Sunday Connection

Gospel Reading
John 1:1-18 (or shorter form, John 1:1-5, 9-14)
John announces that in Jesus, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Making the Connection (Grades 1, 2, and 3)

Help younger children understand the mystery of the Incarnation by teaching them that God became man to shine a light in the darkness—that is, to save us from our sins.

Materials Needed

• flashlight

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Dim the lights and shine the flashlight. Say: When we shine a light in darkness, we see what’s there. Jesus is the Light of the World. He came to teach us the truth about God’s love and forgiveness. As you listen to today’s Gospel, listen for words that describe light and dark. Turn on the lights.
2. Read today’s Gospel, John 1:1–18.
3. Say: Jesus is the Son of God. We are so blessed that he became human and lived among us. His light overcomes darkness because God’s love for us is greater than sin. Jesus taught us how to love God by loving one another. Ask: What are we celebrating today? (Jesus’ birth) Say: On this special day, you can shine the light of God’s love by saying kind words to others and telling them about Jesus. Let’s turn to the person next to us. Say something kind and tell them something you want to share about Jesus.
4. Close by praying, “Jesus, the Son of God, was born for us. Come, let us adore him, and share his light with the world.” Then pray the Glory Be to the Father.

Gospel Reading
John 1:1-18 (or shorter form, John 1:1-5, 9-14)
John announces that in Jesus, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Making the Connection (Grades 4, 5, and 6)

Older children can begin to appreciate the many ways in which we communicate with one another. Today's Gospel recalls for us that Jesus, the Word of God, is God's self-communication to us, which saves us from the darkness of sin.

Materials Needed

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Write the word communication on the board. Ask the young people to identify as many different forms of communication as they can. (spoken word, written word, music, sign language, body language) Invite a volunteer to write these ideas on the board under the heading communication.

2. Say, We have many ways that we communicate with one another and many tools that help us to express ourselves. Together review the forms of communication listed above and identify the tools that are used to aid each form of communication. For example, spoken word is aided by tools like the telephone and the microphone; tools used to help us communicate with the written word include pen and paper, typewriters, and computers.

3. Say, It's interesting that each form of communication has its particular usefulness. Here's what I mean. Sometimes we find that we prefer to write someone a letter rather than talk to them. In a letter, our words can be saved and read over and over again. Sometimes this is important to us. Other times, when we wish to communicate with a large number of people quickly, the convenience and speed of e-mail is preferred. However, when I need an answer to a question immediately, I would probably pick up the telephone.

4. Say, Just as we have many ways in which we communicate with one another, God has communicated with his people in a variety of ways. All of Scripture is God's communication to us, which is why we call this the Word of God. In Scripture, we also learn that God has spoken with his people in a variety of ways. God spoke to Moses from a burning bush; he communicated to Mary through an angel. Today's Gospel also talks about the Word of God. Let's listen carefully and see if we can identify two additional ways in which God communicates with us.

5. Invite one or more volunteers to read today's Gospel, John 1:1-18.

6. Say, The clue to identifying one way that this Gospel tells us about how God communicates with us is in the first line of this reading. How does this Gospel begin? (“In the beginning . . .”) Where else in the Bible do we hear these words? (In Genesis, when God created the world) One way that the Word of God is revealed to us is in the creation of the world.

7. Ask, What is a second way that the Word of God is revealed to us? (in the person of Jesus) How does this Gospel talk about this? (the Word became flesh) What does this Scripture say was revealed to us in Jesus? (the glory of God; Jesus reveals God himself to us.)

8. Say, At Christmas, we celebrate the self-communication of God in the person of Jesus. Jesus is God's Word made flesh for our salvation. We call this the Incarnation.

9. Conclude in prayer together thanking God for this mystery of the Incarnation and the salvation that we receive because Jesus was born among us. Sing together a Christmas hymn, such as “O Come, All Ye Faithful” or “Silent Night.”

Gospel Reading
John 1:1-18 (or shorter form, John 1:1-5, 9-14)
John announces that in Jesus, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Making the Connection (Grades 7 and 8)

Young people at this age are beginning to work out whom they believe they can trust. When we trust someone, we believe him or her if he or she says, “I give you my word.” In today's Gospel, we see that God gave us his Word—Jesus.

Materials Needed

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Ask a volunteer to explain in his or her own words what it means when someone says, “I give you my word.” (I promise; you can trust me)

2. Invite the young people to think quietly about a person they know whose word they trust.

3. Invite volunteers to share their examples with the group.

4. Tell the young people that God has given us his Word and that his Word is a person: Jesus Christ.

5. Explain that in the beginning of John's Gospel, Jesus is referred to as the Word. Say: In the Gospel for the Christmas Mass during the day, we hear John tell us about the Word—Jesus—becoming flesh.

6. Invite volunteers to read aloud John 1:1-18.

7. Point out that when we hear God's Word proclaimed at Mass, we are coming to know a person—Jesus.

8. Write the word Incarnation on the board. Ask whether anyone can explain the meaning of this word.

9. Explain that on Christmas, we celebrate the Incarnation of Jesus, meaning that we celebrate God becoming human, the Word becoming flesh.

10. Point out that we sometimes use the phrase, “in the flesh” to tell others that we met a famous celebrity in person. Say: When we say that Jesus became flesh, it means that we actually encounter him in our lives. Jesus truly became one of us.

11. Conclude by singing together a Christmas hymn that celebrates the joy of the Incarnation. (Example: “Joy to the World”)

Gospel Reading
John 1:1-18 (or shorter form, John 1:1-5, 9-14)
John announces that in Jesus, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Family Connection

At Christmas we celebrate the great mystery that God became flesh and dwelt among us. We call this mystery the Incarnation (the word means “to take on flesh”), and it changes everything. Today's Gospel reminds us that we can also look upon the Nativity from God's perspective to better appreciate the significance of the Incarnation. The mystery we proclaim at Christmas is that God, the very God who created all things from nothing and who is light itself, took on our humanity in order to transform us. Through his birth among us, we have seen the face of God and have become nothing less than God's own children. At this awesome mystery, we adore.

Gather as a family around your Nativity set. Keep this image before you and talk about how familiar we are with this scene. Invite members of the family to recall the details of Jesus' birth that we hear in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Observe that the Gospel of John invites us to consider Jesus' birth from a different perspective. Read together today's Gospel, John 1:1-14.

John's Gospel reminds us that the image we see in our Nativity set is a most remarkable sight: God made himself at home with us by taking on flesh and becoming a human person. We call this mystery the Incarnation. What are some of the things that John's Gospel says happened for us because Jesus came to dwell among us? (Light overcame darkness; we see God's glory in Jesus; we became children of God.) Together thank God for this mystery of the Incarnation and the salvation that we received because Jesus was born among us. Sing together a Christmas hymn, such as “O Come, All Ye Faithful” or “Silent Night.”