Lectionary Links: Sunday, February 3, 2013

Year C:  February 3, 2013

First Reading: Jeremiah 1:4-10

Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Change: Courageous Actions Around the World by Garth Sundem

(Written for ages 9-13)

Comment: “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy…  Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you…”  This text offers a wonderful reminder that children are important participants of God’s work in the world. So often we say to children, “when you grow up, you can…” but God is saying, “look what you can do right now. Don’t be afraid to act in the world, because I am with you.”  Share stories with your congregation of kids who are making a difference in their communities, nations, and the world.  Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Change shares inspiring true stories of kids saving the environment, standing up for themselves, helping others, overcoming challenges, and using their talents and creativity.  Use their example as a springboard to explore and discuss the courageous actions that are being done by kids in your community.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Love Twelve Miles Long by Glenda Armand

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: “[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”  Love is the foundation of our daily living, undergirding a meaningful life. In our culture we often lose sight of the power and depth of love.  We “love” all kinds of things: candy, books, apps, photos; but the love expressed in this passage is deeper than a strong liking.  It is the fuel of life, allowing people to endure. Frederick Douglass’s mother knows this kind of love.  Love is the bedrock of her twelve mile journey to visit her son, and allows her to make the journey of forgetting, remembering, listening, looking up, wondering, praying, singing, smiling, giving thanks, hoping, and dreaming. Her journey, her life, and her relationship with God and her son are built upon love.  This text and story invite us to reflect upon the ways love guides our lives.

Gospel Reading: Luke 4:21-30

The Way Meat Loves Salt by Nina Jaffe

(Written for ages 7-11)

Comment: “When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage.  They got up, [and]drove him out of the town…”  The truth Jesus speaks angers the people of his hometown.  They cannot accept who he is or what he has to say, and so they drive him away.  In Jaffe’s tale, Mireleh is driven away when the truth she shares is not comprehended by her father. In his anger, he drives her away.  Often it’s the people who have watched us grow from childhood to adulthood who struggle the most to understand the people we have become or the truth we have to share.  In our own lives do we accept truths that may be difficult for us, or do we participate in driving prophetic voices away?

The Lectionary Links this week are written by regular contributor Noell Rathbun-Cook.

Lectionary Links: Sunday, December 2, 2012

1st Sunday in Advent

Year C:  December 2, 2012

First Reading: Jeremiah 33:14-16

Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan by Mary Williams

(Written for ages 8-12)

Comment: Jennifer Ryan Ayres speaks of the despair that was surely felt by the exiled people. “Humans meet despair when they cannot imagine God’s promised alternative future… It is [at the edge of despair] that God speaks the promise, and it is in precisely this context that despair opens the door to…hope.” (Feasting on the Word, Year C, Volume 1, p 4) In the story of the Lost Boys of Sudan, we discover another context of despair. Their story is filled with grief, and yet an undercurrent of hope lives within them. In the midst of great despair, these boys live and work for the hope of an alternative future.We see this hope affirmed in the afterword of their story: “The Lost Boys hold on tightly to their faith and their belief that through education and determination they will one day help bring peace and renewal to their war-torn homeland.” The days are surely coming, says the Lord…

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: Does it ever seem to you that love does not abound in the month of December? Traffic is heavy, tension is high, greed is encouraged, people are in a hurry, and every year fights break out in stores over sales and limited items. That’s not the Christmas I wait for expectantly.  Advent is an invitation to remove ourselves from the chaos of the cultural interpretation of Christmas, and prepare our hearts for the coming of Immanuel. It is a time of hopeful expectation, that even as we wait, we glimpse and experience the joy of God with us when we increase and abound in love for one another and for all. Though the movie has probably been aired every day since Thanksgiving, don’t let that deter you from sharing the great image of increasing and abounding in love found in the classic book How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The Grinch is a character changed by love, both in the size of his heart and in the purpose of his living. Even as we wait, may we be changed as well.

Gospel Reading: Luke 21:25-36

Who Would Like a Christmas Tree? A Tree for all Seasons by Ellen Bryan Obed

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment:  Whether we are little ones waiting for Christmas day, or those waiting to see God’s righteousness at work in the world,waiting is hard. Lost in the monotony, we may lose sight of what it is we are waiting for.Through this eschatological Advent reading, we are called to pay attention as we wait:“Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near.” Jesus compares the signs of his coming kingdom to the signs of the changing season. How do we notice and take in the signs around us? Ellen Bryan Obed invites us to notice the changes that occur on a Christmas tree farm throughout the year. If readers pay attention to the life happening in and around the trees, we are likely to recognize the month and season.  This Advent let us pay attention as we wait, and seek to recognize the signs of God at work in the world around us.

The Lectionary Links this week were written by regular contributor Noell Rathbun-Cook.

Lectionary Links: Sunday, March 25, 2012

5th Sunday in Lent

Year B:  March 25, 2012

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34

The Invisible String by Patrice Karst (Written for ages 4-8)

Comment: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” What does it mean to have the law written on our hearts? In many ways it is knowing that we belong to God. In The Invisible String, a mother explains to her children that there is a string of love that connects us: “Even though you can’t see it with your eyes, you can feel it deep in your heart, and know that you are always connected to the ones you love.” God’s law written on our hearts is like the invisible string. It connects us to God, and to one another. It does not have to be learned or acquired, but is always there, a gift of  God’s grace and love.

Second Reading: Hebrews 5:5-10

Can I Pray With My Eyes Open? by Susan Taylor Brown (Written for ages 4-8)

Comment: “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears…” Many people worry over the time, place, or way to pray. Is it ok to share our true feelings with God? In hearing and reading of Jesus’ prayers, we understand that our priest and intercessor is “in deep solidarity with humanity.” (Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 2, p 136) What better example have we of how or when to pray than here? There is no wrong time or way to pray. We, too can approach God with loud cries and tears in supplication, with blessing in thanksgiving, or in whatever situation we find ourselves to be. Can I Pray With My Eyes Open? is a way to explore the concept of prayer with children and to share that during any time, in any place, with whatever feelings we have, we can indeed talk to God.

Gospel Reading: John 12:20-33

The Greatest Power by Demi (Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: “Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” The seed is a helpful image during Lent for thinking about the death and resurrection. It is both a strange and amazing experience to bury a seed in the ground and discover, sometimes in just a few days, the new life it brings. There is true wisdom in Jesus’ words when he compares the coming hour in which he will be glorified to the life cycle of a seed. Demi describes a seed as the greatest power on earth through words of the young child Sing: “the nothing in this seed is Eternal Life–it continues from seed to seed, forever and ever in perfect harmony. So, Life is the greatest power in the world.” Truly this story will prove a meaningful one to hear as our Lenten journey leads us towards the new life of Easter.

This week’s Lectionary Links post was written by regular contributor Noell Rathbun-Cook.

Lectionary Links: Sunday, January 2, 2011

(2^nd Sunday After Christmas)

Year A: January 2

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:7–14

December by Eve Bunting (Written for Grades K-3)

Comment: Eve Bunting tells the story of a boy and his mother who share a cardboard box for a home. After an unexpected visit from a Christmas angel, their luck changes, but the boy believes it is more than luck. Our experience of God does not necessarily change our luck, but it can change our perception. The reality of this boy’s life can be shocking in the midst of a time where we’ve been shopping, decorating, and spending money in attempts to create a merry Christmas. What does it look like to find joy and satisfaction in what we’ve been given? The story reminds us of the joy and blessings that can be found in sharing what we have and opening our lives to one another. When we experience the gathering of community in God, mourning is turned to joy and gladness exchanged for sorrow.

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3–14

The Christmas Candle by Richard Paul Evans (Written for Grades K-3)

Comment: Through Christ we have been adopted.  Members of the family of God, we have been chosen to follow Christ’s ways. When Thomas is given the Christmas candle, he doesn’t understand that it contains the light of Christ. As he travels home, the candle’s illuminations turn strangers into family, and lead him to act in new ways. “If we will see things as they truly are, we will find that all, from great to small, belong to one family.”

Third Reading: John 1:(1–9), 10–18

Old Turtle and the Broken Truth by Douglas Wood (Written for Grades K-3)

Comment: “He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.” In Wood’s story, the truth exists in the world, but the people do not know its fullness. They grasp instead to a broken, beautiful, but not incomplete truth. Old Turtle says that the broken truth will only be mended when we see ourselves in one another. As followers of Christ, we see how this truth is mended when we see the light of Christ in one another. Jesus Christ is the truth, the Light of the World that makes God known to us.

Epiphany

“When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” –Matthew 2: 10-11

Small Camel Follows the Star by Rachel W. N. Brown

Comment: The story, told from Small Camel’s perspective, is an imaginative telling of the travels of the wise men. As Small Camel carries the gifts for Jesus on his back through the desert all he can think about is that he tired and wants to go home. When he meets Jesus, he forgets how tired he is. He is filled with happiness and knows that he is truly in the presence of a king.

This is the last Lectionary Links post by our regular writer, Noell Rathbun, until April, 2011.  The posts for the first three months of the new year will be contributed by students in Dr. Pamela Mitchell-Legg’s Using Children’s andAdolescents’ Literature in the Church class at Union Presbyterian Seminary, Charlotte campus.

Lectionary Links: Sunday, November 21

Proper 29 (Christ the King / Reign of Christ)

Year C: November 21

First Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6

A Young Shepherd by Cat Urbigkit (Written for Grades PreK-1)

Comment: A Young Shepherd explores the experience of a 12-year-old boy Cass in Wyoming. Like God gathers the remnant of God’s flock to be fruitful and multiple, Cass gathers orphaned lambs to build his own herd. The story ends with Cass’s lambs becoming mothers. “It makes Cass happy that his orphan lambs grew up to be such good mothers. It also means that his herd continues to grow, as more lambs are born to his flock.”

Second Reading: Colossians 1:11-20

At Break of Day by Nikki Grimes (Written for Grades K-3)

Comment: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created…all things have been created through him and for him.” At Break of Day is a colorfully illustrated retelling of the creation story. It follows the theme of the passage from Colossians by telling the story of creation being accomplished through the work of the Father and Son. They share in the work and imagination of creation, and together call it good.

Shiny Touchy Smelly: Creation Story by Joanna Bicknell (Written for Grades PreK-1)

Comment: This is an excellent book for toddlers and preschoolers exploring creation. It includes bright photographs, smells, and a variety of textures.

Third Reading: Luke 23:33-43

At Jerusalem’s Gate: Poems of Easter by Nikki Grimes (Written for Grades 5-8)

Comment: Grimes’s poem The Highwayman explores the feelings of the criminal crucified who asks Jesus to remember him. The poem is brief, but explores the feelings that lead him to a change of heart. He asks, “Can’t they see the royalty in his eyes?” Clearly he, a common criminal, know the truth we celebrate this Sunday—Jesus is King.

Love One Another: The Last Days of Jesus by Lauren Thompson

Comment: Although Thompson’s Easter story does not include the criminals mentioned in Luke’s gospel, it focuses on the role of love in Jesus’ life and ours. The reign of Christ is very different from the reign of earthly kings and queens. His rule is one of forgiveness and love. “They new their wrongs we forgiven and that love was greater than hate, greater even than death. In his love, Jesus lived on.” We know that Christ is King because we see his love at work in the world.

Lectionary Links: Sunday, Oct. 17

Proper 24 (29th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Year C: October 17

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:27-34

When I Grow Up, I Will Win the Nobel Peace Prize by Isabel Pin (Written for Grades K-3)

Comment: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts…” Knowing the law and following the law aren’t necessarily the same thing. In this passage, God speaks of the way God’s covenant people have brought about evil, despite their knowing the law.  God also speaks of a future in which the law will no longer be taught, but written on the hearts of the people. Pairing Isabel Pin’s text with her illustrations will help children understand the difference between a person knowing the law, and having it written on his or her heart.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 3:14—4:5

The Emperor’s New Clothes by Marcus Sedgwick (Written for Grades K-2)

Comment: “For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths.” Any version of The Emperor’s New Clothes would serve as an excellent example of what can occur when one wanders away to myths. The Emperor wants to believe the tailor’s because the magical ability to discern the wise from the foolish is very appealing. In the original tale, the only character who actually discerns the truth is a young child who proclaims the emperor is naked. In Sedgewick’s version the one who tells the truth is the smallest member of the town, a frog.

Third Reading: Luke 18:1-8

Ruby’s Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges (Written for Grades K-3)

Comment: “Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” In this parable Jesus describes a woman who perseveres in the face of injustice. Ruby’s Wish also deals directly with this topic. Ruby wants to go to university, but only boys have that opportunity. Both the woman in the parable and Ruby do not lose heart, but seek instead to change their situations. The unjust judge finally grants the woman justice because he is annoyed. Ruby’s grandfather seems to act justly because he is moved by her perseverance and dedication to learning.

Lectionary Links: Sunday, October 10

Proper 23 (28_th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Year C: October 10, 2010

First Reading: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

Together in Pinecone Patch by Thomas F. Yezerski (Written for Grades K-4)

Comment: The unfamiliarity of a land that is not home is one expressed in the experience of immigrants. Together in Pinecone Patch describes two families that desperately love their homelands, yet are trying to survive in a gray, coal-mining town in Pennsylvania. In the scripture reading, Jeremiah shares God’s message with the exiled people.  They are to settle down, have families, and seek their welfare in the city of exile.  Children are given a glimpse of what it means to follow this message as they read of the love that grows between Keara and Stefan.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8-15

The Light of the World: The Life of Jesus for Children by Katherine Paterson (Written for Grades K-3)

Comment: “Remember Jesus Christ…” Through this epistle reading, we understand that the act of remembering Jesus Christ is foundational for our identity as children of God; it is foundational to our way of life and the choices we make daily. We remember Jesus Christ in the sacraments. We remember Jesus Christ in our songs. We remember Jesus Christ in prayers. We remember Jesus Christ through stories. The Light of the World is a wonderful storybook created to help children remember Jesus Christ and recognize his light shining through them. “The light still shines through everyone who, like Jesus, lives the good news of God’s loving kingdom.”

Third Reading: Luke 17:11-19

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (Written for Grades PreK-1)

Comment: It is certainly an unexpected turn of events when Jesus heals 10 lepers and the one who returns to say thank you is a Samaritan. The relationship between Jews and Samaritans was hostile. Similarly the relationship between lions and mice is known to be hostile. In both the gospel reading and Pinkey’s illustration of Aesop’s fable, we encounter an unexpected exchange of mercy, compassion, and gratitude that breaks down hostile barriers.  (Note:  This is a wordless book, but the illustrations tell the story beautifully.  Pinkney won the 2010 Caldecott Award for best illustrated children’s book.)