The Big Surprise

Martyn Payne

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Introduction

Is there anything new about Christmas that we can say this year? Is there something different we can do with the children? Such are the urgent pleas from worship leaders, teachers and children's workers at this time of year. However, the fact that we do manage to say something new and do something different each year is itself testimony to the inexhaustible miracle of the mystery of the incarnation, which is the inspiration and focus of this feast. There is always more to explore, and writers, artists, musicians and performers continue to surprise us each year with new ways to retell this wonderful story. Barnabas has always sought out new writers and resources for the Christmas season and perhaps before you go any further, you might like to check out what is already available from us-see Christmas resources from Barnabas.

Christmas was God's big surprise. Although there had been tantalizing clues all throughout the Old Testament, no one really expected the miracle of 'God-with-us' in the form of a helpless baby. As Paul puts it in his letters: 'The Lord Jesus Christ was kind enough to give up all his riches and became poor, so that we could become rich' (2 Corinthians 8:9); and 'Christ was truly God but... he gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us' (Philippians 2:6, 7); and again, 'When the time was right, God sent his Son and a woman gave birth to him' (Galatians 4:4). What an amazing story to share with our children! The Christmas story is about a surprising gift to us-a gift that not only transformed the way we think about ourselves and our future but that also gives us a surprising insight into the very nature of the love of God for us. The following Festival Footsteps outline explores with games, stories, craft, music and drama the wonder of that surprise.

First Steps

As the children are registered, divide them up into equal groups, using team names linked to the theme of surprise such as the Startles, the Jumps, the Jaw-droppers, the Boggle-eyed, the Amazed, the Gasps and so on. Group leaders should welcome children into their group areas, which they could begin to decorate with appropriately bright and startling colours, including some large sound bubbles with explosive words in them, such as 'bang', ' crash', ' kerpow', and so on. (N.B. a quick glance in any action-hero comic will provide you with some similar words!) Also, link each team with a specific colour, as this will be useful later.

As a short activity while everyone gathers, the children could colour in some masks with surprising designs. The younger children will need ready-made masks but older children could cut out their own. They should be masks that make people jump!

Once all have arrived and are registered, gather them together for some ' surprise aerobics' as a warm-up for the event. Introduce one activity like 'walking on the spot' but then suddenly say ' surprise jump' or ' surprise hop'. Mix up other similar simple movements with surprise changes. Link this to the title of the programme. No one expected God's big surprise at Christmas. It made everyone jump. It made them jump for joy!

Festival chant

Set up a simple clapping rhythm and then, as you call out each line of the following chant, ask the children to echo it back to you. Once the chant becomes known, repeat it and march around using it, varying your pitch and volume to get everyone focused on today' s feast.

We're on a special journey
To find God's big surprise
A baby born on earth for us
God has become our size!

First footing

God's big surprise began with a series of smaller surprises. According to Luke's account of the Christmas story, there were angel surprises for Zechariah in the Temple and Mary at her Nazareth home; there were surprise babies for both Elizabeth, who was past the age for motherhood, and later for Mary, who of course was not yet married; finally there was the surprise Joseph had, who presumably had not been planning a cattle shed delivery room for his betrothed; for Mary, whose labour seems to come on prematurely; and for the shepherds, who had the surprise of their lives up on the hillside.

Introduce a big picture of an ' exclamation mark' , as the way we indicate surprise when we are writing something. Prior to the day, print off a series of seven exclamation marks, each one slightly bigger than the previous, and in sets that match the colours of the different teams. These exclamation marks should be hidden in envelopes around your meeting area in as many surprising places as you can find. Now set the teams off to find their own set of seven exclamation marks. If they find some belonging to another team, they should put them back where they found them or perhaps hide them again in an even more surprising place! To add to the fun, tell them that some of the exclamation marks may be hidden on leaders, such as in a back pocket or stuck to the underside of a shoe!

When the seven exclamation marks for each team have been found, link them to the series of surprises, as outlined above, that happened in the nativity stories.

Footbridge

Here are some 'surprise games' that you could use with your group.

1. In teams or as a whole group, play a ' pass the parcel' game with a surprise Christmas gift wrapped up in the middle, perhaps loosely linked to the story-for example, Jelly Babies or some Angel Delight or some sort of edible sheep!

As some Christmas music is playing, the parcel should be passed around and then, once the music stops, it can be opened by the child who is holding it. As each layer is removed, there should be a simple forfeit (along with a chocolate coin as compensation) for that child. The forfeit involves running around the outside of the circle dressed in a piece of surprising clothing such as an oversized jacket or a huge hat or massive shoes or giant sunglasses.

2. Play a game of Christmas PictionaryTM with the group. A leader for each group at the centre of the room should have a series of words that will eventually connect up to the theme of Christmas. One child at a time runs up to be told the word and then he or she comes back and tries to draw that word for the others in the team to guess. Once guessed, another child goes to collect the second word and so on. Each team should keep a note of the different words, as these could then be used to create a word puzzle for them to sort out (see below). The words in order are:

Wheat, Fish, Ewe, Hay, Berry, Crisp, Mast, Hand, Bay, Nappy, Shoe, Year

The further dimension to this puzzle could then be to try and guess the hidden message that can be heard by saying these words quickly in succession. Can you hear it?!

3. A leader should stand in the middle of the room with his or her arms stretched out. Now invite six children from the different groups to come and link up with that leader, three holding on to a hand/arm either side. These six children should then reach out their other hands and others come and link up with them and so on, until everyone is linked up around the room. The leader in the middle now starts calling out various Christmas words. But whenever he or she says the word ' surprise' and also names one of the groups, everyone should let go quickly and run for the safety of the edge of the room, especially the group named, before the leader can capture any from that particular team. How many children from each team escape each time?

4. Surprise groupings! Ask children to walk around the room slowly, humming or singing a seasonal song. The leader should then call out at various points a surprise grouping for them to get into. It will involve each of them calling out a particular word and others who match that word joining up with them, for example:
1. their birthday month-everyone should stand still, call out the month in which they were born and try to get into groups accordingly
2. favourite colour
3. pets owned or no pets
4. schools attended
5. brothers or sisters or none.

Can they do this each time, before the leader counts to ten?

How many surprising subgroups can be made from your one big group?

5. Try a simple game of 'yes', 'no' or 'maybe' with the whole group together. Designate one end of the room to be the 'yes' and one to be the 'no' end. The middle area is for those who aren't sure of the answer. Depending on whether they think the answer is 'yes' or 'no' (or 'don't know'), the children should run to that place in response to some questions about Christmas. Here are some examples of questions:
Did the first Christmas happen at the North Pole?
Is the angel in the Christmas story called Gabriel?
Does the Bible say that Mary had baby Jesus in Nazareth?
Was Mary's cousin called Elizabeth?
Was Jesus born in a cattle shed on the hillside?

Best foot forward

Tell the Christmas story simply to the whole group, inviting some sound effects and actions. There is one sound effect chorus, which comes up several times, namely: a sharp intake of breath and the phrase 'It was a big surprise!'

Long ago, people were waiting...- looking at watches and around
Waiting for God to come and rescue them.- shading eyes with hands and looking to the skies
Their country was occupied by Roman soldiers- marching on the spot
And they wanted to be free- both hands in the air, longing for freedom
But then the angel Gabriel came- sharp intake of breath and 'It was a big surprise!'
To an old man called Zechariah in the temple.-- pretend walking with a walking stick
The angel said, 'You and Elizabeth shall have a baby.- sharp intake of breath and 'It was a big surprise!'

'His name will be John and he will prepare the way for the King.'- cheers all around
But Zechariah didn't believe the angel and was lost for words.- mumbling sounds through closed lips

Six months later, the angel Gabriel appeared again...- sharp intake of breath and 'It was a big surprise!'

To Mary in the village of Nazareth- puzzled looks and cries of 'Where?'
'You shall have a baby, who will be the King.- sharp intake of breath and 'It was a big surprise!'
'His name will be Jesus.'

Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth and...
Elizabeth's baby jumped inside her when Mary arrived.- sharp intake of breath and 'It was a big surprise!'
Elizabeth had her baby and he was called John...
And Zechariah now sang a song of praise to God- mime singing enthusiastically
John would prepare the way for Jesus.

Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem.- clip-clop of a donkey's hooves
They had to travel, even though Mary was about to have a baby.
The town was busy and the hotels were fully booked.- chorus of 'No room at the inn.'
They had to sleep in a cattle shed.- animal sounds
And then the angel Gabriel came...- sharp intake of breath and 'It was a big surprise!'
To the shepherds on the hillside- sheep noises
'The baby is born; the King you've been waiting for.- cheers all around
'The baby will be the Saviour of the whole world.'- sharp intake of breath and 'It was a big surprise!'

The angels sang and the shepherds ran...- running sound with feet
And found the baby Jesus just as they had said.
No one expected God's King to be so small...- sharp intake of breath
No one expected God's surprise for us all.- 'It was a big surprise!'

Footrest

Take time for some biscuits and a drink in groups before the next part of the programme.

Footprints: footlights-ideas for a drama workshop for The Big Surprise

1. As a warm-up, try the following activities:

Ask the group to crouch down low and become as small as possible while still on their toes, so they can then become jack-in-the-boxes that leap up when the leader touches their head. Link this to the surprise of the incarnation.

Ask the group to become as big as possible with hands and feet spread wide and then in slow motion to become smaller and smaller. Link this to the miracle of the incarnation.

Practice different sorts of surprise reactions together, namely: surprise and shock; surprise and being puzzled; surprise and being angry; surprise and being afraid, and so on.

2. Explore the emotions surrounding surprise.

Imagine discovering a buried treasure box, digging it up, cleaning it, handling it with excitement, opening it carefully and then discovering a surprise treasure inside which you then share with those around you. Talk about what each person, in their imagination, had in their treasure box.

Take the group on an imaginary treasure hunt with all sorts of obstacles and different terrains to cross and then come to the surprise of discovering something unexpected at the end.

In groups, work out a freeze-frame (one per group), in which they have just received some surprising news. Develop this further by asking each person in the group to work out one line they might say, which will give a clue as to what that surprise is. Can the other groups guess it?

3. Take two or more of the scenes from the Bible stories for Christmas: possibly the angel surprise to the shepherds and when Zechariah surprises his friends and relatives by miming to them that his child's name should John.
Set up the scenes and then hot seat or interview the actors involved. What new insights to the stories can you find?

Footprints: footnotes-ideas for a music workshop for The Big Surprise

1. The Big Surprise of Christmas is that Most High became the most low. Hand out some percussion instruments and practice going gradually from making a big sound to a very tiny sound. How quiet can the orchestra become? And how loud, of course!

2. Cymbals are perhaps the most surprising instruments in the orchestra, crashing out a great crescendo at an important moment in a composition. If you can get hold of some cymbals, use them to punctuate the workshop with 'surprise crashes' that keep reminding the group of the big surprise of Christmas

3. I wonder what sort of tune accompanied the angels' song up on the hillside when they surprised the shepherds? There are many versions of course, such as the 'Glory to God' from Handel's Messiah. Play some of these 'Gloria' pieces and then, as a group, work on your own version with the instruments you have to accompany the angels' words.

Footprints: fancy footwork-ideas for a craft workshop for The Big Surprise

1. Surprise Angel Cards
Cut out an angel figure with tabs on the wings. These need to be large enough to fit inside a standard Christmas card. Fold the angel in half and then glue or tape the tabs to the insides of the card so that when the card is opened the angel pops up. Illustrate your card and add Christmas greetings.

2. A Christmas 'jack-in-the-box'
This will fit in well with the Big Surprise theme. You will need small but firm boxes made of card and some springs available from hardware shops. The 'jack' in this case is a picture or even a 3-D version of a small baby in a manger. Attach this to one end of the spring. The other end needs to be fixed to the inside base of the box. The spring needs to be long enough to go into the box without crumpling up too much but still allow for it to spring the baby out when the lid is opened. Decorate the box as a Christmas present.

3. Use a sheet of A4 paper for each child or possibly a sheet as large as A3 or A2, if this is to be a group activity. On one side illustrate 'the glory of the heavens' with stars, planets and galaxies and a very bright light in the centre of the paper, which represents God Most High. Now fold the paper again and again, as many times as you can (seven folds are normally a maximum) and then, on the small space you now have, draw a tiny picture of a baby in a manger.

4. There are many more great Christmas craft activites in the following books:

Foothold-an idea for worship as part of The Big Surprise

Use the Big Surprise chant (see Festival chant above) to gather the children for a time of reflection and worship to bring the programme towards a close.

You will need to collect a series of eight boxes, each box slightly smaller than the other, so they all fit into each other. Sets of colour boxes are available from most stationary shops or from Ikea. The ever-smaller boxes illustrate the amazing surprise of the incarnation, as the God of heaven becomes small enough to become a tiny baby on earth.

As each box is taken out and set down as a focus, a leader should use the following lines and also invite the repeated response from the children, which gives thanks for the miracle of Christmas.

Box 1-Leader:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. By his own mighty word, he holds the universe together (Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 1:3).

Together:
Our God is an amazing God.

Box 2-Leader:
God is the one who rules the whole earth... He spreads out the heavens like a curtain or an open tent (Isaiah 40:22).

Together:
Our God is an amazing God.

Box 3-Leader:
No one can compare with the Lord our God. His throne is high above, and he looks down to see the heavens and the earth (Psalm 113:5-6).

Together:
Our God is an amazing God.

Box 4-Leader:
God so loved the people of this world that he gave his only Son (John 3:16).

Together:
Our God is an amazing God.

Box 5-Leader:
Christ was truly God. But he did not try to remain equal with God. Instead he gave up everything (Philippians 2:6-7).

Together:
Our God is a surprising God.

Box 6-Leader:
He became like one of us (Philippians 2:7).

Together:
Our God is a surprising God.

Box 7-Leader:
The Word became a human being and lived here with us (John 1:14).

Together:
Our God is a surprising God.

Box 8-Leader:
(Mary) gave birth to her firstborn son. She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:7).

Together:
Our God is a surprising God.

Allow a short pause before starting up the Big Surprise festival chant again, which should get louder and louder.

Stepping out-an idea to conclude The Big Surprise

Gather the children into a big circle. The Big Surprise of Christmas is that God became our size. God did this so God could be on our side. God did this so God could hear our deepest sighs. God did this to lift us up to the skies, as we put our trust in Jesus!

Make the circle as big (hands and feet spread wide) and as tall as possible (all stand on tiptoe). Now, starting with the leader, each person should begin to shrink slowly. When the leader has shrunk, the child to his or her left should do the same; and then when that child has shrunk, the child to his or her left should do the same and so on, until the whole circle becomes tiny and crouched on the ground. When all are on the ground, on the count of three, everyone should leap up and shout 'Big Christmas Surprise'.

Why not end this special Footsteps to the Feast for Christmas by eating some party food suitable for Christmas together. Invite parents and carers to join you, so they can see what you have been doing together.

(All Bible quotes are taken from the CEV.)

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