Lectionary Links (NL): December 16, 2018

Third Sunday of Advent

Year 1: December 16, 2018

Preaching Text: Isaiah 42:1-9

(Written for ages 4-8)

Comment: In Tiny, Perfect Things, a little girl goes on a walk with her grandfather and they take the time to notice all kinds of tiny, perfect things: tiny leaves on the ground, thin spider’s webs, little bottle caps and more. Even though these are so tiny and might escape notice, the girl and her grandfather pay attention and rejoice in these small things. They are worthy of attention and joy. In our passage from Isaiah, the prophet proclaims a servant of God who will come, and who, among other things, will notice and care for even the smallest things—“a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench”. And furthermore, this servant of the Lord will notice and care for those people who have been overlooked by the rest of the world: those who are blind, those who are in prison, those in need of justice. Our God “created the heavens and stretched them out”, but doesn’t overlook the small things either, just like the girl and her grandfather in the story. God’s servant comes to care not only for the whole earth, but for the tiny things, the overlooked people, of this earth. We are not too small for God’s notice, and when we feel bruised or dimly burning, the servant of God notices us and treats us tenderly.

Thanks to Sara Anne Berger, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Nachitoches, LA, for writing the Year 1 Narrative Lectionary Links.

Lectionary Links (NL): December 16, 2018 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.