Embedded Files
. . . As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord . . . Joshua 25:15b
Proper 20 Yr B
Joachim Wtewael, Christ with children (Hermitage, St. Petersburg), downloaded 08212021 from Gallerix website https://gallerix.org/storeroom/188642346/N/1617/.
Published date 9/18/2024
Introduction
Introduction
[Ed. note: Introduction informed by David Lose, "A different kind of greatness", see Brain Food below.] (And a nod to my family whose Dad regularly repeated, "We're as good as the best and better than the rest.") It's an easy trap to fall into. Our eyes sparkle with expectation when we say, "I wanna be the greatest, the best". We always encourage our children to strive harder, do more, be better. And which of you didn't chuckle when you read the gospel about the disciples jockeying for position with their leader, our Christ. But, what if . . . "greatness isn't about power"? What if . . . greatness IS about love, and caring, and sharing? Think of the many ways our lives would be improved (start with television programming!). When you think about it, it's an idyllic kind of world—and I like it—and that's the kind of great I want. I wanna be the greatest. How about you? Feel free to comment.
Mark 9:30-37
Mark 9:30-37
Jesus and his disciples passed through Galilee. . . . Then they came to Capernaum; and . . . he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
From sermon4kids.com: “Jesus sat down and called his disciples to him. ‘If anyone wants to be first,” he said, “he must be the very last, and be the servant of everyone else.’ Now that wasn’t exactly what the disciples wanted to hear. . . . There are a lot of keys on my key ring. One key you won’t find on this key ring is the key to greatness. The key to greatness is to have a servant’s heart. A heart like Jesus."
Scripture: September 22, 2024
Track 1: Proverbs 31:10-31 (image)—creation focus: Celebrate women in labor and leadership;
Psalm 1 (image)—creation focus: Wisdom grows out of dedication; be rooted in CreationTrack 2: Wisdom of Solomon 1:16-2:1, 12-22 (image)—creation focus: Wisdom cares beyond a single lifespan;
Jeremiah 11:18-20 (image)—creation focus: Prophetic work will last despite tree-felling;
Psalm 54 (image)—The violent receive violence; pray to replace with peaceThe epistle James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a (image)—creation focus: Envy and greed for pleasure at heart of evil
Alternate or additional reading from creation focus: Revelation 21:1-6, 22:1-5 (a new heaven and a new earth)
The gospel Mark 9:30-37 (image)—creation focus: Seek to be a servant of Creation, not to be great.
Collect: Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Creation Collect: Grant us, Lord, your vision of a renewed earth in which heaven comes to rest; and even now, while we too often despair of healing and wholeness, to hold fast to your promise and commit again to hope; through Jesus Christ the Wisdom of Creation, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
Reflection: Give yourself some moments each day in the coming week to sit quietly with your eyes closed. Visualize Jesus kneeling down, opening his arms, and bringing you close to his heart. Let yourself be a little child who is welcomed. What do you notice?
(excerpted from Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year B, Volume 2 © 2014 Westminster John Knox Press)
Your journey through the scripture.
Symbols of the Church
Symbols of the Church
One of the most important symbols of Christ is the Lamb. . . . The phrase ‘the Lamb of God’ is always used in the liturgy of the Mass. The whiteness of the Lamb symbolises innocence and purity. Christ, as the sacrificial lamb, who died for the sins of humanity was innocent and pure in his life and death. The lamb is sometimes portrayed with a f lag. This is symbolic of Christ’s victory over death in his resurrection.
Lambs are seen as innocent creatures. In the Christian Gospels, Jesus is compared to a lamb because he willingly sacrificed himself for people. To the people of ancient agricultural societies, sheep and lambs held immense economic value, and sacrificing a lamb was even a significant act of devotion and offering, demonstrating a willingness to give up something valuable to connect with the divine. They are pure by nature, so they will make a perfect gift to God.
Excerpted from Dreamersia website
Click here for a page of symbols described in this publication.
Images enhancing
the scripture
“Jesus welcomes the little children” by Jesus Mafa
“Christ with children” by Joachim Wtewael
“The last will be first” by Anthony Falbo
“Christ and the children” by Emil Nolde (note how artist presents adults as darker and children as lighter)
Music founded
in the scripture
“I want Jesus to walk with me“, a little soulful and a bit of New Orleans jazz
“O Love, how deep, how broad, how high“, processional hymn for workshop on “Higher Things” (watch the procession through the congregation)
“God is love, let heavens adore him“, a fun competition between choir & organ
Other voices
about the scripture
“Who is the greatest?” by Janet Hunt
“A different kind of greatness” by David Lose
I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will, place me with whom you will.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be put to work for you or set aside for you,
Praised for you or criticized for you.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and fully surrender all things to your glory and service.
And now, O wonderful and holy God,
Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer,
you are mine, and I am yours.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
Let it also be made in heaven. Amen.
Movies representing some part of the scripture
“Stir of echoes” (1999, R), “. . . thriller about dark side of psychic abilities”, Review
“The secret garden” (1993, G), “about the restorative powers of nature, friendship, and nurturing”, Review
“Simon Birch” (1998, PG), “testament to the ardor and resilience of faith”, ". . . knows his destiny . . .", a poignant story suggested by John Irving’s Prayer for Owen Meany (and if you have not read Prayer for Owen Meany, do so now; it will change you!), Review 1, Review 2
For families: Study guide and activities (another guide), group activity; snack, kid video
For children: See family guide/activities (another activity); bulletin; craft
For middlers: See family guide/activities (another activity); bulletin; craft
For youth: Sunday school topic this week is “Was Jesus of Nazareth God?” Watch the video. Be thinking about the difference between “Jesus, the man” and “Jesus, the god”. Or is there a difference? Feel free to share your thoughts.
Coloring page (all ages): This week the focus is on James.
In today’s Gospel reading Jesus again predicts his death and resurrection. The disciples fail to understand and dispute among themselves which of them is the most important. Jesus tells them that the highest status in his kingdom is reserved for those who serve. This is a call to pattern our lives on his life in self-giving love.
Using Proverbs: Again our first reading is from the Wisdom writings. Most biblical descriptions of righteous living describe a righteous man. Today’s passage describes righteousness in the life of a woman. Like all of God’s righteous people, she is noted for her faithfulness to God and for her good works for the poor.
Using Wisdom of Solomon: The first reading is from the Wisdom of Solomon, one of the books in the Apocrypha. Its description of those who are unfaithful to God, turning upon God’s servant with persecution, has been seen as an Old Testament prefiguring of Jesus’ suffering and death.
Using Jeremiah: In the first reading, the prophet speaks of the opposition he faces from those who reject his message. They plot his death and he describes their plots in ways that reminded the first Christians of the rejection of Jesus that led to his death.
Again we read from the Epistle of James. After describing the characteristics of those who are at peace with God, the author states that strife, jealousy, and estrangement are the products of allying ourselves with the world rather than with God. [If using the reading from Wisdom, add this sentence: This passage bears some similarity with the message from the first reading.]
When the Church gathers to worship, it acts out its allegiance to God and its service to the world. In the action of the liturgy we express our service to each other. That liturgical action is the pattern for our daily living as God’s friends and as fellow servants with Christ to all people. The liturgy, then, is extended beyond the doors of the church building into all of life.
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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