About accessibility
  • 25 - 31 March 2012
    • Lent 5
  • Passion Sunday

Growing and changing

  • Lectionary Bible readings
  • Jeremiah 31.31-34;
  • Psalm 51.1-12;
  • Psalm 119.9-16;
  • Hebrews 5.5-10;
  • John 12.20-33

Becoming the good news - Week 5 of 6


Six weeks in which we observe Jesus taking up the mission of the Old Testament writers. This will help us think about how we can enter the stories of Jesus and become good news ourselves. An article that provides an overview of the theme can be found here .

Growing and changing

A seed must be planted to grow into something great. Today we think about our calling and what helps us to grow as Christians.

This week’s reading, John 12.20-33 provides an opportunity to:

  • think about the ‘grain of wheat’ metaphor (AAA & CYP)
  • reflect on how being flexible enables us to grow and develop (AAA & CYP)
  • consider how being called might be unsettling. (AAA)

Lent calendar 2012: colour , black and white

Word

Bible notes

Jeremiah 31.31-34; John 12.20-33

Present the reading

MP3 download of song

Explore the reading

Links to the story of Persephone

Open the Word: That which portrays God

Ideas for sermon preparation

Bible Study

John 12.20-33

Story: A Grandad's eye view

On a difficult day, one boy is reminded to look for signs of hope and growth. What signs of the times - good and bad - can we see around us today - in the weather, in the news, in our lives

Respond to the Word

Drama: Seeing the light

Robin Chapman's sketch for two actors is simple to perform. It can be used to illustrate the concept in John 12.23-26 that we have to be willing to give up what we know, in order to grow into the life we are promised in God

Drama sketch: Getting the law off paper

A spoof conversation between a BBC interviewer (Humphrey Johns) and the prime minister about alternative ways of promoting order (after Jeremiah 31.31-34)

Respond: What is your potential

Link to the John Lewis advert

PostScript: Budgets as good news?

How do we read the grain of wheat imagery from today’s gospel reading (John 12.20-33), with its resonances of death and resurrection, in a world of debt and tight budgets?

From the resources bank

  • Lent 5 resources focused on Jeremiah 31.31-34 (2009)
  • Lent 5 resources focused on John 12.20-33 (2006)
  • Lent 5 resources focused on John 12.20-33 (2003)
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