Lectionary Links: Sunday, February 17, 2013

1st Sunday in Lent
Year C: February 17, 2013
First Reading: Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Bagels from Benny by Aubrey Davis
(Written for ages 5-9)
Comment: To proclaim this text is to proclaim faithfully that the God who cared for a wandering Aramean and his descendants is a God who also cares for us. How do we respond to God’s grace and work in our lives? With gratitude, giving back to God, and celebrating God’s bounty with our neighbors. Benny recognizes that he must do more than say thank you to God for the delicious bagels Grandpa bakes. Weekly he offers a bag of hot bagels to God, placing them in God’s Holy Ark. As the story ends, readers discover Benny’s thanks to God has also touched his neighbors. “[You] made the world a little better,” said Grandpa… “And what better thanks could God have?” Like Benny, may our thank-yous to God serve to make this world a little better.
Second Reading: Romans 10:8b-13
A Book of Friends by Dave Ross
(Written for ages 3-7)
Comment: This passage invites us to reflect on what it means to belong to God and who belongs to God. Often, in our relationships and churches we are drawn to people who are like us. Sometimes we consider people who are different as outsiders, not only to our community, but to God’s. God does not make distinctions the way we do. “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him.” With children, we may discuss our relationship with God as a friendship. God’s friends, like those described in A Book of Friends, come in all different sizes, shapes, and colors. Ross explores different kinds of friends, as well as finding and maintaining friendships. As you explore the concept of friendship with your children, think about the diversity that exists among God’s beloved children and the way we treat one another.
Gospel Reading: Luke 4:1-13
Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton
(Written for ages 4-8)
Comment: “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.” Throughout these forty days of temptation Jesus continually makes the choice to remain obedient to God. We, like Jesus, have a choice to make each time we experience temptation. Oh No, George! will help you explore the concept of temptation and choice with the children of your congregation. Sometimes George is obedient and sometimes he’s not. The experiences of Jesus and George invite us to wonder about the temptations that arise in our daily lives and the choices we make in response to them.