrange the room with chairs in a semicircle facing the chalkboard or newsprint as in Session One. Set up work tables, supply table and refreshment table. Read over the session plans carefully.

SESSION PLANS

Opening (5 min.): Welcome young adults as they arrive, and ask them to make name tags, if needed. Invite participants to help themselves to the refreshments and to discuss with each other what they have learned about inner peace during the last few days.

Activity (10 min.): Invite young adults to gather around the work tables. Have them use magazines, scissors, glue and poster paper to create a picture and description of their families. Explain that "family" can be people related by birth or by choice. Encourage them to include people who are closest to them, not necessarily the traditional definition of family. In addition to mom, dad and children, a family may include grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, friends, etc. After participants have worked on their pictures for several minutes, ask them to look at their picture and to write, draw or describe places where they discover family peace. Ask them to note places where there is a lack of family peace.

Discussion (15 min.): Invite participants to move to the semicircle of chairs. Ask each person to talk with two other people about their picture. Remind them that they can share as much or as little about their picture as they feel comfortable. What have they learned about their family as a result of this exercise? Where does peace exist in their picture? Where is it absent? How do they feel about their picture?

After a few minutes of small group discussion, ask them to focus their energies as a group. Encourage the group to share characteristics found in families where peace exists. List their answers on a chalkboard or newsprint. (Answers might include: honesty, respect, laughter, mutuality, etc.) Ask them for characteristics found in families where peace does not exist. List their answers. (Answers might include: distancing, cutting people off, disrespect, put downs, etc.)

Bible Study (25 min.): Ask a volunteer to read aloud Matthew 12:46-50. Talk about the setting of this story - Jesus is speaking to a crowd and is interrupted by his family who want to speak with him. What do you know about Jesus' family? How do you think Jesus felt about being interrupted by his family? As you think about Jesus' family, what stresses and strains do you imagine being in the family? What joys can you imagine being in the family? Allow enough time for participants to think about the realities of family life that Jesus may have experienced.

When that discussion seems to be completed, move the discussion to the latter part of this passage. Talk about why Jesus might have redefined his family pattern in the way that he did. Discuss what it means in families to do the will of God. How does this redefinition influence the ways we live in and with our family systems now? What might we learn about how to live with the stresses and strains and the joys of our own family relationships as we consider doing the will of God? How does the redefinition of family impact the ways we see and make choices about how we live in our families? What can we learn from this passage as we consider promoting peace within our families during this season before Christmas?

Closing (5 min.): Gather the group in the worship center in the middle of the semicircle of chairs. Ask participants to join in sentence prayers for their families. Close this time of prayer asking God's peace to be present in all of the families represented in the group.

Session Three: Peace in the Community and the Church

INTRODUCTION: Each year at Christmastime, we long for peace in our communities and in our churches. We hear the Christmas story and remember again the call for peace. These ancient words resound in our memories, and we are once again invited to look around us and ask questions about the ways that we live. This session will focus on peace in the community and in the church and will invite young adults to look beyond themselves to notice their own towns, cities, neighborhoods and church communities.

GOALS:

MATERIALS NEEDED: A Bible for each person; maps of your community; chalkboard or newsprint; chalk or marker; name tags

PREPARATION: Arrange the room with chairs in a semicircle facing the chalkboard or newsprint as before. Set up work tables, supply table and refreshment table. Read over the session plans carefully.

SESSION PLANS

Opening (5 min.): Welcome participants as they arrive and ask them to make name tags, if needed. Invite them to visit the refreshment table and to talk with each other about how they worked for peace in their families during the last few days.

Activity (10 min.): Invite the participants to move to the work tables and to work in groups of four. Distribute a copy of the map to each group. Ask the groups to use the markers to draw on the map areas of their community in which peace exists, areas where peace is tenuous, and areas where peace is absent. Encourage them to talk with each other about why they make those judgments.

Discussion (15 min.): Ask the participants to move to the semicircle of chairs and to bring their maps. Talk about their observations of their communities. What was their criteria for deciding that peace existed in one area and not in another? How do they feel about their communities as a result of this discussion?

Begin to move into a discussion of their experiences within their church. Where does peace exist in the church? Who are the people in the church who make peace a reality there?

On the chalkboard or newsprint, make two columns - "Peaceful Communities" and "Peaceful Churches." Ask the group to offer characteristics of each and list their responses in the appropriate column. Discuss why they believe these characteristics promote peacefulness in communities and churches. Ask these questions: "How can you be an agent of peace in your community and church? What enables you to be an agent for peace there? What hinders you? What is one thing you could do to bring peace to your community and/or church?" Encourge each person to commit to doing one thing to foster peace in the community or church.

Bible Study (25 min.): Ask a volunteer to read Philippians 2:1-5. Talk about the community to which Paul was writing - Philippi was a community of Christians trying to survive in a hostile environment. Paul wrote to them to provide encouragement and advice. He also reminded them of the challenge of the gospel call in their daily living. How does this passage promote the making of peace in communities and churches? What was Paul saying to the people of Philippi? What is Paul saying to this group of young adults? How does this study group feel about the challenges that Paul is suggesting to the Philippians? What does it mean for young adults to have the mind of Christ? What questions and issues for further reflection does this passage raise for this group?

Closing (5 min.): Gather the group in the worship center in the middle of the semicircle of chairs. Ask young adults to again refer to the maps of their communities. In a closing prayer, ask participants to express their joys, concerns and hopes for their communities and churches. Close by asking God to bring peace to the communities and churches represented in the group of young adults.

Session Four: Peace in the World

INTRODUCTION: The media surrounds us with images and words that describe conflicts and wars around the world. We know about famine, abusive governments and peoples, and environmental degradation. We also know of wonderful peacemaking efforts of people of all ages and nationalities. Yet, often the bad news overpowers the good news, and we feel powerless to do anything constructive to foster peace where it does not exist.

Once again, the message of Christmas comes, "Joy to the world the Lord is come . . .," bringing with it hope for peace and goodwill to all creation. This session will explore ways in which young adults respond to the issues confronting the world and will provide a process for them to make decisions about how they might be peacemakers in the world.

GOALS:

MATERIALS NEEDED: A Bible for each person; chalkboard or newsprint; chalk or marker; back issues of newspapers that include world news as well as local news; poster boards; glue; scissors; paper; pens or pencils; name tags

PREPARATION: Arrange the room with chairs in a semicircle facing the chalkboard or newsprint as before. Set up work tables, supply table and refreshment table. Read over the session plans carefully.

SESSION PLANS

Opening (5 min.): Welcome participants and invite them to make name tags, if needed. Suggest that they find snacks at the refreshment table. Encourage them to talk about how they have worked to promote peace in their communities and churches in the last few days.

Activity (10 min.): Ask participants to move to the work tables. Invite them to work in groups of three using the newspapers, scissors, glue and poster board to create a collage that describes the world's condition. On the poster boards or on additional paper, ask the groups to list places in the world where peace exists and places where it is absent.

Discussion (15 min.): Move the group to the semicircle of chairs. Talk about what participants have learned as a result of their work. Where are their similarities and differences between the posters? Where is the area in the world where there is the greatest peace? Where is the area experiencing the most conflict? What causes or creates these conditions? What helps us discern where peace exists and where it does not?

Using the chalkboard or newsprint, make a list of words that participants use to define world peace. When they have finished creating the list, ask them which of those behaviors, beliefs or actions are more active in the world. Talk about what forces keep people from being able to implement those beliefs, actions or behaviors in order to build world peace. How do participants feel about their abilities to be peacemakers in the world? What supports them? What deters them?

Bible Study (25 min.): Ask a volunteer to read aloud Micah 6:8. Talk about the context of these words - the prophet, Micah, lived near Jerusalem about 700 years before the birth of Jesus. He warns the people of Israel and Judah of impending doom and exhorts the people to live justly and compassionately. He particularly speaks against the arrogance of the rich and champions the cause of the poor.

Moving from a discussion of the context of the passage, talk about the message of Micah as he describes the requirements of God - to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with God. What does the prophet mean by the phrase, "do justice"? How can young adults "do justice"? What does the prophet mean by the phrase "love kindness"? How can young adults "love kindness"? What does the prophet mean by the phrase, "walk humbly with God"? How do these requirements of God relate to the world in which we live? What can we learn about living today as we read these words of an ancient prophet?

As you close this Bible study time, talk about things participants can do to be peacemakers in today's world. You may want to ask groups of three to talk about these questions: "How can we do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God? What commitments are we willing to make in the days and weeks ahead?" Encourage participants to write down on pieces of paper one or two commitments they are willing to make to welcome the Prince of Peace and to be peacemakers in their own lives, in their families, in their communities and churches, and in the world.

Closing (5 min.): Gather the group in the worship center in the middle of the semicircle of chairs. For the final closing of this study, invite participants to talk about what they have learned as well as what commitments they are willing to make to welcome the Prince of Peace. Ask each person to place his/her paper in the middle of the circle. Join hands and invite participants to speak their prayers for the coming of the Prince of Peace. Close the prayer by asking that God be with every member of the group as each one welcomes the Prince of Peace again to the world and to his/her life.

About the Author

Karen Greenwaldt is a clergy member of the Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. She is appointed to the General Board of Discipleship where she serves as the team leader for the Christian education staff.

Make copies of this resource under the Creative Commons attribution, not-for-profit license.

Page updated 11 Sept. 2013

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