Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

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.

RUTH 3:1-5; 4:13-17

3:1 Why does Naomi refer to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, as her daughter? What type of security does Naomi have in mind? What is Ruth’s ethnicity?

3:2 Does it matter that Boaz would be a kinsman by marriage and not by blood? How is Boaz related to Naomi? Who were his young women and what sort of work were they doing?

3:3 What sort of anointing might Naomi have had in mind?  What did Naomi mean when she told Ruth not to make herself known? Is there anything significant, or symbolic, about “the threshing floor?”

3:4 I think Ruth uncovered more than, or something else than, his feet.  Could this verse be employing a euphemism? Is this a PG-13 Scripture?

3:5 What might Boz have told Ruth?

4:13 What is the meaning of “took?” The LORD “made” her conceive? What if she had born a daughter?

4:14 What women? Whose name will be renown, the LORD’s or Ruth’s next-of-kin?

4:15 This verse almost makes the child sound like a savior!

4:16 Why would the grandmother Naomi nurse the child rather than the mother Ruth?

4:17 Why would the women say “a son has been born to Naomi” when it was really her grandson, born to Ruth?  What is significant about this lineage? Might this verse inform and influence our views on immigration?

PSALM 127

127:1 Does the Psalmist have any particular house, or any particular city in mind? Juxtapose this verse with Hebrews 9:24. I think Socrates and Aristotle had some things to say about foundations of houses. Our strength is not in the war horse or chariot but in our values. How might this verse sound in America the Sunday after the mid-term election?

127:2 This seems opposite of our workaholic culture. Benjamin Franklin reportedly said, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes one healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

127:3 Does this verse justify pairing this Psalm with the reading from Ruth? How do we interpret it in in the “Me Too” era?

127:4-5 What do you make of this simile? Personally, I do not like the militaristic imagery, but It probably made a lot of sense at the time. Why would someone speak with their enemies in the gate?

HEBREWS 9:24-28

9:24 Is this a reference to the Jerusalem temple? Juxtapose this verse with Psalm 127:1. Did Jews think of the Jerusalem Temple as a copy of a heavenly temple?

9:25 The high priest did not offer himself but rather sacrificed animals. Does this verse have any bearing on our understanding of the Eucharist?

9:26 Since Priests do not sacrifice themselves; does this analogy break down in the final analysis?

9:27 Is this a reference to the last judgement?

9:26-27 Is this a reference to “the second coming?” Who might be eagerly waiting got Christ to appear a second time?

MARK 12:38-44
12:38 Whom is Jesus teaching?  What do you know about the scribes? How migh preacher types who wear liturgical vestments when they preach and lead worship read this verse?

12:39 Where were the best seats in a synagogue? Where are the best seats in a Christian sanctuary? Where are the best seats at a banquet?

12:40 How were scribes devouring widow’s houses? When does a prayer become long? Is there a difference between “saying” a prayer and “praying” a prayer?

12:41 Where in the temple was the treasury? Do you think there were seats opposite the treasury  or would Jesus have been sitting on the floor?

12:42 These are very common coins, still available from collectors.  With the rate of inflation, what would be their worth today? What is the significance of the woman being poor and being a widow? Does this remind us of Naomi?

12:43 Where were the disciples that Jesus had to call them?

12:44 The widow may have demonstrated faith, but was she practicing good stewardship? How has this verse been abused by religious charlatans and hucksters? It has been well documented that the poor in the United States give more of their income, proportionally, than the wealthy.

                                                                  

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 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

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.

RUTH 1:1-18

1:1 In what days did judges rule? What do you know about Moab? I find it interesting that the man, and his family, were from Bethlehem!

1:2 Why so much information? What is an Ephrathite?

1:2-3 Why is all this background important? What would have happened to Naomi when her husband Elimelech died if they had remained in Bethlehem?

1:4 Why does it matter that Mahlon and Chilion took Moabite wives?

1:5 Three woman alone, without husbands! Now what!

1:6 Why would Naomi return to Bethlehem rather than remaining in Moab?

1:7 Naomi was going back or returning, but Orpah and Ruth were headed there for the first time.

1:8 Why would Naomi send her two daughters-in-law to their mother’s house rather than their father’s house?

1:9 Where to go to their mother’s house, as in the previous verse, or to their dead husband’s house?

1:10 Why might they have wanted to go with Naomi?

1:11 What does Naomi mean?

1:12 What is Naomi referring to and/or thinking about?

1:13 Has the hand of the LORD really turned against Naomi?

1:14 To what do you attribute the difference between Orpah and Ruth?

1:15 Note that ‘gods” now enter the story! What was Naomi talking about?

1:16 How many times have you heard this verse quoted? Is it that easy to adopt another’s God?

PSALM 146

146:1-2 This appears to me to be a statement of faith!

146:2-3 This is important to hear two days before our national election!

146:5 I am often surprised by references to the “God of Jacob” rather than to the “God of Abraham.”

146:6 According to the ancient schema of the three-tiered universe, heaven/earth/sea is all there is. A more contemporary expression might be “who made the universe” or “who made the cosmos.”

146:7-9 These are not 1% verses but rather 99% verses! These verses should also inform any “Christian” immigration policy and the maintenance of the social safety net.

146:10 Political arties and candidate rise and fall, but the LORD will reign forever.

HEBREWS 9:11-14

9:11 What are the good things? What is the greater and perfect tent? I currently own three tents and have previously owned at least three or four others before they wore out. I could use a greater and perfect tent for backpacking and cycle-touring.

9:12 What and where is “the Holy Place” and when did Christ enter it?

9:13 Can post-modern people identify with this?

9:14 What is the difference between atonement and sanctification?

MARK 12:28-34

12:28 Who were disputing and what were they disputing about? Is this a question about placement or degree? For a similar type question: “Which right in the Bill of Rights is first of all?”
12:29 The Shema! Note that this refers to the Lord our God, not the Lord your God!

12:30 What is there beyond heart, soul, mind, and strength?
12:31 The scribe asked for the greatest commandment.  Why does Jesus answer with two commandments?

12:29-31 What about The Ten Commandments?
12:32 What is the significance of the scribe addressing Jesus as “Teacher?”

12:33 Read this verse in juxtaposition to Hebrews 9”11-14!
12:34 How much farther does this scribe need to go to enter the kingdom of God? How far is close and how far is too far?

                                                                  

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 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

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.

JOB 42:1-6, 10-17

42:1 What question was Job answering?

42:2 What would you answer The LORD? Is this a variation of the classic question “Can God make a rock so heavy that God cannot lift it?”

42:3 Is Job eating humble pie?

42:4 Is Job planning to cross examine God?

42:5 What is the difference between hearing with the ear and seeing with the eye?  Hearing is a classic Semitic posture.  Seeing is a classic Greek posture. Do we need both?

42:6 Despicable me?

42:10 What is the moral of this story?  What lesson has been learned and is being taught?

42:11 The LORD had brought evil upon Job?

42:12-13 Are these numbers symbolically significant?

42:14 What do these names mean? Why are only the daughters named?

42:15 Did daughters usually receive an inheritance?

42:16 is 140 symbolically significant?  Should it be taken literally?

42:17 We have a happy ending, but Job still dies.

PSALM 34:1-8 (19-22)

34:1 Is this a promise, a vow, or an expressed intention and desire?

34:2 How does one’s soul make its boast in the LORD?

34:3 How does one magnify the LORD?  Is this a mini Magnificat?  How does one exalt the LORD’s name when the LORD’s name is unpronounceable?

34:4 Do we seek the LORD or does the LORD seek us? How does the LORD answer us today?

34:5 What does it mean to look to God?

34:6 Could Job have prayed this? Could you?

34:7 Who is the angel of the LORD?

34:8 How does one taste that the LORD is good?

(34:19) If the LORD rescues the righteous, why are the righteous afflicted?

(34:21-22) This Psalm seems to suggest that evil is still a force to be reckoned with and the wicked will succumb to it while God will redeem the righteous from it.

34:1-8 (19-22) It seems obvious why the lectionary pairs this Psalm with the Reading from Job, but does the pairing invite us to read this Psalm with blinders on?

HEBREWS 7:23-28

7:23 What came before the “furthermore?” Who were the former priests?

7:24 Who holds the priesthood permanently?

7:25 Is there a change in emphasis from Christ as sacrifice to Christ as intercessor?

7:26 How is it fitting?

7:27 In light of 7:25, it seems we are back to understanding Christ as sacrifice rather than intercessor?

7:28 What is “the word of the oath?”

MARK 10:46-52

10:46 Who came to Jericho?  Is there anything about Jericho that makes it more than just a setting for this story? “Bartimaeus son of Timaeus” seems redundant. Is there any significance to their being a large crowd? Is there any significance to Bartimaeus being blind?

10:47 What do you know about the The Philokalia, Hesychasm, The Way of the Pilgrim, and “The Jesus Prayer?”

10:48 Who were the many and why did they order Bartimaeus to be quiet?

10:49 Why did Jesus have Bartimaeus brought to him rather than going to Bartimaeus? Why did Jesus not call him directly but had others call him?

10:50 Is there any symbolism to his throwing off his cloak? Was blind Bartimaeus following the sound of Jesus’ voice?

10:51 Did Jesus really need to ask this question?  What is the significance of Bartimaeus calling Jesus “My teacher?” Apparently Bartimaeus had not been blind from birth and therefore knew what it was like to see.

10:52 What faith?  How did it make him well? What does “followed him on the way” mean?

                                                                  

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 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

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.

JOB 38:1-7 (34-41)

38:1 What is a whirlwind and what was the was the LORD doing in one?

38:2 This almost sounds like a riddle Bilbo would ask Gollum. What examples are there today of words without knowledge?  What is the difference between a word with and without knowledge?

38:3 Whose masculinity was in question?  Is this going to be a trial or an interrogation?

38:4 And the answer is? What are the foundations of the earth?

38:5-7 How would you classify these questions? How would you answer them?

(38:34-41) Who asks these kind of questions anymore? I see a lot of “storm god” imagery in these verses.

PSALM 104:1-9, 24, 35c

104:1-4 Can you find all four classical elements—earth, air, water, and fire—in this reading?

104:1-9 How can urbanized, industrialized, postmodern Christianity, far from understanding the world in terms of the three tiered depths/earth/heaven, still find any meaning in this psalm?

104:24 There are fewer species on the earth today than there once were.

104: 35c I think the lectionary includes only “Praise the LORD!” and not what comes before it. What is the difference between “Bless the LORD” in 104:1 and “Praise the LORD!” in 104: 35c?

104:1-9, 35c: Does this Reading call us to be more environmentally aware, or does environmental awareness influence how we might interpret this Reading?

HEBREWS 5:1-10

5:1 Who are our high priests today? In what ways are you like a high priest? Does this language and imagery even make any sense in a postmodern world?

5:2 Who are the ignorant and wayward of our day?

5:3 The sins of some high priests or religious leaders seem more pronounced than others, yet all are sinners. How do we deal with the ancient concept of sacrifice?

5:4 I think anyone who desires to be a high priest or religious leader of any faith tradition, without a little fear and trepidation about serving as one, is headed for trouble. Was Aaron a priest according to the order of Melchizedeck?

5:5 Who said this to Christ, and when and where?

5:6 Where might this other place be?  Who was Melchizedek?  This has got to be one of the most bizarre, mysterious verses of Scripture and it is one of my favorites.

5:7 what is the difference between a prayer and a supplication?

5:8 Note that “Son” is capitalized.

5:9 How was Jesus made perfect?  Was he not perfect before being made perfect?  What is the meaning of perfection?

5:10 In addition to Melchizedek and Jesus, who else might have been or is a high priest according to the order of Melchizedeck?

MARK 10:35-45

10:35 Could anyone else other than these two have asked this question?

10:36 Did the Teacher not know their hearts and minds?

10:37 Had their Teacher granted their request, would the brothers have been content with where Jesus sat them? Were the brothers perhaps asking Jesus to settle a sibling rivalry? How would the other disciples have felt about this?

10:38 What cup?  John’s baptism?

10:39 Were James and John being arrogant or were they being realistic? Does Jesus’ statement make sense considering his previous question?

10:40 For whom do you think it has been prepared?

10:41 Is there more than math going on here?

10:42 To whom was Jesus referring?

10:43-44 The classic reversal. Of whom might Jesus be thinking?

10:45 Assuming Jesus is talking about himself, why did he always refer to himself as the Son of Man?  Does this verse rule out any but a ransom theory of the Atonement?

                                                                  

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.