Reign of Christ Sunday

Year B:  November 25, 2012

First Reading: 2 Samuel 23:1-7

Hurry by Emily Arnold McCully

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment:  Last words hold a certain power over us. We might replay a final conversation again and again through our minds. Last words may serve to comfort, unsettle, affirm, or move us to action. According to Marcia Mount Shoop, the last words of David display that, even in the midst of his many failings, “he has come to the end of his rule remembering that when his kingship has been at it’s best, it has been because he has remembered he is with God.” (Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 4, p 316) We are stirred by David’s last words to remember that human power, so easily corruptible, must continually be refocused toward a vision of God’s kingdom.  McCully’s book tells the story of a single last word that is also meant to refocus our attention. A Farivox, possibly the last of its kind, says, “Hurry!” to young Tom. This one word stirs within readers a sense of urgency, refocusing us to the understanding that our way of life may cause the end of life for a number of species.

Second Reading: Revelation 1:4b-8

The Mangrove Tree by Susan L.Roth & Cindy Trumbore

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: “Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come…” Jane E. Fahey speaks of God’s reign as both an already and a not yet. She explains that God’s transformative work in the world, begun in Jesus Christ, continues today and into the future. (Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 4, p 328) In a world suffering from human destruction and greed, we are called to be a faithful witness by living into the hope of the transformative power of Christ’s reign. The Mangrove Tree is a true story of  hope and transformation. Scientist Gordon Sato worked with the villagers of Hargigo in Eritrea to help alleviate poverty and hunger. Dr. Sato named his project after the Japanese American Concentration camp where he lived during WWII because he wanted “to remind people that it is possible to fight injustice with hope.”

Gospel Reading: John 18:33-37

Goodbye, Curtis by Kevin Henkes

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” For Rodger Y. Nishioka, this text centers on belonging. “When Jesus tells Pilate that all who listen to Jesus’ voice belong to the truth and are part of his kingdom, he is saying…that belonging is less about individual decisions and more about collective participation in a community that transcends the self.” (Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 4, p 332 & 336) We aren’t in control of our belonging to Christ’s kingdom, God is. This understanding presents a wonderful invitation to explore the concept of belonging to a community with children. Goodbye, Curtis is the story of a community bound together by their letter carrier of 42 years. They belong to one another through their common love for Curtis and Curtis’s love for them. In Christ’s kingdom we may look, act, or feel differently and yet, we belong to one another because we belong to God.

The Lectionary Links this week are written by regular contributor Noell Rathbun-Cook.

Lectionary Links: Sunday, November 25, 2012 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.