6th Sunday of Easter

Year B:  May 13, 2012

First Reading: Acts 10:44-48

We All Sing with the Same Voice by J. Philip Miller and Sheppard M. Greene

(Written for ages 4-8)

Comment: Jeffery D. Peterson-Davis calls this reading from Acts “an important text for the church today… [because] we continue to continue to propagate segregation in many forms as we hold firm to the visible and invisible boundaries between ‘us’ and ‘them.’” (Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 2, p 482) Peterson-Davis goes on to question whether any boundaries are impassable by the Holy Spirit. We All Sing with the Same Voice is a visual and musical representation of what it might look like if we acknowledged the Holy Spirit’s breaking through the walls and boundaries we erect. We sing with the same voice… same song… in harmony. We sing because we are filled with the Spirit’s song.

Second Reading: 1 John 5:1-6

How Dalia Put a Big Yellow Comforter Inside a Tiny Blue Box by Linda Heller

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: God calls us to a life seeking justice and living with kindness for our neighbors. This is another reminder that the love God calls us to is not merely a feeling, but an action. On the surface, Dalia’s story may seem an odd choice for this text, as is it the story of Jewish children learning about Tzedakah. The true connection to this text comes in the way the story binds feelings of love with actions of caring and kindness. Dalia tells her brother, “Tzedakah means we’re all one big family. It means I want your wishes to come true. It means I care for you.” This is what it is to love God and obey God’s commandments. This is what it is to love the children of God,

Gospel Reading: John 15:9-17

Three Bags Full by Ragnhild Scamell

(Written for ages 4-8)

Comment: “This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.” A few weeks ago, Jesus was comparing us to sheep. What better way to continue exploring our relationship to Jesus and one another, than by reading about a sheep who makes sacrifices to help others? What kinds of sacrifice is the Good Shepherd calling us to make? How do we abide in his love? Comparatively, Millie the sheep’s sacrifice is small, but she experiences the joy that comes with loving others and with being loved.

The Lectionary Links this week were written by regular contributor Noell Rathbun-Cook.

Lectionary Links: Sunday, May 13, 2012 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.