4^th Sunday of Lent

Year A:  March 30, 2014

First Reading: 1st Samuel 16:1-13

The Seeing Stone (The Spiderwick Chronicles Book 2) by Tony DiTerlizzi

(Written for ages 6-10)

Comment: Sometimes to see clearly, we need help along the way. Many times children seeking their favorite toy must ask for help, when all along it was right in front of them. Jared, Mallory, and Simon learn this lesson in The Seeing Stone. Goblins invisible to the human eye have kidnapped Simon. Jared and Mallory follow the goblins’ path to find their brother, but before they begin they must find the special stone with the lens. In the scripture passage, Samuel learns this lesson too. He is striving to be obedient to God, and travels to anoint the next king. As each young man is presented Samuel is certain they are the one, but God says no. It is only with God’s help Samuel is able to see David and anoint him. Like Samuel, we can rely on God to help us see clearly.

Second Reading:  Ephesians 5:8-14

Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney

(Written for ages 6-14)

Comment: Paul writes “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (v11). As Christians we are explicitly called to pay attention to moments of injustice and speak up. Exposing darkness in the world is a difficult task, and sometimes takes a long time. The Civil Rights Movement was one of the times in our history where a few brave men and women, young and old, had the courage to speak up for the sake of changing the system. Pinkney invites us all to relieve a moment of the Civil Rights Movement in Sit In: How Four Friends Stood up by Sitting Down. With poetic language and compelling illustrations, the reader can relieve the moment four friends sat at a lunch counter. The story begins and ends at the lunch counter, describing all the events along the long way.

Gospel Reading:  John 9: 1-41

Ten Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break if You Want to Survive the School Bus by John Grandits

(Written for ages 6-9)

Comment:  Riding the bus for the first time can be a very nerve racking experience. Kyle is lucky enough to have an older brother who lays out everything he must not do while riding the bus.  Kyle ends up breaking every rule along the way, which leads to a big change benefiting everyone. In the end, Kyle writes a new rule. In the Gospel passage, the Pharisees are so focused on the rule that has been broken they are unable to see the miracle that has happened. Like Kyle’s brother, the Pharisees look to the rules to guide their every move. The rules are seen as the things you must absolutely follow to honor God.  Jesus, on the other hand, sees the rules more as guidelines. They are there to help you make decisions, but he is writing a new rule. His new rule places the well being of people over the rules. Sometimes rules need to be broken, when the outcome benefits others.

The Lectionary Links this week are written by Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Elizabeth Boulware Landes, Director of Children’s Ministry at Faith Presbyterian Church, Aledo, TX.

Lectionary Links: Sunday, March 30, 2014 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.