Year 7 Assembly: Poverty & Christmas
Categories: Secondary
As the young people arrived into the hall, I had on the stage in front of them 2 Christmas presents each wrapped up and placed inside a separate glossy paper bag. This provided a good focal point and many of them wanted to know what was inside.
Although the assembly was on poverty, I told them that I wanted to talk about Christmas. I then asked them what they were hoping to get for Christmas. Answers ranged from Playstations to High School Musical DVD’s, but it got them thinking about getting gifts.
I then pointed to the presents and invited someone to come and open the first one. They did so and were pleased to discover some chocolate inside. I then invited someone to open the second present. Inside the box it was totally empty (you could place stones, paper, etc here instead). They were obviously disappointed sitting down with nothing when someone else had received a gift.
This helpfully led me to explain about global poverty ranging from starving children in Africa, to the homeless people in their town. There are many resources you can draw on for information about poverty (Make Poverty History, Christian Aid, World Vision and Oxfam are good places to start). With poverty in mind, my challenge to all the Year 7’s in the room was this: “What are you going to GIVE this Christmas?”
I then explained that as a Christian, I believe that God has told me to help those in poverty. Jesus said “love your neighbour as yourself”(Matthew 22:39) which means ‘care for others’ NOT ‘snog the person who lives next door’!
To finish, I allowed them a minute of quiet to think about what they might give that could help those in poverty this Christmas (donate money, give more thoughtful gifts, invite less fortunate people round, volunteer to help out in some way).
The assembly was well received by the staff and I had a number of comments from young people as the left about what they might do to help those in poverty. Hopefully some will go away and put it into action!
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This is pretty important stuff I think - the thing about religious festivals that turn secular is that they get coated with disnification sugar and the guts, gore and grief that they often include is saccharined out, dammit!
We had fun at our Y7 RE day yesterday with the story of the London club that is selling the world’s most expensive drink for £35000 per glass (sic). The kids couldn’t believe it, and the bloke who has bought the drink couldn’t think of anything else that you could do with 35000. The kids thought of plenty!
I also reckon it’s good to tell the story of the slaughter of the innocents: the first Christmas was dreadful in many ways. and have you seent the Amos Trust artefact: an olive wood model of the nativity in contemporary Bethlehem, complete with the Israeli security wall to block the arrival of the wise men?
Have fun making Christmas meaning - but they should be very afraid as well.
In the manger
The safety of the world
And the world’s danger.