Marketing strategies play a very important role in today’s economy. The key to marketing is positioning yourself or your product so that it stands out from the competition.

Is it possible that John the Baptist had a degree in marketing?

When you consider his message, his lifestyle, and his appearance, he certainly knew how to set himself apart!

Here’s an idea if you are doing catechesis that flows from the Sunday readings (this Sunday’s Gospel is Mark 1:1-8 about the Baptist) or if you are doing a lesson on Advent:

1. bring in some sales magazines/fliers/catalogues/brochures (they are in abundance during this Christmas shopping season) and distribute them randomly to the kids
2. invite them to “analyze” them – invite them to determine which do the best job of grabbing their attention and why
3. have the kids “report” their findings to the group
4. emphasize how the key to good advertising (marketing) is to grab attention by setting yourself/your product apart from others
5. Tell the kids that today they will be learning about someone who knew how to grab people’s attention and how to set himself apart from others – John the Baptist
6. invite a volunteer to read Mark 1:1-8
7. Ask: What about John the Baptist might have caught people’s attention? (He wore clothing made of camel’s hair; he ate locusts and wild honey.) What did John the Baptist want people to do? (repent from sin; be baptized as a sign of repentance)
8. Say: John the Baptist’s appearance and his message of repentance caught people’s attention. Then he told them the most important thing. What did he say? (Another mightier than I will come after me; he will baptize with the Holy Spirit.) We know that he was talking about Jesus.
9. Say: During Advent, we affirm John’s message by preparing the way of the Lord in our own lives. We seek forgiveness for our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and look for ways in which we can be better followers of Jesus. In our words and actions, we hope to be like John the Baptist in leading others to Jesus. In what ways can we “prepare the way of the Lord” in the world today? (Accept all reasonable answers, such as making good choices, working for peace and justice, and being prepared to talk about our faith.)

This is not an entire lesson, of course, but just an idea for making a connection between John the Baptist and the hype we see around us during the Christmas shopping season.

By the way, you can find a whole bevy of ideas like this (for “breaking open the Word” with children) at The Sunday Connection on the Loyola Press Web site. I personally wrote most of the grade 7 & 8 material! This resource can be helpful to you if you are doing a children’s catechumenate, lectionary-based catechesis, or just including some preparation for the upcoming Sunday Scripture readings in your weekly catechetical sessions. There is also a link for family ideas.