Lectionary Ruminations 2.0 for the Second Sunday after Christmas Years ABC

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.

PREFACE: The Lectionary Readings for the Second Sunday After Christmas are the same in all three years, A,B, and C.

First Reading - Jeremiah 31:7-14

31:7 I wonder what effect it would have if you started your next sermon by proclaiming “For thus says the LORD.”  IMHO, most worshipers need to take the admonition to “Sing aloud with gladness” more seriously.  Who is “the chief of the nations”? Who are the remnant of Israel?

31:8 What might the “land of the north” symbolize? What promise do we find for ourselves in this promise of restoration? 

31:9 Why do the remnant weep? Who or what is Ephraim?

31:10 Why do the nations need to hear this? Who scattered Israel and why?  Why is Israel now being gathered?

31:11 How has the LORD ransomed Jacob? Whose hands were too strong? Could this be one of the roots of a ransom theory of the atonement?

31:12 What and where is the height of Zion? I like the image of a life likened to a “watered garden”.  How many people in our society are experiencing a life akin to a dried up, dead garden?

31:13 What sort of dance do you imagine this being? This verse would work well within the context of a Service of Witness to the Resurrection.

31:14 Here is an image I can relate to.

Psalm - Psalm 147:12-20

147:12 This is another of the “praise” Psalms that close the Psalter, thus a Psalm that could be adapted for use as a Call to Worship.  How is this Psalm related to the one before and after?

147:13 What does strengthening the bars of gates symbolize? Where are children blessed?

147:14 I find peace and finest wheat a powerful but an odd poetic pairing.

147:15 Why am I thinking of the Greek god Mercury? What is God’s command?

147:16 I understand how frost is like ashes, but how is snow like wool? How will this verse sound in the Eastern United States compared to the Western United States this day?

147:17 This and the preceding verse works this time of year in most of the northern hemisphere, but what about in the southern hemisphere?

147:18 This is the second reference in this Psalm to God’s “word”.  See 147:15 for the first time.  It appears again in 147:19. How can a word melt anything?

147:12-18 It should be clearly evident why this Psalm was paired with the Jeremiah Reading.  But the Psalm seems to emphasize the emotions of return and restoration while ignoring the lament aspect of the deportation that preceded it.  Where do we, as Americans, as Christians, and as Presbyterians find ourselves today—in exile or restoration?

147:19 How do statutes and ordinances relate to the LORD’s word? What is the relationship between Jacob and Israel?

147:20 What are the LORD’s ordinances? Why do other nations not know them?

Second Reading - Ephesians 1:3-14

1:3 What are spiritual blessings?  Where are the heavenly places? This verse starts out sounding like The Magnificat.

1:4 Presbyterians take note: here is a verse in support of predestination and election.  Have you ever thought of yourself as holy and blameless? When was the foundation of the world? You might want to juxtapose this verse and its “before the foundation of the world” with John 1:1 and its “In the beginning”.

1:5 Another verse in support of the doctrines of predestination and election unless this verse applies only to the Ephesians.  What is your destiny?

1:6 Who or what is “the Beloved”?

1:7 Now we have  a “blood” atonement after the ransom of Jeremiah 31:11.  How does blood redeem?

1:8 What is the difference between wisdom and insight?

1:9 What is the mystery of God’s will?  I think we do not talk enough about mystery.

1:10 Is this a verse in support of divine “fate”? What is this “plan”? What and/or when is “the fullness of time”?

1:11  What is our “inheritance”?  This is yet another verse in support of predestination and election.

1:12 Who are “we”?

1:13 Who are “you”?  How is the Holy Spirit a “seal”?

1:14 How is a seal a pledge?

Gospel - John 1:(1-9) 10-18

John’s prologue is my favorite passage in the Bible.  This is also the first passage I translated from the Greek when learning Greek.  How is your preaching or teaching influenced when you encounter one of your favorite passages?  While 1:1-9 are optional, I really think they need to be read and I will be including them in the Gospel Reading.

1:1 Can we read this and hear this read without recalling the first creation account of Genesis 1? How, in a brief amount of time, can we unpack the significance the Greek “logos” since the English “Word” just does not seem to translate it?

1:2 When was the beginning?

1:3 What is the meaning of “all things came into being through him”?

1:4-5 Maybe these verses should have been read at the winter solstice, back on December 21^st in the northern hemisphere, rather than today.

1:4 Can there be life without being? How does light serve as life? Does this verse lend itself to universalism?

1:5 Note that the light shining is in the present tense but the darkness did not overcome it is in the past tense. How could darkness ever overcome light unless we are talking about a black hole?

1:6-9 In a matter of weeks we have moved from the conception of John the Baptizer to his testimony.  Once again, I am wondering how much we are missing when we reflect about the relationship and connection between John the Baptizer and Jesus. I wonder what John would have thought if he had read this description of himself and his ministry.

1:6 What does it mean to be sent from God?

1:7 Believe what?

1:8 How does one testify about anything? Was this verse meant to knock John down a notch or two?

1:9 Is there a false light? I like the construction “was coming” as it suggests a process rather than a point. Like 1:4, does this verse suggest a universalism? This verse is the last of the optional verses.

1:10 What does it mean to be “in the world”? What does it mean to “know” and “not know”?

1:11 What was his own?

1:12 Who received him?  Who believed in his name? What is the meaning of “power”? What does it mean to be a child of God?

1:13 Is there any difference between “the will of the flesh” and “the will of man”? Is there any theological difference between being born “of God” and being born from above? How might William James enlighten us to the meaning of being born of God? Must this birth be a physical birth or are there other types of birth, like, perhaps, spiritual birth?

1:14 In his 1996 book Mystical Christianity: A Psychological Commentary on the Gospel of John, Episcopal Priest and internationally known Jungian analyst writes “John 1:14 is one of the most important verses in the New Testament, a cornerstone of the Christian religion.” (p. 14) Without this verse there would be no LECTIONARY RUMINATIONS 2.0?  Why?

1:15 Why the parenthesis in the NRSV?  So what?

1:16 What does his “fullness” refer to? What is grace upon grace?

1:17 “Law” versus “grace and truth” or “Law and grace and truth”?  Note that “grace and truth” was first mentioned in 1:14.

1:18 Are there not some passages in the Hebrew Scriptures to refute the claim that “No one has ever seen God”?  Once we have come to know God the Father through the only son, should we not focus on our relationship with the Father rather than the Son? What is the difference between a Theocentric faith and a Christocentric faith? Can one know God without seeing God? What does “the Father’s heart” symbolize or represent?

ADDENDUM

I am a Minister Member of Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and am serving as the Pastor of the Bethlehem United Presbyterian Church, Wheeling, WV. Sunday Worship at Bethlehem begins at 10:45 AM. Here is Bethlehem United's Facebook address: https://www.facebook.com/Bethlehem-United-Presbyterian-Church-102482088303980

Lectionary Ruminations 2.0 for Sunday, December 27, 2015, the First Sunday after Christmas (Year C)

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

First Reading - 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26

2:18 What sort of “ministering” was Samuel engaged in. What is am ephod and what does it mean that Samuel was wearing one?

2:19 Who was Samuel’s mother. Did Samuel grow out of his robe every year or was it wearing out after a year’s use?

2:20 Why is Elkanah mentioned by name but Samuel’s mother is not?

2:26 What is meant by “stature” and what is meant by “favor?

2:18-20, 26 Why would this passage appear in the Lectionary today, the first Sunday after Christmas?

Psalm - Psalm148

148:1 Note that this is one of the “Hallel” Psalms, perhaps especially appropriate this First Sunday after Christmas and the last Sunday before the New Year. Where are the heights?

148:2 What is the difference between angels and all his host?

148:3 How do sun, moon and stars praise?

148:4 Where are the highest heavens. What water is above the heavens? How can post-modern, round earth, heliocentric Christians continue to find meaning in pre-modern, flat earth, geocentric biblical imagery?

148:5 To which creation account does this verse refer?

148:6 What bounds cannot be passed?

148:7 What particular sea monster might the psalmist have had in mind? What might the “deeps” represent?

148:8 Does the weather praise the Lord?

148:9 What is the difference between an mountain and a hill. How might you hear and read this if you have lived in Iowa all your life?

148:10 Do creeping things that give us the creeps really praise the Lord?

148:11 Do Presidents, Premiers, and Prime Ministers fall under “all rulers of the earth”!

148:12 There is no ageism here?

148:13 How is the name of the Lord praised when the name of the Lord is not to be pronounced?

148:14 What is a horn?

Second Reading - Colossians3:12-17

3:12 Who are God’s chosen ones? Is this list meant to be definitive?

3:13  What does it mean to bear with one another? I am hearing echoes of The Lord’s Prayer here.

3:14 How does love bind? I like the imagery of perfect harmony, but for there to be harmony there must be more than one voice. Perhaps singing in a choir has helped me better understand and appreciate this imagery.

3:15 What is the peace of Christ and how does it rule? In the Hebrew tradition, what is the meaning of “hearts”?

3:16 What is the word of Christ and how is it different from the peace of Christ? What is the difference among psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs?

3:17 Doing is one thing. What about being, or thinking, or feeling?

Gospel - Luke2:41-52

2:41 Why am I hearing an echo of 1 Samuel 2:19?

2:42 Is there anything special about being a twelve year old Jewish boy?

2:43 Was Jesus misbehaving by staying behind? How could his parents not know he was not with them?

2:44 How far is a day’s journey?

2:45 I wonder if they returned that night or waited until the next day.

2:46 Is the “after three days” a premonition or forth telling allusion to the resurrection? Why would Jesus have been listening and asking questions rather than teaching?

2:47 What and whose questions was Jesus answering?

2:48 Why were Jesus’ parents astonished? Is there any significance to Jesus’ mother calling him “child” rather than “son”?

2:49 Was Jesus being a smart ass?

2:50 What did they not understand?

2:51 So Jesus’s staying behind was indeed seen as an act of disobedience? What things did Jesus’ mother ponder in her heart?

2:52 Why am I hearing echoes of 1 Samuel 2:26? Do you think the author of Luke was alluding to the story of Samuel in the Temple when writing this story?

ADDENDUM

I am currently serving at the Interim Pastor of The Presbyterian Churchof Cadiz, worshiping at 154 West Market Street, Cadiz, Ohio, every Sunday at 11:00 AM. Please like The Presbyterian Church of Cadiz on facebook.

Lectionary Ruminations 2.0 for Sunday, December 20, 2015, the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year C)

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

PREFACE: There are a couple of options this week. You could use the Canticle (Luke 1:46b-55) rather than the Psalm (80:1-7) and the shorter Gospel Reading (Luke 1:39-45) or you could use the Psalm (80:1-7) rather than the Canticle (Luke 1:46b-55) and not use the Canticle at all or include it as part of the Gospel Reading (Luke 1:39-55)

First Reading - Micah 5:2-5a

5:2 What is the meaning of “Bethlehem”?  What is the significance, or insignificance, of Ehhpratah?  What sort of origin is from of old? When were ancient days?

5:3 Who is giving whom up?  Who is in labor?  Whose kindred shall return?

5:4 What does it mean to feed a flock in the strength of the LORD?

5:5a What does it mean to be “the one of peace”?

Canticle - Luke 1:46b-55

1:46b What is the first word in the Latin Vulgate translation of this verse?  How does one’s soul magnify the LORD?

1:47 When and why does your spirit rejoice?

1:48 What is the nature of this lowliness?  What does it mean to be called blessed?

1:49 What great things has the Mighty One done?

1:50 What is the nature of this fear? Is there no mercy for those who do not fear?

1:51 What does “in the thoughts of their hearts” mean? Do we think with our hearts or minds? Do we feel with our hearts or minds?

1:52 What powerful have been brought down from their thrones?

1:53 This reads like a 99% passage. What good things have been fed to the hungry? What does it mean to be rich but empty?

1:54 What is the meaning of “in remembrance of his mercy”?

1:55 What promise is being referred to?

Psalm - Psalm 80:1-7

80:1 What does it mean to “give ear”? How can one person be led like a flock? What are cherubim and where might one find them?

80:2 Why are only these three tribes mentioned?

80:3 What does it mean for God’s face to shine?

80:4 Have you ever felt like God was angry with your prayers?

80:5 Could Christians read this as “anti-Eucharistic” imagery?

80:6 How would the psalmist now if enemies were laughing among themselves?

80:7  This sounds like a refrain. See 80:3.

Second Reading - Hebrews 10:5-10

10:5 What came before this “consequently”?  Is it not essential to the argument?  Where did Christ say this?  What body has been prepared? 

10:6 What is the difference between a burnt offering and a sin offering?

10:7 What, or where is the scroll of the book?

10:8 I find the use of “above” interesting. It sounds so modern.

10:9 The “first” and the “second” refers to what?

10:10 Does this verse presume, or require, any specific theory of the atonement?

Gospel - Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)

1:39 What days?  Why did Mary set out and go with haste? What Judean town? Why is it not named?

1:40 Why did Mary not greet Zechariah?

1:41 What is the meaning of the child’s leaping?  Was it the child’s leaping that filled Elizabeth with the Holy Spirit?  If not, when was she filled?

1:42 I wonder how loud her cry was.

1:43 And we too wonder?

1:44 How did Elizabeth know it was joy and not some other emotion?

1:45 Which of the two women is blessed?

1:(46-55)  See my ruminations on the Canticle.

ADDENDUM

I am currently serving at the Interim Pastor of The Presbyterian Church of Cadiz, worshiping at 154 West Market Street, Cadiz, Ohio, every Sunday at 11:00 AM. Please like The Presbyterian Church of Cadiz on facebook. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Presbyterian-Church-of-Cadiz/731499276885960

Lectionary Ruminations 2.0 for Sunday, December 13, 2015, the Third Sunday of Advent (Year C)

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

First Reading - Zephaniah 3:14-20

3:14 Who is daughter Zion and why is she singing? What is the difference between singing and shouting?

3:15 Who made judgments against Israel?  Who were Israel’s enemies? Has the King of Israel, the LORD, not always been in the midst of Israel?

3:16 What day?  Who will say this to Israel? What do weak hands symbolize?

3:17 I do not like militaristic imagery being applied to God, it is what gave us the Crusades. I like the imagery of the LORD Singing?

3:18 Is worship at your church like a day of festival?

3:19 Are these oppressors the same as the enemies of 3:15? This sounds a preferential option for the lame, outcast, and shamed. Could this be applied to Syrian refugees?

3:20 At what time? Is the “that time” of this verse the same as the “that day” of Isaiah 12:4? Where are we now if we are not home?

Canticle -Isaiah 12:2-6

12:2 What is the relationship between trust and fear? How do Christians understand thanksgiving for salvation within the Hebrew Scriptures? This verse reminds me of the Taize chant “In God I Trust”.

12:3 What, and where, are the wells of salvation?  Can water from the wells of salvation be bottled and sold?

12:4 What day?  How does one call on the name of the LORD when the LORD’s name is not

to be pronounced?  What are the deeds of the LORD?

12:5 Are sung praises preferred over spoken praises?

12:6 Zephaniah 3:14 called for singing aloud. Here Isaiah calls for shouting aloud. What is

the difference between singing and shouting? Who is the Holy One of Israel?

Second Reading - Philippians4:4-7

4:4 On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being lethargic and 10 being manic, how would you rate your religious/spiritual community’s ability to rejoice?

4:5 How do you define “gentleness”?  Near is a relative term.  How near is the Lord?

4:6 This must be Bobby McFerrin’s favorite Bible verse.  What is the difference, if any, between prayer and supplication? Is prayer only about requests?

4:7 Are “hearts” and “minds” all inclusive?  What about body and soul?

Gospel - Luke3:7-18

3:7 John the Baptizer (I prefer “Baptizer” over “Baptist”) appears in all four Gospels. As someone once noted:” You cannot tell the Gospel Story without John.” What do you think was the size of the crowds?  How often do evangelists insult those they are preaching to?  What wrath is coming?

3:8 What fruits are worthy of repentance? What stones? 

3:9 Does this verse contribute to the imagery of Dante’s inferno?

3:10 This verse is a preachers dream!

3:11 This is not good news for the 1% Maybe someone at the next presidential debate ought to ask each candidates to comment on this verse.

3:12 Why “even”?  Other than John and Jesus, is anyone else in the New Testament ever referred to as a teacher?  I think it is significant that John is addressed the same way Jesus would be later addressed.  Or maybe it is significant that Jesus is later addressed the same way Jesus would later be addressed.

3:13 Why and how would a tax collector have collected more? What do you know the collection of taxes in Jesus day?

3:10-14 What do you make of the fact that tax collectors and soldiers are the only two groups or people mentioned?

3:15 What if John HAD been the Messiah?

3:16 How does water compare with fire and the Holy Spirit?  Might “untying the thong of a sandal” have been an idiomatic expression or colloquialism?

3:17 What is a winnowing fork?  What is a threshing floor? What is chaff? Oh no, more fire! 

3:18 I wonder what the other exhortations were?  Did the above really sound like good news to you?

ADDENDUM

I am currently serving at the Interim Pastor of The Presbyterian Churchof Cadiz, worshiping at 154 West Market Street, Cadiz, Ohio, every Sunday at 11:00 AM. Please like The Presbyterian Church of Cadiz on facebook. 

Lectionary Ruminations 2.0 for Sunday, December 6, 2015, the Second Sunday of Advent (Year C)

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

First Reading - Malachi 3:1-4

3:1 I would have expect “Hear” rather than “See”.  Who is speaking?  Note that in the NRSV the first occurrence is “Lord” and the second occurrence is “LORD” –what is the difference?

3:2 Is this a rhetorical question?  What is a refiner’s fire like?  What is fuller’s soap?

3:3 Who are the descendants of Levi?  How are gold and silver refined?

3:4 Why would an offering not be pleasing to the LORD?  How has the offering changed compared to times past?

Canticle - Luke 1:68-79

1:68 What is the first word in the Latin Vulgate? What has the Lord God of Israel redeemed the people from?

1:69 Is there any savior that is not mighty?

1:70 Is there a grammer problem with a single “mouth” but plural “prophets”? What holy prophets might Zechariah (or Luke) have had in mind?

1:71 At the time of Zechariah, who would the enemies and the haters have been?

1:72 Had the Lord God of Israel forgotten the covenant?

1:73 What oath?

1:74  Can one serve with fear or in fear?

1:75 What is the difference, if any, between holiness and righteousness?

1:76  What child? To who is Zechariah speaking?

1:77 Is there a difference between knowledge of salvation and salvation? How does one gain knowledge of salvation?

1:78 What is “the dawn from on high”?

1:79 Who sits in darkness? How does death cast a shadow?

Second Reading - Philippians 1:3-11

1:3 When and how often does the author remember the Philippians?

1:4 How does one pray constantly?

1:5 How does one share in the gospel?

1:6 Who began the good work? What was the good work? What and when is the day of Christ?

1:7 What does it mean to hold a person in the heart?

1:8 What is meant by “the compassion of Jesus Christ”?

1:9 What knowledge?  What is full insight? How does prayer overflow?

1:10 What does it mean to be pure and blameless?

1:11 What is the harvest of righteousness and who has produced it?

Gospel - Luke 3:1-6

3:1 What year would this have been?  Why are all these people and their positions named? Is all this historically accurate and does it matter if it is no isn’t?

3:2 Why was John in the wilderness?  Was this a prelude to desert spirituality?  What is so special about fierce landscapes like wilderness and the desert? Is the “wilderness” by definition a liminal place?

3:3 Would this be both banks of the Jordan?  Is this the Jordan before it flows into the Sea of Galilee or after it flows out from the Sea of Galilee toward the Dead Sea?

3:4 Where in Isaiah is this written?  Did the prophecy dictate that John had to be in the wilderness, or did John’s being in the wilderness lend itself to this prophecy? Why do the Lord’s paths need to be made straight?

3:5 Why fill a valley?  Why make a mountain low?  In light of mountaintop removal mining, this verse raises images of bad stewardship of the earth.

3:6 Does “all flesh” include non-human flesh?

ADDENDUM

I am currently serving at the Interim Pastor of The Presbyterian Church of Cadiz, worshiping at 154 West Market Street, Cadiz, Ohio, every Sunday at 11:00 AM.  Please like The Presbyterian Church of Cadiz on facebook.

#OptOutside

Any avid and experienced hiker and backpacker will recognize the brand names and retailers I encountered today, the day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday: Recreational Equipment Incorporated, Fox River, Smartwool, Merrell, Royal Robbins, Patagonia, Eastern Mountain Sports, Kelty, Marmet, Sea to Summit, Nalgene, and GSI, just to name a few.

I did not come across these brand names in a mall or driving around to various stores. I wore or used gear bearing these names as I hiked over 8.8 miles of trails in western Pennsylvania’s Raccoon Creek State Park the day after Thanksgiving as I supported the #OptOutside alternative to shopping. Rather than joining the mad rush of Black Friday I chose to enjoy a Green Friday as I opted to go outside.

I left the house this morning before 8:00 AM and drove the twenty-five miles to the trail head at Raccoon Creek State Park.  The 7,572 acre park boasts over 44 miles of hiking trails and the past several Fridays I have been exploring its trails using Mark H. Christy’s Walks, Hikes and Overnights in Raccoon Creek State Park as a guide. When I parked in the small lot across the park road from the trailhead there was only one other car in the lot, a car with three REI stickers on the back window.

Opting out on the Forest Trail

I was on the trail by 8:45 AM this morning under overcast skies and with the temperature around 40 degrees. I first hiked the 4.24 mile Heritage-Buckskin-Camp Loop and saw only three other hikers on the trail, first a single man and then a man and woman pair.  I next hiked the 4.59 mile Palomino-Buckskin-Camp Loop and saw a man on horseback, a group of two men and dog, and a group of five or six male hikers. By the time I finished the two loops the temperature had risen to 64 degrees, 20 degrees higher then what I experienced in the park a week earlier.

By the time I returned to the car there were at least four of five other cars in the lot. As I drove out of the park I saw two or more cars parked at each of two other trail heads. I met more people on the trails today than I have ever met before while hiking in the park. Apparently others, like me, opted to be outside in the wild outdoors this day rather than engaging in the wild retail rush of Black Friday.

I have been a member of Recreational Equipment Incorporated (a member co-op) for at least forty years. Over that span I have spent probably thousands of dollars at REI as I have purchased sleeping bags, hiking boots, clothing, climbing gear, tents, and more. I applaud my co-op for not only choosing to close on both Thanksgiving and the day after, paying its employees nevertheless, but to also encourage its employees and others to opt outside the day after Thanksgiving rather than going shopping. I hope REI will make this an annual emphasis and that other outdoor retailers, outfitters, and brands (like #royalrobbins) will join them in the future.

Lectionary Ruminations 2.0 for Sunday, November 29, 2015, the First Sunday of Advent (Year C)

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.

PREFACE: November 29^th, 2015 is the First Sunday of Advent and the beginning of Liturgical Year C.

FirstReading - Jeremiah 33:14-16

33:14 Did the author of Jeremiah have Advent in mind when writing about the days that are surely coming?  What promise did the LORD make with Israel and Judah?

33:15 Is there any difference between “in those days” and “at that time”?  Is this a mere literary device, or is something else going on here?  In the NRSV, why is “Branch” capitalized?  What is the difference between justice and righteousness?

33:16 Is salvation synonymous with safety?  What is the “it” that will be called “The LORD is our righteousness”? Does “The LORD is our righteousness” translate just one Hebrew word?

Psalm - Psalm 25:1-10

25:1 How do you lift up your soul to the LORD?

25:2 What is the difference, if any, between trust and faith?

25:3 Is the Psalmist appealing to the LORD’s sense of justice or the LORD’s vanity? Why the emphasis on shame?

25:4 Is this a prayer of supplication?

25:5 How does the LORD lead and teach?

25:6 Can the LORD ever forget? Does the LORD even occasionally need to be reminded?

25:7 Apparently the LORD can forget. The Psalmist wants the LORD to remember mercy but forget sins. Forget my sins, but remember me!

25:8 Was there ever any doubt that the LORD is good and upright?

25:9 Does the LORD lead the humble, or do the humble follow?

25:10 How many paths of the LORD are there?  What is the difference between covenant and decrees?

Second Reading - 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

3:9 Who is the “we” and who is the “you”?

3:10 Is it possible to pray a prayer that is not earnest?  What is lacking in your faith?  How can it be restored?

3:11 What are the possible meanings of “our way”?

3:12 In other words—be like us?

3:13 What is the grammatical relationship between “the coming of our Lord Jesus” and “with all his saints”? Will Jesus not return alone when he returns?

Gospel - Luke 21:25-36

21:25 This sounds like reason enough for an interest in astronomy, but how do we interpret this pre-modern and pre-Copernican text in a postmodern, post-Copernican world?  What does the roaring of the sea and waves represent?

21:26 How and why will the powers of heaven be shaken? There will be no fear and foreboding if people in general, and politicians in particular, ignore or even deny the signs of global climate change.

21:27 Who is the “Son of Man” and what kind of cloud will accompany his return?  Cirrus?  Cumulus? Mushroom?  How can we interpret this imagery when some want to take it literally, some want to take it metaphorically, and some discount it all together?

21:28 Once these things begin to take place, how long will they last? Why stand up and raise the head? What redemption is drawing near?

21:29 Why single out the fig tree?

21:30 So we are basically talking about natural seasonal signs.

21:31 What is the kingdom of God any why has it not been near before? It has been only in the past few years that I learned that the ripe fruit of fig trees, unlike the fruit of some other trees, will not last long before it falls off the branch and rots.

21:32 How did early Christians cope with disappointment when this prophecy was not (apparently) realized? What do you know about “realized eschatology”?

21:33 Heaven will pass away? Whose words?

21:34 Dissipation and drunkenness are one thing but worries are another.

21:35 What does the image of a trap suggest?

21:36 How can one escape these things?

ADDENDUM

I am currently serving at the Interim Pastor of The Presbyterian Church of Cadiz, worshiping at 154 West Market Street, Cadiz, Ohio, every Sunday at 11:00 AM. Please like The Presbyterian Church of Cadiz on facebook.

Lectionary Ruminations 2.0 for Sunday, November 22, 2015, Christ the King (Reign of Christ) Sunday (Year B)

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

PREFACE:

This Sunday, Christ the King 2015, marks the end of “Year B” in the three year lectionary cycle..  Next Sunday, The First Sunday of Advent 2015, will be the First Sunday of the “Year C” in the lectionary cycle.

Are you familiar with “INRI” and what it means?

I cannot find the source of the quote to verify it but I think When John Adams was corresponding with King James, King James asked “Have you chosen a King yet? How can you have a country without a King?

Here are some other Kings: Nat King Cole, Martin Luther King, The Lion King, Michael Jackson – the King of Pop, Elvis Presley – the King of Rock and Roll. And remember “A man’s home is his castle and a man is king of his catle.”

First Reading - 2 Samuel 23:1-7

http://www.presbyterianmission.org/devotion/revised-common-lectionary/2015/11/22/#first-reading

23:1 What is an oracle?  What is the significance of the fourfold designation, three of which relate to God? Read through this verse and the rest of the passage and see how many designations of God you find.

23:2 Prior to any Christian doctrine of the Trinity, how did David understand and mean to use “Spirit”?  Is David describing a continual state of affairs or the situation of this oracle only? How do you hear politicians and elected leaders today who claim to know God’s will?

23:2-3 The Spirit speaks “through” David but God speaks “to” David. Is this a description of David and his reign?

23:4 Is David touting his own horn, or laying the foundation for how future monarchs will be judge?

23:5 From a later perspective, how did David’s “house” measure up?

23:6 Ouch, those godless thorns

23:7 This sounds like last judgement language.

Psalm - Psalm 132:1-12 (13-18)

132:1 What hardships did David endure?

132:2 What did David swear? What did h vow?

132:3-5 Does this answer the previous two questions? Did David keep his word?

132:6 Is there anything particularly significant about Ephrathah or the fields of Jaar?

132:7 Whose dwelling place and whose footstool.

132:8 This makes it sound like the LORD is a localized, place-significant LORD. Does the LORD need to rest? What is the “ark of your might”?

132:10 Must David and the Lord’s anointed be one and the same?

132:11 How many sons did David have?

132:12 This sounds conditional with the “If”.

132:13 What is the meaning of the word “Zion” and where did the word originate?

132:14 Read this in light of verse 8.

132:15 What are its “provisions”?

132:16 Will only the priest be saved?

132:17 What is a “horn”?  Is the horn the lamp?

132:18 This is quite a contrast between the anointed and his enemies.

132:1-18 In light of the history of the Nation of Israel and God’s people, including the Babylonian exile and the Shoah, how shall we read this passage?

Second Reading - Revelation 1:4b-8

http://www.presbyterianmission.org/devotion/revised-common-lectionary/2015/11/22/#second-reading

1:4b a Classic Christianized Greco-Roman Salutation. Who, or what, are the seven spirits?

1:5 How is Jesus a witness? Is Jesus the ruler of the kings of the earth now or only in the age to come?

1:6 How are Christians a kingdom of priests?  What is the difference between glory and dominion? Maybe this kingdom is not so much about the King as it is the people, more of a “kindom” than a “kingdom”.

1:7 Is there any significance to the admonition being “look” rather than “listen”?  Why will all the tribes of the earth wail? Does this verse mean the Christ will return only on a cloudy day?

1:8 Is there any difference between Alpha and Omega in contrast to first and last?

Gospel - John 18:33-37

18:33 What headquarters; headquarters of what? Why was Pilot asking this question?

18:34 What sort of question is this?

18:35 Is Pilate’s first question a rhetorical one?  What has Jesus done? Does this verse bolster antisemitism?

18:36 This must have sounded rather cryptic and enigmatic. Where is Jesus’ kingdom from?

18:37 Was Pilates deduction correct?  Did Pilate really say that Jesus is a king?  What is “the truth”?

ADDENDUM

I am currently serving at the Interim Pastor of The Presbyterian Churchof Cadiz, worshiping at 154 West Market Street, Cadiz, Ohio, every Sunday at 11:00 AM. Please like The Presbyterian Church of Cadiz on facebook.