Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time / Proper 14 (Year A)

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.

PREFACE: I have adopted a more ecumenical enumeration of the Liturgical Day, using “Ordinary Time” and “Proper” designations rather than “After Pentecost”  as in the Presbyterian Planning Calendar because the date of Pentecost changes from year to year. This change will help users more easily find what they are looking for.

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

37:1 Why are Jacob’s grandfather Abraham not mentioned? Why is Isaac not named? Were not both Jacob’s father and grandfather aliens? Is Jacob no longer an alien?

37:2 Here we have the beginning of the Joseph narrative’ almost as if a separate narrative has been spliced on.  Is there anything significant about Joseph being seventeen years old?  Why are Bilhah and Zilpah referred to a “His father’s wives” rather than maids or servants? Who were Bilhah and Zilpah’s sons? Is Joseph a tattletale or snitch?

37:3-4 Note that in 37:1 Joseph’s father is referred to as “Jacob” but here he is referred to as “Israel.” Is there any symbolic significance to a long robe with sleeves? This is beginning to read like the story of yet another dysfunctional family.

37:12 What do we know about Shechem?

37:13 What usually happens when people respond “Here I am?”  Are there any other instances in Scripture were a person responds to another human (rather than to God) “Here I am?”

37:14 What sort of “word” might Jacob have been expecting or wanting Joseph to bring back? What do we know about the valley of Hebron?

37:15 Why is Joseph in Shechem when his father sent him to the valley of Hebron?  Was Joseph wandering in the fields because he was lost? Do you think this was an ordinary “man?”

37:16 Would you expect a stranger to know the whereabouts of Joseph’s brothers?

37:17 What do we know about Dothan?

37:18 Note to self: play ominous music here!

37:19 Why do his brothers refer to Joseph as “this dreamer?”

37:20 A conspiracy is hatched. What other dreamers have people tried to kill? How might this verse shed light on Psalms that speak of being rescued from the pit?

37:21 What might have been Reuben’s motive for saving his brother?

37:22 How do we know what was Reuben was thinking?

37:23 I wonder what Joseph’s brothers did with his robe.

37:24 What is the meaning and significance of the fact that the pit was empty with no water in it?  What was this pit for?

37:25 Who are the Ishmaelites?  What do we know about Gilead? What purpose do the Ishmaelites serve?

37:26 Is Judah concerned only about making money from their bother’s demise? What prefiguration might be intended?

37:27 Might Reuben have influenced Judah? Had Judah foiled Reuben’s plan?

37:28 Who drew Joseph up out of the pit, his brothers or the Midianite traders?  What is the difference between Midianites and Ishmaelites?  Is there any symbolic significance to the twenty pieces of silver? You might recall that Jesus was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver. Maybe the difference between twenty and thirty was due to inflation.

PSALM 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b

105:1 In the NRSV, “LORD” is all upper case.  Therefore, what would be the “name” to call on?  What are the LORD’s deeds? Who are the peoples?

105:2 Are Hymns in worship sung “about” God or “to” God? Are the LORD’s wonderful works the same as the LORD’s deeds?

105:3 How does one “Glory in” the LORD’s name when the LORD’s name is not pronounced?

105:4 How can we continuously seek God’s presence? Is the LORD not always with us?

105:5 Are both “miracles” and “judgments” among the LORD’s works in 105:2? What judgments has the LORD uttered?

105:6 Why is Isaac not mentioned?

105:16-22 Is this why this psalm is paired with the First Reading.

105:45b How often do we end up praising the LORD for something we at first thought was a curse or calamity?

ROMANS 10:5-15

10:5 From what does Paul quote?

10:6-7 Is Paul quoting or composing? How would ascending into heaven be the same as bringing Christ down?

10:8 What is Paul quoting?

10:9 So public confession as well as an interior faith are essential?  What if there is only one but not the other?

10:10 What is the relationship between justification and salvation, confession and faith?

10:11 What Scripture is being quoted?

10:12 Who was wanting to make a distinction between Jew and Greek?

10:13 What does it mean to call on the name of the Lord? What is Paul quoting?

10:14 Is this nothing more than the old “Can someone who has never heard of Christ be saved?” question? Later Christians would baptize Plato and Aristotle as proto-Christians.

10:15 Must one be sent in order to proclaim?

10:15 Should all candidates for the ministry of proclamation have their feet examined?  It is no wonder Paul was once confused with Hermes.

MATTHEW 14:22-33

14:22 I am always surprised when I read “Immediately” in a Gospel other than Mark.  Other side of what? Why might Jesus have sent the disciples off without him?

14:23 Here we have a “Summit to Shore” narrative!  Thanks, Matt! If Jesus went up to the mountain alone, why are we told he was alone when evening came? Some of us go to the Mountains not because they are there but to find peace and solitude. Summits, like shoes, are liminal places.

14:24 Meanwhile, back on the boat . . . remember the disciples on the boat?

14:25 So the disciples spent the entire night on a boat battered about by winds on the open water?

14:26 Why were the disciples terrified? Did the disciples think they were seeing any old ghost or the ghost of Jesus?

14:27 Here we have yet another “immediately.”  Is this the heart of the passage? Where else have we already heard – or will later hear – “do not be afraid?”

14:28 If? IF?  Did Peter not know or was he not sure?  Why did Peter need to be commanded?

14:29 Was Jesus issuing a command or giving permission? Are we, and when are we, similarly bidden by Jesus to “come?”

14:30 How could Peter not have noticed the strong wind before he left the boat? I cannot help but read this as a metaphor. Does it make any difference that it was the wind and not the waves that frightened Peter?

14:31 As a former American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor, I think Jesus should have remembered “Throw, Row, Tow, Then Go!”  Was Peter’s faith really “little”?  After all, none of the other disciples set out to walk on the water, except Peter!  What was it Peter doubted? What is the relationship between faith and doubt? Is little faith better than no faith or can little faith be a dangerous thing?

14:32 Why might the wind have ceased when Jesus and Peter got into the boat?

14:33 What convinced these disciples that Jesus was the Son of God – that he walked on water?  That he “saved” Peter?  That the wind stopped when Jesus and Peter climbed into the boat? What has it taken – or what will it take – to convince you that Jesus is truly the Son of God?

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.

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time / Proper 13 (Year A)

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.

Genesis 32:22-31

32:22 Much has transpired in Jacob’s story since last week’s Reading.  How can we help people keep up and catch up between lectio-continua Lectionary Readings when so much transpires between Readings?  Is there any significance to the fact that we all told it was the same night? Where is the Jabok?

32:22-24 Why would Jacob send everyone else, along with his possessions, across the Jabbok but stay behind and alone?

32:24 Who, or what, might this “man” be?

32:25 Is this the first Biblical documentation of a sports injury? What is the meaning, symbolism, and significance of this injury?

32:26 What might be the significance of daybreak?  What sort of blessing might Jacob be asking for? What sort of beings can offer a blessing?

32:27 Why might the “man” want to know Jacob’s name?  Is it all surprising that Jacob divulges his name?

32:28 What is going on here?  How can this “man” change Jacob’s name?  What does it mean that Jacob has “striven with God and with humans and have prevailed.?” Who were the humans Jacob strove with and when did he prevail?  When did Jacob strive with God and prevail?

32:29 Why might Jacob want to know the “man’s” name and why does the “man” not divulge it?

32:30 I thought Jacob was wrestling with a “man.” Was this “man” really God?  It was a good thing Jacob wrestled with God during the night, thereby not being able to see God’s face, otherwise he might not have lived, or maybe he would have.  Does the concept of the Dark Night of the Soul in any way help us interpret this passage?

32:31 Did the preceding events occur in normal time and space or in a dream/vision?  As Dumbledore once said to Harry Potter, “Just because something takes place in your head does not mean it is not real”. I cannot help but read this account from a Jungian perspective, reading this as a mythopoeic account meant to explain more than we might know about Jacob and his descendants’ special place in salvation history, or even as an archetypal account meant to shed light on our own internal spiritual struggles.

PSALM 17:1-7

17:1 This Psalmist sounds like a lawyer pleading a case.  Does anyone really have lips free of deceit?

17:2 How does the LORD vindicate?  Doe God not see everything?

17:3 Does the “if you visit me by night” phrase justify pairing this Psalm with the First reading?  How does God try the heart?  How does God visit us by night?  How does God test us?

17:4 What does “by the word of your lips” mean and refer to?

17:5 What are the LORD’s paths?  Note that “paths” is plural!

17:6 This reads like a call to prayer.

            One: We call upon you, O LORD.

            All:   You will answer us, O God.

            One:  Incline you’re your ear to us.

            All:   Hear our prayers.

17:7 How does God wondrously show steadfast love?

17:15 What happens when one beholds the face of God? Is the “when I awake” phrase another reason to pair this Psalm with the Genesis 32:22-31 Reading? This Psalm, paired with the First Reading, could easily provide the textual basis for a sermon on Biblical dreams and the spiritual discipline of keeping a dream journal and interpreting one’s dreams.  If you are not familiar with the Spiritual discipline of dream interpretation see any number of writings by Morton Kelsey or John Sanford. While it is more about the Psychology of Transformation than dream interpretation, see especially Sanford’s The Man Who Wrestled With God.

ROMANS 9:1-5

9:1 I think Paul might doth protest too much.  Who would have accused Paul of lying?

9:2 What is the source of Paul’s strong emotions?

9:3 Could there be a pun in this passage?

9:4-5 What a list: adoption, glory, covenants (plural), giving of the law, worship, promises, patriarchs (no matriarchs?), Messiah! Paul seems to be defending his concern for his Jewish community and affirming his heritage

MATTHEW 14:13-21

14:13 What did Jesus hear?  What can we learn from Jesus withdrawing in a boat to a deserted place?  From experience I know that kayaking and sailing can be like a retreat and spiritual experience.  Note that “crowds” and “towns” are both plural.

14:14 Does Christ’s compassion always lead to him curing the sick?

14:15 Do the disciples express a totally utilitarian concern? Is there more to the expression “This is a deserted place” than meets the eye?

14:16 What is the meaning of this?

14:17 What do you make of the numbers “five” and “two” not to mention “five loaves” and “two fish”?  What can churches hoarding and guarding their invested resources and endowments learn from this?
14:18 Where did the disciples get the five loaves and two fish?

14:19 “He ordered” sounds like strong language. I would much prefer “He invited” but we get the language we get.  What does the “blessed and broke” language remind you of?

14:20 What do you make of there being twelve baskets of leftovers after the crowds shared just five loaves of bread and two fish? Is there any symbolic significance to the number twelve?

14:21 As usual, only the men count!  Women and children are just accouterments.  This crowed could easily have numbered about fifteen thousand or twenty thousand.

14:13-21One of the favorite places I visited in the Holy Land was Tabgha. If you are not familiar with Tabgha I suggest that you Google and read about it, being sure to look at the images of its famous mosaic.

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.

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time / Proper 12 (Year A)

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.

PREFACE: I am returning to the more ecumenical enumeration of the Liturgical Day, using “Ordinary Time” and “Proper” designations rather than “After Pentecost” because the date of Pentecost changes from year to year and I think the change will help users more easily find what they are looking for.

Genesis 29:15-28

29:15 It must be nice to be able to set one’s own wages.

29:16 I find it interesting that we have a story involving two daughters (not twins) in the midst of a story about two brothers (twins)!

29:17 I think “lovely” is the preferable translation.  Could the description of Leah and Rachel be seen at all as sexist or demeaning of women?

29:18 I wonder if it was love or lust.  Is there any significance to the number seven?

29:19 Is this the meaning of the question “Who gives this women to be married?”

29:20 Tempus fugit?

29:21 Biblical euphemisms for sexual intercourse can sound so . . . . biologically crude.

29:22 A wedding feast?

29:23 It is ironic that the trickster has been tricked. How could Jacob not have known? Is this a Biblical example of the principle that what goes around comes around?

29:24 Was Zilpah a dowry?

29:25 Is anyone else feeling like “serves him right?”

29:26 T-R-A-D-I-T-I-O-N!

29:27 What is “the week?”  Why does Laban say “we” will give? Who is the we?

29:28 In the end, Jacob got what he wanted, and more so.

PSALM 105:1-11, 45b

105:1 How does one call on the name of the LORD when the LORD’s name is not pronounced?

105:2 What are the LORD’s wonderful works?

105:3 What about the hearts of those who do not seek the LORD?

105:4 Who do we seek the LORD’s presence?

105:5 See 105:2. What judgments has the LORD uttered?

105:6 Why is Isaac not mentioned? Why are Sarah, Leah and Rachel not mentioned?

105:7 What does it mean that the LORD’s judgements are in all the earth?

105:8 The pairing of Jacob and Rachel can be seen as partial fulfillment of God’s Covenant. Is a thousand generations meant as figurative language or an actual number?

105:9 See 105:6. Isaac is finally mentioned but the women/mothers are not?  Can the reader supply their names and still be faithful to the text?

105:10 What is a statute and how is it related to a covenant?

105:11 And the world is still dealing with the repercussions of this.

105:45b Why do so many Psalms end with this phrase?

PSALM 128

128:1 What is the meaning of “fear”?  What does it mean to “walk in God’s ways”? Why would you choose this optional Psalm rather than Psalm 105:1-11, 45b?

128:2 In light of today’s First Reading, are Leah and Rachel the fruit of the labor of Jacob’s hands? Does that mean Leah and Rachel are property?

128:3 Is this why this Alternate Psalm was chosen to be paired with the First Reading?

128:4 Is the woman not also blessed?

128:5 A nice blessing/benediction for a citizen or inhabitant of Jerusalem, but what about Christians in an American church?

128:6 As someone might say: “let me show you pictures of my grandchildren!”? Let us pray and work for peace in the Middle East.

ROMANS 8:26-39

8:26 We do not know how to pray as we ought.  That is why the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.  That is why Ministers of the Word and Sacrament and Christian Educators ought to be educated in the school of prayer and prepared to teach others how to pray.  Yes, that was me standing on my soap box.  My D. Min. project at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (2004) was GUIDANCE IN AND EXPERIENCE OF LITURGICAL PRAYER AS AN ELEMENT OF PERSONAL AND COMMUNAL WORSHIP IN THE REFORMED TRADITION. I also have quite a bit of experience with Contemplative/Centering Prayer.  Feel free to contact me if you would like to schedule me to lead a workshop or retreat on prayer for your church or spiritual community.

8:27 How does the Spirit intercede for us?

8:28 Do we really know this?

8:29 There is that Presbyterian word “Predestined!”  What do you make of it? Can we tie this “large family” to Psalm 128:3?

8:30 And there is that other good Presbyterian word “called”!  What do you make of this progression: Predestined → called → justified → glorified?

8:31 This is one of my favorite verses.  Does the second question answer the first?  Is the second question rhetorical or does it assume the answer “No one?”

8:32 Is this another rhetorical question?

8:33 Are charges and justification antithetical?

8:34 Would who condemns us also intercede on our behalf? In verse 26, Paul writes that the Spirit intercedes for us.  Now he writes that Christ Jesus intercedes for us.  Can Paul not make up his mind, or was he just not being careful?  Why would he intentionally say both?

8:33-34 Interesting verses to someday juxtapose with the Rules of Discipline in the Book of Order.

8:35 Paul asks “Who” but answers with a list of “things.”  This reads like a “Vince Lombardy before the big game in the locker room” sort of speech.

8:36 Oh well, there goes the momentum of 8:35. What sheep are slaughtered?  Where is this written?

8:37 Hold on. Maybe Paul will pull out a great one liner.

8:38-39 Paul, can I quote you on that?  Is there any thing missing from this list?  I wish Paul had said “. . . nor things past, nor things present, nor things to come”.

8:39 Is there anything not in creation?

MATTHEW 13:31-33, 44-52

13:31 How many parable did Jesus put before them in Matthew?  Are all parables in Matthew about the kingdom of heaven?  What do you know about mustard seeds?

13:32 Is the mustard plant really the greatest of shrubs and does it eventually become a tree?

13:33 What do you know about yeast? What is yeast? Is there any significance to the 1:3 ratio?

13:44 Mustard seeds and yeast are natural and organic.  A treasure is not.

13:45-46 Here we have another item of value, but at least it is organic. Would this be a shrewd investment?

13:47 Something smells fishy. What do you make of “every kind?”

13:48 Do you thin the bad might have been thrown back into the water (rather than into the unquenchable fire)?

13:49 We have moved from “kingdom parables” to apocalyptic prognostications. What and when is the end of the age? How does it feel to be compared to fish?

13:50 Where have we heard this imagery before? How shall moderns and post-moderns deal with such imagery?

13:51 This is a good question. I would love to ask this question after every sermon.  Unfortunately this is a bad answer because it was not true.  These people need to learn a lesson in wisdom from Socrates.

13:52 An entire sermon could probably be preached – and an entire hour of education could probably be developed – around this single verse.  Who are the scribes? What is our treasure?  What among our treasure is new?  What among our treasure is old?  What among our treasure is valuable and what is junk? Can treasure also be junk?  Is anyone else thinking of Phyllis Tickle’s The Great Emergence?

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.

Review of the BV450 Bear Vault

 I backpacked in Shenandoah National Park with a Garcia Machines Model 812 Backpackers Cache – Bear Canister in my pack and backpacked on Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail with a BV450 Solo Bear Vault in my pack. In addition, I have also camped in West Virginia’s Monongahela National forest two or three times and used the BV450. While both products probably perform as advertised, neither has been disturbed by a bear while I was using them; therefore I cannot vouch for their effectiveness against ursine activity. Nevertheless, I prefer the BV450.

The BV450 in the outdoor kitchen

I often backpack alone for short trips of just a few days and nights so I prefer the smaller BV450 Solo Bear Vault over the Backpackers Cache – Bear Canister.  The BV40 weighs in at two pounds and one ounce while the Backpackers Cache is a little heaver at two pounds and twelve ounces. Yes, the Cache offers 615 cubic inches of storage space, but the BV450’s 440 cubic inches of storage space is all I need for three or four days on the trail. The larger BV500 offers 700 cubic inches and at two pounds nine ounces still weighs less than the Cache, but I have never carried one.

The BV450 and BV500 as well as the Cache can all do double duty as a camp stool, and I have used the BV450 that way. The reason I really like the BV450 is because it is translucent, and I can see what is inside; making it easier to find what I am looking for. I cannot see what is inside the dark interior of the Cache except through the opening which is smaller than the opening of the BV450.

On a recent longer trip, I carried more food than would fit in the BV450, so I also hung a bear bag the first couple of nights. After a couple of days, however, all my food and trash fit inside the container. Eventually I also started adding not only personal hygiene items that might attract bears but also smaller personal items that might otherwise drop to the bottom of my pack.  By the end of my trip, almost all my smaller items were stored in the BV450.

The BV450 as a catch basin

More than once I have emptied the BV450 of all contents and used it as a water container. When camping at campsites with a water pump where the water was not potable, I used the BV450 to collect the water I pumped and then used my filter to pump and filter water from the vault into my bladder and Nalgene bottle. I also used the BV450 to wash and rinse soiled clothes in.

I modified my BV450 by attaching light reflecting tape all along the edge of the lid and around the top of the canister so that I can check on it at night and hopefully more easily find it if a bear were ever to punch it about or knock it down a slope.

I pack the BV450 near the top of my pack so that I can easily get things out of it while I am on the trail. When I have stopped for lunch, I have used the lid to hold small items I am using and to keep food off the ground.

If I could use the BV450 only as a bear canister, I might find it hard to justify the weight, but I have used in so many other ways that I think the weight justifies carrying it.

This post originally appeared on The Trek.

        

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time / Proper 11 (Year A)

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.

GENESIS 28:10-19a

28:10 Is there anything special or significant about these travel plans, about Beer-sheba, or about Haran?

28:11 Why is the “certain place” not named? Stones, sometimes carved, were used as pillows in many ancient cultures. What do you know about “The Stone of Destiny” or “Stone of Scone?”  Could this be an example of “dream incubation?"

28:12 Is there any symbolic relationship between the Tower of Babel and Jacob’s ladder?  Do Angels really need a ladder to travel between earth and heaven? How might a Freudian or Jungian be inclined to interpret this dream? Why am I thinking of Led Zeppelin?

28:13 If Angels were ascending and descending via the ladder, how did the LORD end up standing beside Jacob?  Why are Sarah and Rebekah not mentioned along with Abraham and Isaac?

28:14 Why does this sound familiar? Is “dust of the earth” a play on words or perhaps an allusion to another biblical narrative? Note the four cardinal directions.

28:15 Where have we heard this before?  What if the Lord does not keep this promise? Does this verse suggest that the LORD might leave Jacob after the promise is fulfilled?

28:16 How could Jacob not have known the LORD was in that place? What do you know about Celtic thin places like Iona and Lidesfarne?  Is it not true that God is in every place? Where might God be in our world—and in our lives—yet we do not know it?

28:17 When was the last time you or anyone else walked into the sanctuary or any other part of a church building and exclaimed “How awesome is this place?”  Why do some places and not others suggest transcendence?  How is fear related to awesomeness?

28:18 What is the meaning and significance of this action?  Is this an example of raising an Ebenezer?  What might this story suggest about ancient obelisks, Celtic Crosses, or modern day Peace Poles?

28:19a What is the literal meaning of “Bethel”?

PSALM 139:1-12, 23-24

139:1 It sounds like God is carrying out the function of the TSA.

139:2 I can understand God wanting to know our thoughts, but our sitting and rising?

139:3 How many ways do we have?

139:4 What might this verse teach us about prayer?

139:5 What is the meaning of this verse?  Is it a good thing or a bad thing to be hemmed in?

139:6 From a Socratic perspective, this Psalmist was very wise.

139:1-6 It appears as though God knows us better than we know ourselves.

139:7 Are these rhetorical questions?  What is the expected answer?

139:8 How might one “ascend” to heaven or “descend” to Sheol? What and where is “Sheol”?

139:9 What are the wings of the morning?

139:10 Proof positive that God is right handed and therefore all right handed people are created in the image of God and all left-handed people are evil – or maybe not.

139:11-12 So whether it is day or night makes no difference to God? How might these verses inform our understanding of Psalm 23?

139:23 Are you ready and willing to invite God to search you and know you in this way?

139:24 If God has searched us and already knows our sin better than we do, then why do we still confess our sin? 

ROMANS 8:12-25

8:12 If we are debtors, but not debtors to the flesh, what are we debtors to?

8:13 What does it mean to put to death the deeds of the body? What are the deeds of the body?

8:14 How does the Spirit of God lead us? Is being led by the Spirit of God the meaning of adoption?

8:15 What fear is Paul taking about?

8:16 What is the relation of the Spirit of God and our spirits?

8:17 Are we joint heirs only if we suffer with Christ? How might we suffer with Christ?

8:14-17 What is Paul contrasting when he contrasts “a spirit of slavery” with “a spirit of adoption”?  Do Americans read and hear this differently due of our own nation’s sordid history of involuntary servitude?  When do we cry “Abba! Father!?”  Considering Paul’s previous use of “debts” and his use here of “inheritance” he seems to be focused on financial terminology, images, and metaphors.

8:18 But the sufferings of the present time are still sufferings. What sufferings was Paul referring to?  What is the meaning of “this present time”? What would Marx say about this passage?

8:19 What does Paul mean by creation?

8:20 The creation has a will?

8:21 Without decay, ecological cycles will cease.

8:19-21 The creation, not just humans, BUT THE CREATION, waits. From a theological and ecological perspective, can Global Climate Change be viewed not only as a result of sin, but a symptom of sin?  If so, would there be a temptation to throw up our hands and say “There is nothing we can do about Global Climate Change?  It is up to God to redeem the situation?”

8:22 How might this passage inform our understanding of “mother earth” and Gaia?

8:23 What are the first fruits of the Spirit? If we are waiting for adoption then we are not yet adopted.

8:24 I hope for many things I can see.  I can see them, but they are realistically out of my reach.

8:25 I also hope for things I do not see. What “seen” and “unseen” things might Paul have had in mind?

MATTHEW 13:24-30, 36-43

13:24 It seems we have another kingdom parable involving seeds, this time good seeds.

13:25 Weeds, salt, or Agent Orange—what does it matter?  What does Just War theory say about such a practice?

13:26 Now you know how all those weeds ended up in your garden!  It is no coincidence that species of plants that are not native to an area are referred to as “invasive species?”

13:27 Not more slavery language—gag me! Do weeds not occur naturally?

13:28 How did the householder know that the weeds had been sown by an enemy?

13:29 The workers are presented with an agricultural, or rather an ethical, dilemma.

13:30 I am hearing overtones of the hymn “Harvest Home” and we are still months away from Thanksgiving. Why would it be easier to separate the weeds from the wheat at the harvest rather than doing so earlier?

13:36 Who left the crowds and went into a house? What house?  Whose house? Once parables are explained, are they still parables? Must parable have an explanation or only one explanation?

13:37 Who is the Son of Man?

13:38 The field is the world, not the church.  Does that mean there are no weeds growing in any churches?  Are you reading this in light of Romans 8:12-25? Who is the evil one? With all this talk about weeds, is anyone getting the munchies? How did marijuana become known as “weed?”

13:39 Is the Devil the same as the evil one? Shall we make any connection to the angels of this parable with the angels of Jacob’s dream?  Why do Presbyterians not talk much about angels?

13:40 Why are weeds burned?

13:41 Are evildoers the same as weeds?

13:42 Why throw them into the furnace of fire?

13:37-42 How do these apocalyptic verses inform the popular image of hell?

13:43 This is a truly Semitic rather than a classical Greek metaphor.  Would it make a difference if Jesus said “Let everyone with eyes see”?

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.