28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year C:  October 13, 2013

First Reading: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

This Is Our House by Hyewon Yum

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: “Build houses and live in them… have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there… seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” This Is Our House is a simple, yet beautiful picture of an immigrant couple who makes a house a home, makes an unfamiliar city their own, and grows a family. In many ways this is a picture not unlike the one presented by Jeremiah. Though we may not be exiles or immigrants,  Bruce G. Boak suggests that we are all homesick for a past that may no longer exist.  He invites us and our congregations to stop pining for the past, to put down roots, “to embrace the place where God has us and find ways to be faithful in our living…” (Feasting on the Word, Year C, Volume 4, p 150)

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8-15

George Flies South by Simon James

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: In this segment of the epistle, Timothy is being encouraged to endure as Paul has endured, even through hardship. In seeking to live a life of faithfulness and endurance, he is able to live more fully into his calling as teacher and encourager of others in the faith. In George Flies South, George the bird is shaped by faith and endurance too. Though he’s not yet ready to fly, he believes he is ok as his nest is carried by various gusts of wind through the city. Eventually, when the nest fall apart, the encouragement of his mom and the experiences of “flight” he’s had up to this point both help him to flap his own wings and fly. Invite your congregation to share stories of the people who have encouraged them as they endured hardships in their own lives.

Gospel Reading: Luke 17:11-19

Splat Says Thank You! by Rob Scotton

(Written for ages 5-9)

Comment: Through this text, we are invited to explore what it means to practice gratitude. It is not simply saying, “thank you” in order to mind your manners, but being so filled with gratefulness that it stops  you in your tracks, causes you to turn back, and joyously share your thankfulness. In many ways this thankfulness is relational; for the Samaritan it comes through the way he is treated by Jesus. Splat the Cat’s gratitude is inspired by his relationship with Seymour. In trying to help his sick friend feel better, he remembers all the wonderful experiences they have had together, and is moved to say, “thank you,” again and again. With this text and story, invite the children of your church to explore the way relationships inspire gratitude in our lives.

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

Lectionary Links: Sunday, October 13, 2013 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.