Lectionary Ruminations for Sunday, October 23, 2011, the Thirtieth 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 may be linked to the NRSV via the oremus Bible Browser.) Lectionary Ruminations is also cross-posted on my personal blog, Summit to Shore.

Deuteronomy 34:1-12
vs. 1-3 Why all the geographical references?

v. 4 Once again, the women are not mentioned. Why would God allow Moses to see this land, even show him this land, if he were not going to be allowed to enter it?

v. 6 We know the vicinity of where he was buried but not the actual place. Why?

v. 7 Is there any sexual connotation here?

v. 9 Joshua was ordained by Moses? What is so special about the laying on of hands? Why? What do you know about Reiki?

vs. 10-12 It was true then. Is it still true today?

Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17
v. 1 How can the Lord be a dwelling place? What does it mean to dwell in the Lord?

v. 3 Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, or in a more modern cosmology, ashes to ashes, star-dust to star-dust.

v. 4 I know this is metaphor, but do the metaphorical match. 1000years = 1 day to just a few hours.

v. 5 What does “them” refer to? Mortals? 1000 years?

v. 14 I think this verses harkens back to verse 5b. As the grass is renewed in the morning, God’s steadfast love renews us daily.

v. 17 What work?

vs. 1-6,13-17 Does this psalm reflect the pre-exodus period?

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
v. 2 Shame on those Philippians.

v. 3 What do we do with this “gospel of God” when we usually use the terminology “Gospel of Jesus Christ”?

v. 5 I am hearing a refrain. “As you know” here and “You yourselves know” in verse 1.

v. 7 What sort of demands? What is the imagery of a “nurse tenderly caring for her own children”?

v. 8 How does Paul and his colleagues share their own selves?

Matthew 22:34-46
v. 34 Is the Gospel writer playing on some rivalry here?

v. 35 What is the meaning of “test”? Was he asking about the Decalogue or the entire Leviticual law code?

v. 37 What is Jesus quoting?

vs. 38-39 If this is the first and greatest, how can there be anything like it?

v. 39 What is Jesus quoting?

v. 40 What does Jesus add the prophets to the law?

v. 41 This is becoming a dialogue. Is this question also a test, a tit for tat?

v. 42 Were not all male Jews “sons of David”?

v. 44What is Jesus quoting?

v. 45 I want an answer!

v. 46 But as a practitioner of the Socratic Method, I think questions are good. Sometimes the questions we ask are more important than any answer we might receive.

ADDENDUM
In addition to serving as the half time Pastor of North Church Queens and writing Lectionary Ruminations, I also tutor part time. If you or someone you know needs a tutor, or if you would like to be a tutor, check out my WyzAnt page and follow the appropriate links.