Fourth Sunday of Easter

Year 3: May 7, 2017

Preaching Text: Acts 8:26-39

I Got the Rhythm by Connie Schofield-Morrison

(Written for ages 3-7)

Comment: Typically when I reflect upon this text, I am drawn to themes of radical welcome and inclusion. There are several suggested books on those topics in our RCL links on this text, so I thought I would focus on a different aspect of the story.  I found myself wondering about the movement of God’s Spirit, both in Philip, when he was called to proclaim the good news to the Ethiopian eunuch, and in the Eunuch, when seeing the water impels him to be baptized. In Schofield-Morrison’s story, the rhythm acts much like the Spirit. Rooted in the bodily experience of a girl and her neighbors, the rhythm brings everyone together into a beautiful, musical community. As you reflect upon this text and story with your congregation, invite them to consider how their own experiences of God’s Spirit have drawn them, or helped them to welcome others into community.

Thanks to Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Noell Rathbun for writing the Year 3 Narrative Lectionary Links.

Lectionary Links (NL): May 7, 2017 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.