Lectionary Links: Sunday, September 20, 2015
17th Sunday After Pentecost
YEAR B: September 20, 2015
First Reading: Proverbs 31:10-31
Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya by Donna Jo Napoli
(Written for ages 4-8)
Comment: In Proverbs 31, a woman who has excelled in every way receives praises. But the praises are not for what might normally be news-grabbing, praise-worthy events. Instead, this woman is praised for the effort, work and devotion she shows at home—in her house, her neighborhood, her market; with her children, her husband, her neighbors and the poor and needy. This woman did not need to travel far in order to live a life of faith. She started where she was. In Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya, Wangari Maathai starts where she is – in Kenya, where deforestation has led to pollution, hunger, and devastation of communities. Wangari Maathai knows about trees and advocates planting them as a solution to all these problems. She begins by planting them in her own backyard. Over time, her message spreads and the people plant more trees, leading to revitalization. Wangari Maathai tended to her home and its concerns, the people around her and their problems, and the fruit of her hands reached far and wide.
Second Reading: James 3:13-4:3,7-8a
Lousy Rotten Stinkin’ Grapes by Margie Palatini
(Written for ages 4-8)
Comment: James chastises the congregation for conflicts and disputes which stem from their selfish ambition. They are not thinking of one another and how to live in peace. If they put one another first, they would live in peace with each other. In Lousy Rotten Stinkin’ Grapes, Fox exhibits the kind of selfish ambition that James warns against. Fox wants the grapes growing in the tree, but they are too high for him to reach. He tries to reach the grapes by stacking his friends on top of one another and then climbing to the top, but is still not tall enough to reach the grapes. His friends offer other ideas, but he refuses to listen to them. Since he can’t reach his goal by his own ambition, he gives up and declares that the grapes must be lousy and rotten. The rest of the animals try their ideas and enjoy the grapes, but Fox’s selfish ambition divides him from his friends and keeps him from sharing in the grapes. This is the kind of behavior James wants Christians to avoid, and encourages them to put an end to envy and selfish ambition, and display a harvest of righteousness and peace.
Gospel Reading: Mark 9:30-37
Sheila Rae, the Brave by Kevin Henkes
(Written for ages 4-8)
Comment: Jesus’ disciples don’t understand what he’s saying. They don’t understand a lot of what he’s teaching, either. They don’t understand, but all the same, they want to be great disciples. They argue about who should be the greatest. But in their lack of understanding, they have missed what Jesus is here to teach—that we should be looking to the servants, the last, the people we wouldn’t expect, as paradigms for “greatness”. We should pay attention to those we might overlook. Jesus illustrates this point with a little child, whom he places directly in front of them, so they will really see. In Sheila Rae, the Brave, Sheila Rae doesn’t fear anything. She wants to walk home an unfamiliar way while her sister Louise is afraid. Sheila Rae declares that she is braver than Louise and walks on alone. But suddenly, she realizes that she is both lost and afraid, and fears that there is no one to help her. As she begins to cry, worrying that she will be left alone, Louise appears. Louise has been watching and paying attention and she knows how to get back home. Sheila Rae had disregarded her sister as a source of help, but in the end, it is Louise who knows the way, and Sheila Rae follows her sister instead. This is what Jesus is talking about, this is what the disciples need to understand: greatness is found in the places that are least and last, and unexpected.
The Lectionary Links this week are written by Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Sara Anne Berger.
Lectionary Links: Sunday, September 20, 2015 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
