Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 is a further revision and refinement
of my Lectionary Ruminations and Lectionary
Ruminations 2.0. Focusing on The Revised Common Lectionary Readings
for the upcoming Sunday from New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 draws on over thirty years of pastoral
experience. Believing that the questions we ask are often more important
than any answers we find, without over reliance on commentaries, I intend with
sometimes pointed and sometimes snarky comments and Socratic like questions, to
encourage reflection and rumination for readers preparing to lead a Bible
study, draft liturgy, preach, or hear the Word. Reader comments are invited and
encouraged.
ACTS 2:14a, 22-32
2:14a Whom is Peter
addressing?
2:22 Are “deeds of power”,
“wonders” and “signs” synonyms?
2:23 This does not sound
like the same Peter portrayed in the Gospels. “Definite plan and
foreknowledge” sounds a little like predestination. Who were outside
the law?
2:24 Death might not have
been able to hold Jesus indefinitely but apparently it had him for a while,
otherwise he could not have been freed. Note that according to Peter, God
raised Jesus. Jesus did not raise himself.
2:25-28 Where does David say
this? Was David really talking about Jesus? How would you grade
Peter’s interpretation of David’s words?
2:29 What argument is Peter
making?
2:30 And God did this in the
person of Solomon.
2:31 see my comments for
2:25-28.
2:32 Is Peter trying to show
that the resurrection of Jesus fulfills prophecy or that the Scriptures
foretold his resurrection? What is the difference and does it
matter?
PSALM 16
16:1 How might the
contemporary United States National Wildlife Refuge system help us understand
this passage?
16:2 As you read this
passage, watch for the transitions between direct address and narrative. Why does
the Psalmist seem to alternate between direct address to God and speaking of
God in the third person?
16:3 Who are “the holy ones
in the land?”
16:4 Whom is being referred
to?
16:5 What is a chosen
portion?
16:6 What boundary lines is
the psalmist referring to? I find this an interesting verse in light of the
recent political history of the Middle East, especially regarding borders.
16:7 How does the heart
instruct during the night? Might this be a reference to dreams?
16:8 Reference is usually
made to the LORD’s right hand, not a human’s. This verse almost make the LORD
sound like an talisman. How do, or can we, keep the LORD always before us?
16:9 With heart, soul, and
body, is there more going on here than typical Hebrew poetry?
16:10 What is the “Pit” being
referred to and why is it capitalized in the NRSV? Are Sheol and the Pit the
same thing/place?
16:11 What is the path of
life? What pleasures might the psalmist have in mind?
1 PETER 1:3-9
1:3 New birth through
resurrection from the dead!
1:4 Is this “imperishable,
undefiled, and unfading” inheritance being implicitly compared to any other
inheritance?
1:5 What does this verse
say about Peter’s eschatology?
1:6 What trials might Peter
be referring to?
1:7 Is Peter suggesting
that faith, like Gold, needs to be purified by fire?
1:8 Is this verse evidence
that Peter is writing to perhaps second generation or even later Christians, or
at least Christians who did not know Jesus before his ascension?
1:9 Should we make anything
of the tense of “are receiving”?
JOHN 20:19-31
20:19 This reading might be
for the First Sunday After Easter, but the narrative is from the events of
Easter day. Why were the disciples afraid of the Jews? What is the significance
of Jesus’ words “Peace be with you.”?
20:20 Did the disciples not
recognize Jesus until after he showed them his wounds?
20:21 Why might Jesus have
repeated what he said? Where was Jesus sending the disciples?
20:22 Did the disciples
receive the Holy Spirit? If so, was it Jesus words or his breathing
on them, or both, that allowed them to receive it?
20:23 To whom was Jesus
speaking? How shall we Protestants deal with this verse?
20:24 Why was Thomas called
the Twin? Why might Thomas have not been there? Where might he have
been?
20:25 Would Thomas have said
this if it were not for what is described in 20:20? In this Gospel’s scheme of
things, whom might Thomas represent?
20:26 Now we are dealing with
events on the same schedule as we are, a week after Easter. Did the
disciples make it a habit to gather in the same place on a weekly basis? This
time the doors are shut but not necessarily locked. How many times
have we now heard “Peace be with you.”? Had Jesus not appeared to anyone during
the time between these two appearances?
20:27 Was Jesus inviting or
commanding Thomas to touch his wounds? Does
Thomas do so? Was Jesus inviting Thomas to believe or commanding him
to believe? Was seeing Jesus’ wounds, and being invited to touch them enough to
ignite Thomas’ belief?
20:28 Can we categorize
Thomas’s reaction as a statement of faith?
20:29 Whom is this verse
referring to when it speaks of “those who have not seen and yet come to
believe”?
20:30 I wonder what “other
signs” are being thought of. I think there is a novel or two waiting
to be inspired by this verse. Perhaps Dan Brown will take up the
challenge, writing “The Other Signs of Jesus”. I find it interesting that this
Gospel refers to itself as a “book”.
20:31 Who is the “you” being
addressed?
ADDENDUM
I am
a Minister Member of Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) and am serving as the Interim Pastor of the Richmond United
Presbyterian Church, Richmond, Ohio. Sunday Worship at Richmond begins at 11:00
AM. Some of my other blog posts have appeared on PRESBYTERIAN BLOGGERS and The
Trek.
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