Lectionary Year B (2005-06) Unit 12: Proper 21-24

This unit covers Lectionary Year B Proper 21-24. It is designed to help students understand prayers for healing, God's plan for marriage, wealth and poverty, and servanthood.

Lesson 1: Who Gets Healed?--This lesson's theme is the prayer of faith. God answers our prayers and uses our prayer of faith to take care of all of our needs. Our confession and the prayers of the church can get us through sickness and hardship. Does it make any difference whether we believe or doubt when we pray? What happens when we pray and God doesn't answer? (Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29; Psalm 19:7-14; James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50)

Lesson 2: What God Has Joined Together--This lesson's theme is marriage and divorce. Jesus explains God's reasons for allowing divorce, and by doing so, reveals God's intention for marriage. God's intention is for men and women to love and support each other, and for man and wife to not be separated. What do I do now that my parents have divorced? What does it mean to love without being separated by anything? (Genesis 2:18-24; Psalm 8; Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12; Mark 10:2-16)

Lesson 3: Going All In--This lesson's theme is the rich young ruler. From the encounter between Jesus and a rich young man, we learn that there are some things that can keep us from living the eternal life. Jesus confronts the young man with the things that are keeping him from God-his riches. What do we cling to and hold between ourselves and God? (Amos 5:6-7, 10-15; Psalm 90:12-17; Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31)

Lesson 4: Life Hurts--This lesson's theme is following the model servant. Jesus Christ, the Suffering Servant, shows us the model of servanthood, that the greatest among us are the servants of all. Are we willing to follow the model of Christ and lay down our lives in service for others? (Isaiah 53:4-12; Psalm 91:9-16; Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 10:35-45)