Introduċi ruħek lill-klassi u sellem lill-istudenti. Uża mument ta’ silenzju u talb sabiex it-tfal jikkalmaw u jiffokaw fuq is-sessjoni.
Biex tqajjem kurżità, uri l-istampa ta’ xemgħa li wieħed juża’ fuq torta ta’ għeluq is-snin minn fuq il-Power Point. Saqsi :
– Din x’inhi? u għalxiex tintuża? L-istudenti għandhom faċilment iwieġbu li hija xemgħa li tintuża fuq it-torta ta’ għeluq is-snin.
– Spjega li dalwaqt se niċċelebraw għeluq snin ta’ xi ħadd speċjali. Saqsi jekk jafu għal min qed tirreferi. Uri s-slide li jmiss bi stampa ta’ maxtura vojta biex tgħinhom. L-istudenti għandhom ikunu jistgħu jgħidu – Ġesù Bambin.
Filmat:
Urihom filmat qasir dwar l-istorja tal-Bambin: The Christmas Story for Kids | Bible Stories with Sarah & Simon | Animated Bible Story for Kids
X’ inhu l-Avvent? (7 min)
Kompli billi tispjega li x-xemgħat jagħmlu parti minn ċelebrazzjonijiet. Filwaqt li turi stampa ta’ girlanda tal-Avvent spjegalhom li ż-żmien ta’ qabel il-Milied jissejjaħ Avvent. Fi żmien l-Avvent nużaw girlanda tal-Avvent u din ikollha xi xemgħat. Dawn ix-xemgħat jgħinuna niftakru fuqiex inhu l-Avvent: l-istennija u t-tħejjija tal-miġja ta’ Ġesù Bambin u x’nistgħu nagħmlu qabel il-Milied bħala preparazzjoni.
Saqsihom biex jgħoddu kemm hemm xemgħat vjola fuq il-girlanda: Iva, hemm erba’ xemgħat vjola li jirrappreżentaw l-erba’ ġimgħat qabel il-Milied.
Spjega li kull xemgħa tirrappreżenta erba’ drawwiet tajbin li għandna nagħmlu qabel il-Milied. (Dawn jissejħu virtujiet). Dawn huma:
Tama: Rajna fl-istorja kif it-tliet għorrief ivvjaġġaw żmien twil biex isegwu l-istilla tleqq fis-sema bit-tama li jsibu din it-tarbija tassew speċjali.
Imħabba: Ġesù jgħallimna kif inħobbu lil xulxin. Meta nitgħallmu nagħmlu dan, nistgħu nagħmlu ż-żewġ drawwiet/virtujiet tajbin li jmiss.
Ferħ: Meta nħobbu lil xulxin, nimtlew bil-ferħ. Dan għandna naqsmuh ma’ ħaddieħor.
Paċi: Meta nimtlew bil-ferħ, nimtlew ukoll bil-paċi f’qalbna. Dan ukoll għandna naqsmuh ma’ ħaddieħor.
Attività ta’ Kraft – Il-ħolqien ta’ Girlanda tal-Avvent tal-Karta (10 minuti)
Spjega li issa se tagħmlu girlanda tal-Avvent biex tfakkarna f’dawn id-drawwiet importanti ħafna.
Struzzjonijiet:
Ibda biċ-ċirku: qassam il-platti tal-karti jew iċ-ċrieki tal-kartonċin maqtugħin lesti minn qabel għal kull tifel/tifla. Dan iċ-ċirku se jkun il-girlanda tal-Avvent tagħna.
Żejjen il-girlanda: Ħalli t-tfal iżejnu l-parti ta’ fuq tal-platt bil-karti tat-tajr ħodor, glitter u/jew stickers.
Żid ix-xemgħat: agħtihom erba’ xemgħat tal-karti maqtugħin lesti. Huma jistgħu jagħtuhom il-kulur (3 vjola, 1 roża). Spjega li fil-girlanda tal-Avvent hemm tliet xemgħat vjola u xemgħa waħda roża. Kull ġimgħa nixegħlu waħda minn dawn ix-xemgħat hekk kif noqorbu aktar lejn il-Milied. Għinhom iwaħħlu x-xemgħat fuq il-girlanda.
Żejjen ix-xemgħat: Ħalli t-tfal ipinġu ftit fjammi jew iżidu karta safra biex tirrappreżenta l-fjammi ta’ fuq ix-xemgħat.
Waħħal l-ismijiet fuq kull xemgħa: Tama, Imħabba, Ferħ (xemgħa roża), Paċi. (Ara l-mudell)
Kant – Kanzunetta tal-Avvent (5 min)
Għidilhom li issa li għandhom il-girlandi sbieħ tal-Avvent tagħhom, jistgħu ikantaw fuqha. Irrepeti biex it-tfal ikunu jistgħu jkantaw il-kliem miegħek.
The Advent Song for Kids:
Ikkonkludi b’talba (3 min)
• Riflessjoni: Iġbor it-tfal madwarek jekk tista’ u urihom girlanda vera tal-Avvent jew erġa’ urihom l-istampa mill-preżentazzjoni. Saqsihom:
Candles and labels (made from paper or card) (See template)
Glitter or stickers for decoration
Step 1 – Welcome and introduction (10 min)
Introduce yourself to the class and welcome the students. Use a moment of silence and prayer to settle everyone down, ready to focus on the session.
As a prompt, show the picture of a birthday candle on the PowerPoint presentation and ask:
What do we use this candle for? The students should easily answer that it is a candle on a birthday cake.
We are going to celebrate a special birthday soon. Whose birthday is it soon going to be? Show the next slide with a picture of an empty manger. The students should be able to say – Baby Jesus.
Show them a short video about the story of Baby Jesus: The Christmas Story for Kids | Bible Stories with Sarah & Simon | Animated Bible Story for Kids:
Step 2 – What is Advent all about? (7 min)
Continue by explaining that candles are part of celebrations. While showing a picture of an Advent Wreath, explain to them that the time before Christmas is called Advent, and during Advent, we use an Advent wreath, which has candles. These candles help us remember what Advent is all about: the waiting and preparation for the coming of Baby Jesus and the things we should do before Christmas. Let’s count together how many purple candles there are: Yes, four candles represent four weeks before Christmas.
Explain that each candle represents four important good habits that we should do before Christmas. These are called virtues. These are:
Hope: We saw in the story how the three wise men spent a long time following the bright star in the sky in the hope of finding this very special baby.
Love: Jesus teaches us how to love one another. When we learn to do this, we can do the next two good habits/virtues.
Joy: When we love one another, we are filled with happiness.
Peace: When we are filled with happiness, we are also filled with peace in our hearts.
Step 3 – Craft Activity: Creating a Paper Advent Wreath (10 minutes)
Explain that they will do an Advent wreath now, so it reminds us about these very important habits.
Instructions:
Start with a Circle: Hand out paper plates or pre-cut card circles to each child. This circle is going to be our Advent wreath.
Decorate the Wreath: Let the children decorate the outer part of the plate with green, glitter and/or stickers. Encourage them to make it colourful and beautiful.
Add the Candles: Give them four pre-cut paper candles (3 purple, 1 pink). Explain that there are three purple candles and one pink candle in the Advent wreath. Each week we light one of these candles as we get closer to Christmas. Help them glue the candles onto the wreath.
Decorate the Candles: Let the children draw little flames or add yellow paper to represent the flames on top of the candles.
Stick the labels on each candle: Hope, Love, Joy (pink candle), Peace. (See template)
Step 4: Singing an Advent song (5 min)
The Advent Song for Kids:
Tell them that now that they have their beautiful Advent Wreaths, they can sing about it. Repeat it so that kids can sing the words with you.
Step 5: Conclude with a prayer (3 min)
Reflection: Gather the children and show them a real Advent wreath or revisit the one in the picture. Ask, “What did we learn today? What are we waiting for?” Let them respond.
Prayer Time: Close with a simple prayer.
Dear God, thank you for Jesus. Help us to get ready for Christmas and to remember that Jesus is the best gift. Amen.
Follow-Up Ideas:
Encourage parents to light an Advent candle at home and sing a Christmas carol together each week.
L-istudenti jagħmlu lista ta ’oġġetti li jintużaw għal skopijiet ta’ ċelebrazzjoni (eżempju xemgħat għal għeluq sninhom) u jifhmu kif dawn jistgħu jkunu relatati ma’ ċelebrazzjonijiet spiritwali.
L-istudenti jkunu jistgħu jiddefinixxu l-iskop tal-Avvent: ma tistax tiċċelebra jum il-Milied sew jekk ma tippreparax ruħek minn qabel. Bħala Nsara aħna mitluba nħarsu lil hinn mir-rigali.
Girlanda tal-Avvent (erba’ xemgħat u tinsel aħdar jistgħu faċilment jinbidlu f’ girlanda sempliċi tal-Avvent) u karti biex tikteb il-kliem: Tama, Imħabba, Ferħ u Paċi mal-girlanda.
Maxtura mingħajr Ġesù Bambin.
Whiteboard żgħira tal-istudenti li kapaċi jkollhom fil-klassi li tintuża wkoll għal lezzjonijiet oħra bħal matematika. Inkella karta biex jiktbu fuqha fi gruppi.
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Merħba – (2 min)
Introduċi ruħek lill-klassi u sellem lill-istudenti. Uża mument ta’ silenzju u talb sabiex it-tfal jikkalmaw u jiffoka fuq is-sessjoni.
Biex tqajjem kurżità, uri l-istampa ta’ xemgħa li wieħed juża’ fuq torta ta’ għeluq is-snin minn fuq il-Power Point lill-istudenti. Saqsi x’hini u għalxiex tintuża. L-istudenti għandhom faċilment iwieġbu li hija xemgħa li tintuża fuq it-torta ta’ għeluq sninhom.
Introduzzjoni (5 min)
Spjega li llum se tkun qed tiddiskuti għeluq is-snin u li tridhom, f’pari jew fi gruppi żgħar jużaw il-whiteboard tagħhom jew karta biex ipinġu jew jiktbu lista ta’ affarijiet li s-soltu wieħed irid jagħmel u jipprepara biex jorganizza festin ta’ għeluq is-snin ta’ xi ħadd jew xi ħabib.
Isma’ x’kitbu l-istudenti u iktibhom fuq il-bord. Il-lista għandha tinkludi:
Tiżjin: ħejji post bit-tiżjin
Ikel: ippjana u sajjar l-ikel u torta bix-xemgħat
Stedina: ibgħat stediniet
Mużika: agħżel mużika xierqa
Rigali: aħseb f’rigali sbieħ li tista’ tagħti.
Storja permezz ta’ filmat qasir u l-ipproċessar tal-filmat (15 min)
Ieqaf u għidilhom li xi ħbieb tiegħek qed jippreparaw għal birthday speċjali wkoll!!! Stedinhom jiltaqgħu ma’ sħabek u jaraw kif sejrin fil-preparamenti tagħhom. Araw l-filmat flimkien.
Ipproċessa l-filmat billi tistaqsi l-mistoqsijiet li ġejjin għad-diskussjoni:
• Min se jagħlaq sninu? – Ġesù
• X’ jissejjaħ dan iż-żmien ta’ preparazzjoni? – Avvent
• Kif qed iġibu ruħhom fit-tħejjijiet tagħhom? – Ħażin, kien diżastru.
• X ’ġara? – Kulma setgħu jaħsbu kienu fir-rigali li kienu se jaqalgħu f ’jum il-Milied. Għalhekk ħaffu l-proċess ta’ tħejjija u rrovinaw kollox. Per eżempju: is-siġra tal-Milied inkisret, irriskjaw ħuġġieġa nhar biex xegħlu x-xemgħat kollha f’daqqa, wieħed spiċċa b’uġigħ ta’ żaqq, ma kellhomx ħin ikantaw u jiddevertu waqt li jkantaw, spiċċaw għamlu kollox mingħajr ma ħadu gost.
• L – Avvent kellu tifsira għal dawn il-ħbieb?- L-Avvent kien bla sens għalihom.
Bħala Nsara aħna mitluba nħarsu lil hinn mir-rigali. Ma nistgħux ngħixu l-jum tal-Milied kif suppost jekk ma nippreparawx ruħna minn qabel.
• Min jista’ jiftakar kif spiċċa l-filmat? – B ’mistoqsija: “X’se nagħmlu sal-Milied?”
• X ’taħseb li għandhom jagħmlu sal-Milied? Inti x’tagħmel qabel il-Milied?
Isma’ għall-esperjenzi tagħhom ….
Is-Simboliżmu tal-Avvent (5 min)
Dur lejn il-lista ta’ fuq il-bord u spjega li, il-mod kif niċċelebraw l-affarijiet fiżikament ikollhom ħafna drabi tifsira aktar profonda u spiritwali:
• Post b ’dekorazzjonijiet:
Qalbna mżejna b’ atti twajba li nagħmlu kuljum eżempju: ta’ Tama, Imħabba, Ferħ u Paċi. (Urihom il-girlanda tal-Avvent u ikteb dan il-kliem fuq kull xemgħa). Għalhekk fi żmien il-Milied inħobbu nżejnu bil-girlanda tal-Milied.
• Ikel u t-torta bix-xemgħat:
L-ikel u t-torta jimlewlna żaqqna u jħalluna b’sens ta’ kuntentezza. It-talb u meta nitkellmu ma’ Alla (bħalma nagħmlu ma’ ħabib), iħallilna wkoll b’sens ta’ paċi u kuntentezza. Il-kuruna tal-Avvent qegħda hemm biex tgħinna fit-talb tagħna u biex nirriflettu fuq l-aġir tagħna – kif nistgħu nġibu t-tama lil ħaddieħor? Kif nistgħu nħobbu lil oħrajn? Kif nistgħu nferrħu lil oħrajn? Kif nistgħu nġibu l-paċi bejnietna? Nistgħu wkoll inħejju l-presepju u npoġġu lit-tarbija Ġesù f ’jum il-Milied u mhux qabel biex niftakru li l-Avvent huwa żmien ta’ stennija u antiċipazzjoni.
• Stediniet:
Matul l-Avvent se nistiednu lill-oħrajn jiċċelebraw magħna bil-kelma tal-fomm, u nfakkru lill-oħrajn u lil adulti li l-Milied mhuwiex biss dwar il-festini u r-rigali iżda wkoll dwar it-tixrid tal-ferħ, l-imħabba, il-paċi u t-tama madwarna. Hekk għamel Ġesù meta twieled. Uriena kemm dawn il-valuri jġibu ferħ li ma jispiċċa qatt.
• Mużika:
Ħu gost tisma’ l-mużika tal-Avvent u tal-Milied. Dawn jgħinu jkomplu jdaħħluk fl-ispirtu tal-Milied.
• Rigali: Liema rigali nistgħu nagħtu lil oħrajn matul l-Avvent?
Isma’ l-eżempji li jagħtu t-tfal. (Eżempji oħra: il-ħin tagħna, l-għemejjel tajba tagħna fosthom ir-rispett li nuru lejn kulħadd u lejn kull ħlejqa ta’ kuljum, il-ħbiberiji tagħna u li naċċettaw lil xulxin kif aħna. Dawn l-għemejjel tajbin kollha jistgħu jkunu r-rigali tagħna lil Ġesù.)
Konklużjoni (5 min)
Jekk il-grupp jippermetti, iġbor lill-istudenti madwarek u ikkonkludi billi ssaqsihom x’tgħallmu ġdid minn din is-sessjoni jew x’laqtithom l-aktar. Saqsi x’ tgħallmu dwar l-Avvent? (li l-Avvent huwa żmien fejn nirriflettu jekk l-azzjonijiet tagħna humiex qed juru li aħna verament irridu nilqgħu lil Ġesù f’qalbna).
Ikkonkludi b’talba, fejn titlob lil Alla jgħinna ngħixu l-Avvent mill-qalb. Il-girlanda tal-Avvent tista’ titpoġġa f’nofs l-istudenti u f’nofsha titpoġġa maxtura vojta biex niftakru li aħna qed nistennew u nippreparaw għal miġja ta’ Ġesù Bambin.
Students will list items used for celebration purposes (for example, for a birthday) and how these can be related to spiritual celebrations.
Students will be able to define the purpose of Advent: You cannot live the spirit of Christmas properly unless you prepare yourself beforehand. As Christians, we are asked to look beyond the present.
An Advent Wreath (four candles and green tinsel can easily be turned into a simple advent wreath) and papers for writing the words: Hope, Love, Joy and Peace.
A small manger without Baby Jesus.
Students might also use a whiteboard in class for other lessons, like math or paper, to draw or write on.
Step 1 – Welcome (2 min)
Introduce yourself to the class and welcome the students. Use a moment of silence and prayer to settle everyone down, ready to focus on the session.
As a prompt, show the picture of a birthday candle on the PowerPoint presentation to the students and ask what it is and what it is used for. The students should easily answer that it is a candle on a birthday cake.
Step 2 – Introduction (5 min)
Explain that you will be discussing birthdays today and that you want them, in pairs or small groups, to use their whiteboard or paper to draw or write a list of things one usually needs to do and prepare to organise a surprise birthday party.
Listen to what the students listed and write them on the board. The list should include:
Prepare a place with decorations
Plan and cook the food and a cake with candles
Send invitations
Choose appropriate music
Think of a great birthday gifts.
Step 3 – Storytelling through video and processing of the video (15 min)
Stop and tell them that some of your friends are preparing for a special birthday, too!!! Invite them to meet your friends and see how they are getting along with their preparations. Watch the video together.
Process the video by asking the following questions for discussion:
Whose birthday are they preparing for? – The birthday of Jesus
What is the time of preparation called? – Advent
How are they getting along in their preparations? – Badly, it was a disaster.
What happened? They could only think of the presents they would get on Christmas day, so they rushed and ruined everything. For example, the Christmas tree broke, they risked a fire to burn all the candles at once, one ended up having a tummy ache, they had no time to sing and enjoy themselves while they sang, and they ended up doing everything without having fun doing it and preparing for this celebration.
Did Advent have meaning to these friends? It was meaningless to them. As Christians, we are asked to look beyond the present. We cannot live Christmas day properly unless we prepare ourselves beforehand.
Who can remember how the video ended? – With a question: ‘What will we do until Christmas?’
What do you think they should do until Christmas? What do you do before Christmas?
Space for their experiences….
Step 4: Link to the list written on the board – what Advent is all about (5 min)
Turn towards the list on the board and explain how the way we celebrate things physically has a deeper and spiritual meaning:
A place with decorations:
Our hearts are decorated with the good deeds we do every day, such as acts of Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. (Show them the Advent Wreath and label the candles.)
Food and a cake with candles:
Food and cake fill our bellies and leave us with a happy feeling. Praying and talking to God like we do to a friend also makes us happy. The Advent wreath is there to help us with our prayers and reflection time – how can we bring hope to others? How can we love others? How can we bring joy to others? How can we bring peace? We can also prepare the crib and place baby Jesus on Christmas Day and not before to remind us that Advent is a time of waiting and anticipation.
Invitations:
We will invite others to celebrate with us by word of mouth, reminding others and grownups that Christmas is not only about parties and presents but also about spreading joy, love, peace, and hope around us. That is what Jesus did when he was born.
Music:
Enjoy listening to Advent and Christmas music.
A Gift: What gifts can we give to others throughout Advent?
Listen to examples. (Ourselves, our good deeds include the respect we show towards everyone and every creature daily, our friendships and our acceptance of one another. All these good deeds done daily would be our gifts to Jesus.)
Step 5: Conclusion (5 mins)
To conclude, ask the students if they learnt something new from this session or what struck them most. Ask what they have learnt about Advent. (Advent is a time to reflect on whether our actions show that we truly want to welcome Jesus in our hearts.)
Conclude with a prayer asking God to help us live Advent with meaning. The Advent Wreath can be placed in the middle of the class and the middle.
Niċċaraw l-aspettattivi u naddattaw l-attitudnijiet tagħna fil-bidu tal-Avvent
Introduzzjoni:
L-animatur jintroduċi ruħu mal-istudenti, imbagħad jintroduċi t-tema ‘mill-Milied sa San Stiefnu’ u jara jekk hemmx min jaf ifisser l-espressjoni.
L-animatur jippreżenta s-sessjoni bħala waħda speċjali fil-bidu tal-Avvent.
L-animatur jiggwida l-istudenti biex iżommu s-silenzju, jagħmlu s-sinjal tas-salib u jgħidu talba qasira ta’ ringrazzjament.
Qsim ta’ ideat:
L-animatur jsaqsi x’inhu l-Avvent u mbagħad jekk hemmx min jaf xi tfisser il-kelma Avvent, qabel jiċċara li ‘Avvent’ tfisser ‘miġja’ mela allura tinvolvi stennija.
L-animatur jisħaq li mal-Avvent bdejna ‘countdown’ għal Milied! Il-Milied magħna! Tant hu viċin, li jekk ma noqgħodux attenti, jasal u jgħaddi mingħajr ma nindunaw! U kif jista’ jkun daqs kemm għad nattendu festini u niftħu rigali qabel il-Milied?!
L-animatur jitlob lill-istudenti biex fuq biċċa karta jiktbu privatament x’inhu dak li qegħdin jistennew dan il-Milied u jekk jixtiequ jistgħu jaqsmu ma xi oħrajn.
Filmat:
L-animatur jgħid li żmien il-Milied iġib miegħu ħafna minn dawk l-affarijiet li ssemmew, inkluż ħafna affarijiet sbieħ bħal festini u rigali.
L-animatur iwissi fuq dak li ngħidulu materjaliżmu jew inkella ‘konsumeriżmu’ u jfisser il-kelma billi juri l-filmat li ġej:
Riflessjoni parti 1:
L-animatur jsaqsi għal ftit reazzjonijiet wara l-filmat.
L-animatur juri x-xbieha stampata ta’ JWSB (Jesus with Shopping Bags) minn Banksy (street artist) u jistaqsi l-ewwel għal deskrizzjoni u mbagħad għal interpretazzjoni ta’ dak li qed josservaw.
L-animatur wara li jkun ħalla diskussjoni timraħ, jgħid x’inhi l-intenzzjoni tal-artist meta għamel din l-istampa: li l-konsumeriżmu u l-Materjaliżmu li jġib miegħu l-Milied jista’ joqtol l-Ispirtu Nisrani.
JWSB by Banksy, 2004
Riflessjoni parti 2:
L-animatur jsostni li mhux kumbinazzjoni li fil-bidu tal-Avvent Ġesù jwissina: “Oqogħdu attenti, u qisu li l-ikel u x-xorb żejjed u s-sokor ma jmewtulkomx qalbkom, u tħallux li l-ħafna tħassib għall-ħtiġiet tal-ħajja jeħdilkom raskom, li ma ssibuhx dak il-Jum fuqkom għall-għarrieda” (Lq 21:34).
Spjega aktar fil-fond jekk hemm ħin u bżonn: Il-Jum li qed jirreferi għalih Ġesù huwa jum il-waqa’ ta’ Ġerusalemm imma fl-istess ħin huwa Jum il-Ġudizzju; Il-Ġudizzju finali se jaħbat sewwa sew mat-tieni miġja ta’ Ġesù (fl-aħħar tad-dinja jew il-mewt personali, tgħallimna l-Knisja); Fil-Milied l-Insara jiċċelebraw kemm l-ewwel miġja ta’ Ġesù u kif ukoll ifakkru li għad jerġa jiġi biex ‘jagħmel ħaqq mill-ħajjin u mill-mejtin’ – għalhekk tajjeb li nippreparaw għal Milied … Daqs li kieku l-aħħar wieħed!
L-animatur jisħaq li l-konsumeriżmu u l-materjaliżmu jista’ jtellifna mill-Ispirtu u l-ferħ veru tal-Milied u jispiċċa jħossna vojta u bla sens meta mill-għada tal-Milied inkunu kważi diġa xbajna mill-ħafna li xtrajna, xrawlna, kilna, u xrobna.
L-animatur jikkonkludi li għalhekk irridu noqgħodu attenti li ma nispiċċawx ngħidu l-espressjoni ‘mill-Milied sa San Stiefnu’ – il-festa li taħbat l-għada tal-Milied – li tingħad biex nirreferu għal xi ħaġa li ma damietx biex tgħaddi jew tispiċċa.
Il-fatt li San Stiefnu Martri huwa l-għada tal-Milied mill-ewwel għandu jġibna f’sensina li d-dixxipli ta’ Ġesù għandhom jimxu warajh li twieled biex ‘jgħati ħajtu b’fidwa għall-kotra (Mt 20:28) – biex jagħmilhom denji sabiex jagħżlu “l-aħajr sehem, li ma (jitteħidilhomx” (Lq 10:42).
Attività Riflettiva:
L-animatur idoqq mużika riflettiva.
L-animatur jigwida lill-istudenti sabiex jerġgħu iħarsu lejn dak li kienu kitbu fuq il-karta u jistaqsu lilhom infushom jekk jaħsbux li l-aspettattivi tagħhom humiex se jgħinuhom sabiex jiċċelebraw Milied bis-sens, mimli ferħ li jibqa’ u mhux xi gost li jiġi u jmur.
L-animatur jistieden lill-istudenti sabiex fil-bidu ta’ dan l-Avvent jieħdu d-deċiżżjoni li ‘joqgħodu attenti’ mill-konsumeriżmu u l-materjaliżmu filwaqt li wieħed wieħed iqumu jwaħħlu l-karta tagħhom max-xbieha b’sinjal ta’ fiduċja fil-Mulej li twieled biex isalvana.
Talba:
L-animatur iħeġġeġ lill-istudenti biex jitolbu f’qalbom skont il-bżonnijiet personali tagħhom u mbagħad jigwidahom biex jitolbu xi ħaġa hekk:
Mulej Ġesù, int biss tista’ timlilna qalbna b’ferħ li ma jgħaddix … Inti taf x’neħtieġu! Għini matul dan l-Avvent, sabiex inkompli nagħmillek aktar wisa’ f’ħajti – billi noqgħod attent minn dak kollu li jista’ jiskoraġġini, jtellifni, jiżvijjani, jew jifridni minnek. Imla lili u lill-għeżież tiegħi bl-Ispirtu tiegħek, nitolbok dan il-Milied!
Ammen
Sessjoni tista’ tingħalaq b’din għanja nisranija (Holy Forever, din il-verżjoni ta’ Chris Tomlin):
Adjusting our expectations and adapting our attitudes at the beginning of Advent
Introduction:
The animator introduces oneself to the students, then the theme ‘Christmas: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow’ and sees how they feel about the title.
The animator presents the session as a special one at the beginning of Advent.
The animator guides the students to quiet down, make the sign of the Cross and say a short prayer of thanksgiving.
Sharing:
The animator asks what Advent is and whether they know what the word signifies before he explains that ‘Advent’ means ‘arrival,’ and thus, it includes waiting.
The animator stresses that with Advent, we have started a ‘countdown’ for Christmas! Christmas is here! It is so close that it comes and goes without noticing if we are not careful! How is that even possible, with the many gatherings we’d be having and the many gifts we’d be unwrapping before Christmas?!
The animator asks students to write privately on paper what they expect this Christmas and only if they wish to share it with others.
Video:
The animator says that Christmas time brings with it many things they mentioned, including lovely things like gatherings, parties, and gifts.
The animator warns about materialism or consumerism and explains the word/s by showing the following clip:
Reflection Part 1:
The animator asks for some reactions after the video.
The animator shows a printed image of Jesus with shopping bags or JWSB by Banksy (a street artist) and asks for a description and interpretation.
After the discussion, the animator explains the artist’s intention: that consumerism and materialism associated with Christmas kill the Christian spirit.
JWSB by Banksy, 2004
Reflection part 2:
The animator sustains that it is not coincidental that at the beginning of Advent, Jesus warns us: “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap” (Lk 21:34).
Explain in depth if there is the need and time: The day that Jesus refers to is the fall of Jerusalem, though at the same time, he is referring to Judgement Day; Judgement Day is going to coincide with the Second Coming of Christ (at the end of the world as we know it or at our death, teaches the Church); In Christmas, Christians celebrate both the first coming of Christ and are reminded that He will come again to ‘judge the living and the dead’ – therefore it is good that we celebrate Christmas … as if it is our last!
The animator stresses that consumerism and materialism can block us from the true Christmas Spirit and joy – it can leave us feeling empty and meaningless by the day after Christmas, when we are already fed up with the many things bought and received, with the food we ate and the drinks we drank.
The animator concludes that we must be careful not to say, ‘Christmas: here today, gone tomorrow’.
In Maltese, there is an expression. ‘mill-Milied sa San Stiefnu’, transliterated as ‘from Christmas to St Stephen’s Day,’ said when someone wants to make the point about something short-lived since St Stephen’s come the day after Christmas on the 26th December. There is something else to take, however: St Stephen’s is the feast of the first martyr, reminding us immediately and soberly that the disciples of Christ must follow him who was born “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28) – to enable them to choose “what is better… (that) will not be taken away from (them)” (Lk 10:42).
Reflective Activity:
The animator plays reflective music.
The animator guides students to look again at their paper and ask themselves whether their expectations will help them celebrate a meaningful Christmas, full of everlasting joy, rather than simply some trill that comes and goes.
The animator invites students to decide at the beginning of Advent to ‘be careful’ or beware of consumerism/materialism. One by one, they attach their papers with the image as a sign of trust in the Lord who was born to save us.
Prayer:
The animator encourages students to pray in their hearts according to their personal needs and then guides them to pray along these lines:
Lord Jesus, you alone could fill our hearts with everlasting joy … you know what we need! Help me this Advent to make more room for you – by being weary of anything that might discourage, distract, divert, or divide me from you. Fill me and my loved ones with your Spirit, I pray, this Christmas!
Amen
The session can be concluded with this worship song (Holy Forever, this version by Chris Tomlin):
