Lectionary
Ruminations 2.0 is a revised continuation of Lectionary Ruminations. Focusing on The Revised Common Lectionary Readings for the upcoming Sunday from New Revised
Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, Lectionary
Ruminations 2.0 draws on nearly thirty years of pastoral experience. Believing that the questions we ask are often
more important than any answers we find, without overreliance on commentaries I
intend with comments and questions to encourage reflection and rumination for
readers preparing to teach, preach, or hear the Word. Reader comments are
invited and encouraged. All lectionary
links are to the via the PC(USA) Devotions and
Readings website.
FOR AN UPDATED AND REVISED VERSION, GO
TO THIS LINK
Even after skipping over some
verses of chapter twenty-four, this is still the longest of the day’s Readings.
24:24 Who is speaking?
24:35-40 Is sounds like
things have turned out pretty well for Abraham and Sarah. Almost sacrificed, Isaac is now of marrying
age. What to do? He cannot marry one of
the locals, can he? Do we find in these
verses the roots of a prosperity Gospel?
24:37 The land Abraham and
Sarah are living in is still considered a foreign land.
24:42 What is it about
springs? Is the LORD not also the God of the person speaking?
24:42-44 Do these verses
remind you of any verses in the NT, John 4:1-42 perhaps?
24:45 What does it mean to “speak
in one’s heart”?
24:47 Who are these people
and why are they being named? What is
the significance of the ring and bracelets?
24:49 Is the servant
speaking to Rebekah, the LORD, or someone else?
24:58 Can we consider this
“The call of Rebekah”?
24:59 Why does Rebekah have
a nurse?
24:60 Can we read this as
the blessing of Rebekah?
24:61 I wonder how many
maids accompanied Rebekah. How does a
nurse differ from a maid?
24:62 What do we know about
these places?
24:65 Why was Rebekah not
veiled until she was about to meet Isaac? How does this verse shed light on
current debates about the hajib?
24:67 Why did Isaac take
Rebekah into his mother’s tent rather than his own? Freud might have something
to say about this verse.
45:10-15 While these words
were not originally addressed to Rebekah, they do seem to fit. This reads like a liturgy from a royal
wedding. Has anyone reading here ever
used them in a wedding liturgy?
45:11b Is this just an
example of the sexism of patriarchy?
45:16-17 The psalm seemed
to have been speaking to and of the Bride.
Now it seems to speaking to the Bridegroom/King.
Perhaps this alternate
reading is suggested by the love mentioned in Genesis 24:67.
2:8-13 Can you hear these
words coming from, perhaps, Rebekah’s mouth?
These are some of the most sensual passages in Scripture. I think we do them disservice to spiritualize
them and see them as anything less than biblical erotica. Do Presbyterians hear them any differently
after the most recent General Assembly?
2:9 Why the plural “our”?
2:11 Why do we have this
reference to the seasons and weather?
2:12-13 Do these verses suggest
more than just natural fertility and human love?
7:15 Here are some Pauline
verses I can finally identify with!
7:16 Why?
7:17 Does the devil makes
us do it?
7:18 I too, know this.
7:19 Sometimes even the
good we think we are doing is corrupted and ends up being sinful.
7:20 I doubt if the “sin”
defense would stand up in a court of law.
7:21 Is this just a play on
words or 180° theological move?
7:22-23 What is the
contrast being made between “inmost self” and “members”? How many “laws” are
there?
7:24 Could we ever use this
liturgically as part of a Confession of Sin or does it sound to antiquated?
7: 25 What does this phrase
add to Paul’s argument?
11:16 Why might I read this
differently in my 50’s than I would have in my 20’s?
11:17 Is this a quote? From
what or where is Jesus quoting?
11:18-19 Why does John get
dragged into this? It seems that prophets are damned if they don’t and damned
if they do? How do those in the pews
hear and understand “Son of Man”? What
point is Jesus making by referring to Lady Wisdom and “Her” deeds?
11:25 What “things” have
been hidden from some and revealed to others?
Who are the “wise and intelligent” and who are the “infants”? Does the mention that the Lord of heaven and
earth has “hidden” these things place this in the genre of apocalyptic
literature or a mystery religion?
11:28-30 These verses seem
to stand on their own. Are they out of
context? Do they naturally and logically
follow from what precedes them? How
might they add to our understanding of the previous verses? I think a whole
sermon could be preached, a whole lesson developed, around these three verses.
What is Christ’s yoke? What is his
burden?
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