Jesus' Birth According to Luke 2:8-20

A "Shepherd's Pie" Cooking Workshop

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

See the full lesson details in our "Luke 2: Shepherds Story" Cooking Workshop

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 and some vegetables added. 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.

We don't know who posted this lesson outline, but it has potential! ...especially for younger children. The teacher takes on the role of "the angel" in the story as they lead the children through the cookie pie construction. Each ingredient/level represents an idea in the story.

You can pick a different recipe, just remember to create memory links to each ingredient. You may also want to link something in the story to "how" you are assembling the ingredients (mixing and baking takes time = "time to prepare, contemplate what Christ (the cookie) will taste like").

Your Angels Bake a Very Special Christmas "Cookie Pie" that teaches the story of Jesus' Birth

Scripture Reference:
Luke 1:11 - Luke 2:11

Lesson Objectives:

1. Learn the story of Christ's conception and Birth
2. Find it in the bible
3. Learn the symbols of Advent that represent the story
4. Children create a take-home snack to share the story with others (that's what angels do!)

Leader Preparation:

• Read the Scripture ahead of time
• Gather the Materials
• Find a cookie recipe

Materials List:

• Cookie ingredients
• Here is one recipe called "7 Layer Magic Bars" suggested by someone who was not the author of this lesson. Its ingredients nearly match up: http://www.food.com/recipe/sev...-sturdy-crust-166559

Lesson plan outline:

Telling the story:

You will be telling the story from the angels perspective. Gather the children around a large table. Have all your ingredients hidden in bags to increase a sense of anticipation. Wash and sanitize hands. Dress everyone as angels with aprons and maybe some garland in the hair.

Give each angel a pie tin to hold their ingredients. They will make the cookies as you tell the Angels version of the story.

I am an angel. Do I look like an angel? (even if you don't dress this is a good question to ask) Well what do angels look like? (Discuss this for a bit giving everyone a chance)I am here to tell you about the season of Advent. To help you remember the story a little we are going to make something together that we can share with others...because that's what angels do: announce what's going to happen and prepare people to see God's activity in their world. We are also going to learn to sing some songs.
etc etc

Read the Bible passage out loud.

Now walk through the story as you build a 7 layer cookie pie

1. Melted butter: Symbolizes the Holy Spirit that flows through everything and gives it a base. Connection: Elizabeth because she was allowed to have children past the age for having children and Mary who had a baby from the Holy Spirit. Zacharias was made mute when he didn't believe until he could speak his son name John. They were all visited by angels.

2. Graham Cracker crumbs: Symbolize the rough land that had to be traveled over. All the way from Exodus...through a thousand years of waiting, and now to Bethlehem.
Connection: Joseph was visited by an angel and told to marry Mary and they traveled to Bethlehem for the census.

Have the children crumble and pulverize their graham crackers in baggies and pour into your large bowl. Add butter, have them help you mix it, then redistribute into their pie tins.

3. Chocolate Chips: Look like little kisses and represent the love, the love of Joseph for Mary and not wanting her to be stoned, the love of Mary for her baby.

4. Butterscotch chips: Symbolize the stones on the path they traveled over to Bethlehem. What kind of troubles did Mary have? What were her worries? God watched over them as he does each one of us.

5. Coconut: Symbolized the hay in the stable. If children do not like coconut, substitute sprinkles. Why did the end up in a stable? What does this humble beginning tell you about God/Christ?

6. White Chocolate Chips: represent the stars in heaven and the angelic hosts to came to the shepherds. What was their message and song?

7. Finally pour just enough sweetened condensed milk over it to bind it together. Press into the pie tin.

Connection: God holds it all together. Without his grand plan of salvation, this would all be just some interesting parts of some crazy story.

Bake at 350 Degrees about 30 minutes.

While it is baking...

Sing some Christmas songs and prepare to give away some of their cookie.

When done baking.... cut it into slices and wrap some in foil to give away.
Have students write out the meaning of the ingredients on a card and attach it to their cookie package with ribbon.

Closing

Have the children assist with the cleanup.

Close with a prayer over the baked goods that each of us might be the angel God needs to reach someone with the good news of God's love come down at Christmas.