Lectionary Links (NL): January 12, 2020
1st Sunday After Epiphany
Year 2: January 12, 2020
How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham
(Written for ages 3-5)
Comment: In this passage from Mark, as last week, we hear about Jesus’ healing. In this vignette, however, we see a unique dimension of Jesus’ healing: the communal responsibility we have to seek out healing for one another. The paralyzed man would not have been able to access Jesus without the help of his friends. In fact, the text tells us that when Jesus saw the faith of the friends, he told the paralyzed man that his sins were forgiven. This gives us an opportunity to talk with children about the ways we can help others who are hurting – in fact, the responsibility we have. In Graham’s book, a little boy named Will is the only one to notice a bird on the ground with a broken wing. He asks his mom if they can bring the bird home to help nurse it back to health. The illustrations indicate she is somewhat hesitant, but ultimately agrees to help the bird. This story doesn’t involve any supernatural miracles, but it does show children the importance of taking responsibility when we see others who are injured. This is also an opportunity to talk about different kinds of injury: physical, emotional, and spiritual. Children may be able to recognize when their peers are hurt by bullying or unkind words.
Thanks to Union Presbyterian Seminary alumnus Joshua Andrzejewski for writing the Year 2 Narrative Lectionary Links.
Lectionary Links (NL): January 12, 2020 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
