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
3:1 Why does Naomi refer to
Ruth, her daughter-in-law, as her daughter? What type of security does Naomi
have in mind? What is Ruth’s ethnicity?
3:2 Does it matter that Boaz
would be a kinsman by marriage and not by blood? How is Boaz related to Naomi? Who
were his young women and what sort of work were they doing?
3:3 What sort of anointing
might Naomi had in mind? What did Naomi
mean when she told Ruth not to make herself known? Is there anything
significant, or symbolic, about “the threshing floor”?
3:4 I think Ruth uncovered
more than, or something else than, his feet.
Could this verse be employing a euphemism? Is this a PG-13 Scripture?
4:13 What is the meaning of
“took”? The LORD “made” her conceive?
4:14 What women?
4:15 Whom is this verse
about?
4:16 The grandmother nurses
her grandson?
4:17 Why would the women
say “a son has been born to Naomi” when it was really her grandson, born to
Ruth? What is significant about this
lineage? Might this verse inform and influence our views on immigration?
127:1 Does the Psalmist
have any particular house, or any particular city in mind? Juxtapose tis verse
with Hebrews 9:24. I think Socrates and Aristotle had some things to say about
foundations of houses. Our strength is not in the war horse or chariot but in
our values.
127:2 This seems opposite
of our workaholic culture. Benjamin Franklin reportedly said “Early to bed,
early to rise, makes one healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
127:3 Does this verse
justify pairing this Psalm with the reading from Ruth?
127:4-5 What do you make of
this simile? Personally, I do not like the militaristic imagery but It probably
made a lot of sense at the time. Why would someone speak with their enemies in
the gate?
9:24 Is this a reference to
the Jerusalem temple? Juxtapose this verse with Psalm 127:1. Did Jews think of
the Jerusalem Temple as a copy of a heavenly temple?
9:25 The high priest did
not offer himself but rather sacrificed animals. Does this verse have any
bearing on our understanding of the Eucharist?
9:26 Since Priests do not
sacrifice themselves; does this analogy break down in the final analysis?
9:26-27 Can you follow the
argument in these two verses? I wish more had been said.
12:38 Whom is Jesus
teaching? What do you know about the
scribes?
12:39 Where were the best
seats in a synagogue? Where are the best suits in a Christian sanctuary?
12:40 How were scribes
devouring widow’s houses? When does a prayer become long? Is there a difference
between “saying” a prayer and “praying” a prayer?
12:41 Where in the temple
was the treasury? Do you think there were seats opposite it or would Jesus have
been sitting on the floor?
12:42 These are very common
coins, still available from collectors.
With the rate of inflation, what would be their worth today? What is the
significance of the woman being poor and being a widow?
12:43 Where were the
disciples that Jesus had to call them?
12:44 The widow may have
demonstrated faith, but was she practicing good stewardship? How that this
verse been abused by religious charlatans and hucksters?
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. 
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