Lectionary Links: Sunday, April 1, 2012

6th Sunday in Lent

Year B:  April 1 2012

The 6th Sunday in Lent offers a plethora of scripture choices, for additional ideas, check out the Lectionary Links from last year’s post.

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a

A Voice from the Wilderness: The Story of Anna Howard Shaw by Don Brown

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: “Through the servant, God evokes a different kind of power: the power to teach, the power to sustain the weary, the power to listen, the power to endure.” (Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 2,  p 162) In his commentary, Richard Floyd goes on to describe servants who have sought to live by this power evoked by God. In A Voice from the Wilderness, we see how Anna Howard Shaw was a woman who lived by such power. “By most measures, [her] life had been filled with struggle. But Anna had used her own scale and had kept her own measurements, and that made all the difference–to her and to us.”

Second Reading: Philippians 2:5-11

Praise for the Singing: Songs for Children by Madelaine Gill

(Written for all ages)

Comment: In this text, Paul is using a hymn to speak to the Philippians. When discussing this text with children, you have an opportunity to discuss the purpose of songs in scripture, worship, and life together. Music plays an important role in our praise of God and the sharing of our theology. Often, music helps us to grow and learn. Praise for the Singing is an illustrated book of hymns that include music which tells the stories of our faith as well as songs of worship and praise.

Gospel Reading for the Liturgy of the Passion: Mark 14:1-15:47

The Life of Jesus by Sally Grindley

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: As we begin Holy Week, it seems most appropriate to focus on the Biblical story of the Passion Narrative. Children enjoy hearing stories again and again. Important stories of our faith, such Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection can never be shared too many times. Choose a storybook Bible or children’s book, such as The Life of Jesus, to share with children on this day and throughout the coming week.

Gospel Reading for the Liturgy of the Palms: Mark 11:1-11 or John 12:12-16

Pippa at the Parade by Kara Roosa

(Written for ages 3-6)

Comment: For young children, I find it helpful to explore the feelings that might have been felt by people welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem. Discussing the experience of watching or participating in a parade will help children to identify with those shouting “Hosanna!” Pippa experiences the sights, sounds, excitement, and even exhaustion that come with celebrating in a parade. When reading Pippa’s story alongside the text of the Palms, take time to wonder together. How is Pippa’s experience like those of the people waving branches? How is it different?

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

The Easter Story

Name of Book:  The Easter Story

Author:  Brian Wildsmith

Illustrator:  Brian Wildsmith

Publisher:  Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Audience:  Ages 5 and up

Summary:  This book is a retelling of the gospel Easter stories with the addition of the Palm Sunday donkey throughout the entire story. The book begins with the Palm Sunday ride into Jerusalem and ends with Christ’s ascension into heaven following the Resurrection. The donkey from Palm Sunday is present in each part of the story, thus adding a more child-friendly character to the Easter stories.

Literary elements at work in the story:  The story is told from a third person omniscient point of view. The addition of the “little donkey” helps to soften the story and make it more personal to little children engaged in the story. The characters named and portrayed are the Biblical characters from the appropriate stories, including: Jesus, disciples, Pontius Pilate, Mary, Mary Magdelene, Caiaphas, angels and more.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economic/ability make a difference to the story?  While the book is set in the various towns and locations from the Bible, the artwork portrays a very fair-skinned cast of characters. The book is also layered with a lot of gold paint, helping to set a high ecclesiology interpretation of the Biblical stories. (For instance, there is an altar-looking stone table in the tomb where Christ’s body is laid after crucifixion.) The culture portrayed strongly resembles the culture of the author as he shares his rendition of these stories.

Scripture:  Matthew 21:1-18, 26:17 – 28:10; Mark 11:1-25, 14:12 – 16:20; Luke 19:28-47, 22:7- 24:12, 24:36-53; John 12:12-16, 13:21-38, 18:1 – 20:23

Theology:  Jesus Christ is the humanity of our Salvation offered to us by God in love. In salvation, God makes the first move and reaches out because God loves us no matter how we respond to God. God also gives us the gift of faith so that we can trust that our relationships with God and one another are made right by Jesus Christ. Through the life, death and resurrection of Christ we experience the abundant forgiveness, mercy and love of God. The story of Jesus’ death and resurrection is the story of love, healing and reconciliation from God to all of creation.

Faith Talk Questions

1. What was different in this book from the Easter stories in Scripture?
2. Why do you think Little Donkey wanted to stay with Jesus?
3. Who might Little Donkey remind you of that’s always with you, even when bad things happen?
4. How does it make you feel to know that God sent Jesus to be crucified in your place?
5. Where do you most see God’s love in The Easter Story?

Review prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Katie Todd

Lectionary Links: Sunday, April 17, 2011

6th Sunday in Lent

Year A: April 17, 2011

Liturgy of the Passion
Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a
Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile by Gloria Houston (Written for Ages 5-8)
Comment: “The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.” Even when we face hardships, like the servant, God gifts each of us with the capacities we need in order to do God’s work in the world. Miss Dorothy was gifted with the love of books and people, and therefore dreamt of being a librarian. For many years, Dorothy’s work was filled with sighs of “it will have to do.” Although the path she followed was far from what she dreamed it would be, her work touched the lives of all the people she met. Eventually she stopped dreaming of what could have been because “[she] was far too busy in her fine little library, where people loved to read, and where everyone loved Miss Dorothy.”

Epistle Reading: Philippians 2:1-13
You and Me and Home Sweet Home by George Ella Lyon (Written for Ages 5-8)
Comment: “…make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” The Philippians are encouraged to work together with the same love, full accord, and one mind. When we work together full of God’s love and intentions for the world, we are able to be Christ’s Body, and extend his love to others. You and Me and Home Sweet Home is the true story of a Habitat for Humanity Women Build project. Sharonda experiences the complete joy described in the epistle when she helps a diverse community work together as Christ’s body to build her home.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 26:14 – 27:66
The Easter Story by Brian Wildsmith (Written for Ages 5-8)
Comment: If you’re following the Liturgy of the Passion in Worship, you might consider sharing today’s Gopsel story with children from a favorite children’s Bible. Wildsmith’s Easter Story is filled with beautiful illustrations and written from the perspective of the donkey Jesus rides into Jerusalem.

Liturgy of the Palms
Gospel Reading: Matthew 21:1-11
The Colt and the King by Marni McGee (Written for Ages 5-8)
Comment: The Colt and the King is a gentle, lyrical story of the donkey’s experience of Palm Sunday. The folksy illustrations are bright and include intimate moments of connection between Jesus and the donkey. The donkey knows that he carried a great king. He dreams of introducing Jesus to his animal friends, and longs to give his beloved hillside as a throne, where Jesus would be crowned by the stars.

The Lectionary Links this week were written by Noell Rathbun.