After the list of our Unitarian Universalist principles, which include the principle of a free and responsible search for truth and meaning, and after the listing of the five sources from which we draw, which include direct experience of transcending mystery and wonder, words and deeds of prophetic women and men, wisdom from the world’s religions, Jewish and Christian teachings and humanist teachings, there is a statement which reads:
Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision.
This statement points to one of the great truths of Unitarian Universalism: we are united and brought closer to understanding ultimate things by our belief in the value of different viewpoints. This is not just a passive kind of tolerance but rather a positive awareness that we need to hear different ideas in order to gain the broadest vision of life and its mysteries.
Unitarian Universalists hold a wide variety of views about the word "God." What some people mean by God are views which are close to the traditional Jewish or Christian beliefs; what others mean are more like the views in Eastern religions. What some mean by the word "God" are images from Goddess religion or Native American religion, others mean images from science. Other UUs don’t find the word "God" useful at all, either because it strongly signifies meanings which are no longer believed or because other words seem more relevant in explaining one’s answers to ultimate questions, words like Life, Universe, Creation, Love, Being.
The statements in the story for this session are created out of the ideas of numerous UU adults who have come to workshops or courses in connection with God Images, the curriculum for fifth and sixth graders. They are composite statements based on ideas heard over and over. Members of these groups have been asked to draw a picture of their idea of what "God" means and then to speak to the group later about the picture.
The four types of ideas represented in the story seem to be the most common. One type of picture shows natural objects: stars, sun and moon; trees, flowers, mountains and water and much use of the color green. The people who draw these say they feel close to God when they are out in natural settings. The second type of picture is usually more abstract and has a center out of which all sorts of things radiate. This type usually makes use of reds, oranges and yellows and people relate it to the Big Bang and energy and power. The third type has a person or people in it who often are holding hands.
Sometimes they have a red heart, on which is written "God." The people who draw these speak of connectedness and caring. The fourth type is more mystical and in some way combines images from the first three. There are, of course, other types of wonderfully creative drawings depicting the variety of UUs’ views about God. Children love to hear adults tell them about their beliefs on the kind of profound issues which are God questions. Encourage them to talk with their parents or other adults about their ideas about God.
Pre-schoolers (ages 3-5) often believe the following:
*Death is temporary and reversible.
*When someone dies, he or she is merely living under different circumstances (e.g., underground, up in heaven); the person still eats, sleeps, thinks, and feels.
*It is possible to visit with, talk to, and maintain a physical relationship with the deceased.
*Others will eventually die, but they will not.
Children of this age have no sense of the permanence of death, so you may find yourself repeating the same information over and over. ("Aunt Janey died of a heart attack, and no, she won’t be at the family reunion this year.") They also display magical thinking, in which they believe they have a lot of control over life events. As a result, they often need reassurance that they did not cause or contribute to a loved one’s death.
When a pre-schooler suffers a significant loss, he or she may respond with aggression or combativeness. It also is common for grieving pre-schoolers to regress to a younger stage of development. Furthermore, children of this age often ask many questions about the physical aspects of death, because they are trying to figure out what it means to be dead.
In general, before a significant loss occurs in a pre-schooler’s life, it is helpful to find teachable moments to introduce the concept of change and death. For example, as you walk around the church yard, point out signs of changing seasons (falling leaves) or the cycles of life. Ask the child what happened when you see a dead animal by the side of the road. Be gentle, but correct any misinformation, emphasizing that death happens to us all, and that once we die, our physical bodies never come back to life.
And don’t shy away from saying the words "die" or "death." Children are literal thinkers, and often conjure up complex images of such euphemisms as "kicked the bucket," or "been called away." "Grandma died" is much less confusing to a young child, who then can enter into a discussion of what this means physically and emotionally.
While many adults are tempted to take it easy on a grieving child, structure and clarity are comforting. If you have a child in your classroom who has experienced a significant loss, don’t excuse inexcusable behavior. Be clear about what you expect, and don’t back off from your standards for appropdate behavior. At the same time, don’t hesitate to express your sympathy and concern, even well after the time of the loss; Many people never mention a death or other significant loss after the first few weeks, which adds to the bereaved person’s sense of abandonment and isolation.
Children from about 6 to 8 intellectually understand that death is permanent and irreversible, but still believe that they are immortal. In fact, they often blame people who die for being too clumsy, too old, or physically unable to escape the monster-like figure of death. This may allow children to think about death in a more distant, and therefore more comfortable, way.
You may be surprised by the questions that children of this age ask about death. The following are typical: "If our minister was killed in a car crash, who will light the chalice? " "Since Janey died, who will sit next to me in Sunday School?" You also might notice that children’s fears and questions about death come out in their actions, not their words.
Try to avoid judgment while remaining honest, calm, and true to yourself. Remind the children that we all die, as do all living things, but that most of us will live to be quite old. Explain that sometimes the world feels out of control, but in fact we are in charge of many aspects of our health and well-being. Remind them that we have the choice to eat healthy foods and avoid obvious dangers (smoking, driving too fast, biking without a helmet, running across the street before looking both ways, etc.).
If students in your class know of a specific death and want to hear more details, don’t panic. Listen to their questions to find out what they really want to know. Also consider asking a few questions of your own: "What have you heard? What do you think happened? Why? How do you feel about this?" This can help you determine the real source of worry represented by their apparent morbid curiosity.
The curriculum for the primary grades introduces the concept of loss through an examination of nature and the cycle oflife. It offers clarification around the meaning of death, and provides ample opportunity for children to voice their concerns, fears, and questions about loss and death.
The story of Svetaketu and his father is taken from the Hindu scriptures called the Upanisads. The word "Upanislld" means to "sit down nearby" and refers to the practice in which one who desires to learn sits down at the feet of a teacher. There are over two hundred Upanisads, written, in Sanskrit, during the 8th to the 6th century B. C. E.. This story is found in the Chandogya Upanisad (6.12) and it is part of a series of discussions between Svetaketu and his father.
The earliest Hindu scriptures are the Vedas which are hymns to the various Gods and Goddesses. In the Upanisads, Hindus begin to philosophize in a more systematic way about the universal religious questions. The concepts in the Upanisads develop toward the understanding that all of the "3306" Gods and Goddesses are in reality forms of the one God, Brahman. Furthermore, this philosophy sets forth the belief that there is in humans what is called the Atman, a spirit-power, a soul, and the Atman and Brahman are the same. In Sanskrit this is expressed in the phrase, Tat Tvam Asi, which means, That Art Thou. Most of the Svetaketu stories end with the father saying to him, "that which is the finest essence-this whole world has that as its soul. That is Reality. That is Atman (soul). That art Thou, Svetaketu." (translated by Robert Ernest Hume).
The theology of the Upanisads has been called monism, which is described in Webster’s Ninth Collegiate Dictionary as, "the view that there is only one kind of ultimate substance" or "the view that reality is one unitary organic whole with no independent parts." Another similar type of theology is panentheism, which is not the same as pantheism. Pantheism is described as meaning that all is God, whereas, panentheism preserves a sense of God’s transcendence by saying that all is in God. The Handbook of Theological Terms, says that panentheism "argues that the world is included in God’s being something as cells are included in a larger organism, although the world does not exhaust God’s being or creativity. Just as a person is both the sum of all his [or her] experiences and parts and yet more than they, so God has all of finite being as part of [God’s] being and experience but transcends it." The Hindu philosophy of the Upanisads can be interpreted in a strict way as monism, but in a more liberal way as panentheism.
At any rate, both of these viewpoints contrast with theistic beliefs in which God and humanity are totally separate entities and where the ultimate values ascribed to God are not applicable to people. A theology based on a belief of "That art Thou," on the other hand, must apply ultimate worth to humans just as it does to God. Therefore, the stories of the Upanisads, support the belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person, one of our Unitarian Universalist principles. They also support the principle which urges respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part and the source of our own direct experience of transcending mystery and wonder.
Children who are on the younger side of the five to seven developmental shift may intuitively feel quite comfortable with the concept that God is in us and we are in God since their thinking isfluid and magical. Girls and boys who are developmentally older and are beginning to classify and analyze may want to examine these ideas in a more rational way. Invite both viewpoints in theconversation and encourage the children to share their differing ideas with each other.
The "Namaste" greeting is used in everyday conversations in India and Nepal and by those who study Yoga. When one says, "Namaste," to another, one is speaking from and to the place in each of us where the spirit dwells.
Palm Sunday begins the Christian Holy Week,which commemorates the last week of Jesus life. Several different versions of this important story are recounted in the New Testament (Matthew 21:1-9, Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:28-38). When presenting this story to children, you will want to remind them that this is indeed a story.
Palm Sunday is a celebration of the events associated with the day when Jesus entered Jerusalem, enacting the Coming of the Messiah according to the Jewish traditions. His disciples took branches from the palm trees and placed them on the road ahead of him as he rode in on a donkey. Thus, the name Palm Sunday, a day of joy and triumph. In the seventh or eighth century, the Christian churches started the practice of blessing and distributing palm branches, which is continued in many Christian churches today.
Other events of Holy Week include Maundy (Holy) Thursday and Good Friday. Celebrations are held on Holy Thursday commemorating that day when Jesus washed the feet of his twelve friends (disciples) as he gathered with them for his last supper. The Friday before Easter commemorates the day Jesus was crucified. It is called "good" because Christians believe that Jesus atoned for the sins of the world through his death and was victorious over death.
In celebrating Palm Sunday, focus on the courage of Jesus who chose to come to Jerusalem and speak out about what he held sacred. It is important to reflect on the teachings of Jesus– the right relationship of one human being to another and of each person to her or his God, as exemplified in "The Lord’s Prayer" and in "The Golden Rule." Choose one or both of these teachings to share with the children and make it a Hosanna day.
The teachings of Jesus emphasized in this session are found in the Christian scriptures: The Golden Rule is in Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31; The New Commandment is in Matthew 22:34- 40, Mark 12:28-34, and Luke 10:25-28; and The Lord’s Prayer is in Matthew 6:9-15.
Unitarian Universalist interpretations of these teachings can be found in From Long Ago and Many Lands, edited by Sophia Lyon Fahs, and "The Lord’s Prayer," words by the Rev. Barbara Marshman.
Muhammad was born in 570. His father died around the time of his birth and his mother died when he was 6 years old. Muhammad was raised first by his grandfather and later by his uncle, who was a tribal leader at the time. In those days, most people living in Arabia were nomads. Families, or clans, were organized together into tribes. Sometimes the animal herds of a tribe was insufficient for its needs and one tribe would raid another for goods.
The only people more powerful than tribal leaders were poets. Poets were believed to be possessed of spirits that inhabit the natural world known as "jinn." Arabs believed jinn could work good and evil, so keeping the spirits happy was important: Most tribes also believed in other gods and goddesses, including Allah (the creator of the universe) and his three daughters. Each year local tribesmen visited Mecca to see the KaBah, an area built around a mysterious and sacred black stone (possibly a meteorite) that contained a sanctuary dedicated to these goddesses.
With these annual pilgrimages, Mecca became an important commercial center as well as a religious center. During Muhammad’s early adult life in Mecca, Arabian society began to become more concerned with individual prosperity than clan and tribal community. At age 25 Muhammad married an older, wealthy merchant woman. He became involved in commerce and traveled frequently to areas north of Mecca, where Christitanity and Judaism (both monotheistic religions) were prominent. No one knows how much his travels among Jews and Christians influenced Muhammad, but he certainly gained a broader wider view.
Muhammad was only mildly happy with the comforts that wealth brought and he was quite concerned about the decline of traditional values and community. He began to spend a lot of time alone in meditation and prayer on these concerns. Our story begins with one such event, in the year 610.
For the skit, you will need one person to be the narrator and others to pantomime the underlined action in each scene. Gather props and costumes and have fun!
Characters:
Muhammad
Young boy
Gabriel (angel)
Khadijah (Muhammad’s wife)
Meccan merchants
Abraham
Moses
Jesus
Pilgrims from Medina
Meccan assasins
Abu Bakr (close advisor)
Scene 1: Gabriel’s First Visit
Muhammad was traveling home one night when he passed a young boy sitting idly on the road, staring blankly out in the night. It seemed like he had no where to go, no family even to care for him. Muhammad thought about how things were changing in Mecca. More and more people seemed concerned only about themselves, tribal wars were increasing, and in Mecca itself money and commerce seemed more important than religion. He worried when he heard stories of people less fortunate than himself. Now, this young boy was a reminder of those worries. When he arrived home he decided to go to one of his favorite caves just outside Mecca. He would spend the night there, fasting and reflecting on the changes that were happening all around him.
He gathered a few belongings for the night and headed off for a time of quiet and meditation. As he sat in silence a strange vision appeared to Muhammad. It was an angel Gabriel in human form. Gabriel reached out and held Muhammad tightly in his arms and ordered him to recite a short set of words. When Muhammad did so the angel released him and disappeared.
Muhammad was convinced that he was either losing his mind, or the jinn had possessed him, so he fled from the cave. Part way down the hill he heard a voice behind him say, "Oh, Muhammad, you are the Messenger of God. and I am Gabriel."
Scene 2: The revelations
When Muhammad got home, his wife, Khadijah, saw that he was disturbed and asked him what happened. Muhammad told her what he had seen and heard and said that he was afraid he was losing his mind. But the visions of Gabriel continued and each time Muhammad was asked to recite certain words before the vision would let him go. Khadijah was sure the words had come fiom God and that Muhammad had been chosen by Gabriel to be a messenger of God, just as the angel had said. Slowly Muhammad began to share the words he had heard with Khadijah and a few followers. It took Muhammad several years of experiencing the visions to come to believe they were truly revelations fiom God.
By 613, Muhammad was preaching openly in the streets. The message he preached was a simple one: he declared that there was only one God, Allah, and that there was nothing like him. He preached that Allah was all-powerful and that a day of judgment would come to all people. To worship any other gods, or jinn, was to violate the absolute oneness of Allah. The merchants and leaders in Mecca saw Muhammad’s ideas as threats to the established religious system that kept them wealthy and in power. Slowly hostility against Muhammad grew until his life was in danger.
Scene 3: The Miraculous Occasion
In 619 Muhammad moved his family and supporters away from Mecca to nearby Ta’if for refuge. But the main tribe there refused to let them stay, so they were forced to return to Mecca. That same year, both Muhammad’s wife and his uncle Abu Talib died. In the middle of his sadness and troubles, Muhammad had the most remarkable experience of his life.
One night, Gabriel came to Muhammad in his sleep. But instead of talking to him, he flew with Muhammad on a winged horse to Jerusalem, where from a large rock, they ascended to heaven. In heaven Muhammad met with the great prophets of Abraham, Moses and Jesus. At the end of his journey, it is said that Muhammad stood before God. (This night, called Isra & Mi’raj, is celebrated each year on the 27th day of the Islamic month of Rajab.)
Scene 4: Journey to Medina
Muhammad’s followers increased and so did the hostility against them. He knew he had to find a safe place outside Mecca for himself and his followers. The answer came one day when a group of pilgrims from Medina who had heard of Muhammad and his teachings, sought him out in Mecca. They were looking for someone to come to Medina to help bring peace among the tribes of the area. Muhammad saw an opportunity to start a new community of Muslims and he began urging his followers to move to the northern town.
One night, in 622, Muhammad received word that a group of Meccans were planning to kill him. He arranged to leave Mecca that very night with his closest fiiend, Abu Bakr. They gathered a few things for the journey and made their way to a cave outside of town. There they hid for three days. According to legend, the mouth of the cave was covered with a fine spider’s web just moments before the Meccan assasins rode by. When they saw the delicate web covering the entrance they were sure no one could have recently gone inside.
With travel safe again, Muhammad and Abu Bakr made their way to Medina where they were greeted joyfully by the Muslims who had already moved there and other people of Medina. Muhammad was safe and, most importantly, the first Islamic community was formed. This journey, known today as Hijrah, was so important to Muslims that they used it to mark the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
This session engages the children in exploring the roots of the day of worship and rest–Shabbat/Sabbath. The Bible (Genesis 1 and 2) says that God created day and night, earth and sky, the sun, moon and stars, trees and plants, birds and fishes, and all the wild and gentle animals that lived on earth. When all other creations were finished, God created man and woman and called them Adam and Eve. And on the seventh day of creation, God rested from all work, and all that was created rested, too. It was the first Shabbat,the first Sabbath. It was a very peaceful and holy time.
It is likely that the Sabbath was observed before the writing of the Genesis story in sixth century B.C.E. (Before the Common Era). In agricultural societies of that time, the seventh and final day of the week was observed as a day of rest. Since the formulation of the Genesis stories from oral tradition in the fifth century B.C,E., the origin of the Sabbath has been linked with the story of creation in which God rested on the seventh day. The Jewish Shabbat is observed each week on Friday night and all day Saturday–from sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday. Early Jewish Christians observed the Sabbath on Saturday, but Gentile Christianity gradually shifted the Sabbath to Sunday, honoring the day of Jesus’ resurrection.
This concept of the Sabbath is one of Judaism’s major contributions to the culture of the western world. Jews remember the Sabbath, and they are obeying the fourth of the Ten Commandments which says, "Six days shall you labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You shall not do any manner of work for the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." This concept is explored more fully in Session 23 on Shavuot.
This session uses the book The Creation by Steven Mitchell. Before the session, obtain a copy of it and familiarize yourself with the story.
Goal:
To explore the concept that there is potential for both good and bad in people.
To introduce the symbol of Yin and Yang
Activities:
1. Read the story The Half-Boy of Borneo.
2. Discuss:
3. Yin Yang Symbol with Drawing instructions
The Chinese have a symbol for this same idea which you probably knowthe yin-yang symbol. It expresses the idea that opposites in the universe (day/night, light/dark, hot/cold, good/bad, etc) are forever struggling with each other, and wholeness is found when these opposites come together as one. Its interesting to think aboutcould there be day without night? light without dark? hot without cold? good without bad?
Yin is the Chinese word to describe one of the two opposite forces. Some of the words to describe Yin are: cool, night, at rest, female, dying. Yang is the Chinese word to describe the energy force which is opposite Yin. Some words to describe Yang are: warm, day, male, active, being born. Taoists call the whole circle around Yin and Yang the Toa (pronounced Dow) meaning the way, or the way of nature. The two forces go together, they are both good, both necessary, both equally important in making up the balanced whole.
Materials:
Copies of the People Puzzle. (best if copied on heavy paper or light paper glued on to cardboard) Cut the pieces apart and put all 4 pieces in an envelope.
Crayons, colored pencils, markers, and other art supplies like stickers, glitter, bits of ribbon, sequins, feathers etc.
Adhesive tape
Procedure:
Begin by making sure everyone understands that a puzzle is made up of many pieces of different sizes and shapes, and that when the pieces are put together, they make an interesting whole. Point out that a puzzle isnt complete until all the pieces have been joined together.
Randomly give each person in the family a puzzle piece. (If you have more than 4 people, do more than one puzzle.) Have each person decorate the puzzle piece(s) however he or she chooses.
When all pieces are decorated, sit in a circle and hold up your piece. Say, Im looking for a piece that will join with this one. Go around the circle until you find a piece that fits.
Before putting the pieces together, you and the person with the fitting piece must name 2 ways in which you are different (ie: hair, age, height, clothing etc.) and 2 ways you are the same (both have 10 fingers, both wearing shoes, etc.)
Next, the person with the fitting piece looks for a third piece to join with the first two. Again, the two players must name 2 ways in which they are different and 2 ways in which they are the same before they fit the pieces together. The person with the third piece then looks for the fourth and so on until all the pieces of the puzzle(s) have been completed.
Fasten the puzzle pieces together with adhesive tape. Arrange the pieces along a wall or window ledge so everyone can see them all. Talk about how each piece is different. Each is uniquelike the people themselves. Yet, together they make interesting and beautiful puzzles. And together your family (or group) makes an interesting and beautiful group!
Conclude by saying something like:
"Each one of us is special and one-of-a-kind. No one is exactly like anyone else. Our differences make us interesting and unique. When we learn about our differences, and when we appreciate and value our differences, this helps us get along.
Goal:
To consider the idea that UUs agree that it is all right to have different ideas about all kinds of things, including God and to consider some of the different ideas about God that UUs have.
Materials:
Paper doll pattern
White poster board
crayons, markers
Scissors
Activities:
1. Read UUs Have Different Ideas About God
2. Make paper dolls.
Trace several paper doll patterns on poster board. Cut them out and color each one. Encourage kids to make each one look different from the others. In the spot where the heart is, ask them to draw a picture of that persons idea about God or ideas about things they love the most.
Attach the paper dolls together by taping their hands. Hang.
3. Engage kids in conversation about the stories, while youre making the paper dolls. Tell them your ideas about God. Then ask them:
What ideas do you have about God?
What if someone doesnt have any idea about God? Is that okay?
Do you like it that UUs have different ideas or do you wish we had one idea that everyone believed?
NEARLY TWO THOUSAND years ago Jesus was born in Palestine far across the sea. Many wonder stories have been told about his birthday. This is the oldest of them all.
Mary, the young Jewish woman who became Jesus’ mother, was beautiful to look at, and a favorite among her neighbors. If someone had hunted the world over, it is believed that he could not have found a finer woman than Mary — one whose mind was so empty of ugly and mean thoughts and whose heart was so full of kindness for everyone.
Late one afternoon, as Mary sat in her garden dreaming of the time when she would become a mother, she thought she saw someone, unlike anyone she had ever seen before. He had flown like a bird with wings down into her garden and was standing before her. A light beamed about his face and his garments shone with the beautiful colors of the rainbow.
“Happy woman! Happy woman!” said the angel softly. He even called her by her name. “Mary,” he said, “You will soon have a child. He shall be a boy. You shall call his name Jesus. When he is grown he shall be a King. His kingdom shall never be destroyed or come to an end.”
When these soft words had been said, the shining angel disappeared, and Mary was left alone, trembling with wonder at this thing which was to happen to her.
Months passed by. The baby that rested in Mary’s body had grown almost, but not quite, large enough to be born. Just at this time an order came from the governor saying that Mary and Joseph, her husband, would have to go to the town of Bethlehem to take care of their taxes. This meant a journey of three or four days. Most of the time Mary could ride their little donkey. That would help, but Joseph would have to walk all the long way.
At last, late one evening, the hard journey was almost over. Mary and Joseph were nearing the town of Bethlehem. As they climbed the hill up to the town, they were happy in the thought that soon they would be able to wash their dusty hands and feet and lie down in a quiet room to sleep.
Without delay, they went to the well-known Bethlehem Inn and asked for a room. But the inn was already crowded with people. There was not a single empty room. Even the courtyard was jammed with camels, donkeys, bundles and a noisy crowd of people. Where could Mary and Joseph go? Joseph walked about exploring every nook and corner and asking from house to house. He knew that Mary was even more tired than he, and that she must have some place where she might lie down.
At last, he found a small place that was but half a room built against a hillside and open to the road. In it were two cows munching hay from the mangers in front of them. Could the travelers make use of this place and sleep with the animals? It would give them at least some cover and protection from the cold wind. They would try it.
So, Mary lighted a couple of small oil lamps and placed them in niches in the wall so that she and her husband might see what they were doing. With the flickering light from the tiny lamps, the young couple made beds of straw on the hard mud door. And tired as they could be, they lay down, covered themselves with a sheepskin blanket and tried to sleep.
Alongside them lay the cows, peacefully chewing the cud. Outside, high in the dark sky, thousands of bright stars beamed down upon them.
But the night was not far-gone when Mary was awakened. She knew the time had come for her baby to be born. Joseph arose and busied himself at once to make her as comfortable as possible. But where would he put the new baby when it came? There was no time to spare. Joseph was thinking fast. He looked at one of the cows’ mangers on the door near Mary’s bed. This would have to be the crib.
Joseph smoothed the hay still left in the manger. On top he spread out a soft piece of sheepskin for a blanket. When the new baby was born, Joseph wrapped it up and laid it gently in this manger crib. Before long the babe was sleeping snug and warm under the soft blanket, while Mary, his Mother, lay beside him, her heart brimful of peace.
THE VISIT OF THE SHEPHERDS
Now, that very night, in an open field out on a hillside a mile or so from the town, a few shepherds were sitting around a blazing fire. Some were sleeping while others kept sharp watch of every moving thing on the hillside lest a wolf or a bear sneak up in the dark and climb the wall into the sheepfold.
But it was not a wolf or a bear that surprised these shepherds that night. A shining angel suddenly flew down from the sky and lighted on the ground beside them. On seeing him, the shepherds screamed with fright.
“Be not afraid,” said the angel softly, “for I have come to bring you good news that will make glad all the peoples of the world. This night a child has been born in Bethlehem, who is going to be that great person you have all been hoping would some day free your nation and bring you peace. This child shall be your King.”
While the angel was still speaking to the shepherds, the sky began to glow with light. Instead of one angel, there appeared high in the sky many angels and all began singing together. The beautiful chorus seemed to fill the whole wide sky. And the words of the angels’ song sounded clear and strong.
“Glory to God in the highest! Glory to God in the highest!” the angels sang. “And on Earth peace and goodwill among men.”
As soon as the song was ended, the angels disappeared just as suddenly as they had come. The shepherds were once more left sitting alone in the darkness around the fire. Nothing else seemed important to them now except to go at once and see this thing that the angels had said had happened. The child must be somewhere in Bethlehem. They must find him.
Forgetting everything else–even their sheep and the wild beasts that might break into the fold–the shepherds hurried off to Bethlehem. Nor was it difficult, when once they were in the town, to find the little half-room on the hillside opening onto the road. Perhaps it was the flickering lights from the two small lamps that pointed the way. Perhaps it was the sight of Joseph moving about doing this and that for Mary and the babe. Perhaps it was the thin little cry of the newborn babe that gave them the hint.
But how surprised they were to find cows and the mother side by side and the baby lying in a manger crib! Could this really be the babe who would some day be a King! It seemed impossible, yet they felt it was true.
The shepherds told Joseph and Mary the whole story of what had happened to them as they were keeping watch over their sheep. The two listened and wondered at the things the shepherds said.
When at last the men were satisfied that they had really seen the wonder child, they left to go back to the hillside and to their sheep. When once outside the quiet, sleeping town, they sang their hearts out for joy.
Long after the shepherds had gone, Mary kept thinking again and again of the story they had told. Over and over she said to herself the words: “Peace on Earth and good will among men.” Would her little boy some day really make these things come true?
THE STAR IN THE SKY
In a country far off, three wise men were sitting together upon the roof of their house, looking up at the stars in the sky. Night after night for years, they had been studying the skies in this same way. Many of the stars were like old friends to them. These wise men knew all the stars that always stayed in clusters and they knew equally well those other stars (or planets, as we call them) that move more quickly and alone across the sky.
In times long ago it was thought to be very important to study the stars, because people believed that God put the stars in their places in the sky in order to tell people on the Earth about important things that were going to happen. If a new star appeared in the sky, one that the wise men had never seen before, they immediately thought that something new and important had just happened or was about to happen on the Earth.
That night, as these three wise men were sitting on the roof watching the sky, they saw a new bright star where they had never seen such a star before.
“What can this star mean?” they asked. “Something important has just happened somewhere on the Earth. What can it be? Where has it happened?”
“I know,” said one of the three wise men finally. “A child has been born who is going to be a very great and good man.”
“But who can the child be? And where has he been born?” The three wise men talked about it long into the night. At last they came to this conclusion. “The child who has been born is going to become the King of the Jews. He will be that greatest of all Kings for whom the Jews have long been hoping–the King who will bring peace everywhere.”
Now when once the men felt sure, their next thought was that they must go at once to Palestine and search for this child until they found him. That very night each one of the three men decided on the kind of present he would take to give to the new baby.
The next morning, they filled many bundles with food and supplies for a long journey. Toward evening; they saddled their camels, hoisted their bundles and themselves upon the camels’ backs and off they went, toward the west in the direction of the land of Palestine. It was no short or easy journey across miles of hot desert sands. During the heat of the daytime they set up a tent and rested under its shade. During the coolness of the night they rode forward with the bright stars to give them light.
Every night they watched for the special new star they had seen from their own rooftop. And every night the star came out, like a cheerful companion on their long and lonely journey. The strange thing about that star was that each night it seemed to move along just a little ahead of them as if it were pointing in the direction in which they should go. So the three men rode along on their camels, believing the star was leading them.
Finally, strange as it seems, when the men reached the town of Bethlehem, the star seemed to stop moving, and to hang still in the sky just over the little town. And, stranger still, the star seemed to hang directly over a certain house on a certain street. The three wise men believed they had found the right place, knocked on the door, and Joseph welcomed them in.
Immediately on seeing the little babe lying in his mother’s arms, the three men fell on their knees before them and began to thank God. One by one, each pulled from a bag hanging to his belt the gift, which he had brought. The first gave the baby a piece of gold. The second pulled out a package of incense that would make a sweet smell when it burned. And the third gave the babe some perfume. Mary and Joseph could scarcely believe what their eyes saw. They could not find the words they felt like saying. All they could do was to ask:
“Who are you? Where have you come from? Why are you doing these things?” Then Mary and Joseph heard the wonderful story of the new star that the men had seen in the sky and how it had guided them all the way to Bethlehem.
Although the strangers had much to tell, their visit seemed very short. Mary and Joseph were still in a daze as they stood in the doorway and watched the three men on their three camels pass down the street and out of sight.
When indoor and alone with their babe, the two could talk again. Did not the strangers know that Joseph was just a poor carpenter? And that Mary was only the daughter of a village farmer? How could their baby ever be a King?
This, then, is the old, old wonder tale about the birth of Jesus. What really happened no one can now know.
We do know, however, that this child of Mary and Joseph never became a King. Nor did he ever wish to be made a King. Jesus was a poor man by choice. When he was grown, he did not even have a home he could call his own. He was a teacher who traveled from town to town, teaching people how to live and what being good and doing right ought to mean.
Most of those who lived in that long-ago time have been forgotten, but Jesus is still remembered. Millions of people the world over still talk about Jesus. There are a great many people who even think about Jesus every single day. Stories that Jesus told almost two thousand years ago are still being told, both to grownups and to children. There are a great many people who think that Jesus was greater than any King who ever lived. They think Jesus was great and good–even as good as God. Jesus’ birthday is still celebrated. It is called Christmas Day, which means the birthday of the King.
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Quest for Meaning is a program of the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF).
As a Unitarian Universalist congregation with no geographical boundary, the CLF creates global spiritual community, rooted in profound love, which cultivates wonder, imagination, and the courage to act.