Lesson Plans: Proper 5 (B)

Old Testament Lesson Plans: The People Want a King

Scripture: 1 Samuel 8: 4-11, 16-20

This is a bit of foreshadowing in the people’s cry for a king, and God’s prediction that they will be sorry. Thy wanted to be like the other countries around them, and they saw only the things a king would provide for them. They wanted to feel safe and cared for. But God knew that this was a form of rebellion against his dominion, and that no human king could provide what they really needed. He also knew that they were fickle and self-centered, and that eventually any king would fail them. But he told Samuel to grant their request anyway. Perhaps we should be careful in what we ask God for, or at least acknowledge that God can redeem even our worst choices.

New Testament Lesson Plans: Who is Your Family?

Scripture: Mark 3:20-35

Proper: appropriate, fitting, and during Ordinary Time, the scripture appointed for each particular Sunday. The scriptures for this Season after Pentecost all come from the Gospel of Mark. In today’s Gospel, our story begins with the realization that the crowds around Jesus had become so big that the people could not even eat (presumably because it was too crowded). People were very interested in what he was saying, some thinking that his take on God and his ministry made him look crazy while others were drawn to his new kind of message.

We see his family try to come and make him stop, worried about what people were saying about him. But rather than taking a breather or taking a time out, Jesus instead challenges the notion and challenges the notion of family.