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
2:10
Having taught a undergraduate level Psychology/Philosophy course on Death and
Dying, I hate euphemisms for dying and death, even Biblical ones. As Christians, we are called, and equipped,
to look death in the face and call it by name.
2:11 Do
you think there might have been a little rounding up or down here?
2:12 To
whom can Solomon give credit for the firmly established kingdom he inherited?
3:3 What
does it mean to Love the LORD? What were
the statutes of David? Note the
plurality “high places”. Where, and what
were, these high places? Why do Protestanets generally not use incense in
worship?
3:4 What
was so special about Gibeon? What is a burnt offering? Why might Solomon have
offered so many of them?
3:5 If you
want to know more about biblical dreams and dreaming, read Morton Kelsey and
John Sanford. Has the LORD ever appeared to you in a dream?
3:6 Is
this genuine thanks or just a piece of public relations?
3:7 how
old was Solomon when he experienced this dream? What does Solomon mean when he
says that he does not know how to go out or come in?
3:8 This
seems to say more about the people than about the LORD or Solomon.
3:9 Wasn’t
the sin of Adam and Eve that they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil? What separates Solomon’s request
from their action?
3:10 Was
pleasing the LORD perhaps Solomon’s intent?
3:11 How
might this inform our prayers?
3:12 I am
reminded of the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion in the Wizard of Oz. The Great Oz did not give then what they did
not already have. Solomon, in making his
request, had already demonstrated that he possessed a wise and discerning
mind. I also think Socrates would have
approved.
3:13 God
gives Solomon riches and honor. Could some reverse psychology, or rather “theochology”
have been behind Solomon’s request.
3:14 It
seems Solomon must earn long life.
111:1
Alleluia. But could dis even fulfill
good, holy, instructional, jovial, kaleidoscopic, language? Note that this psalm
is an acrostic and therefore the acrostic forms somewhat limits the word choice
available to the psalmist.
111:2 Can
you list, in alphabetical order, or course, the works of the LORD?
111:3 It
seems God’s work reflects God’s attributes.
111:4 Is
this less true in a secular world?
111:5 What
is the meaning of “fear”?
111:6 What
is the heritage of the nations?
111:7 Must
the Psalmist anthropomorphize God?
111:8 What
are to be performed?
111:9 Is
the name of the LORD so awesome and Holy that we cannot even attempt to
pronounce it?
111:10 Consider
again 111:5. What does it mean to fear the LORD? If the fear of the LORD is the
beginning of wisdom, what is wisdom’s end?
Those who practice “fear of the LORD” or those who practice “wisdom”
have a good understanding?
5:15 Apparently
wisdom is the theme of the day. Consider
again 1 Kings 3:12. How do the wise and the unwise live differently?
5:16 Are
our days, our age and time, evil?
5:17 Is
foolishness the opposite of, or the absence of, wisdom? Is understanding the will of the Lord the
same as wisdom?
5:18 Is it
ok to get drunk with something other than wine?
How is being filled with the Holy Spirit like being drunk with wine?
5:19 What
are the differences among psalms, hymns and spiritual songs? Is this just a literary device?
5:20 How
can we give thanks “at all times”?
6:51 How
many of Jesus’ “I am” sayings have we read in the Fourth Gospel before
now? What is the difference between
living bread and au bon pain or le pain quotidian? What other bread came down from heaven?
6:52 The million
dollar question! Are Christians any better than the Jews as we wrestle with
what Jesus meant?
6:53 How
did Jesus segue from just bread to bread and blood? How shall we read this in light of the fact
that there is no Last Supper in John’s Gospel? Rather than offering us a last
supper, this Gospel offers us Eucharistic imagery and theology.
6:54 Not
“will” have eternal life but “have” eternal life. Nevertheless, they will not be raised up
until the last day.
6:55 Thank
God they are not false food and false drink. What would false drink and false
food look and taste like?
6:57 Why
“living Father” and not just Father?
6:58 What
bread did our ancestors eat and then die? What does it mean to live
forever?
6:51-58 Is
it even possible to read these verses without reading them through the lenses
of a sacramental and Eucharistic hermeneutic?
How might we understand them differently if we approached them with a
tabula rasa heuristics? I am inclined to
read them as mystical, almost Gnostic verses filled with multivalent
meaning. This is perhaps the author of
the Fourth Gospel at his or her best.
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.
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