Lectionary Links (NL): December 30, 2018

First Sunday of Christmas

Year 1: December 30, 2018

A House That Once Was by Julie Fogliano

(Written for ages 3-6)

Comments: Two children in A House that Once Was come upon an abandoned house in the woods and decide to explore it. From the outside the house doesn’t look like anyone has ever been there, but inside they find papers and books and toys which tell them about the people who once were in the house. These people aren’t here anymore, and the children can’t know those people themselves, but the house and its belongings tell them that those people once existed and were here in this house. The genealogical list for Jesus in our Matthew passage tell us about the people who came before Jesus, the people who once were, even though they are not here anymore. Those people’s lives each contributed to Jesus being in the world and being raised by his earthly father, Joseph. Even though they are not here anymore, this list tells us about them, just like the objects the children found in the house told them about the former people. Jesus’ birth is a cause for celebration, both at the time it occurred, and when we remember it now. As we celebrate, we can remember those who came before and whose lives contributed to Jesus’ childhood and life, just like the children in the house remember those who once were through the objects they found. In the life of Jesus’, and in our own lives, we remember those who once were, who made us who we are now.

Thanks to Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Sara Anne Berger for writing the Year 1 Narrative Lectionary Links.

Lectionary Links (NL): December 30, 2018 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.