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
24:1 What do you know
about Shechem? The listing of “elders,
heads, judges, and the officers” suggests a rather organized society, just
forty years after the Exodus.
24:2 Why does Joshua point
back one generation to Terah rather than to Abraham?
24:3a Why isn’t Sarah
mentioned?
24:14 What is this talk
about putting away other gods all about? What other God were the people
worshiping?
24:15 Joshua presents three
choices: Serve the gods ancestors worshiped before God called Abraham, serve
the local gods of the Amorites, or serve the LORD.
What choices are the people presented with today?
24:14-18 Are these verses
about monotheism, or about recognizing that of all the gods, only one, the LORD, is the one who has saved us?
24:19 “You cannot serve the
LORD”? What is Joshua doing here?
24:20 The LORD sounds like a jealous God.
24:21 Is this a confession
of faith?
24:22 What does it mean, in
this context, to be a witness?
24:23 Did the people
actually have statues of foreign gods, or is this a metaphorical “put away”?
24:24 Is this also a
confession of faith?
24:25 Is this a third
covenant? What statutes and ordinances are being referred to?
78:1 Who is the speaking?
78:2 Apparently Jesus was
not the only person in the Bible to speak in parables. What are “dark sayings
from of old”?
78:3 This sounds like a
reference to the oral tradition.
78:4 Why might you want to
hide dark sayings from children? What are the Lord’s glorious deeds and
wonders?
78:5 Is the speaker not a
child of his/her ancestors?
78:6 This is really
thinking far ahead, to future generations.
78:7 What is the relation
between works and commandments?
78:1-7 This Psalm reads
like a call to educational ministry and mission. What would this psalmist say about the state
of Biblical literacy, or lack of, in today’s church?
1:13 How might we be
uninformed?
1:14 What does Paul mean
“God will bring with him”?
1:15 What is this all
about?
1:16-17 Does this
presuppose a pre-Copernican three tiered universe? How do we translate this into modern
cosmological terms?
1:18 How are these words
encouraging? See item #16 on page 914 in
the PC(USA) Book of Common Worship. See also page 949.
25:1 Is this a kingdom
parable? Is there anything special about the number ten? Is there anything
special about bridesmaids?
25:2 Why five foolish and
five wise?
25:3-4 Does the oil
represent anything or is this just about being prepared?
25:5 What is this about
“delay”? Note that both the wise and the
foolish become drowsy and fall asleep. Was “delay” the real issue?
25:6 Why midnight? Who shouted?
25:7 Why trim a lamp?
25:9 Were the wise being
selfish? Why not share lamps?
25:10 I wonder how much oil
the wise had brought with them. I wonder how long their oil would have lasted.
25:12 This sounds curt.
25:13 This point does not
fit. Based on what precedes, the point
ought to have been “Be prepared. Keep a
supply of oil.” Otherwise, the wise
bridesmaids should not have slept while the foolish bridesmaids did sleep.
ADDENDUM
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