Lectionary Ruminations for Sunday, January 16, 2011, the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Posted each Thursday, Lectionary Ruminations focuses on the Scripture Readings, taken from the New Revised Standard Version, for the following Sunday per the Revised Common Lectionary. Comments and questions are intended to encourage reflection for readers preparing to teach, preach, or hear the Word. Reader comments are invited and encouraged. All lectionary links are to the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible via the PC(USA) Devotions and Readings website, but if you prefer another translation, feel free to use that instead. (Other references are linked to the NRSV via the oremus Bible Browser.)


Isaiah 49:1-7
v. 1 Who is speaking?

v. 2 How shall we deal with the militaristic imagery?

v. 3 Israel?

v. 6 How could an entire nation/people be a light to the nations?

v. 7 Is this a reference to pre-Christian anti-Semitism?

Psalm 40:1-11
v. 1 Is this Job’s psalm? Seriously,is the speaker an individual, a community, or both?

v. 3 What does the new song symbolize? Why do some worshipers complain about learning new hymns and singing unfamiliar hymns?

v. 6 Does this verse condemn or outlaw sacrifice and offering outright? In light of this verse, why do we still collect or take up an offering during worship?

v. 7 What scroll? What book?

v. 8 What biblical imagery does this verse remind you of? Jeremiah 31:33 perhaps?

vs. 9-10 What is “the great congregation”?

1 Corinthians 1:1-9
v. 1 And who was Sosthenes?

v. 2 Paul might be “called to be an apostle” but the church in Corinth is “called to be saints”. What are you and your church called to be?

v. 3 A nice liturgical greeting that combines elements of both Greek and Hebrew letter writing.

v. 5 In speech and knowledge of every kind? What does Paul have in mind?

v. 7 What does Paul mean or what is he referring to when he writes about “the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ”?

v. 9 Another call, this time “into the fellowship of his Son”.

John 1:29-42
v. 29 What happened the day before the “next day”? What is the theological significance of John’s proclamation “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”? Try unpacking that!

v. 32 what is significant about John’s testimony? See verse 33.

v. 34 Is it enough to see but not testify? Can one testify if one does not see?

v. 35 Another “next day”. So what day now is it? What is the significance that John had disciples?

v. 36 I had not realized before just how redundant this Gospel can be.

v. 37 What is the meaning (or what are the meanings) of “follow”?

v. 38 Jesus asks a direct question. Why don’t the two give him a direct answer? What is the meaning )or what are the meanings) of “looking”? Why does this Gospel translate “Rabbi”?

v. 39 “Come and see”! Is not the invitation all Christians and churches ought to be offering? On the other hand, how can we invite people to “Come and see” if we ourselves have not “seen”? Is there any significance to the time?

v. 40 Is this not the first mention in John of the name of one of the disciples of Jesus? Who was the other person?

v. 41 Following up from the previous verse, who are the “we”, Andrew and who? I think we can assume from the context that the other person with Andrew was not his brother Simon Peter. Why is Messiah translated? See verse 38.

v. 42 Does this make Andrew the first successful evangelist, the first person bring someone to Jesus? Is it not a little rude to meet someone for the first time and immediately insist on calling them by another name? As in verses 38 and 41, why is “Cephas” translated? What language does Peter come from? What language does Cephas come from? Does it matter?