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.
4:5 What happened the
day before? Who are the “they” of the “their”?
4:6 Annas and Caiaphas
I am familiar with. Who are John and Alexander?
4:7 What
prisoners? Did what? How are “power” and “name” connected?
4:8 Was Peter filled
with the Holy Spirit prior to this or just for this?
4:9 Why is Peter being
questioned? Are others also being questioned?
4:10 Juxtapose this
verse and its “name” with Psalm 23:3 and 1 John 3:23
4:8-10 Peter’s response
might have been better received if he had not accused his interlocutors of
crucifying Jesus.
4:11 What is Peter
quoting or alluding to?
4:12 This sounds like
confessional language. How is healing (4:10) akin to salvation?
PSALM 23
23:1-6 Is this Psalm too
familiar for us to hear it anew? If the Shepherd image no longer works for most
people, what other images might we employ – dog walker, home health care or
child care worker, guide?
23:1 Note that in the
NRSV, LORD is all uppercase. So what?
23:2 Have you ever been
prone in a green pasture? Have you ever been led by still waters?
23:3 Juxtapose with
Acts 4:10 and I John 3:23
23:4 What is the
darkest valley you have ever walked through? Are a rod and a staff two
different things or is this an example of Hebraic poetic repetition? How can a
rod and staff comfort?
23:5 Have you ever
eaten a meal in the presence of your enemies? Has your head ever been
anointed with oil? What is the meaning of an overflowing cup?
23:6 What and where is
the house of the LORD? Would you want to dwell in the house of the LORD your whole
life long?
1
JOHN 3:16-24
3:16 Who is “he”?
What does it mean to lay down one’s life? Consider John 10:11-18
3:17 Ouch! Perhaps we ought
to read this in light of the Acts Reading (Acts 4:32-35) from two weeks ago.
3:18 Why the moniker
“little children?”
3:19 It is beginning to
sound like “truth” is being personified.
3:20 It sounds like
one’s heart is the same as one inner voice or conscience. How and when do our
hearts condemn us?
3:21 What does boldness
before God look and feel like?
3:22 What has been
asked? Whose commandments? Which commandments? Is there a quid pro quo here? Is
this verse about prayer?
3:23 Where have I heard
something like this before? Juxtapose this verse with Acts 4:10 and Psalm 23:3.
What does it mean to believe in a name?
3:23-24 Consider this in
the context of John 15:1-17.
John
10:11-18
10:11 And which Psalm
are you know thinking of?
10:12-13 Who is the hired
hand?
10:14 Should we make
anything of the “I am” language? How do “I am” passages function in John’s
Gospel?
10:15 Is Jesus referring
to the crucifixion? See 1 John 3:16.
10:16 I love this verse
and its invitation to think about Christian universalism. What does it mean
for there to be many folds in one flock? What is the difference between a fold
and flock?
10:17 Does the
Father need a reason to love the Son? Does the notion of Jesus
taking up his life again conflict in any way with Jesus being raised rather
than rising?
10:18 What command?
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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