Lectionary Links (NL): February 18, 2018

First Sunday in Lent

Year 4: February 18, 2018

The Pond by Nicola Davies

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: As one who has been grieving the recent loss of a beloved family member, this passage feels at moments familiar, comforting, and also upsetting. I am wary of the platitudes people offer to sanitize grief and sadness. We face a similar risk with this text if we move too quickly from death to life when addressing this text, without acknowledging the real, raw grief. I appreciate professor Ginger Barfield’s response that we acknowledge “Death is real and harsh. No resuscitation of Lazarus from the dead should sentimentalize or simplify that truth.” Davies’ story acknowledges the harshness and pain of death, while also pointing to signs of life and hopefulness as a family brings to life the pond their father and husband had dreamed of creating. This text and story call us to create space in our liturgy not only for the promise of resurrection, but also for raw lament. As you prepare for worship, consider how you might name, acknowledge, and honor the grief your congregants carry.

Thanks to regular contributor Noell Rathbun for writing the Year 4 Narrative Lectionary Links.

Lectionary Links (NL): February 18, 2018 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.