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.
40:21-31 This is one
of the longer readings we have seen in a while. How does the fact
that this Reading is printed as poetry rather than prose affect or influence
your interpretation and application?
40:21 What have you
known? What have you heard? What are the foundations of the earth? Is the
prophet asking merely rhetorical questions? Listen for an echo in 40:28.
40:22 Who is
“he?” I am surprised by “the circle” of the earth as I would have
expected a flat earth with four corners rather than a flat disk. Why are humans
compared to grasshoppers?
40:23 These images
seem to assert God’s sovereignty.
40:24 What are the
“they?” What is Isaiah talking about? In light of the recent US Government shut
down, Republican as well as Democratic leaders should perhaps ponder this
verse.
40:25 God is now
talking. As in 40:21, are these rhetorical questions?
40:26 Now who is
speaking? What are the “these?” What is God referring to?
40:27 Is there any
other instance in Scripture of anyone speaking these words? What is meant by
“way?” What “right” is being referred to and has God really been ignoring it?
40:28-31 These verses
are sometimes used in the funeral service.
40:28 I hear an echo
of 40:21. This sounds like a confession of faith. Does either of the
Genesis creation accounts inform this this verse?
40:29 What faint and
powerless might Isaiah have in mind?
40:30-31 This is one
of my favorite passages to read as part of a Service of Witness to the
Resurrection and that fact probably colors my interpretation of it. No one is
immortal and death may strike at any age.
40:31 What does it mean
to “wait” for the Lord? What does renewing one’s strength feel like? Why am I
thinking of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit
and Lord of the Rings trilogy? How
many and what countries, beside the United States, have adopted the eagle as
its national bird? I wonder if this is the favorite verse of marathoners and
power walkers (I am neither). I wonder how Tom Brady and the New England Patriots read this verse.
PSALM
147:1-11, 20c
147:1 Why is it that
some worshiping communities simply do not like to sing hymns and spiritual
songs? How can the church carry on its tradition of musical praise when many
public schools no longer offer music education and fewer and fewer people are
learning to play the organ?
147:2 Who are the
outcasts of Israel? What period in Jewish history does this reflect? How might
recent political events, like the United States recognizing Jerusalem as the
Capital of Israel?
147:3 Are the
brokenhearted and wounded the same people as the outcasts of Jerusalem?
147:4 I wonder what God
has to say about all the organizations that, for a small fee, will name a star
after someone and then register that name. I wonder what names ancient Jews
gave to the stars.
147:5 This sounds like
a confession of faith as well as an expression of praise. Compare this verse to
Isaiah 40:28.
147:6 Note the
inversion, lifting up the downtrodden and casting down the wicked who were
presumably on top because of their wickedness.
147:7 See my comments regading
147:1. What is our closest modern equivalent to the lyre?
147:8 God the cloud
coverer and rain preparer.
147:9 Does God give
food even to carnivores?
147:10 So God is not a
horse racing or track and field fan?
147:11 What is the
meaning of “fear?” Do you fear God? Might Rudolph Otto help us interpret this
verse?
147:20c This is always
a good way to end a Psalm and in this case the last/ending line echoes the
first/opening line.
1
Corinthians 9:16-23
9:16 What is the
meaning of “if?” I can almost resonate with Paul’s assertion about woe.
9:17 I think Paul’s
comment calls for some spiritual and psychological honesty by those who preach.
9:18 How do
“compensated” preachers handle this one?
9:19 How did Paul make
himself a slave?
9:20 How could Paul
make himself a Jew when he was already a Jew?
9:21 Who were outside
the law?
9:22 How did Paul
become weak? Can anyone truly be everything to all people? How would Paul
have dealt with a non-homogeneous, pluralistic worshipping, spiritual,
religious community? Was Paul self-differentiated?
9:23 How did Paul
share in the blessings of the gospel?
Mark
1:29-39
1:29 Who were “they”?
Where did Simon and Andrew live? Why are James and John mentioned?
1:30 So Simon was
married? Who was and where was his wife? Were Simon and Andrew living
with Simon’s in-laws or were Simon’s in-laws and Andrew living with Simon? Who
are “they” and who is “him?”
1:31 Who is “He?” What
is the significance of her serving? Is there some patriarchal sexism behind
this text?
1:32 Is “all” perhaps
hyperbole? What is the relationship between being sick and being
possessed?
1:33 I think “the
whole city” is again hyperbole? How many people might have inhabited Capernaum
at this time (see Mark 1:21)?
1:34 Did Jesus cure
many or all? Did he cast out many or all demons? Is his not permitting the
demons to speak an example of Mark’s messianic secret?
1:35 So Jesus was a
morning person! Why pray in a deserted place? Was Jesus alone? How might
this verse inform our understanding of the need for a spiritual discipline of
prayer and retreat?
1:36 Who were Simon’s
companions and why were Simon and his companions hunting for Jesus?
1:37 So Simon and his
companions found Jesus! I did not know Jesus was lost. Is “everyone” another
hyperbole? Is Simon referring to physical or spiritual searching?
1:38 What towns
neighbored Capernaum? Why am I thinking of Eugene Peterson?
1:39 What if Jesus had
proclaimed the message but not cast out demons? What if he had cast out demons
but not proclaimed the message? Must proclaiming the message and casting
out demons go hand in hand? Why is there no mention in this verse of healing
the sick (see my comments for Mark 1:32.
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
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