1st Sunday of Advent

Year B:  November 27, 2011

First Reading: Isaiah 64:1-9

Snook Alone by Marilyn Nelson

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: This passage from Isaiah opens the season of Advent with the themes of longing, waiting, and hope.  Scott Bader-Saye says, “Our hope [relies on]…God’s being the same God yesterday, today, and tomorrow—a God who hears our cries, a God who does not abandon us, a God who will finally redeem all that is lost in a new heaven and a new earth.” (Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 1, p 6) After traveling together by sea to explore a new island, Snook and Abba Jacob are separated by a storm. Readers experience longing, waiting, and hope in the story that follows.  Snook hears Abba Jacob in the wind and the sea. He feels Abba Jacob as the love inside of him. He waits, he watches, he longs, he hopes, until finally the good ending comes and once again he is with his friend.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Passing the Music Down by Sarah Sullivan

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: In this passage from First Corinthians, we hear that it is through fellowship with Jesus that we are enriched and strengthened. This is the relationship we are invited to share with Christ. A healthy intimate relationship between teacher and student leads to a passion for whatever is being taught, a development of strong gifts in the one who is learning, and finally prepares the student for the future, whatever it might hold. Passing the Music Down is a story inspired by true events, of the relationship between a very old and very young fiddler. It tells the story of their growing relationship as teacher and student, and the boy’s growing gifts for music. It is the story of passing the art of folk music down from generation to generation. This is in many ways what we are invited to share in through the grace of God given to us in Jesus. We pass the music of God’s love and grace, revealed to us through Jesus, down from generation to generation.

Gospel Reading: Mark 13:24-37

The Butter Man by Elizabeth and Ali Alalou

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: Yet again we are confronted with the Advent theme of actively waiting for God. To wait for something that will come at an unknown time is difficult. It requires patience, practice, and the ability to keep alert. We know that we cannot literally stay awake and alert 24 hours a day, but we can make alertness a daily part of our waiting. Alert waiting is practiced by Ali as he goes out each day to wait for the butter man. Although the butter man never comes, it is a joyful surprise when he sees his father cross over the hill, returning home with food and provisions from work in a faraway land. His father’s return is a celebration, one he was ready for after many days of alert waiting. During this season of Advent we wait, alert, active, watching all that goes on in this busy world around us, and we hold onto the promise of something good to come—someone worth a celebration.

Review prepared by regular contributor Noell Rathbun

Lectionary Links: Sunday, November 27, 2011 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.