Trinity Sunday

Year C, June 16, 2019

First Reading: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

The Boo-Boos That Changed the World: A True Story about an Accidental Invention (Really) by  Barry Wittenstein

(Written for ages 4-8)

Comment:  In the midst of crying out to all who will listen, Wisdom tells us her credentials. Wisdom is ancient. Wisdom was created in the beginning of God’s ways and present during the creation of the world. We are told wisdom was a “master work” (v 30) with God in creation. Wisdom continues to give life and joy to all who will listen and heed her words. When we heed the words of wisdom, our actions will be life-giving. In The Boo-boos That Changed the World, we learn the true story behind a life-giving creation.  Josephine was a bit of a klutz in the kitchen. This led to quite a few bumps, cuts, scrapes and burns. Her husband, Earle was concerned and wanted to find some way to help her protect her boo-boos from infections. The adhesive bandage was born. As Earle and Josephine experienced the ways it gave life to Josephine, they wanted to share it with the world. Cuts, Scrapes, burns were no longer a struggle. They no longer stopped Josephine from doing the things she needed to do. As they sought to share it with the world, it was not immediately accepted. It took a few tries and even proving its life-giving power before the world accepted it.

Second Reading: Romans 5:1-5

Clorinda by Robert Kinerk

(Written for ages 4-8)

Comment: Clorinda is a cow who dreams of becoming a ballerina. She teaches herself ballet on the farm, and when she feels ready, she sets off to Manhattan to try her luck at ballet. When her first attempt to become a ballerina fails, Clorinda decides to find a job in Manhattan. She struggles in her job but keeps a positive attitude and is full of hope. Clorinda finally gets her big break and she flops. All hope seems lost for Clorinda and she heads back to the farm to be just a cow. When she returns, she finds a ballet stage waiting for her. Throughout the text, we find Clorinda in situations full of sorrow and struggle. Despite this, we see a positive cow striving to fulfill her dreams. Clorinda does not let a misstep or unexpected hurdle affect her. Clorinda illustrates what these words from Romans remind us. We know that following Christ will be a difficult journey. We know that sometimes we are going to make a misstep or have struggles, and like Clorinda, we can keep our eyes forward full of hope. How we respond to these situations is wrapped up in our identity as a Christian and our hope in the Lord.

Gospel Reading: John 16:12-15

Mrs. McBee Leaves Room 3 by Gretchen Brandenburg McLellan

(Written for ages 3-7)

Comment: In the Gospel passage for today, we find Jesus preparing the disciples for a time when he will no longer be with him. He reminds the disciples that they are not done learning. There is still so much Jesus wants to tell them, but knows they are not ready. In time they will come to receive the “Spirit of Truth” (v 16) who guide them to understanding the truth.  In Mrs. McBee Leaves Room 3, the time has come for Mrs. McBee to pack up her classroom and leave.. The kids are sad Mrs. McBee is leaving, and to help them is saying good bye, Mrs. McBee enlist their help with packing up. All the kids are assigned jobs and helping, except one. William seems to be playing all day, but Mrs. McBee keeps reminding the other students to give him time and he will help. As the kids and Mrs. McBee finish up the packing, William appears with pictures he had been collecting to remember the year. William came to understand how to say goodbye, on his own time and in his own way.   Mrs. McBee knew that a push would not be the best thing for William. In a similar way Jesus treats the disciples this way. He understands the disciples need some time and space before they can hear and understand the other things he needs to tell them. The spirit of Truth will guide them to understanding.

We welcome back Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Elizabeth Boulware Landes as our Revised Common Lectionary links writer for the next four weeks.

Lectionary Links (RCL): June 16, 2019 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.