Lectionary Links: Sunday, August 7, 2011
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Year A: August 7, 2011
First Reading: Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
Chloë’s Birthday… and Me by Giselle Potter
(Written for ages 5-9)
Comment: The story of Joseph and his jealous brothers touches on feelings commonly experienced by most children with siblings. (Though Joseph’s brothers reacted with extreme, disturbing measures.) Giselle has similar feelings of jealousy when life seems to revolve around planning for her sister Chloë’s birthday. When the family heads to the beach to celebrate, Giselle comes up with the brilliant plan to bury Chloë’s present in the sand. Eventually Giselle feels bad about her actions, and is able to genuinely celebrate her sister’s special day. This delightfully illustrated story is an excellent way to explore the causes of jealousy, and the effects it has upon us.
Second Reading: Romans 10:5-15
Jubilee by Ellen Yeomans
(Written for ages 5-9)
Comment: “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” Paul’s words remind us that it is not who we are or where we are from that matters, the good news of the gospel is that Jesus’ love is for everyone. Jubilee, Yeomans’s vision of Heaven, displays a diverse community of people finding joy in life together. The final illustration of the group gathered is a beautiful visual representation of what it is to be part of the family of God.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 14:22-33
Ladybug Girl at the Beach by David Soman and Jacky Davis
(Written for ages 5-9)
Comment: Lulu is excited to go the beach, until she stands in front of the ocean. Seeing such a vast, noisy mass of water is overwhelming and scary, to say the least. Lulu’s fear isn’t unlike that of Peter when he notices the wind and the water around him. Their stories, however, are sequentially the opposite. Peter takes his first steps in faith, and then finds himself sinking from fear. Lulu’s story begins with fear. Her fear is overcome by faith in her superhero alter ego Ladybug Girl. Ultimately both stories teach a similar lesson, overcoming our fears requires a step (or splash) of faith—both in oneself and in something greater!
This Lectionary Links post was written by Noell Rathbun.
Lectionary Links: Sunday, August 7, 2011 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
