SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

YEAR C: July 28, 2019

First Reading: Genesis 18: 20-32

Ask Me by Bernard Waber

(Written for ages 4-7)

Comment: In these 12 verses, Abraham asks God 5 questions regarding what God might do to those who live in Sodom and Gomorrah. In his book, Dynamics of Faith, theologian Paul Tillich claims that despite humanity’s limitation in understanding, it is still important to try to learn more to understand the infinite nature and character of God. Abraham’s questions were not statements of a lack in faith in God, but questions of wondering and of engaging his faith and God. In Ask Me, a father and a daughter take a walk through their neighborhood. As they walk, the father asks his daughter, “What do you like?” The daughter responds and together they explore their neighborhood, engage with creation, and learn more about themselves and their Cotogether.

Second Reading: Colossians 2: 6-15 (16-19)

In My Family, En Mi Familia by Carmen Lomas Garza

(Written for ages 6-12)

Comment: Through words and illustrations, Carmen Lomas Garza tells stories of her family and her community that shaped her into the person she is today. Garza shares memories of growing up in a Mexican-American community, including eating empanadas, witnessing her cousin receive a blessing from her mother on her wedding day, and dancing on Saturday nights at the neighborhood restaurant. Garza was shaped by her community and her family’s traditions, much like followers of Christ are shaped by living their lives in him. Paul reminds the Colossians of their closeness of Christ and of all that Christ has done for them, encouraging them to continue to live their “lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith.” How is Christ shaping us today? How do we remain rooted in Christ?

Third Reading: Luke 11: 1-13

The Kindness Quilt by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace

(Written for ages 6-8)

Comment: In this week’s gospel text, Jesus first teaches Luke’s version of what becomes the Lord’s Prayer, a prayer that is likely familiar to even the youngest church-goers today. And then Jesus sets up a “what if?” scenario, asking the disciples what they would do if they were in need of a loaf of bread and no one came to the door. Jesus’ “what if?” scenario demonstrates how we might embody the prayer that Jesus taught us and how such a prayer can move from our mouths to be a way of living in the world. In The Kindness Quilt, Minna has been learning about kindness in class, and then she’s asked to perform an act of kindness, to embody that which she’s been learning about. Minna decides to create a quilt, highlighting all of the acts of kindness her classmates engage in. News of the quilt spreads and soon a few other classes join in, too! The example in The Kindness Quilt could lead faith communities to consider, “What if everyone embodied and lived out the Lord’s Prayer?”

Thanks to Rosy Robson, associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church, Richardson, Texas, for writing the Revised Common Lectionary Links this week.

Lectionary Links (RCL): July 28, 2019 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.