Second Sunday of Lent

Year B: March 4, 2012

First Reading: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

Fathers Mothers, Sisters, Brothers: A Collection of Family Poems by Mary Ann Hoberman (Written for ages 3-8)

Comment: We’re continuing the theme of covenant as we move through Lent; part of what makes a covenant work is the relationship between those who make the covenant. In this case it is God and Abraham and Sarah. They trust in each other and have faith in God’s promise that their family will grow. Explore a variety of family relationships with Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers–a book of poetry about different families and family relationships and how they work.

Second Reading: Romans 4: 13-25

Saint Francis and the Wolf  by Richard Egielski (Written for ages 5 -9)

Comment: In this familiar story we read about the time when Saint Francis was living in Gubbia and the town was being tormented by a wolf. Many people and things had been tried to get the wolf to leave them alone, but Saint Francis tried something different. He walked into the forest right up to the wolf and talked with it. He had no fear because he had faith in God and in what God was leading him to do. Like Abraham and Sarah, Francis had faith in something that seemed impossible. As we reflect and pray during this Lenten season we can also be mindful of listening for God and believing in what God is telling us.

Gospel Reading: Mark 8:31-38

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (Written for ages 14 and up)

Comment: “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.” In recent Young adult fiction, what better example of the options presented by Jesus could there be than the characters of Harry Potter and Voldemort? Voldemort seeks to save his life for eternity by storing parts of his soul in horcruxes. He does not realize that in seeking eternal life, he has actually destroyed himself. In turn, Harry Potter has a noble goal and in seeking what is good for the world, he willingly sacrifices his own life. In this action, he ends up saving his life because he sought what was good. Harry’s action is one of taking up the cross, explained by Melinda A. Quivik in New Proclamation as “the daily journey of focusing on what endures, what matters, what reconciles and seeks the good.”

This Lectionary Links post was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Rachel Mastin and alumna Noell Rathbun-Cook.

Lectionary Links: Sunday, March 4, 2012 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.