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.
ISAIAH 62:1-5
62:1 Who is speaking? Who
will not keep silent and will not rest?
62:2 What is the
significance of a new name? What will this new name be?
62:3 What is a diadem?
62:4 Why, in the NRSV, is
“Forsaken,” “Desolate,” “My Delight Is in Her,” and “Married” capitalized? What
is the meaning of married land? Does this metaphor justify this passage
being paired with John 2:1-11?
62:5 Does this verse inform
any New Testament metaphors?
PSALM 36:5-10
36:5 Where does the LORD’s
love extend from? What is the difference, if any, between steadfast love and
faithfulness, or is this just a poetic construction?
36:6 Is this just a poetic
way of saying height and depth? Do dogs and cats and other animals and
pets need to be baptized or born again to be saved?
36:7 This is the second
occurrence of “steadfast love” in this Reading. What sort of avian creature is
God being likened to?
36:8 To what does “house”
refer?
36:9 Could this verse be
behind myths and legends about the fountain of youth? How do we see light
in light? Do we see light, or what light illuminates? Is light a wave, a
particle, or both?
36:10 This is the third
occurrence of “steadfast love” in this Reading. Does God’s steadfast love does
not extend to strangers?
1 CORINTHIANS 12:1-11
12:1 Are most Christians today informed
or uninformed about spiritual gifts? The way I understand spiritual gifts has
been greatly influenced by the Isabel Briggs Myers and Peter B. Myers book Gifts Differing:
Understanding Personality Type.
12:2 Is this a valid portrayal of paganism? What is the
difference between Paganism and Atheism, and between Paganism and Agnosticism?
Is the neo-Paganism (Wicca and other earth/nature-based religions) of today
anything like what Paul meant by Paganism?
12:3 Really?
12:4 I cannot help but think
I thinking about Isabel Briggs Myers and the MBTI at this point? Might the
Enneagram also fit in here? What “spiritual gift” inventories are you familiar
with, have you used, and do you recommend?
12:5 How are gifts and
services related?
12:6 What does Paul mean my
“activities?”
12:4-6 Is there any scheme at
work here: gifts-Spirit, services-Lord, activities-God?
12:7 Have you been given a
manifestation of the Spirit?
12:8 What is the difference
between wisdom and knowledge?
12:9 Are some not given the
gift of faith? I wonder what Paul meant by “healing”. Do you think Paul would
have been thinking about anything like modern medicine, counseling, or Reiki?
12:10 How do we post-moderns
understand the gift of miracles?
12:8-10 Was this list meant to
be exhaustive or just suggestive?
12:11 Are some gifts given
but never activated?
JOHN 2:1-11
2:1 How does this passage
foreshadow the resurrection? Why is the mother of Jesus not named?
Who do you think was being married?
2:2 All the disciples or
just some of the disciples? Why would the disciples have been invited?
2:3 Is the mother of Jesus
stating the obvious? Why tell Jesus? Did Jesus not already know?
2:4 Why does Jesus address
his mother as “Woman?” What “hour” is Jesus referring to?
2:5 What gave the mother of
Jesus the right and authority to tell the servants what to do? Maybe she
was catering the reception? Is “servants” a play on words? Do the
disciples always do what Jesus tells them?
2:6 Is there any significance
in the number of jars? Does the number of jars matter? What are the
Jewish rites of purification? Does it matter that the jars hold between twenty
or thirty gallons?
2:7 Does this assume that
the jars were empty? Does whether they were empty or full before Jesus
said to fill them make a difference? Is it significant that the jars were
filled to the brim?
2:8 Did the servants draw
out water or wine? Who and what was the chief steward?
2:9 This reads as if the
servants drew water out of the jars but that the water turned to wine as the
servants were taking it to the steward. What do you think happened?
2:10 Why serve good wine
first and then inferior wine later?
2:11 If this was the “first”
of his signs, how many more signs were there and what were they? Is there
any significance to “Cana in Galilee” being mentioned here as well as in
2:1? Was his glory hidden before this? Did his disciples not
believe in him before this?
2:1-11 This is one of my
favorite passages in my favorite Gospel. I think I could preach several
sermons to unpack, interpret, and apply it, especially after a few glasses of
wine.
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.
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