Lectionary Ruminations: Scripture for Worship on November 2, 2008

Here are the passages for November 2, 2008, the 31th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A). All links are to the TNIV via BibleGateway.com, but if you prefer another translation, feel free to use that instead (either with your own Bible, or via the drop-down menu at BibleGateway.com).

Joshua 3:7-17

• The miracle of this passage: the crossing of the Jordan, seems in many ways similar to the crossing of the sea in Exodus. What aspects aren't the same? How might these differences tell us about the distinctiveness of this situation?
  

Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37

• "Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story." Do you think the writer had in mind a specific story, shared by all those being addressed, or was this an invitation for each person to tell their individual story? Does it make a difference?
  

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

• As Paul continues (and we read with no break from the epistle reading last week) describing his relationship with the Thessalonians, why do you think he chooses to highlight the items mentioned here? Might he be preparing the Thessalonians for something he is about to say later?
  

Matthew 23:1-12

• This passage picks right up from where we left off last week, too. Part of the "Godly Play" curriculum (which I mentioned a few weeks ago) asks at the end of every story, "Is there any part of the story that we could leave out, and still have all the story we need?" Why do you think that the lectionary goes from week to week, in some cases picking up directly from the previous reading, and in some cases skipping several verses or chapters?
• What does Jesus mean when he says that "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat"? How does this help us understand their roles?
• Jesus tells his followers not to take on certain titles for themselves, nor to use them in reference to others. Why are these specific titles chosen? How might Jesus respond to church leaders (and members) today in this vein?