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. . . As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord . . . Joshua 25:15b
Lent 5 Yr B
Introduction
Introduction
Jesus is most human in this gospel: "My soul is troubled." And I'm supposed to complain? I don't think so. Why else have I come to this point? [Editor's paraphrase.] Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe Jesus was God but not Man? This is one of the proofs of his humanity. Jesus knows what will come, wrestles with leaving all that "Savior of the World" stuff behind, and just sit beside God the Father for eternity. Then Jesus acknowledges his purpose for taking on the mantle of humanity. "If I don't go forward to the conclusion, then why come here in the first place?" [Editor's paraphrase.] We can only see his humanity and his deity in this story; we cannot fathom its depth. How can we learn from it? How does it inform our lives? Feel free to comment.
John 12:20-33
John 12:20-33
. . . [Jesus said] “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.”
From sermon4kids.com: “Why do troubles come into our life? I believe that troubles come for the very reason that Jesus said—so that God’s name will be glorified. I have known people who followed the example of Jesus when they faced trouble in their life. . . . Wouldn’t it be pleasing to God if all of us faced trouble in such a way that His name is glorified?”
Scripture: March 17, 2024—Fifth Sunday in Lent—Jeremiah 31:31–34 (image); Psalm 119:9-16 (image) [alternate Psalm 51]; Hebrews 5:5–10 (image); and John 12:20–33 (image). A visual/oral journey through the appointed scripture. Coloring page for Psalm 51.
Collect: Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Reflection: God is at work offering forgiveness, showing mercy, and giving knowledge of life, death, and salvation. Where is God enacting that new life within or around you? What in your life must die so that you may flourish? What must fall away so that you can rise again in Christ?
(excerpted from Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year B, Volume 1 © 2014 Westminster John Knox Press)
Symbols of the Church
Symbols of the Church
A money bag: It symbolizes the Lenten penitential practice of alms-giving. In the book of Tobit (12:8-9), it says, ‘prayer and fasting are good, but better than either is alms-giving accompanied by righteousness.’
from "The symbols of Lent and their meaning" website.
Eye Candy:
“The prophet Jeremiah” by Michelangelo;
“Jeremiah lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem” by Rembrant;
“The kiss of Judas” by Peter Koenig [Ed. note: Thanksgiving to Mr. Koenig for permitting use of his image on this page. You may want to spend some time looking at his creativity.]
Ear Worm:
“In the bulb, there is a flower” sung by congregation:
“He comes to us as one unknown” sung by choir;
“What wondrous love is this” by Hillbilly Thomists
Brain Food:
“Breaking news” by Donovan Drake;
Prayer from “The Sunday” website;
prayers from One Prayer a Day for Lent website
Parables:
"To end all wars" (2001, R), "In a prison of brutal confinement, they found true freedom", John’s grain of wheat imagery, Review 1, Review 2;
“The Road to Perdition” (2002, R), father-son relationship, Review;
“Cast away” (2000, PG-13), “spiritual tale of man stranded on an island”, story of deserted man forced to cope with his place in the world, Review
For families: Study guide and activities (former guide), group activity, snacks—attach small bag of M&Ms to a paper clip; using magnet, pull bag across table, kid video
For children: See family guide/activities (another activity), bulletin, craft
For middlers: See family guide/activities (another activity), bulletin, craft
For Youth: The gospel lesson is hard—we see Jesus struggling with what he knows will happen to him. In his thinking out loud, he notes that a seed has to die to bear fruit, and he appears to take comfort in that. Think about your life—friends, family, school, church. Can you think of things that have to die in order to bear fruit? If that’s hard, think about the fact that your infancy has to die (metaphorically) if you are to become a child. That your childhood must die if you are to become a teen. That your teenager must die in order for you to become an adult.
(Informed by “Dying to Live” from Stewardship of Life website).Feel free to comment.
Each year on the first four Sundays of Lent we hear Old Testament readings which recall the most important events in “salvation history”. On the fifth Sunday each year, we hear one of the prophetic passages which foresee the greater and ultimate saving event to come in Jesus’ dying and rising. This year, the reading is Jeremiah’s message that God will at some time in the future establish a new covenant with the people which will transcend the old covenant of the Exodus. The most significant thing about this new covenant is that it will be expressed in an interior relationship with God rather than an exterior law.
The second reading today describes Jesus’ suffering as the manifestation of his priestly ministry (using the image of the mysterious Old Testament priest Melchizedek, who in Hebrew tradition was thought greater than the priests of Israel and one who was, in some sense, immortal). This is part of this epistle’s argument that Jesus has supplanted the priesthood and worship of Israel. The Gospel reading also relates Jesus’ dying to his glorification and our salvation and as the means of calling the whole world into the kingdom.
As we near the end of our Lenten pilgrimage, these readings underscore the primary result of our worship and especially of Baptism and Eucharist: we have been made part of Christ’s Body in Baptism and a part of his priesthood; that is, we are part of what he does, we express our share in his sacrifice and his mediation between humanity and God in our celebration of the liturgy. Thus, indeed, is this new Covenant written on our hearts and we truly each know God as Jeremiah foretold. Pray for those who will join that new Covenant when they are baptized at Easter.
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.
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