29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year C:  October 20, 2013

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:27-34

The Three Questions by Jon J. Muth

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts… No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me…” With this statement, the law changes from an external piece of wisdom meant to guide us in knowledge of the Lord to something that is innately within us. The Three Questions is a lovely example of the difference between experiencing the law externally and internally. Nikolai can only know the answers to his questions when he has lived them out of his own heart. This text and story invite us to reflect on the ways we have experienced God’s law written within our hearts and lives.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:5

Prairie Chicken Little by Jackie Mims Hopkins

(Written for ages 4-8)

Comment: “For the time is coming when people will… turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths.” This text invites us to wonder with children about how we hear and understand what others are saying to us. Sometimes it’s hard to discern fact from fiction. Even people we trust can sometimes lead us down a false road. This happens to the friends of Prairie Chicken Little when she announces a stampede is coming. In this story a chaotic feeling of fear causes the animals to rush to believe what is not true, rather than stopping to question what is actually going on. Finally someone they trust, who is very level headed, helps them to see the truth. What or whom do the members of your congregation rely upon when trying to differentiate between truth and myth?

Gospel Reading: Luke 18:1-8

Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells: The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist by Philip Dray

(Written for ages 7-11)

Comment: Jesus’ parable is a reminder that the work of justice requires persistence and the belief that things can and will change. Most importantly, with the image of a widow fighting for justice, we see that anyone can make a difference, even those considered powerless within their own communities. Ida B. Wells was a voice for justice in the 19th and 20th century as she sought to challenge Jim Crow laws and to help people see the injustice in lynchings. Being African American and a woman gave her very little power, and yet, like the widow her words had strength and did make a difference. Wells wrote, “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” Through the Spirit, God empowers us with the light of truth so that we may also seek justice in this world.

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

Links for these passages from 2010 can be found here.
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Lectionary Links: Sunday, October 20, 2013 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.