Sunday Connection

Gospel Reading
Luke 3:1-6
John preaches repentance and baptizes in the region of the Jordan.

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

As younger children become less self-focused, they learn to make good choices that are considerate of others. During the season of Advent, we hear the message of John the Baptist calling us to make good choices to prepare the way of the Lord.

Materials Needed

• crayons in different colors (at least one per child), sheets of paper

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Display the crayons and paper. Invite children to come up to get a sheet of paper and choose a crayon. Say: I see you’ve all chosen a color. We make lots of choices in our lives, don’t we? God asks us to make good choices that help us be friends to others. What are some good choices we can make to be a friend to others? (Accept reasonable responses, including sharing what we have, taking care of one another’s things, saying kind words, saying sorry if we hurt someone’s feelings.)
2. Say: During Advent, we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth. We do this by making good choices. When we make a poor choice, we can choose to turn back to God and ask for forgiveness. Today we will hear about John the Baptist preparing the way for the Lord. Let’s listen.
3. Read today’s Gospel, Luke 3:1–6.
4. Say: We can prepare the way for the Lord by making good choices this Advent season. This way, we will have peaceful hearts. We’ll be ready to welcome Jesus when he comes. Take a few minutes to draw a picture of a good choice you will make to be a friend to others this Advent season. If you need another color, ask if you can swap crayons with another child. Give children time to draw and talk about their pictures. Then say: Let’s pray for God’s help making good choices as we prepare to welcome Jesus.
5. Pray together that we will make good choices and tell God we are sorry for our poor choices. Share a sign of peace with one another.

Gospel Reading
Luke 3:1-6
John preaches repentance and baptizes in the region of the Jordan.

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

Older children are learning that their choices have consequences, for good and for ill. During the season of Advent, we hear the message of John the Baptist calling us to repent and to make choices that will prepare the way of the Lord.

Materials Needed

• A set of dominoes

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Set up a series of dominoes in the shape of a Y so that when you push the first domino, it initiates a chain reaction causing the other dominoes to fall.

2. Show the young people your domino setup. Ask: What will happen if I push over this first domino? (It will cause the other dominoes to fall.) What will happen if I don't push this first domino? (Nothing; the other dominoes won't fall.) Say: What do you think I should do? Do what the majority of students want you to do.

3. Say: Each of our choices has consequences. Notice how pushing this first domino caused the others dominoes to fall. Sometimes our choice to do one thing leads us to other choices that we didn't see at first.

4. Say: In today's Gospel, we hear about the appearance of John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus. Let's listen carefully to this Gospel to see what choices this Gospel invites us to make.

5. Invite one or more volunteers to read today's Gospel, Luke 3:1-6.

6. Ask: What choice did John the Baptist make? (He chose to prepare the way of the Lord.) What choice did John the Baptist want others to make? (to repent and be baptized; to change their lives; to prepare the way of the Lord) Say: John's choice to prepare the way of the Lord started what might be described as a chain reaction, as others also chose to prepare the way of the Lord through their baptism and repentance.

7. Say: We can also be people who prepare the way of the Lord through our good choices and by our repentance when we fail to make good choices. The season of Advent is a time when we focus on making good choices so that we have made ourselves ready to receive Jesus when he comes.

8. Pray together that we will be people whose good choices help prepare the way of the Lord and invite others to do the same. Pray together the Act of Contrition.

Gospel Reading
Luke 3:1-6
John preaches repentance and baptizes in the region of the Jordan.

Making the Connection (Grades 7 and 8)

Through their exposure to advertising, young people hear messages that try to influence their behavior. In the announcement of John the Baptist, we hear a very different message, one calling for repentance.

Materials Needed

• Samples of advertising slogans with which the young people are familiar
• paper and pencils

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Show the young people the advertising slogans. Ask them to identify the message the slogan is announcing and what the advertisers want those who hear the message to do.

2. Say: There are many messages sent to us in our society. Many of these are advertising messages that seek to get our attention in order to sell a product. Are there other people or organizations that have messages for us today? (Accept all reasonable answers.)

3. Say: In today's Gospel, we hear about John the Baptist, a messenger who appeared before Jesus. After we listen to this Gospel, we'll identify the message John the Baptist announced.

4. Invite one or more volunteers to read today's Gospel, Luke 3:1-6.

5. Ask: What message is John the Baptist announcing? (Repent of your sins.) Is this message still relevant today? (Yes.) Are there voices today that continue to announce this message? (Accept all reasonable answers.)

6. Say: During the season of Advent, the message of John the Baptist is particularly appropriate. During Advent, we seek forgiveness of our sins as we prepare for Jesus' coming. To help us hear better John's message, let's try to be advertisers and write the message of John the Baptist in the form of a slogan so that people might better hear this message today.

7. Place the young people in groups of two or three. Invite them to prepare slogans for the season of Advent that echo the message of John the Baptist. Invite volunteers to share their slogans with the group. (If appropriate, these messages might also be shared with others in your parish, perhaps in announcements for a parish Advent reconciliation service.)

8. Conclude in prayer together asking God to help us hear and respond to the message of John the Baptist calling us to repentance. Pray together the Act of Contrition.

Gospel Reading
Luke 3:1-6
John preaches repentance and baptizes in the region of the Jordan.

Family Connection

During the season of Advent, we choose to add many activities to our family's schedule to prepare for our celebration of Christmas. John the Baptist reminds us that our repentance is another way in which we can prepare for the Lord's coming and our celebration of Christmas. Parish communities often offer a communal celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the Advent season. Your family might choose to participate in the communal celebration of the sacrament, or you might seek out this sacrament on an individual basis.

Read together today's Gospel, Luke 3:1-6. Talk about how John the Baptist called upon the people to prepare the way of the Lord through repentance. Together as a family, prepare a simple reconciliation service in preparation for Christmas. Gather in a prayerful space, perhaps around the family Advent wreath. Read again from today's Gospel, Luke 3:1-6. Invite each family member to pray silently, asking God to forgive his or her sins. Pray together the Act of Contrition. Then celebrate God's forgiveness by sharing the sign of peace with one another.