1. Be a Student of What They are Learning
For 2000 years, Christians have gathered all over the world to celebrate the birth of Christ, and not just as a historical event, but as a powerful reminder that God doesn’t give up on his promises and as God’s children, we always have hope. The Christmas story began with the nation of Israel, a group of people that had good reason to lose hope—they hadn’t heard a word from God in hundreds of years. To the poets, prophets, and priests, it seemed as if God might have turned His back on them. The thrilling nature of the Christmas story is that God didn’t turn His back, and although He had been silent, He had not been still. A baby was coming. God was putting skin on and moving into the neighborhood. Hope crashed into the silence.
Session 1: More Than Faithful (Nov. 28th)
Christmas is a season marked with anticipation for those of us inside of the church and even those outside of it. However, the nation of Israel understood expectation in a much deeper way than waiting on a new bicycle. At the time of Jesus’ birth, it had been hundreds of years since God had sent a prophet, an oracle, or even a judgment. As we discover in the first chapter of Luke, all of that is about to change. The story of Zechariah and Elizabeth—the parents of John the Baptist—teaches us that when God is silent, it doesn’t mean He is still. He reverses the fortune of a barren woman, ends years of silence, and sends His Son into the world. The Christmas story since the beginning has been about a relentless God who is always on the move.
Session 2: More Than Forgiven (Dec. 5th)
Usually when we read the Christmas story we start with one of the four gospels. This week, we’ll take a look at what Paul says about the Christmas story in Galatians. He offers a perspective that is unique from Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. For Paul, the message isn’t just that Jesus comes to forgive our sins; He comes so that we can know God as our Father. For thousands of years, God has primarily been a lawgiver to the nation of Israel, but now—through Christ—He is a Father to all of those who seek Him. The beauty of the Christmas story is not simply that we are off the hook for our sins, but that we can have an intimate relationship with our Creator.
Session 3: More Than a Story (Dec. 12th)
In the 21st Century, some 2000 years after the words were written, the Christmas story has come under assault in our culture. Is this story even true? Perhaps you have wondered that yourself. With the local mall changing it’s slogan from “Merry Christmas” to “Happy Holidays,” perhaps you have secretly wondered if Christmas should be more about celebrating family than the birth of a Savior. Through reading the gospel of Luke—and understanding why he wrote his letter—we discover that the Christmas story is more than a story. The Christmas story is an event in history. Understanding Luke’s historical context helps us realize that our faith isn’t in faith and our belief isn’t in belief. The Christmas story is a historical event with real names and faces, real stables and horses. When we understand this, what makes the “Holy Night” of Christ’s birth so wonderful is that it actually happened.
2. Be a Student of Your Student
Our kids are desensitized. Maybe that is a sweeping generalization, but let’s be honest: how many times have you heard people talk about the selfishness and lack of empathy in the upcoming generation? To be completely fair, this is probably a label that every generation tends to give the one coming up on their heels. But—whether we like it or not—there is a growing body of research which suggests that our young people today are lacking in empathy and sensitivity. Whether because of the media barrage of violence, sexuality and not-so-real reality television shows or simply because of a general lack of education and intergenerational connectivity, more and more people are writing about this next generation’s deficit in empathetic abilities.
An article in Psychology Today (June 5th, 2010) puts it this way:
“Earlier this week, Sara Konrath, a researcher at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, released her results on a study analyzing and comparing empathy among college students over the last 30 years. The results? The ‘biggest drop in empathy’ in recent history. She writes, ‘College kids today are about 40 percent lower in empathy than their counterparts of 20 or 30 years ago.’ In related survey research, psychologist Jean Twenge has labeled the current generation of young people the ‘iGeneration,’ or ‘Generation Me.’ In her books she describes how young people today ‘take it for granted that the self comes first,’ and has labeled this time a ‘narcissism epidemic,’ stating that we are ‘living in the age of entitlement.’ Konrath and O'Brien link the self-absorption and lack of empathy together, calling the current generation ‘one of the most self-centered, narcissistic, competitive, confident and individualistic in recent history... It's not surprising that this growing emphasis on the self is accompanied by a corresponding devaluing of others.’ (http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/what-the-wild-things-are/201006/are-today-s-youth-even-more-self-absorbed-and-less-caring-gener)
These are obviously scary words to read for those of us working with and raising the next generation. But we don’t have to let research like this have the final word! Our job as parents is to foster the values of empathy, listening, putting others first and caring for others that we want to see in our kids for years to come. And a great way to start is to find something that gets your student excited and then channel that excitement into an avenue to serve and help others. Here are some practical questions to ask your student to get thinking about where they might want to give of themselves:
- "What really drives you?"
- "What's the most fun you've ever had helping someone else?"
- "What dreams do you think God has given you?"
- "What can you do that most people can't?"
- "What ability would you most like to develop? Why?"
- "If God hired you for a summer job, what would you hope it would be? Why?"
The answers to these questions can be the springboard for helping you and your student determine where they can put their talent and interests to work for others. And remember, just because your student isn’t excited by any and every project that comes along doesn’t mean they aren’t empathetic and it doesn’t mean they aren’t a great kid! You just may need to dig a bit more and get a bit more creative in figuring out what really ignites them to serve and see outside of themselves.
Get connected to a wider community of
parents at www.orangeparents.org.