By Marion Chang
Imagine that you are a tourist visiting Canada for the very first time during this holiday season. You see coloured lights on houses and gaudily festive store windows as you tour the city streets. There also seems to be a large, bearded, old man in a red uniform all over the media. What story would you put together about the holiday based on your observations?
Although Christmas is a Christian celebration, it has also become a cultural holiday with very different meanings. How do we convey what Christmas truly means to us while helping our students make sense of all the surrounding commercial hype that hits as soon as the calendar flips to November?
Much as we may wish to, we cannot ignore the secular aspects of Canadian culture, and it’s important for students to know that Christmas has no spiritual meaning for many Canadians. Lynn Stachow, a teacher in the ESL ministry at The People’s Church, picked up on an idea taken from last year’s SOCEM Christmas newsletter. She has used Christmas cards to show the different faces of what the holiday has become. Students sort the cards according to whether they reflect secular (Season’s Greetings), seasonal (snowy landscapes) or sacred meanings (Christmas story scenes, scripture quotes, etc.).
Nevertheless, we would never want to neglect this opportunity to express the hope and joy that this ‘Christ Mass’ brings to believers. When God Himself took human form and fulfilled His ultimate purpose, He gave power through faith to become children of God, have abundant life in the present and life eternal. Of course, making that kind of deep theological statement assumes the hearer has some foundational knowledge, which is usually not the case with students from different parts of the world. Besides, not everyone is ready to hear, or at least not hear everything all at once. We don’t want to use a gospel fire hose when someone needs drip-feeding, which is why we must trust the Holy Spirit for discernment.
One way into the meaning of Christmas, especially for students at a lower language level, is introducing them to the spiritual roots and symbols of Christmas. For example, the date of December 25th was chosen by early Christian leaders during the northern hemisphere’s darkest season to remind people that Messiah was sent as a Light to the Nations. The Christmas star, lights and candles also symbolize this. God is light, and to live without Him is darkness. Evergreens, including mistletoe and holly, represent eternal life, especially in the form of a circular wreath. God promised to send Messiah so we could come to Him and live with Him forever after physical death. Other symbols straight from the Christmas story are the gifts of the magi: gold for the King, frankincense for the High Priest, and myrrh for Sacrificial Death. Not all students will understand everything, but God can still use the knowledge to intrigue and attract. See the Christmas Scavenger Hunt activity on this website for more symbols and meanings: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6BwyB8fucnRLUp1TFZrRC12dU0/edit
For intermediate level and above, relating the Christmas story to prophecy helps establish the miraculous nature of Jesus’ birth. From Genesis to Micah, the family (2 Samuel 7:11-14), conception (Isaiah 7:14), birthplace (Micah 5:2), purpose (Genesis 12: 3; Isaiah 53: 4-6), sacrifice (Psalm 22) and resurrection (Isaiah 53:12) of Jesus was predicted long before it took place. That’s often enough to at least get students mildly curious about Messiah’s arrival.
Finally, consider investing in Bibles, either first language, bilingual, or modern English, as Christmas presents for your students who do not have them. Then they can investigate the true meaning of Christmas on their own. We have been presenting such gifts for many years at my home church with the help of the Canadian Bible Society. I don’t know of any student who wasn’t delighted at the gift, no matter their religious background.
Have a joyful Christmas celebration, and may that joy spread to all your students!