Jesus' Birth According to Luke 2:8-20

A "Shepherd's Pie" Cooking Workshop

Making, Baking, Tasting and Sharing the Story of Jesus' Birth

Summary of Lesson Activities:

In this lesson, we turn the ingredients into symbols for the story and meaning of Jesus' Birth as described in Luke 2:8-20.

You will be talking about the "reason" for Jesus coming into our world as you lead the students through a recipe, assembling and baking a Shepherd's Pie. You'll be connecting your points to ingredients in the recipe in your "Shepherd's Pie Patter."  The pie and its ingredients help your students learn the message, and give them a pie they can take home and explain to their family as they share it together.

"Shepherd's Pie" in America is basically "Hamburger Pie" with mashed potato topping. Kids can add/subtract ingredients to taste. Ideally they'll make one a small one to take home, and a larger size version for the class to eat together.

Leader Preparation:

• Brown the meat and boil the potatoes in advance. You can also use pre-cooked mashed potatos.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground round beef   (pre-brown to save time)
• 1 onion chopped
• 1-2 cups vegetables - chopped carrots, corn, peas   (have cooked for younger children. Keep peas separate as some kids won't like them, and the point is to get them to eat & remember, not gag.)
• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs potatoes (3 big ones)   (have boiled but not mashed to save time)
• 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice

Lesson Plan

Opening

Greet the children and introduce yourself and any helpers that you have. Explain what they'll be doing and learning about today and what you hope they will remember.

Let's Gets Started!

Because "cooking time" is an issue in all cooking workshops, you'll need to prepare a few things in advance, and do your study activity in the MIDDLE of the lesson while things cook.  I suggest browning the meat and boiling the potatoes in advance.

The idea is that each student can take home a shepherd's pie to share with their family. Depending on your schedule, you may have time to let them cool, or not so much. Think through those details ahead of time. You may also want to make extras for some special people in your congregation. Remember to send home a list of ingredients with your pie, with their 'meanings' described. (If time, have your students write this out at the end of the workshop to aid their memory.)

Suggestion: Make one LARGE pie for all to sample/eat before class is over. And have them also make individual small pies to go home.

My "patter" (story) while introducing the ingredients is certainly open to improvement and adjustments! I certainly said a lot more when I did this lesson with my students. "Meat" isn't a great metaphor for Jesus in the recipe, but as a main ingredient, what/who else could it be!  Age-adapt your language.

The point is not "which idea is best for butter" ...but rather, making your remarks and connections memorable, and perhaps even entertaining! to the kids so that they REMEMBER YOUR STORY and can RETELL IT.

This lesson outline assumes the kids somewhat know the story. If they don't, then use this lesson AFTER you have done a different lesson overviewing the Birth Story.

You are welcome to try any Shepherd's Pie recipe you want. Just keep in mind what the kids will eat, and how long it takes to bake. (FTR: I will be keeping peas out of my pie!)

Here's the basic recipe and cooking instructions.
Below that is my "Shepherd's Pie Patter" (story).

Shepherd's Advent Pie

The following ingredients list will serve FOUR in a 9 x 12 baking dish. It is recommended that you make ONE Batch per every 3 children so they have plenty to take home and share.  The nice thing about this recipe is you can freeze extra.

OPTION:  You could bake it all in a 9 x 12 and send it home split-up in Tupperware. OR preferably, you could have the students assemble the ingredients into their own foil baking dish. Cover with foil to go home. They could bake at church or home. If you send home to bake, bake one large pie for the class to taste. Make sure the foil dish is large enough for more than a single serving so kids can share with family.

You can also make or purchase "single serving" size foil tins to form the pie and ingredients into and seal it.

A teacher wrote me to say they made these in individual "baking crocks." The point is to adjust the recipe and dish size and materials to suit your needs.

OPTION:   Sautéing the onions and veggies in front of the children (and allowing older ones to help) is a good opportunity to talk about "transformation."

INGREDIENTS

•1 1/2 lbs ground round beef   (pre-brown to save time)
•1 onion chopped
•1-2 cups vegetables - chopped carrots, corn, peas   (have cooked for younger children. Keep peas separate as some kids won't like them, and the point is to get them to eat & remember, not gag.)
•1 1/2 - 2 lbs potatoes (3 big ones)   (have boiled but not mashed to save time)
•8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
•1/2 cup beef broth
•1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
•Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice

(Makes 4 individual servings. Increase so children have plenty to go home and share.)


PREPARE:
1. Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).  Suggestion: Have these cooked in advance to save time, but let the kids participate in the mashing.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 a stick) in large frying pan.

3. Sauté onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins). If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time. Put any carrots in with the onions. Add corn or peas either at the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat has initially cooked.

4. Add pre-cooked ground beef and sauté for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add worcesterchire sauce. Add half a cup of beef broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth as necessary to keep moist.

5. Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, season to taste.

6. Place beef and onions in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top of the pie. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well.

7. Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 20 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.

The Shepherd's Pie Patter

Here's the gist of the conversation I had with my students as we prepared the pie. Of course, your conversation and your student's input will vary. The point is to turn the ingredients and assembly process into teaching moments.

• Who can tell me what the Shepherds are doing in the story of Jesus birth.
• What were the Shepherds doing when the angels announced Jesus' birth to them?
• What did the Shepherds do next?  (Went to see Jesus).
• What did the Shepherds do after that? Throw a party? Go shopping?  (went to tell others).
• After we're done celebrating Jesus birth, what are WE supposed to do? Party? Shop? Forget?  (No, like those shepherds, we have a job to do... to remind others of the importance of Jesus' coming into our world, and to prepare people to follow him.)
• Today, we're going to be thinking about the story of Jesus' Birth while we make and bake a Shepherd's Pie. Who is the pie for?  It's for us...to help us remember what our job is...to tell others. It's our food for thought, and energy for our bodies so that we can continue to be good disciples of Jesus --telling others about him.
  
  Anybody know what's in Shepherd's Pie? Who likes hamburger? Mashed potatoes? onions and...?

As we mix all these ingredients, I'm going to tell you what they mean. Be listening, because just like the shepherds were asked to REPEAT what they had seen and heard, I'm going to ask you to REPEAT BACK TO ME what I tell you. Ready?

See these chopped onions? Taste one. Bitter?  God looked at the world and saw that it needed his help. So he started mixing in ingredients. Butter, veggies. Good things we needed to grow strong in love, patience, kindness. After cooking for a while, notice what's happening to the onions!  They are becoming clear and sweet. God is like that. He can change things. He can change you into something the world needs and finds tasty.

TIP: Don't give away all your ingredients. Save some aside so that you can point to them later and have students tell you what they meant in your story.

Distribute the sautéed veggies into everyone's dishes. AS you do, run down the list of good things God gives us: scripture, heroes like David, prayer, the good earth, families, etc. Let them add to your list.  Do you think that's all we people needed? No, we hungered for God to be made real to us. We hunger to be led and fed by God.  All these other things (in our bowl) are good, but God wanted us to become stronger. God want us to grow up and do great things in his name. So he added something more. Actually, he added a PERSON. Know who I'm talking about?

That's right, Jesus. (Distribute the meat into each dish.) He sent Jesus to tell us that our sins were forgiven, and that God was ready to turn us into his super disciples!  Strong meaty food indeed!  Build us up good!  .... But why did he come as a weak baby?  (God wanted to show us that he was about love, not fear. Can you think of anything less scary than a baby? God wanted to show us that he understood us and cared about us.)

Next, God added the church to help us (broth). His church retells the story over and over just like the shepherds did (pour, pour again). And then God gave us more scripture --do you know what part of the Bible I'm talking about? Yep, the New Testament, the story is not just for us to read, it's for us to share!   (worchestershire, taste a bit, it's concentrated but make the whole dish flavorful).

Then he gave us Sunday School to learn his story really well, and add some spice and flavor to being his disciples (salt and pepper, taste a little bit of it before mixing it in). Mix it all up good!  It all tastes better when you have ALL the ingredients together. (Sunday School without Jesus or scripture, not good!   Veggies without Jesus or salt, bland!)

Finally, after his birth into our world, his death, and his resurrection, God RETURNED/STAYED with us as the Holy Spirit, to help us accept his love, feel his presence, and have the strength to follow him and tell others the Good News. (Distribute the boiled potatoes on small plates and have the kids mash them with a fork. Add a little splash of milk to smooth it out.)   God's Holy Spirit is always around us. It protects and shields, and hold us together, just like these taters.
Spread yours on top of your shepherd's pie. Fluff it up with some peaks!

Do you think we're done?
Nope, we have to cook it all together!   You can say you have all these things: the Bible, knowing the Christmas story, going to Sunday School, believing in the Holy Spirit, but you got to put them altogether and give them time to bake. Yes!

You need time to bake too !   All these ingredients are being poured into you so that you will become a tasty blessing to the world.  Was Jesus born an adult? No. Even Jesus had to grow. What if he had quit believing in God when he was 10?  What if you QUIT NOW?  What if you stop praying to God? What if the shepherds decided NOT to be out standing in their field that night?  What if they decided "Ho Hum, I'm not interested in a little baby."  ??   You need time.  Is the church like an oven?  Isn't that an interesting idea!  Not a bad heat, though!

Baking Time:

While your pies are baking, distribute the recipe and pass out the ingredients. See if the kids can RECREATE your Shepherd's Pie Patter.  This will be a good time to ADD TO your comments.

Scripture:
Read the story of the shepherds and angels, Luke 2: 8-20.
Ask: What would have been your reaction to the angels appearing?
Ask: What do you think Mary and Joseph thought of the shepherds and their story?
Ask: "What was the Good News they went out to share after meeting the baby?"

Eating Time:
Take the pies out of the oven, and serve one up so that it begins to cool. Have some ketchup ready for those who need it!  Finish by preparing the other dishes to go home.

Include a CARD with a summary of your ingredients, and two or three sentences from your "patter" about the meaning of the pie.

Closing:

Have the children assist with the cleanup and then close with a prayer. You may also have them write a prayer on the CARD that's going home with their shepherd's pie for use by their family.

A lesson written by Neil MacQueen for his Sunday School class in Venice Florida