20th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Year B:  August 16, 2015

First Reading:  1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14

The Donkey and the Rock by Demi

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people…” Solomon has been held up as a wise and discerning leader. Often in our prayers of the people, we pray for our leaders to be wise and discerning, grounded in God’s wisdom, led by the Spirit, and able to be fair and just. What does wise and discerning leadership look like? A literary example can be found in Demi’s king who “[rules] the land justly and wisely.” Using this story and text, invite your congregation to wonder together about what makes a wise and discerning leader.

Second Reading:  Ephesians 5:15-20

Puffling by Margaret Wild

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: Commentator G. Porter Taylor says, “What matters is not whether we think an event is good or bad; what matters is our discovering God’s ‘protective guidance’ in it.” (Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 3, p 354) Paul encourages the Ephesians to dwell in God’s guidance so that they can be prepared for whatever is to come. Puffling dwells in the guidance of his parents as he grows and prepares to set off on his own from his family’s safe nest to the wild, sometimes dangerous outside world. As you reflect upon this text and passage, wonder together with the children of your church about the ways God, families, and church friends help us to develop courage and faith for facing the unknown.

Gospel Reading:  John 6:51-58

Sun Bread by Elisa Kleven

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: We again come into contact with Jesus as the bread of life. He says, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” If we think of Jesus as the food and drink that nourish us and fill us, we might imagine what it is to have Jesus within us. A visual exploration of this idea is found in Kleven’s Sun Bread. When the days are dark, cold, and dreary, a baker creates a loaf of bread to remind people of the sun. As they feast on the bread, they are filled with the sun’s light and warmth. Likewise, when we feast on Jesus, the bread of life, we are filled with his light and life. Thanks be to God for that good news!

Thanks to Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Noell Rathbun-Cook for writing the Lectionary Links this week.

Lectionary Links: Sunday, August 16, 2015 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.