The Gift of the Nutcracker Leader Guide - Softcover

Rawle, Matt

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1501869442 ISBN 13: 9781501869440

Verlag: Abingdon Press, 2018

Inhaltsangabe

"The Nutcracker" is a delightful and whimsical Christmas classic that children and adults look forward to every year. First performed in 1892, the music, dance, and story of this classic hold a special place in our cultural Christmas celebrations.In the Gift of the Nutcracker, Matt Rawle, author of The Redemption of Scrooge, explores the story to help us understand God’s greatest gift of the Christ child, and the kingdom Christ came to establish.The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the four-week study, including session plans and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Matt Rawle is Lead Pastor at Asbury United Methodist Church in Bossier City, Louisiana. Matt is an international speaker who loves to tell an old story in a new way, especially at the intersection of pop culture and the church. He is the author of a new series of books titled The Pop in Culture Series. The series includes The Faith of a Mockingbird, Hollywood Jesus, The Salvation of Doctor Who, The Redemption of Scrooge, What Makes a Hero?, and The Gift of the Nutcracker.

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The Gift of the Nutcracker Leader Guide

By Matt Rawle

Abingdon Press

Copyright © 2018 Abingdon Press
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-5018-6944-0

Contents

To the Leader, 
1. Clara: Waiting for Christmas, 
2. Drosselmeir: A Godfather's Love, 
3. The Mouse King: Changing Perspective, 
4. The Nutcracker: The Greatest Gift, 
Appendix, 

CHAPTER 1

Session 1

Clara: Waiting for Christmas

Planning the Session

Session Goals

As a result of conversations and activities connected with this session, group members should explore, through the lens of Scripture, what The Nutcracker reveals about the gift of Jesus Christ by beginning to:

• consider anticipation and curiosity;

• examine the dynamics of in-between time;

• encounter surprise and suspense;

• reflect on signs of Advent.

Scriptural Foundation

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: 'The Lord is our righteousness.'

Jeremiah 33:14-16

"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

Luke 1:30–33

Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.

Luke 2:41-52

Special Preparation

• If participants are not familiar with one another, provide nametags.

• Have available a notebook or paper and pen or pencil for anyone who did not bring a notebook or an electronic device for journaling.

• Decide if you will use any of the optional activities. For the activity of looking through a keyhole, you will need to cut simple keyhole shapes in sheets of printing or drawing paper for each participant. To view portions of The Nutcracker ballet, download selected segments from the Internet and obtain equipment for viewing.

• Decide if you will sing an Advent carol. Choose one familiar to your group, perhaps a carol with the theme of preparation or anticipation, such as "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel."

• For the closing activity in all four sessions, you will need four Advent candles, typically purple. You may want to set up an Advent wreath, or simply have four candles in a single line. Electronic candles are a good alternative if your church has restrictions about lighting conventional candles. Note: Advent candles are assigned a theme each week, although for most denominations there is no hard and fast rule about which candle bears which designation. In this study, the author has chosen to begin with the candle of peace, and then to continue with hope, love, and joy.

Getting Started

Opening Activity

As participants arrive, welcome them to the study. When most participants have arrived, invite them to form pairs and discuss together a time when they were in the audience awaiting the beginning of a performance, whether of The Nutcracker or of some other play, concert, or ballet. What do they remember feeling? What was happening around them in the audience?

After allowing a few minutes for pairs to discuss, ask each person to respond in turn to the following:

My name is _________ and here's what I remember about how I felt as I waited for the performance to begin ...

Tell the group that in this study, they will have the opportunity to explore a familiar Christmas tradition, The Nutcracker story, and what it might reveal about the gift of Jesus Christ. In this session, they will begin to explore the world of The Nutcracker through the eyes of twelve-year-old Clara.

Opening Prayer

Pray the following prayer, or one of your own choosing:

Holy God, as we prepare for the coming of your Son, Jesus, at Christmas, quiet us down. By your Spirit, open our hearts, our minds, and our wills to what you would reveal to us through your story as it is told in Scripture and in the story of The Nutcracker. Amen.

Learning Together

Video Study and Discussion

In Chapter 1, we are introduced to The Nutcracker — the ballet whose music and story are a beloved Christmas tradition for many. Matt Rawle, the author of the study, is the lead pastor at Asbury United Methodist Church in Bossier City, Louisiana, and a graduate of the LSU School of Music and Duke Divinity School. Rawle describes himself as a speaker who loves to tell an old story in a new way, especially at the intersection of pop culture and the church.

We begin by exploring the world through the eyes of twelve-year-old Clara, who peeks through a keyhole to gaze longingly on the Christmas tree that is the center of the party for adults. When Clara is allowed to join the party, she receives a nutcracker from her godfather — a gift around which the ensuing story centers. After viewing the video segment, discuss some of the following:

• Matt Rawle observes that one way to look at this story is to make a connection between Advent and Clara's experience of brokenness. What does he mean?

• He notes that there can be a disconnect between expectation and reality. How is this played out in The Nutcracker? What aspects of the Christmas story illustrate such a disconnect? Where, if at all, have you experienced this in your own life?

• We hear that Advent is a time of awaiting Christ, preparing yourself for this greatest gift of God. But it's also a time of recognizing that this work is not yet complete. What examples can you give of places in the life of your community, the nation, or the world, where the work of the hands and feet of people of faith is still needed?

Book and Bible Study and Discussion

Consider Anticipation and Curiosity

Invite a volunteer to read aloud Jeremiah 33:14-16, one of...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Abingdon Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2018
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1501869442
• ISBN 13: 9781501869440
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 64
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar