Lectionary Links: Sunday, July 19, 2015
15th Sunday of Ordinary TIme
Year B: July 19, 2015
First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a
Spirit of Hope by Bob Graham
(Written for ages 4-11)
Comment: David has decided the place where God’s presence resides is no longer good enough for God. David wants to build a permanent dwelling place, but God has something else in mind. The message God sends to David is simple. The tent I am living in still suits me fine. There will be a time where a new dwelling is needed, but for now the tent is the right place for me. The Fairweather family in Spirit of Hope receives news that they must move soon, because the place their house sits will be turned into a factory. They quickly begin to look for a new place to live, but nothing is able to meet their needs, until a toy house on wheels inspires Mom. It turns out the perfect home is their current home. It just needs to be moved. Like God, a new house is not needed or desired.
Second Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22
The First Feud between the Mountain and the Sea by Lynn Plourde
(Written for ages 5-18)
Comment: In Paul’s writings to the church in Ephesus, he is reminding everyone of the bond they share in Christ. Some came to Christ through the Jewish faith, and some came as Gentiles, but each brings a piece of them for service to the community. The past is no longer something to remember. Instead Paul is urging the community to remember their current bond in Christ and look to the future. Lynn Plourde writes a fable about the very first feud in the world in The First Feud between the Mountain and the Sea. Each believes they are the most beautiful place in the North, even though they have never seen each other. Their fight escalates the point in which they destroy all that is between them. Once this happens, the mountain and the sea are able to see each other and acknowledge the beauty each place has, and recognize their ability to work together. They do not dwell on the past feud, but continue to look to the future. For the church in Ephesus, and many church communities today, the reminder that we all have beauty to add is something we can never hear enough.
Gospel Reading: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
Anna’s Wish by Bruno Hachler
(Written for ages 3-8)
Comment: Anna has never seen snow and begins to long for it in Anna’s Wish. She seeks to find out anything she can about snow and directs all her energy into wishing and preparing for the snow. Anna reminds me of the people who seek Jesus. They have placed all their energy into learning what Jesus teaches and who he is. The Gospel reading for today highlights two instances of people seeking Jesus. The first happens when Jesus and his disciples are trying to rest. Even being on a boat, they are unable to get away for rest. The second follows two miracles that are omitted from this morning’s reading. Again Jesus and his disciples are not able to find a moment’s rest, since everyone is seeking to just touch the edge of his clothes. The faith people have in Jesus fuels their energy to seek him out. For the people seeking Jesus, the simple act of touching the fringe heals and for Anna, her energy in preparing for snow brings snow to community.
The Lectionary Links this week are written by Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Elizabeth Boulware Landes.
Lectionary Links: Sunday, July 19, 2015 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
