10th Sunday After Pentecost

Year A: August 13, 2017

First Reading: Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

Otis by Loren Long

(Written for ages 4-8)

Comment:  In Genesis, Joseph’s jealous brothers sell him into slavery, and plan a horrible trick on their father once Joseph is gone. It is a terrible thing and it seems like Joseph will be lost forever. Joseph must have felt devastated and forgotten. We know, though, that this story is just the beginning of Joseph’s journey, and that God, at least, had not forgotten Joseph and would provide opportunities out of this terrible event.  Otis is a tractor on a farm and loves his work and being able to help his animal friends. But then the farmer buys a brand new, shiny, much fancier tractor and Otis is left out, unused. He is sad, feeling forgotten, until he has the opportunity to rescue one of the farm animals in a way that the new tractor cannot.  He discovers that he still has a purpose after all. Maybe we have felt like Otis, like Joseph, hurt by people we loved, feeling forgotten. We can find commiseration for that feeling in Scripture, and also trust that God has not forgotten us, and will work to provide opportunities beyond what we are going through now.

Second Reading: Romans 10:5-15

Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev

(Written for ages 4-8)

Comment: In Romans, the apostle Paul says that contrary to what some believers might think, God holds no distinction and that there is the same Lord over all. All people need to hear the proclamation of good news, because there are no distinctions. In Strictly No Elephants, a boy and his pet elephant are rejected from the local Pet Club because elephants are not allowed—only traditional pets like cats, dogs, and birds. The boy and his elephant encounter other people who have been cast out from the Pet Club because their pets were not typical pets either, and they decide to form their own club. But their club is different from the original pet club, not only in its scope of animals, but also because of their club house sign which reads: “All Are Welcome”. We are often eager to find distinctions between ourselves and other people, to draw a line which shows who is in and who is out, who has found favor with God, and who has not. But as Romans tells us, there are no distinctions, the same Lord is Lord of us all, and like the welcoming pet club, we all have a place, and a proclamation to hear.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 14:22-33

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett

(Written for ages 4-8)

Comment: Sometimes we hear this story of Peter attempting to walk on water as a chastisement, yet another way that Peter failed Jesus, failed in his faith. And indeed, Peter does begin to sink, Jesus does ask about his doubts. But, there is another way to look at it. Peter is the only one of the disciples brave enough to take a chance, the only one with faith enough to give it a try—even if it doesn’t work.  In Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, Sam and Dave and their dog decide they want to go on an adventure and find something spectacular. However, what they can’t see as they dig and dig, is how close they are to finding something spectacular—enormous jewels buried in the earth, just out of sight. Ultimately, they don’t find them, but they end up somewhere else very interesting, and the book shows that it was still worth their attempt, worth them trying, because it was an adventure, and they did end up somewhere else. Jesus’ response to Peter after he sinks isn’t “you shouldn’t even have tried”, his response is “Why did you doubt?”, but he never questions the attempt at trying. Like Peter, like Sam and Dave, our attempts may not always work. When we try, we may not always succeed or end up where we’d expect, but in a life of faith, we must always be willing to try.

Thanks to Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Sara Anne Berger for writing the Lectionary Links this week.

Lectionary Links (RCL): August 13, 2017 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.