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.
DEUTERONOMY 34:1-12
34:1-3 Why all the geographical references?
Do we know today where all these places are?
34:4 Once again, the women are not
mentioned. Why would God allow Moses to see this land, even show him this land,
if he were not going to be allowed to enter it?
34:5 Did Moses die on Mount Nebo or on
the plains of Moab?
34:6 We know the vicinity of where he was
buried but not the actual place. Why not?
34:7 Is there any sexual connotation
here?
34:8 Why mourn thirty days?
34:9 Was Joshua ordained by Moses?
What is so special about the laying on of hands? Why? What do you know about
Reiki and body work?
34:10 It was true then but is it still
true today? The LORD may have known Moses face to face but did Moses know the
LORD face to face?
34:11 What signs and wonders?
34:12 What mighty deeds and terrifying
displays of power? Is this verse simply reiterating the preceding verse for
emphasis and linguistic effect?
PSALM 90:1-6, 13-17
90:1 How can the Lord be a dwelling
place? What does it mean to dwell in the Lord?
90:2 God was God even before the big
bang.
90:3 Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, or in
a more modern cosmology, ashes to ashes, star-dust to star-dust.
90:4 I know this is metaphor, but do the
metaphorical math. 1000years = 1 day. What is a watch in the night? What
might Einstein say about this verse?
90:5 What does “them” refer to, to
mortals or to 1000 years? How are dreams like grass renewed in the morning?
90:6 Is this a comment about the human
lifespan?
90:13 Is the Psalmist asking the LORD to
repent?
90:14 I think this verses harkens back to
90:5b. As the grass is renewed in the morning, God’s steadfast love
renews us daily.
90:15 How many days has the Psalmist’s
community been afflicted? How many years have they seen evil?
90:16 Is the Psalmist asking the LORD to
show some results?
90:17 What work?
90:1-6,13-17 Does this psalm reflect the
pre-Exodus or post-Exodus period? God is timeless but we are not. May our
labor, our work, not be in vain.
1 THESSALONIANS 2:1-8
2:1 Were some claiming that it was in vain?
2:2 Shame on those Philippians. What was the nature of the
great opposition? What do we do with this “gospel of God” when we usually use
the terminology “Gospel of Jesus Christ”?
2:3 Were some claiming that Paul and his companions were
engaging in deceit, impure motives, or trickery? Are any contemporary religious
leaders similarly accused, true or falsely?
2:4 Is this a biblical warrant for being faithful over being
popular or successful?
2:5 I am hearing a refrain. “As you know” here and “You
yourselves know” in 2:1
2:6 What religious leader does not occasionally appreciate
praise, especially during Clergy Appreciation Month?
2:7 What sort of demands? What might the imagery of a
“nurse tenderly caring for her own children” suggest?
2:8 How does Paul and his colleagues share their own selves?
MATTHEW 22:34-46
22:34 Is the Gospel writer playing on some
rivalry here? What is the difference between Pharisees and Sadducees?
22:35 What is the meaning of “test”?
22:36 Was he asking about the Decalogue or
the entire Levitical law code? Was this anything like a presbytery’s
examination of a candidate seeking ordination?
22:37 What is Jesus quoting? Is this from
The Shema?
22:38-39 If this is the first and greatest,
how can there be anything like it?
22:39 What is Jesus quoting?
22:40 Why does Jesus add the prophets to the
law?
22:41 This is becoming a dialogue.
Is this question also a test, a tit for tat? Is Jesus attempting to turn the
tables?
22:42 Were not all male Jews “sons of
David?”
22:43 Why does Jesus say “by the Spirit”?
22:44 What is Jesus quoting?
22:45 Jesus and I are still waiting for
the Pharisees to answer. How would you answer the question?
22:46 As a practitioner of the Socratic
Method, I think questions are good. Sometimes the questions we ask are
more important than any answer we might receive. Why would the Pharisees no
longer ask Jesus and questions?
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
No comments:
Post a Comment