Lectionary Links: Sunday, August 14, 2011
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Year A: August 14, 2011
First Reading: Genesis 45:1-15
The Adventures of Granny Clearwater & Little Critter by Kimberly Willis Holt
(Written for ages 5-9)
Comment: In today’s reading from Genesis, we meet Joseph and his brothers once again. This time they are reunited in Egypt and Joseph shares the stories of his adventures and encourages the whole family to settle down and make a home in Egypt. Like Joseph, Granny Clearwater and Little Critter are separated from their family, though it is purely by accident. They also experience a wide variety of adventures and finally come to a stop in California. Excited by their homecoming with the rest of their family, they celebrate their reunion by building a new home and settling out West together. Though the stories are wildly different, both contain adventure, journeys, families reuniting, and settling in new lands.
Second Reading: Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
Then I Think of God by Martha Whitmore Hickman
(Written for ages 5-9)
Comment: “God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.” The faithfulness of God is perhaps the most important message in this text to share with children. One way we can understand what it means for God to be faithful is remembering experiences of God’s presence and love. Children do this in the story Then I Think of God. They experience God in the midst of wonderful times, as well as scary times; God is with them regardless of the nature of their actions. Spend time exploring with children the times when they think of God and experience God’s faithfulness.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 15:(10-20), 21-28
Back of the Bus by Aaron Reynolds
(Written for ages 5-9)
Comment: It takes courage to stand up for oneself as the Canaanite woman did. It’s uncomfortable imagining her talking back to Jesus, shaking the waters. Yet her actions are also encouraging and have the potential to empower us to stand up against situations of injustice. Rosa Parks stood up for herself when she refused to give up her seat on the bus. The boy in the story watches Mrs. Parks with her strong chin. His Mama, clearly nervous about Mrs. Park’s action, comments that she’s “stirrin’ up a nest of hornets,” but even as she says it, the boy see’s her eyes brighten. He is empowered by what he has witnessed and “instead of feelin’ all shaky, [he feels] a little strong.”
This Lectionary Links post is written by Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna and regular contributor Noell Rathbun.
Lectionary Links: Sunday, August 14, 2011 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
