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.
JEREMIAH 23:1-6
23:1 Who are these shepherds? Why would any
shepherd destroy and scatter sheep they are responsible for?
23:2 How have the shepherds scattered the
flock? How have the shepherds driven sheep away? How do we read
this passage after nearly a half century of membership decline in the mainline
church?
23:3 It sounds like the LORD will become the
shepherd even though it was the LORD who had scattered the flock.
23:4 It sounds that amid the failure of the old
order shepherds that God will raise up new shepherds in their place. What
might this mean in a mainline church where many Ministers are younger than the
people they serve and the governing bodies that govern the church?
23:5 Will this righteous branch be like a new
shepherd, replacing the old shepherds? From a Christian perspective, have
these coming days already been fulfilled?
23:6 How else might we translate “The LORD is our
righteousness”?
LUKE 1:68-79
1:68 Who is speaking? Why does this sound so
familiar? This is a magnificent passage.
1:69 Does it make a difference that this mighty
savior has been raised up “in” the house of David rather than “from” the house
of David? What is the meaning of “house?”
1:70 All the prophets or just some of the
prophets? Was the Lord God a ventriloquist?
1:71 So this savior saves from enemies and from
the hand of all who hate us. Note that sin is not mentioned.
1:72 Which covenant is being remembered?
1:73 What oath did God swear? Why would God
swear an oath? What would be our recourse if God did not keep this oath?
1:74 Does this mean that we are saved for service?
1:75 How do we serve in holiness and
righteousness? What is the relationship between holiness and righteousness?
1:76 What child? Is the child prophet going
to prepare the way for the LORD God, or for the mighty savior?
1:77 What is salvation if we are not aware of
it? How does forgiveness of sins save from enemies and from the hand of
all that hate us (See 1:71)?
1:78 Is there a difference between mercy and
tender mercy? Is tender mercy different from stern mercy? I love
the poetic and metaphorical “dawn from on high” because it leaves so much to
the creative imagination.
1:79 Who have been sitting in darkness? What is
the shadow of death?
COLOSSIANS 1:11-20
1:11 This verse reminds me of a modern Celtic caim
by David Adam which includes the petition “Keep strength within, keep weakness
out.”
1:12 is this the same light as in Luke 1:79?
Who are the saints in light and what is their inheritance?
1:13 What power does darkness possess? Why do I
keep being drawn back to Luke 1:79? I am also being drawn to the John’s
Prologue.
1:14 Is redemption synonymous with salvation? Is
redemption synonymous with forgiveness of sins?
1:15 How can anything serve as an image of
something or someone that is invisible? What Greek word does “image”
translate? What is the difference between being the firstborn and
pre-existence?
1:16 Does this verse justify equating Christ with
the Sophia of Proverbs? What does it mean that “in him” all things were
created, and created “through him and for him”? How do we reconcile this verse
with the creation accounts of Genesis?
1:17 I would love for a theoretical astrophysicist
to reflect and expound on this image, especially as it relates to cosmology and
cosmogony.
1:18 Where else have we encountered this body
metaphor? Does being the firstborn of the dead have anything to do with being
the firstborn of all creation (See 1:15)?
1:19 What is the meaning of “dwell”? How
does this relate to essence?
1:20 Why do all things need to be reconciled to
God? How can peace be made through the blood of Christ’s cross?
LUKE 23:33-43
23:33 When who came? What place is called “The
Skull”? Who crucified Jesus?
23:34 For whom was Jesus praying? What does it
mean to cast lots?
23:35 How had Jesus saved others? Why did
Jesus not save himself?
23:36 Is “mocking” the same as the “scoffed” of the
previous verse? How is offering sour wine a type of mocking?
23:37 Is this a mere re-phrasing of 23:35?
23:38 How does this inscription negate the questions
raised in verses 23:35 and 23:37?
23:39 Once again, this sounds like an echo of
verses 35 as well as verse 37.
23:40 What are we to make of the juxtaposition of
these two criminals and their statements and attitudes?
23:41 How did this criminal know that Jesus had
done nothing wrong? Is this an example of irony, that a criminal is the one to
pronounce the truth?
23:42 Why am I thinking of The Jesus Prayer
and The Philokalia? I am also thinking of the Taizé chant
“Jesus, remember me.”
23:43 What are we to make of the “today?”
What and where is paradise?
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.
