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.
PREFACE: The following Readings
usually fall on the Sunday before World Communion Sunday, but not this year, because this year World
Communion Sunday falls on the first Sunday in October. It is therefore unusual for most that these Readings would inform the celebration of the Eucharist.
17:1 Where was the
wilderness of Sin? I wonder how worshipers hear the name of the location.
What does it mean to journey by stages? Did the LORD command them to
journey, or did the LORD command them to journey by stages? Why would anyone
camp at a place where there was no water?
17:2 How many times have the
people quarreled with Moses? How is quarrelling with Moses the same as
testing the LORD?
17:3 Were the people
questioning Moses’ motivation or leadership and judgment?
17:4 How many pastors, how
many times, have similarly cried out? Was Moses more concerned about the
welfare of the people or his own hide?
17:5 Apparently Moses served
in a multi staff congregation! I want to know more about this
staff. Where might it be now? Why am I thinking of Gandalf and his staff?
17:6 How would Moses
recognize the LORD standing on the rock? Was this a well-known rock or a rock
with a known well? What do you know about Horeb? Were the elders there to
serve as witnesses?
17:7 “Is the LORD among us
or not” seems to be the question of the day. Why do we never see churches
with names like “The Massah …” or “The Meribah (put your denomination here)
Church”? Why is quarreling and the grumbling, rather than the water from the
rock, remembered by the naming?
PSALM 78:1-4, 12-16
78:1 Who speaking here?
78:2 Apparently someone was
teaching in parables centuries before Jesus. I love the phrase “dark
sayings from of old.” It reminds me of literature such as Beowulf and the
Legend of King Arthur as well as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I
imagine the whole congregation of Israel gathered around a blazing fire while
camped for the night, telling stories from the past as well as re-hashing the
day’s events.
78:3 I sometimes wonder what
dark sayings from of old have been lost from the oral tradition. How does
preaching contribute to the oral tradition?
78:4 Why would anyone want
to hide such things from their children? Were they ashamed of their past? What
are the glorious deeds of the LORD? What wonders has the LORD done?
78:12 In the sight of whose
ancestors? Where is Zoan?
78:13-16 Are these the only
glorious deeds of the LORD and the only wonders God has done. What is not
mentioned?
78:15-16 Do these two verses
talk about the same thing?
PHILIPPIANS 2:1-13
2:1 Why “if?”
2:2 Are we to assume Paul’s
joy was not complete?
2:3 Can’t selfish ambition
sometimes be a great motivator?
2:4 This seems to run
against most current practices. The first question people often seem to ask is “what
is in it for me?”
2:5 Based on this verse,
are we then to think and act in accordance with Philippians 2:6-8?
2:6 How would one exploit
equality with God?
2:7 Are “likeness” and “form”
synonyms?
2:8 Obedient to who or
what?
2:9 Was “Jesus” above every
name before it was given to Christ, or was it elevated above every name because
of Christ’s obedience?
2:10 Whose knees are under
the earth?
2:11 Is “Jesus Christ is
Lord” not the most basic confession of the Christian faith?
2:12 How have the
Philippians “obeyed” Paul? How do we work out our own salvation? What is meant
by fear and trembling?
2:13 Or? What is the
meaning and function of this verse?
MATTHEW 21:23-32
21:23 Is this a legitimate
question? What is the answer?
21:24 Is Jesus engaging in a
tit for tat?
21:25-27 It seems the chief
priests and elders choose to not speak the truth but rather the most
politically advantageous answer. Does this behavior remind you of any person or
persons in our day?
21:27 Did the chief priests
and elders really know but were not willing to answer, or did they really not
know? What is the difference between not knowing the truth and not speaking the
truth?
21:28 What is the symbolism
of the vineyard? Whom might the two sons represent?
21:28-32 Whom is Jesus
addressing? How does this parable logically follow from what precedes it? Is
this a parable or an analogy?
21:31 Touché! Maybe the
tax collectors and prostitutes will go into the kingdom ahead of the chief
priests and elders, but perhaps the elders and chief priests will still go in.
Is this another reversal parable, similar to the Gospel Reading from last week?
21:32 And the lesson is?
Where do you find yourself in the parable?
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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