From Little Acorns
A Christmas assembly about the Incarnation
by Brian Radcliffe
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To encourage us to consider God’s purpose behind the birth of Jesus.
Preparation and materials
- None required.
Assembly
- There is a well-known proverb: ‘Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.’
In the Bible (Mark 4.31-32), Jesus makes a similar point when he describes how a tiny mustard seed can grow to become a huge tree, one so big that birds build their nests in it.
In a similar vein, the Bible records a time when Jesus took five barley loaves and two fish and fed a crowd of five thousand with this tiny amount of food (Mark 6.35-44).
Jesus’ comment about the mustard seed and the miraculous meal that he created were intended to illustrate what Christians believe about the power of God at work. It’s what the Bible calls ‘the kingdom of God’. - Ask the students, ‘What do you think is the point of Jesus’ comment about the mustard seed and the miraculous meal that he created?’
If possible, allow time for group discussion or listen to a range of responses. - Christians believe that God lives out the same principles that he offers to humanity. That’s what Christmas is all about. God’s master plan for the world works just like the seed, the bread and the fish.
The Christmas story begins with a tiny baby born into the simplest of family environments. His mother is young, and his father is a local tradesman in the obscure town of Nazareth. Jesus, God’s son, began life without the advantages of wealth, status or education. He was a boy like many of us. He was the tiny seed. - For the first 30 years of his life, Jesus lived like his peers, albeit with the occasional surprise for his parents as they were reminded that he was special in some mysterious way. But he was growing; he was like the seed germinating.
- For the final three years of his life, Jesus grew to be one of the most influential teachers ever known, whose principles underpin the law, social expectations and morality of many cultures. Through Jesus’ death and subsequent resurrection, Christians believe that he opened up a way for people to become involved in the kingdom of God. The seed had grown into the hugest tree imaginable.
Time for reflection
During the Christmas season, when we look around, how much do we see Jesus? Only a few Christmas card designs use pictures of God’s tiny baby son. Likewise, the TV schedules contain few programmes that focus on Jesus. Some of us will be involved in singing the traditional Christmas carols or attending Christmas services in church. Yet, every time we utter the word ‘Christmas’, we’re saying his name. It’s the festival to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, whatever else may have become mixed up with it.
The seed of Jesus that is planted every Christmas is important for the world. Jesus’ teaching is about love, peace, equality, trust, honesty and truth. If these values are put into practice, the world is a better place.
Let’s pause to consider how we can practise each one of these values in school, in our friendship groups and in our homes this Christmas.
Pause to allow time for thought.
Usually, we’d wait until springtime to start planting seeds. But maybe we could plant seeds of love, peace, equality, trust, honesty and truth this Christmas. We could start by taking the time to read the story of the birth of Jesus, and considering how this seed grew and changed the world.
Song/music
‘Noel’ by Chris Tomlin, featuring Lauren Daigle, available at: https://youtu.be/5Vwu-t7QRaE (4.18 minutes long)
Extension activities
- Invite the students to spend ten minutes between now and Christmas Day reading the story of the birth of Jesus in a modern translation of the Bible. Luke’s Gospel would be a good place to start.
Encourage the students to ask the question: ‘If this story is true, what effect could it have on the world in which we live, the family that we are part of and our own lives?’
