14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year B:  July 5, 2015

First Reading:  2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10

Mudkin by Stephen Gammell

(Written for ages 3-7)

Comment: This text provides a description of David’s reign after being anointed king. Thematically, children may make very little connection between the text and their own lives. Consider using this text to invite children to think about what it means to be chosen as a king to rule over people. Mudkin invites children to step into the experience of being chosen as royalty. With very limited text, this book is a visual journey of a little girl becoming queen of mud creatures. Using this text and story, wonder together with the children of your church about what it would be like to be royalty.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10

Emmanuel’s Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment:   In reflecting on this text, one might consider what it might mean to find strength in our weakness. Emmanuel is a boy born with one leg, and while some people find that to be a weakness, his mother encourages him to be strong. In this true story, we learn how “the young man once thought of as cursed [becomes] a national hero.” Even with a thorn in his side, Paul devoted his life to preaching the gospel. Likewise, Emmanuel didn’t allow his disability to keep him from spreading the message that disability does not mean inability. Today we might ask how we, like Paul and Emmuanuel, are being called to find strength in our weakness.

Gospel Reading: Mark 6:1-13

Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson

(Written for ages 3-7)

Comment:  “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” Sometimes when we encounter the people we are closest to from childhood, we are unable to see or accept the gifts they have to share with the world. Perhaps this is in part because we fail to see the wisdom children carry within them, and we see those who have grown up in our towns, churches, and homes as the children they once were. Children will connect with this concept that their wisdom is often ignored or scoffed at. In the wordless book Sidewalk Flowers, a little girl walks with her father, who fails to notice the way she sees the world and seeks to make it a more beautiful place. As you follow the images of this story, wonder together about the girl’s journey, the lives she touches, and the reasons her dad might fail to notice the difference she’s making.

Thanks to Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Noell Rathbun-Cook for writing the Lectionary Links for us the past five weeks. We look forward to more contributions from her later this year.

Lectionary Links: Sunday, July 5, 2015 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.