Lent 2 Yr B
Father Abraham or not human things
Downloaded 1/23/21 from Google search.
"Get thee behind me, Satan" by Paul Laffoly from Kent Fine Art
Published date 2/24/2024
Introduction
In the Old Testament lesson, God tells 99-year-old Abram that he will be the father of many. Abram and his wife Sarai despaired because they had no children. In those days, it was a pretty big thing not to have heirs. Of course, Abram and Sarai fell down with laughter when God spoke. Yet, it happened. God said it would, and it did. God made a covenant, and kept it. The children of Abraham and Sarah are the Jews, Christians, and Muslims. God was not kidding. So the Old Testament lesson gives us the beginning; the New Testament lesson gives us the culmination in Jesus, not the "ending" for our life with him is eternal. Feel free to comment.
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
From sermon4kids.com: “We learn to have patience that God will keep his promises—even if it takes a hundred years! We also learn that nothing is too difficult for God—even when his promises may make us want to laugh. ”
MARK 8:31-38
Jesus began to teach . . . And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
From sermon4kids.com: "Some people will give anything to get more marbles, but Jesus asked "What good will it do them if they gain the whole world, but lose their soul?"
Scripture: February 25, 2024—Second Sunday in Lent, Year B—Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 (image); Psalm 22:22-30 (image); Romans 4:13-25 (image); and Mark 8:31-38 (image). A visual/oral journey through the scripture. Coloring page for Psalm 22.
Collect: O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reflection: Jesus asks his disciples to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him. How do you practice self-denial for the sake of the gospel? Is every instance of self-denial an act of obedience to Jesus? Can some forms of self-denial foster oppression?
Psalm 62 ends by saying, "God, you repay to all according to their work." Some of us may find that statement unsettling. Would you rather have God treat you with the payment you deserve or with the grace that you hope for in Jesus Christ?
(excerpted from Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year B, Volume 1 © 2014 Westminster John Knox Press)
Symbols of the Church
In early Lenten practice, Christians devised a special bread made of simple ingredients of flour, salt, and water. These small breads were shaped in the form of arms crossed in prayer and were known as "little arms" or "bracellae" in Latin. This word was adapted in Germany to "bretzel". These "small breads" became a common Lenten food during the Middle Ages in Europe to abstain from fat, dairy, and eggs.
from "Unspoken elements" website.
Eye Candy:
“The miracle of the stater” (~1000), unknown artist from miniature manuscript;
“Rétire-toi, Satan [Get thee behind me, Satan]” (~1886-1894), painting by James Tissot;
“Get thee behind me, Satan” (1974-1983), screen print on rag paper by Paul Laffoly
Ear Worm: “Give me Jesus”, many ways: Stefanny Gretzinger & Jeremy RIddle; Jeremy Camp; Augustana Choir
Brain Food:
“I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me” by Nesha1;
“Bait and switch” by Melissa Bane Sevier;
“Divine things or human things” by Robert Cornwall
Parables:
“Pay it Forward” (2000, PG-13), hard movie about sacrifice, simply how to change the world, moral story about 11-year-old, how God's children behave, Review 1, Review 2, Review 3;
“X-Men” (2000, PG-13), risking own life to heal a friend, ongoing battle for America’s soul, “In karmic evolution, the successful actions that lead to positive evolutionary mutations such as a human life are those of generosity, morality, tolerance, enterprise, concentration, and intelligence”, Review 1, Review 2;
“Bicentennial Man” (1999, PG), kindness of a robot, a robot becomes more human, Review 1, Review 2
For families: Study guide and activity (former guide), group activity, snacks, kid video
For children: See family guide/activity (another activity); bulletin; craft
For middlers: See family guide/activity (another activity); bulletin; craft
For youth: “Not only does God announce a covenant and a prodigious future blessing upon blessing for this Abram and Sarai, God also renames them. Big changes are a-coming for Mr. and Mrs. A. We know the rest of the story and how Abraham’s lineage did indeed contain kings and the King of kings, Jesus. It wasn’t a straight, wide, and glorious path, either. . .. Writing in this week’s epistle lesson from Romans, Paul recounts the story of Abraham’s blessing and his faith in God’s promise and how this faith, thanks to Jesus, extends to generation after generation.” Many times, our faith is tested by what’s happening around us. How has your faith been tested this week? This month? Feel free to comment.
Lenten Sundays:
Each Sunday in Lent the Old Testament reading recalls one of the events in which God acted to bring about salvation. This “salvation history” was fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Today in that history we hear the story of God’s covenant with Abram, who God renames “Abraham,” or “father of a multitude.” Even though Abraham is ninety-nine years old, God promises that his aged wife, Sarah, will have a child who will produce many people as a blessing to the world.
The Gospel reading today is Jesus’ first statement to his disciples concerning his approaching death and resurrection. He calls us to follow his example in taking up our cross and in giving up our lives for his sake and the Gospel’s.
The second reading today, from Romans, describes the faith by which we are saved. It is the same as Abraham’s faith that God’s promise would be fulfilled. We are the spiritual descendants of Abraham and Sarah and Isaac. We are the continuation of the promise made to them, for we are part of their story. As a matter of faith, we are part of that multitude in all times and places who have put their trust in God: the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham, and the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise carry us on to the discovery of salvation in our own lives. In Lent our sharing in the Lenten disciplines and in worship is the means by which we remember again who we are and whose we are, the holy People of God.
From The Rite Light: Reflections on the Sunday Readings and Seasons of the Church Year. Copyright © 2007 by Michael W. Merriman. Church Publishing Incorporated, New York.