Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. — Luke 17:15

2 Kings 5:1-15

Lion and Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (2+)

2 Timothy 2:8-15

The Light of the World: The Life of Jesus for Children by Katherine Paterson (PreK 4+)

Luke 17:11-19

The Thank You Book by Mo Willems (PreK 3+)

Saint Francis’ Feast Day

Saint Francis of Assisi, by Demi (PreK 4+)

Brother Son Sister Moon by Katherine Paterson (PreK 4+)

Francis: Poor Man of Assisi by Tomie de Paola (K+)

This week’s text from 2 Kings tells the story of Naaman, who was an army commander for the Arameans, Israel’s neighbors in the ancient world. Naaman became sick with leprosy. His wife, who was from Israel, told him that Elisha, Israel’s prophet, could heal him of his leprosy. So Naaman got the king of Aram to the king of Israel on his behalf. When Naaman arrived at Elisha’s house, he was decked out in all his military splendor. He expected a spectacular cure. However, Elisha instructed him to go wash himself in the Jordan River seven times. Naaman was underwhelmed. He followed Elisha’s instructions anyway. Lo and behold – he was healed! He praised God and thanked Naaman. Jerry Pinkney’s Newberry Award winning book, The Lion and the Mouse, connects well to this story. The book depicts Aesop’s fable wordlessly with. gorgeously rendered illustrations. When they were little, my kids loved to notice the details in the illustration and add in their own words to supplement the pictures. Have you ever received help in an unexpected way or from someone unexpected? If yes, how did that experience change your perspective?

In our epistle text from 2 Timothy, Paul reminds Timothy of how important it is to remember Jesus and to practice endurance and truthfulness. Remembering Jesus’ life is central to our life as his followers. Katherine Paterson’s book, The Light of the World, aims to help children remember and internalize Jesus’ life through story and picture. You might wonder together when it is easy to remember Jesus and when it is difficult. Are there other things you do as a family to remember Jesus together? Are there things we do as a church? Next time you are in church together, keep your ears open for things we say all together or words that the priests say about remembering Jesus.

After Naaman’s leprosy was healed, he returned to Elisha to say thank you. In this week’s gospel text, Jesus heals ten people suffering from leprosy. Out of the ten lepers Jesus healed, only one of them went back to Jesus to say thank you. Is this surprising to you? Saying thank you is one of the most important things we learn as children. It is also easy to forget to give thanks. Gerald and Piggy worry about remembering everyone they need to thank in The Thank You Book, by Mo Willems. Can Piggy remember everyone she needs to thank? This season, you might create a “thankfulness tree” for your family. Add leaves to your tree which name people for whom you are thankful or things for which you are thankful. See how full of leaves your tree gets in the next few weeks. If you and your family are interested in doing some biblical detective work, you

might explore what leprosy is and the how communities in the ancient world treated it. Have things changed in modern times?

This week (October 4) was St. Francis’ feast day, which we usually celebrate at Trinity with a Blessing of the Animals. Saint Francis of Assisi, who was a mystic Catholic friar (monk) was born in 1181. He found God in God’s creation—in the Sun, the Moon, the flowers, and the animals—throughout his life. At Trinity, we have a window in the south transept dedicated to Saint Francis. Try to find it next time you are in church. If you are curious about Saint Francis, there are a number of excellent picture books about him, such as Saint Francis of Assisi, by Demi, Brother Sun Sister Moon, by Katherine Paterson, & Francis: Poor Man of Assisi, by Tomie de Paola.