5th Sunday in Lent

Year B:  March 25, 2012

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34

The Invisible String by Patrice Karst (Written for ages 4-8)

Comment: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” What does it mean to have the law written on our hearts? In many ways it is knowing that we belong to God. In The Invisible String, a mother explains to her children that there is a string of love that connects us: “Even though you can’t see it with your eyes, you can feel it deep in your heart, and know that you are always connected to the ones you love.” God’s law written on our hearts is like the invisible string. It connects us to God, and to one another. It does not have to be learned or acquired, but is always there, a gift of  God’s grace and love.

Second Reading: Hebrews 5:5-10

Can I Pray With My Eyes Open? by Susan Taylor Brown (Written for ages 4-8)

Comment: “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears…” Many people worry over the time, place, or way to pray. Is it ok to share our true feelings with God? In hearing and reading of Jesus’ prayers, we understand that our priest and intercessor is “in deep solidarity with humanity.” (Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 2, p 136) What better example have we of how or when to pray than here? There is no wrong time or way to pray. We, too can approach God with loud cries and tears in supplication, with blessing in thanksgiving, or in whatever situation we find ourselves to be. Can I Pray With My Eyes Open? is a way to explore the concept of prayer with children and to share that during any time, in any place, with whatever feelings we have, we can indeed talk to God.

Gospel Reading: John 12:20-33

The Greatest Power by Demi (Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: “Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” The seed is a helpful image during Lent for thinking about the death and resurrection. It is both a strange and amazing experience to bury a seed in the ground and discover, sometimes in just a few days, the new life it brings. There is true wisdom in Jesus’ words when he compares the coming hour in which he will be glorified to the life cycle of a seed. Demi describes a seed as the greatest power on earth through words of the young child Sing: “the nothing in this seed is Eternal Life–it continues from seed to seed, forever and ever in perfect harmony. So, Life is the greatest power in the world.” Truly this story will prove a meaningful one to hear as our Lenten journey leads us towards the new life of Easter.

This week’s Lectionary Links post was written by regular contributor Noell Rathbun-Cook.

Lectionary Links: Sunday, March 25, 2012 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.