Lectionary Ruminations for Sunday, October 2, 2011, the Twenty-Seventh 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.

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

v. 1 What might it mean that what follows are referred to as “words”? Why does he Revised Common Lectionary skip over some of these words?

v. 2 Why, in the NRSV and many other translations, does “LORD” appear in all uppercase letters?

v. 3 What about other gods “after” the LORD?

v. 4 What about imaginative or imaginary forms? Does Plato’s theory of forms have anything to say here? What about Anselm’s ontological argument? How do we make idols today? How do Moslems avoid making idols?

v. 7 What about making a rightful use?

v. 8 I think Seventh Day Adventists have a right to boast about this one. How do you remember the Sabbath and keep it holy?

v. 12 This one comes with a promise—or is it a reward?

v. 13 What is murder? We seem to have wordsmithed this one to death!

v. 14 What does this commandment have to do with premarital sex?

v. 15 Unless the thief is already rich and has the government behind them?

v. 16 What about bearing false witness against people who are not your neighbor? Does Jesus have anything to add here?

v. 17 Why does “house” appear before “wife”? What about anything that belongs to someone other than your neighbor?

vs. 18-20 What do these verses add to what precedes them? Early in my ministry, I discovered Jan Milic Lochman’s Signposts to Freedom: The Ten Commandments and Christian Ethics and I highly recommend it as a thoughtful interpretation of the Ten Commandments.

Psalm 19:1-14
vs. 1-6 Do we have to buy into a pre-Copernican three-tiered universe in order to read this as God’s word?

vs. 7-9 Were you aware there are so many synonyms for “law”?

v. 10 Since when is the law, any law, more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey?

v. 14 This verse is often quoted/prayed by preachers before they preach a sermon, and I think wrongly so. A Prayer for Illumination prior to the reading of Scripture is sufficientforboth the readingof the word and the preaching of the word.

Philippians 3:4b-14
v. 4b Is there a pun at work here?

v.7 What gains might Paul have had?

v. 10 How will Paul become like Christ in his death?

vs. 12-14 What is the metaphor Paul is employing?

Matthew 21:33-46
v. 33 If this is a parable, is it wrong to equate God with the land owner? If so, who might be the tenants?

v. 34 and likewise, who might the slaves be?

v. 37 A son, but not necessarily an only son.

v.42 Where might we read this in scripture?

v. 43 Is this parable a “kingdom parable”?

v. 45 If verse 45 is true, what, then, is the irony of verse 46?

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.

Lectionary Ruminations for Sunday, September 25, 2011, the Twenty-Sixth 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.
Exodus 17:1-7
v. 1 What does it mean to journey “by stages”? Did the LORD command them to journey or journey by stages? Why would anyone camp at a place where there was no water?

v. 2 How many time now, have the people quarreled with Moses? How is quarrelling with Moses the same as testing God?

v. 4 How many pastors, how many times, have similarly cried out?

v. 5 So Moses served in a multi staff congregation! I want to know more about this staff. Where might it be now?

v. 6 “The rock”? Was this a well-known rock? The only rock? What do you know about Horeb?

v. 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 “Massah and Meribah (put your denomination here) Church”?

Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16
v. 1 Who is the speaker?

v. 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. I sometimes wonder what dark sayings from of old have been lost from the oral and written tradition.

v. 4 Why would anyone want to hide such things from their children?

v. 12 Where is Zoan?

vs. 15 & 16 Do these two verses talk about the same thing?

Philippians 2:1-13
v. 1 If?

v. 2 Are we to assume Paul’s joy was not yet complete?

v. 4 This certainly runs against most current political rhetoric.

v. 5 Based on this verse, are we then to think and act in accordance with verses 6-8?

v. 6 How would one exploit equality with God?

vs.9-10 Was “Jesus” above every name before it was given to Christ, or was it elevated above every name because of Christ’s obedience?

v. 11 Is this not the most basic confession of the Christian faith?

v. 12 How do we work out our own salvation? Why with fear and trembling?

v. 13 Or? What is the meaning and function of this verse?

Matthew 21:23-32
v. 23 Is this a legitimate question? And the answer is?

v. 24 Tit for tat?

vs. 25-27 In other words, do not speak the truth but the most politically advantageous answer.

v. 27 Did the chief priests and elders really know but were not willing to answer, or did they really not know?

vs. 28-32 How does this parable logically follow from what precedes it?

v. 28 What is the symbolism of the vineyard?

v. 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 get in.

v. 32 And the lesson is?

ADDENDUM
In addition to serving as the half time Designated 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.

Lectionary Ruminations for Sunday, September 18, 2011, the Twenty-Fifth 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.
Exodus 16:2-15
v. 2 Why do many Pastor’s sometimes feel like Moses and Aaron? How do we complain and what do we complain about?

v. 3 What is a “fleshpot”?

v. 4 How is God sending bread to a hungry people a test? What exactly and specifically are God’s instructions?

v. 5 Why is twice as much gathered on the sixth day?

v. 6 What is so special about the evening?

v. 7 How will the people see the glory of the Lord in the morning? What is “the glory of the Lord”? What are Moses and Aaron?

v. 10 If the people were already in the wilderness, how could they look “toward” the wilderness? What and where is our wilderness?

v. 11 How shall eating meat and bread convince people that the Lord is their God?

v. 13 Have you ever eaten a quail? I have. They are delicious, but not very satisfying if you are particularly hungry.

v. 14 What is this fine flakey substance called?

Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45
v. 1 What is the LORD’s name? How can one call on the LORD’s name when one is not permitted to pronounce the name of the LORD?

v. 1-2 What are the LORD’s deeds and works?

v. 6 Why are offspring always the offspring of only men?

v. 38 Egypt was glad?

Philippians 1:21-30
v. 21 How can dying be gain?

vs 21-26 Is Paul really struggling, or is this just rhetoric?

v. 27 What is a life worthy of the gospel.

V.30 What is Paul’s struggle?

Matthew 20:1-16
v. 1 A kingdom parable.

v.8 The last shall be first and the first last – this is the only way this parable works.

v.9-10 How would The Tea Part handle these verses and this parable?

How does this parable preach with high unemployment in a fragile economy?

ADDENDUM
In addition to serving as the half time Designated 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.

Memories and Dreams - A Sermon Ten Years Aftter 9-11

Memories and Dreams

A Sermon by the Reverend John Edward Harris, D. Min.

Preached at the Whitestone Community Service of Prayer

In Remembrance of the Events of September 11, 2001

St. Luke Roman Catholic Church, Whitestone, NY

September 10, 2011

When the topic of the terrorist attacks of ten years ago comes up in conversation, as it has so often of late, what is one of the first questions we are likely to ask or to be asked? “Where were you when you first learned of the attacks?”

I was living in West Virginia, having started a new pastorate just the week before. As I was driving to the hospital to visit a member, I was listening to NPR, when an announcer broke in to regular programming to say that a plane had reportedly crashed into one of World Trade Towers, but that details were sketchy. A little later, as I was visiting the member and his wife in his hospital room, we were watching the coverage of the events on the television in his room when the second plane hit the tower. At least that is the way I remember it now ten years later.

Nearly two weeks later, I wrote in my journal for the first time after the attacks. Here is an excerpt from what I wrote. Please keep in mind that the chronology might be a little off because I was writing from memory.

“Tuesday, September 11, is a day that will live long in my memory and in the memory of all Americans. Around 9:00 AM, a 747 or 757, hijacked out of Boston, flew into one of the Twin World Trade Towers. Less than 15 minutes later, another hijacked airliner crashed into the second tower, a crash watched my millions, if not during the live coverage of the first crash, then on taped replay. Within the hour, a third hijacked airliner, out of Dulles, crashed into the Pentagon. And a fourth jetliner, hijacked out of Newark, crashed into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew tried to retake the plane from the hijackers. Its intended target may have been Camp David, or the White House or Capitol.

Within an hour or two after being crashed into by the two planes, both Twin Towers collapsed in upon themselves to the ground. Two weeks later, debris is still being removed and any hope of finding survivors is nil. In total, over 5,000 people were killed or are missing from the result of the terrorist attacks.

The attacks are being linked to Saudi Arabian Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorist Osama Bin Laden, believed to be hiding out somewhere in Afghanistan.

President Bush has declared war on Terrorism and American Forces are being deployed to the Persian Gulf and Middle East for an expected retaliatory strike against terrorist camps and bases, an assault that will undoubtedly involve US ground troops and some US causalities.”

Ten years ago, we began a new chapter in America’s history. We are still looking back, still remembering, still asking questions, still wandering what it all means. The end of this chapter in America’s history has yet to be written, however. American troops are still in Afghanistan and still in Iraq in what is now the longest war in American history. As we live and breathe, and remember those who died on September 11, 2001, you and I, along with Government workers from the President of the United States to the Army Private serving in Afghanistan, along with Captains of Industry to the construction worker laboring to rebuild the World Trade Center, along with Bishops and Moderators and Church leaders to the average worshiper in the Synagogue, Church and Mosque, are still living in aftermath of 9-11 and wondering how to move forward, how to bring this chapter to an end.

This evening, in a small part of the great city of New York known as Whitestone, Protestants and Roman Catholics have broken down historical barriers that have divided us centuries and have come together to remember and pray for peace. We have gathered not just to look back and remember, but also to look forward and dream as we pray.

Yes, as Christians we do look back; back to God’s good creation broken by sin, back to God’s promises to Noah and to Abraham and Sarah, and back to the birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. We also look forward, however. Along with Isaiah, Joel, and Micah, we look forward to beating swords in plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. Along with John on the Island of Patmos we dream of a new heaven and a new earth. We dream of the holy city, not New York but the new Jerusalem, and in that city God will wipe away every tear. Death will be no more. Mourning, crying, and pain will have ended. In the midst of the city will be the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. On either side of the river will be the tree of life. The leaves of the tree will for the healing of the nations.

As disciples of the Prince of Peace, we must not only dream of peace, and pray for peace, but be peacemakers, asking for and offering forgiveness, seeking and working for reconciliation not only between Roman Catholics and Protestants, but also among Jews, Christians, and Muslims, indeed, among peace loving people of all faiths, and even no faith.

We who lived through the events of September 11, 2001 can never forget the events of ten years ago tomorrow, nor fail to remember the people who lost their lives that day and the days soon after. However, let us dwell not on what once was but on what shall be, looking not to the past but to the future, a future that for Christians is filled with hope and the promise of peace. Let us not ask one another “Where were you and what where you doing ten years ago tomorrow?” Rather, let us ask one another “Where do you want to be and what do you want to be doing ten years from tomorrow?”

Lectionary Ruminations for Sunday, September 11, 2011, the Twenty-Fourth 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.) Lectionary Ruminations is also cross-posted on my personal blog, Summit to Shore.

Exodus 14:19-31
v. 19 Are the “angel of God” and the “pillar of cloud” one and the same; or, are they different manifestations of the same reality?

v. 20 What is the meaning of “army”? How could fleeing slaves have an army in the military sense of the word? How could the cloud light up the night? What did not come near the other?

v. 21 How might we variously understand the action of Moses stretching his hand over the sea? What, if any, is the significance of the wind? Might the causeway at Lindisfarne, off the eastern coast of England, in any way help us envision how God might have been working here?

v. 22 How might we variously understand “wall”?

v. 24 Why did the Egyptian army panic?

v. 25 Why did Captain Kirk, in a damaged Enterprise, enter the Nebula when Kahn, in a perfectly functioning starship, sought to engage him in battle?

v. 26 What is it about the hand off Moses?

v. 27 When did the water’s part and when did the water’s return? How might we variously understand “tossed”?

v. 28 Does this verse conflict with the one before it?

v. 30 If it was the LORD that saved Israel, why did Israel “fear” the LORD and believe in Moses as well as in the LORD?

Psalm 114:1-8
v. 1 When did Israel go out from Egypt?

v. 2 Is the reference to “Judah” a reference to a, to a people, or both?

v. 3 Does this verse conflate two events?

v. 4 How do mountains and hills “skip”?

vs. 5-6 Why are bodies of waters being compared, or poetically paired, to mountains and hills?

v. 7 Is this a reference to the God of the earthquake?

v. 8 When did God turn rock into a pool of water and flint into a spring of water?

Exodus 15:1b-11, 20-21
v. 1b Yes, there are other psalms, or songs, in the Bible, other than in the Book of Psalms. Who first sang this one? This is an alternative to Psalm 114. Which of the two, if either, will you use, and why? How are they different and how are they similar?

v. 3 Must we maintain this militaristic image of God, especially on a day such as 9-11-11?

v. 6 What is the significance of the LORD’s ”right hand”?

v. 8 God has nostrils? The parting of the waters was the result of God sneezing?

v. 11 And the answer to the questions asked in this verse is . . .

v. 20 Miriam was a prophet? Why is she identified as Aaron’s sister rather than as the sister of both Aaron and Moses? When was the last time you heard a tambourine played in a service of worship?

Romans 14:1-12
v. 1 What does it mean to be “weak in faith”?

v. 2 This verse sounds shockingly timely.

v. 4 “Servants of another”? Who is Paul talking about? “Their” own lord? How many “lords” are there?

v. 5 Is Paul talking about the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day (Saturday and Sunday), or what?

v. 6 Do you know the meaning of the word “adiaphora”, especially as Calvin used it?

vs. 7-9 These verses are often used as part of the funeral liturgy. What do they have to do, however, with what precedes or follows?

v. 11 Where is this written?

Matthew 18:21-35
v. 21 Why might the word “church” seem out of place here? How might we account for it being used here? Is there anything special about the number “seven” in this context?

v. 22 Is there anything special about “seventy-seven”? Are there parallels to this passage in the other Gospels, and if so, how do they agree and disagree?

vs. 23-35 Does this qualify as a “Kingdom Parable”?

v. 35 Is this a threat? Does this verse suggest that forgiveness, even salvation, is revocable?

ADDENDUM
Asking the obvious, how do any of these Readings help us preach, and/or teach, ten years to the day, of the tragic events of 9-11-2001? Are you dumping the lectionary for other readings?

In addition to serving as the half time Designated 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.

Why?

Sometimes I wonder why things are the way they are. Today I want to ask your thoughts on a particular question to see if you can help me understand. Why has it become so important that Genesis chapters one and two be interpreted literally? Why those particular chapters? This is not a science and religion question. This is a Bible interpretation question.

Many of us who take the Bible seriously believe that if our lived experience conflicts with what we believe a particular Biblical text says, we need to re-evaluate our interpretation of that text. It seems intuitively clear to us that there should be some congruity between the “real world” and what we believe God is communicating to us through the Bible. Of course sometimes the point of contact is that our ways and God’s way are quite different- but even then what is said about the human condition rings true to our experience.

Let me give you a couple of examples. A plain, literal reading of Mark 11:24 and Matt 18:19 suggests that if we and a couple of others, seriously, thoughtfully ask God for something or ask God to do something that those prayers will be answered. Now, I don’t know about you, but my experience is not that simple- I ask, God gives. It just doesn’t happen all that often to me or to anyone I know.

Now some of you are already forming a response to my example by thinking of an alternative understanding text. You might be thinking ,the plain reading of the text says this but it can also be read to mean something somewhat different, something more complex, more nuanced. And that is my point. When my experience of prayer doesn’t match what I think the Bible says, I re-evaluate my interpretation. I don’t assume my experience is false. I don’t assume the Bible is bunk. I assume my interpretation is flawed and needs to be rethought.

Here’s another example. In Matthew 10:34, Jesus says “Do not think I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” This statement is not in harmony with other things Jesus says. Such as blessed are the peacemakers. Love your enemies. And so on. Our experience of Jesus in the rest of the gospel doesn’t match with the plain, literal meaning of this text. So we have to think again about what Jesus might mean in Matt 10:34.

If you have spent much time in Bible study, it’s very common for someone at the end of the session to say something like, “I’ve read that story a hundred times. I always thought it was about A and today because of our discussion, it seems to be about B. I have never thought about it from this perspective before.” Someone thought they understood the meaning of a text and as a result of discussion and hearing other people’s experiences and their own experience, a new understanding emerges for them.

We change what we think various texts mean fairly often based on how our experiences and the text interact.

So here’s the question. Why are some of us so opposed to reinterpreting Genesis one and two? If a plain reading of the text doesn’t match with experience, in this case evolutionary biology and cosmology, why wouldn’t it be appropriate to adjust our interpretation of it? Changing our interpretation does not mean we do not take the Bible seriously. It does mean we don’t take our interpretation so seriously. We allow for interpretive mistakes, we allow for growth in understanding, we allow for nuance and complexity. Perhaps we even allow ourselves to say we don’t fully understand.

So here again is my question. Why, for some of us, are the first chapters of Genesis exempt from any re interpretation that moves away from a plain literal reading?

I’d like to know, what do you think?

Cross posted at Conversation in Faith

Lectionary Ruminations for Sunday, September 4, 2011, the Twenty-Third 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.) Lectionary Ruminations is also cross-posted on my personal blog, Summit to Shore.

Exodus 12:1-14
v. 1 God now speaks top BOTH Moses and Aaron. What about Mariam?

v. 2 What month? I think Israel recognized at least two calendars, one civil/religious and the other agricultural.

v. 4 How many people does it take to eat a lamb?

v. 10 Do not let anything remain until the morning! BUT, if anything does remain until the morning, burn it. What sort of logic is this?

v. 12 What is the irony here? Why is judgment executed on the gods of Egypt rather than upon Pharaoh?

v. 13 Is the blood a sign for the whole congregation of Israel or a sign for God?

v. 14 Do “day of remembrance”, “a festival”, and “a perpetual ordinance” all suggest the same thing to you?

Psalm 149:1-9
v. 1 What is a “new song” and the difference between a “new song” and any other sort of song?

v. 3 When was the last time people worshipping in your congregation praised God’s name with dancing? When was the last time you heard a tambourine (or a lyre) in worship?

v. 5 Singing for joy on couches?

v. 6 I do not like the militaristic imagery. This and the following verses are beginning to sound like a call to a holy war.

Romans 13:8-14
v. 8 Here is a solution to our national debt!

v. 9 Of all the commandments, even all the ten commandments, why are these four mentioned?

v.11 What time is it? “For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers” is logically a true statement unless there is no salvation.

v. 12 What are the works of darkness? What is the armor of light?

v. 13 May we logically assume that “reveling and drunkenness, debauchery and licentiousness, quarreling and jealousy” are among (or all of) the works of darkness?

vs. 12-13 Is the assumption thatsome types of behavior are more typically engaged in at night and refrained from during the day?

v. 14 Putting “on the Lord Jesus Christ” is the antithesis of gratifying desires of the flesh”?

Matthew 18:15-20
v. 15 How does someone “sin” against you?

v. 16 What “word” are these “witnesses” confirming?

v. 17 What does it mean for church member to be “as a Gentile and a tax collector”?

v. 18 Have we heard these words before, in another context?

v. 19 Just two? Anything? Is this an example of hyperbole?

v. 20 What does it mean to “gather in my name”?

vs. 15-21 Is this an example of primitive church discipline, or something else?

ADDENDUM
In addition to serving as the half time Designated 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 our my WyzAnt page and follow the appropriate links.

Shaking Out the Welcome Mat

Hello, all, I know it's been a long time!

I've been a little busy with the new baby, children home from school for summer vacation, travel, etc. But I have been checking in with the blog and noticed that it has been a long time since I've gotten a RingSurf request.

I decided to do a manual check, and . . . RingSurf is locked up. I can't seem to log in using our usual user name and password and the "reset password" button doesn't seem to be working, either. So we don't currently have access to the ring.

On the positive side, many of us use the blog roll more often than the web ring, anyway. So if you'd like your blog linked from here, please email PCUSAblog at gmail dotcom and send us your URL as well as a brief description of your blog. I'll add your link and welcome you here on a Monday morning.

Now on to introductions!

I'd like to introduce our newest member, Herb Swanson, who blogs at Rom Phra Khun: A Pastor's Blog.

"My name is Herb Swanson. I am the pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Lowville, NY. Rom Phra Khun is my personal blog although FPC's website links to it. The church is, of course, in no way responsible for these contents.

Rom Phra Khun is Thai. It means, literally, “in the shade of goodness/blessing” and is used in the Thai Bible to translate “grace,” as in the grace of God. It is a beautiful metaphor for that grace rooted in a semi-tropical environment where shade is a blessing. To stand in the shade of God’s grace is to stand in a cool, sheltered, and safe place. It echoes the 25 years that my wife, Warunee ("Runee"), family, and I spent in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Rom Phra Khun is meant to be a mindful, reflective playground—serious & not so serious all at one time. So, whether you come once or often, peace & blessings on the journey, Herb"

Welcome, Rev. Swanson!

Lectionary Ruminations for Sunday, August 28, 2011, the Twenty-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.) Lectionary Ruminations is also cross-posted on my personal blog, Summit to Shore. 

Exodus 3:1-15
v. 1 The Moses saga continues with last week’s infant Moses now a married grown man. What other great figures from the Jewish Scriptures spent their early life as shepherd? Is the fact that Moses’ father-in-law was a priest a foreshadowing of Moses future role? Why would Moses lead his flock beyond the wilderness where there be dragons or deities? Did Moses know he was near Horeb, the mountain of God, or is this description hindsight?

v. 2 Note that in the NRSV it is “the”, not “an” angel of the LORD. Why do we usually refer to this as “the burning bush” rather than “the bush that was not consumed”?

v. 3 Turn aside? Where had Moses been looking before he looked at the bush.

v. 4 How often in the Jewish Scriptures does God call a person’s name twice? How many people in the Jewish Scriptures, and who, respond to God “Here I am.”

v. 5 Why do some people remove their shoes and socks when standing on holy ground? Why do Christians not worship barefooted?

v. 6 Who was Moses’ father? Abraham? Isaac? Jacob? Someone else? Why are only the men mentioned? Can we be faithful to Scripture and include Sarah, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel as well as Zilpah and Bilha? Why was Moses afraid to look at God?

v. 7 What took God so long to respond? How does God “know” their suffering?

v. 8 Where has God come down from and why did God need to come down at all? What is a land flowing with milk and honey like?

v. 10 So, God comes down (v. 7), but sends Moses!

v. 11 A perfectly good question.

v. 12 It sounds like the confirmation will be after the fact? It is like me telling you that you are a excellent Biblical scholar and you asking me how you can be sure that you are an excellent Biblical Scholar and me answering that you will know you are an excellent Biblical Scholar when you post a comment to this blog.

v. 13 Why does Moses refer to “your ancestors” rather than “our ancestors”? Why is knowing God’s name so important?

v. 14 “I AM WHO I AM”? Why, in NRSV, does this appear all in upper case letters?

v. 15 So, exactly what, is God’s name and title? Is God’s name and title the same?

Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c
v. 1 Why, in the NRSV, does “LORD” appear all in uppercase? What is God’s name? What are God’s deeds?

v. 2 This is beginning to read like a couplet.

v. 4 How does one seek God’s presence?

vs. 23-26 Is this merely a retelling of salvation history, or something more going on here?

v. 45c A budding psalmist can never go wrong ending a psalm this way.

Romans 12:9-21
v. 9 How can love not be genuine? Is “hating evil” the opposite of “holding fast to what is good”?

v. 14 What does Paul mean by “bless”and”curse”?

v. 16 What if we extended the admonition to “live in harmony with one another” to extend to other species? I think Socrates would have liked this verse.

v. 18 And what if by “all” we meant all living creation, not just other humans?

v. 19 What is the “wrath of God”? While Paul advises us to not avenge ourselves, what about state sanctioned punishment for crime? How many times is “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” quoted out of context and misapplied?

v. 20 Since when is food and water the same as burning coals? Is this good statecraft and foreign policy? What would H. Richard Niebuhr say about this?

v. 21 Paul is sounding like Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Or maybe King and Gandhi learned their non-violent civil resistance from Paul! Or Jesus?

Matthew 16:21-28
v. 21 From what time on?

v. 22 Why did Peter take Jesus aside? Why did Peter rebuke Jesus?

v. 23 Did Jesus just refer to Peter as Satan? What is the pun in referring to Peter as a stumbling block? What is the human thing Peter was setting his mind on? What was the divine thing Jesus wanted Peter to set his mind on?

v. 24 What does it mean to “deny” oneself? Is there a difference between taking up Jesus’ cross versus taking up our own cross?

v. 25 What is the meaning of this? Is this a paradox?

v. 27 Who is “the Son of Man”? Why this shift from moral admonition to apocalyptic language?

v. 28 How shall we interpret this passage nearly two centuries after the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ? What does it mean to “see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom”? Can we read this as a reference to the Christian Pentecost of Acts rather than a second coming of Christ?

ADDENDUM
Many Christians along the east coast of the United States may be reading and hearing these passages following, or anticipating, the affects of hurricane Irene. Is there anything in any of these Readings to address this situation?

In addition to serving as the half time Designated 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 our my WyzAnt page and follow the appropriate links.

Lectionary Ruminations for Sunday, August 21, 2011, the Twenty-First 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.) Lectionary Ruminations is also cross-posted on my personal blog, Summit to Shore.

Exodus 1:8-2:10
v. 8 The beginning of the Moses cycle/narrative. How might this verse describe the current nature of United States Politics?

vs. 9-11 Egyptian immigration policy?

v. 12 And the lesson is?

v. 15 Were Shiphrah and Puah the only two midwives? Were they Israelite of Egyptian?

v. 16 Why not the other way around?

v. 17 In thisw context, what does “fear God” mean?

v. 2 And if she saw that he was not a FINE baby?

v. 3 What else was once plastered with bitumen and pitch?

v. 6 How did she know?

v. 8 This sounds like a strange construction since this is the boys sister and thus his mother is also her mother.

v.10 Yes, this explains the name Moses, bit is there also some foreshadowing going on here?

Psalm 124:1-8
vs. 1-2a Sometimes when I begin a responsive reading and the response sounds shallow, hollow, and barely audible, I will repeat the call phrase of the call and repeat response. Might something similar be happening here?

vs. 2b-6 Why is a Psalm reflecting the Exodus paired with a First Reading about the birth of Moses?

v. 8 A familiar refrain.

Romans 12:1-8
v. 1 What is a “living” sacrifice? What is “spiritual” worship? Is there such a thing as unspiritual or spiritless worship?

v. 2 What is the difference between “conformed” and” transformed”? How are our minds renewed? Why does Paul write about the renewing of our minds rather than the renewing of our hearts?

v. 3 How do we measure our faith?

vs. 5-6 I understand the logic with the exception of the last phrase. How are weindividually members one of another?

v. 6 “We have gifts that differ” in the NRSV is “We have gifts differing” in the KJV, and the biblical phrase that inspired Myers and Briggs to title their book applying Jung’s type theory “Gifts Differing”. You may want to also look at 1 Corinthians 12.

Matthew 16:13-20
v. 13 Where did Jesus enter from? Is there anything special about the district of Caesarea Philippi? Why would Jesus ask his disciples this question? Does the average person in the pew or Bible Study have a clue about the baggage associated with “Son of Man” imagery?

v. 14 Apparently there were various views of who Jesus was. I guess times have not changed.

v. 15 The quintessential question. What is your answer?

v. 16 As usual, Peter is the first to speak up. Did he get it right, however, or did he stick his foot into his mouth?

v. 19 What are “the keys to the kingdom”? What does it mean to “bind” and “loosed”?

v. 20 Why would Jesus order his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah? Has this passage just equated “the Son of Man” with “the Messiah”?

ADDENDUM
In addition to serving as the half time Designated 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 our my WyzAnt  page and follow the appropriate links.

Lectionary Ruminations for Sunday, August 14, 2011, the Twentieth 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.) Lectionary Ruminations is also cross-posted on my personal blog, Summit to Shore.

Genesis 45:1-15
v. 1 Much has transpired between this week’s First Reading and this week’s First Reading. Does any of what transpired between the two readings matter?

v. 3 Why were the brother’s dismayed by Joseph’s presence?

v. 4 Why does Joseph repeat himself?

v. 5 Is this an example of Joseph engaging in some theological reflection?

v. 6 This is beginning to sound like a description of the U.S. economy!

v.12 Why is Benjamin singled out?

Psalm 133:1-3
v. 1 Is this supposed to be a description of Jacob’s family? Before or after the reunion narrated in the First Reading?

v. 2 I have always appreciated the sensual nature of this verse.

v. 3 What and where is Hermon? What is significant about Hermon’s dew? What is the Lord’s blessing, life for evermore?

Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
v. 1 Might have answered this rhetorical question differently after the shoah? Even though we are currently reading the Joseph narrative and the Pauline corpus lectio continua, the “Benjamin” connection between this Second Reading and the First Reading is a nice one.

v. 2 Foreknew?

v. 29 Christians in particular ought to remember this verse when engaging in dialogue with religious Jews.

vs. 30-31 Who are “they”?

Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28
v. 10 I think every time Jesus says something like “listen and understand” that we can expect some enigmatic saying to follow.

v. 11 What comes out of the mouth?

v. 12 What did the disciples think?

v. 13 Does this verse reflect a negative view of the Pharisees?

v. 14 Leave them alone even though they are blind? Or “because” they are blind?

v. 15 What parable?

v. 16 Me thinks the answer is “YES”!

vs. 17-18 Oh, that parable!

v. 19 All these come from the heart? This is an impressive list. Is anything not mentioned that you might have expected to be here?

v. 20 Is this a comment about religion or hygiene?

v. 21 Is there anything significant about Tyre and Sidon?

v. 22 What makes a “Canaanite” woman different than any other woman, or a Jewish woman? What do you know about “the Jesus prayer” and Hesychasm and the Philokalia?

v. 23 Why does Jesus ignore this woman? Why do the disciples want to send her away?

v. 25 This is the second time this woman calls Jesus “Lord”!

v. 26 Did Jesus just call this woman a bitch?

v. 27 Did this woman just accept the insult of being labeled a bitch by Jesus yet still refer to him as “master”? Must “crumbs” refer to bread crumbs, or just any ole leftover?

v. 28 Now Jesus refers to her as “woman”! What makes her faith “great”? Instantly? Really? How would anyone know?

ADDENDUM
Can we draw any parallels between Joseph in the First Reading and the woman in the Gospel reading? How might the Second Reading enlighten our understanding of both the First Reading as well as the Gospel Reading?

In addition to serving as the half time Designated 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 our my WyzAnt page and follow the appropriate links.

A Leap of Truth

When I began writing this monthly post, I promised to, from time to time, share helpful resources with you. And so…

The folks at Biologos are featuring short video clips from the forthcoming documentary “A Leap of Truth”. These short 5-6 minute clips are designed for use in small groups or high school and adult education classes. Here is the link to the first one, “Evolutionary Creation”. Subsequent video clips (to date) are “The Book of Genesis”, “The Fall”, “Paul’s Adam”, and “Framing the Debate”.

And just for completeness sake, here is a link to the trailer. It doesn’t appear that the documentary has been released yet. And of course these clips on the Biologos site are great marketing. Never the less, these clips are well done, and feature well know participants in the science and religion dialogue.

That’s all I have to say this month- short and to the point. I would prefer you spent some time watching these clips. Then come on back, and tell us what you think and how you might use them in your church or ministry.

Lectionary Ruminations for Sunday, August 7, 2011, the Nineteenth 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.) Lectionary Ruminations is also cross-posted on my personal blog, Summit to Shore.

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
v. 1 What about Jacob’s grandfather? Were not both his father and grandfather aliens?

v. 2 The beginning of the Joseph narrative. Is there anything significant about Joseph being seventeen years old? Why are Bilhah and Zilpah referred to a “His father’s wives”?

v. 3 Note in verse 1 that Joseph’s father is referred to as “Jacob” but in this verse he is referred to a “Israel”. This is beginning to read like the story of yet another dysfunctional family.

v. 13 What usually happens when people respond “Here I am”?

v. 15 Do you think this was an ordinary “man”?

v. 18 Note: Play ominous music here!

v. 19 Why do his brothers refer to Joseph as “this dreamer”?

v. 20 A conspiracy is hatched.

v. 21 What might have been Reuben’s motive for saving his brother?

v. 24 Why is this important information?

v. 25 Who are “Ishmaelites” and is their presence her at allsignificant?

vs. 26-27 Might as well make some money from our bother’s demise!

v. 28 Who drew Joseph up out of the pit, his brother’s or the Midianite traders? What is the difference between Midianites and Ishmaelites? I recommend you read up on both.

Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b
v. 1 In the NRSV, “LORD” is ”all upper case. Thereefore, what would be the “name” to call on? What are the LORD’s deeds?

v. 2 Are Hymns in worship sung “about” God or “to” God?

v. 4 How can we continuously seek God’s presence?

v. 5 So both “miracles” and “judgements” are among God’s deeds?

v. 6 Why is Isaac omitted?

v. 17 Now we learn why this psalm is paired with the First Reading.

Romans 10:5-15
v.5 From what does Paul quote?

vs.6-7 Is Paul quoting or composing?

v.9 So public confession as well as an interior faith are essential?

v. 10 What us the relationship between justification and salvation?

v. 11 What is being quoted?

vs. 14-15 The old “Can someone who has never heard of Christ be saved?” question?

v. 15 So all candidates for the ministry of proclamation should have their feet examined? It is no wonder Paul was once confused with Hermes.

Matthew 14:22-33
v. 22 I am always surprised when read “Immediately” in a Gospel other than According to Mark. Why might Jesus have sent the disciples off without him?

vs. 23-25 A “Summit to Shore” narrative! Thanks, Matt.

v. 23 Yes, this is why some of us go to the Mountains, not because they are there, but to find peace and solitude.

v. 24 meanwhile, back on the boat . . .

v. 25 So the disciples spent the entire night on a boat battered about by winds on the open water?

v. 26 Exactly what were the disciples afraid of?

v. 17 Another “immediately”. Is this the heart of the passage?

v.25 If? Peter did not know or was not sure? Why did Peter need to be commanded?

v. 31 Jesus should have remembered “Throw, Row, Tow, Then Go!” Was Peter’s faith really “little” None of the other disciples set out to walk on the water. What was it Peter doubted?

v. 32 Why might the wind have ceased when Jesus and Peter got into the boat?

v. 33 What convinced these disciples that Jesus was the Son of God, that he walked on water? That he “saved” Peter? That the wind stopped when Jesus and Peter climbed into the boat?

ADDENDUM
In addition to serving as the half time Designated 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 our my WyzAnt page and follow the appropriate links. Beginning August 8, 2011, I will begin working three hours a day, five days a week, also teaching a GED preparation class to young adults. How the increased workload will affect my writing Lectionary Ruminations remains to be seen.

Lectionary Ruminations for Sunday, July 31, 2011, the Eighteenth 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.) Lectionary Ruminations is also cross-posted on my personal blog, Summit to Shore. http://summittoshore.blogspot.com/

Genesis 32:22-31
v. 22 Much has transpired with Jacob since last week’s Reading. How can we help people keep up and catch up between lectio-continua Lectionary Readings when so much transpires between Readings? Is there any significance to the fact that we all told it was night?

vs. 22-24 Why would Jacob send everyone else, along with his possessions, across the Jabbok, but stay behind and alone?

v. 24. Who,or what, might this “man” be?

v. 25 Is this the first Biblical documentation of a sports injury?

v. 26 What might be the significance of daybreak? What sort of blessing might Jacob be asking for?

v. 27 Why might the “man” want to know Jacob’s name. Is it all surprising that Jacob divulges his name?

v. 28 What is going on here? How can this “man” change Jacob’s name? What does it mean that Jacob has “striven with God and with humans and have prevailed.”?

v. 29 Why might Jacob want to know the “man’s” name and why does the “man” not divulge it?

v. 30 I thought Jacob was wrestling with a “man”. Was this “man” God?

v. 31 Did the preceding events occur in normal time and space or in a dream/vision? As Dumbeldore says to Harry Potter in the most recent Harry Potter Movie, “Just because something takes place in your head doe not men it is not real”. I cannot help but read this account from a Jungian perspective, reading this as a mythopoeic account meant to explain more than we might know about Jacob and his descendants’ special place in salvation history.

Psalm 17:1-7, 15
v. 1 This Psalmist sounds like a lawyer. Lips free of deceit? Really?

v. 3 Does the “if you visit me by night” phrase justify pairing this Psalm with the First reading?

v. 6 This reads like a call to prayer.

v. 15 When I awake? Another reason to pair this Psalm with the First Reading. This Psalm, paired with the First Reading, could easily provide the textual basis for a sermon on Biblical dreams and the spiritual discipline of keeping a dream journal and interpreting one’s dreams.

Romans 9:1-5
v. 1 I think thou doth protest too much? Who would have accused Paul of lying?

v. 2 Why such strong emotional language?

v.3 Could there be a pun in this passage?

vs. 4-5 What a list! Adoption, glory, covenants, giving of the law, worship, promises, patriarchs, Messiah.

Matthew 14:13-21
v. 13 Hear what? What can we learn from Jesus withdrawing in a boat to a deserted place? Excuse me while I either go kayaking or sailing in Jamaica Bay, NY. Note that “crowds” and “towns” are both plural.

v. 14 Does Christ like compassion always lead to curing the sick?

v. 15 Do the disciples express a totally utilitarian concern?

v. 16 What is the meaning of this?

v. 17 What do you make of the numbers “five” and “two” not to mention “five loaves” and “two fish”?

v. 18 Evangelism?

v. 19 “He ordered” sounds like strong language. I would much prefer “He invited”. But we get the language we get. What does the “blessed and broke” language remind you of?

v. 20 What do you make of there being twelve baskets of leftovers after the crowds shared fiveloves of bread and two fish?

v. 21 As usual, only the men count. Women and children are just accoutrements.

ADDENDUM
In addition to serving as the half time Designated 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 our my WyzAnt page and follow the appropriate links.
We have some GREAT Readings this week. Is there any way to tie them all together?

Lectionary Ruminations for Sunday, July 24, 2011, the Seventeenth 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.) Lectionary Ruminations is also cross-posted on my personal blog, Summit to Shore.

Genesis 29:15-28
v. 15 It must be nice to be able to set your own wages.

v. 16 A story involving two daughters (not twins) in the midst of a story about two twin brothers!

v. 17 I think “lovely” is the preferable translation. Could the description of Leah and Rachel be seen at all as sexist or demeaning of women?

v. 18 Loved of lusted after? Is there any significance to the number seven?

v. 19 Is this the meaning of the question “Who gives this women to be married”?

v. 21 Biblical euphemisms for sexual intercourse can sound so . . . . biologically crude.

vs. 22-25 It is ironic that the trickster has been tricked. What goes around comes around?

v. 28 In the end, Jacob got what he wanted, and more so.

Psalm 105:1-11, 45b
vs. 1-3 Is this the song Jacob sang on his wedding night(s)?

v. 6 Is this why this Psalm was chosen to be paired with the First Reading?

v.8 The pairing of Jacob and Rachel can be seen as partial fulfillment of God’s Covenant.

v. 9 Why are the women/mothers hardly ever mentioned? Can the reader supply their names and still be faithful to the text?

Psalm 128:1-6 (Alternate Psalm)
v. 1 What is the meaning of “fear”? What does it mean to “walk in God’s ways”?

v. 3 Is this why this Alternate Psalm was chosen to be paired with the First Reading?

v. 5 A nice blessing/benediction for a citizen or inhabitant of Jerusalem.

Romans 8:26-39
v. 26 We do not know how to pray as we ought. That is why the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. That is why Teaching Elders and Educators ought to be educated in the school of prayer and prepared to teach others how to pray. Yes, that was me standing on my soap box. My D. Min. project at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (2004) was GUIDANCE IN AND EXPERIENCE OF LITURGICAL PRAYER AS AN ELEMENT OF PERSONAL AND COMMUNAL WORSHIP IN THE REFORMED TRADITION. If you are within commuting distance of NYC and would like me to lead a workshop or retreat on prayer, please let me know.

v. 27 How does the Spirit intercede for us?

v. 28 Do we really know this?

v. 29 There is that Presbyterian word “Predestined”! What do you make of that?

v. 30 And there is that other good Presbyterian word “called”! What do you make of this progression: Predestined → called → justified → glorified.

v. 31 One of my favorite verses. Does the second question answer the first? Is the second question rhetorical or does it assume the answer “No one.”

v. 33-34 Interesting verses to someday juxtapose with the Rules of Discipline in the Bookof Order.

v. 34 In verse 26,Paul writes that the Spirit intercedes for us. Now he writes that Christ Jesus intercedes for us. Can Paul not make up his mind, or was he just not being careful? Why would he intentionally say both?

v. 35 Paul asks “Who” but answers with a list of “whats”. This reads like a “Vince Lombardy before the big game in the locker room” sort of speech.

v. 36 Oh well, there goes the momentum of v. 35

v. 37 Wait, may not! Maybe Paul will pull out a great one liner.

vs. 38-39 Paul, can I quote you on that? Is there any thing missing from this list? I wish Paul had said “. . . nor things past, nor thingspresent, nor things to come”.

vs. 39 Is there anything not in creation?

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

v. 31 Yet another parable. Sometimes I wonder why we do not employ the parabola as a Christian symbol.

v. 32 Mustard seeds are small, but they are not the smallest of all seeds. This parable is tending to hyperbole.

v. 33 Remember that ratio, 1:3.

v. 44 If the person is honest and ethical they will buy the field.

vs. 45-46 Would this be a shrewd investment?

vs. 47-50 Something is smelling fishy. We have moved from “kingdom parables” to apocalyptic prognostications.

v. 50 Where have we seen this imagery before?

v. 51 Good question. I would love to ask this question after every sermon. Bad answer. These people need a lesson wisdom from Socrates.

v. 52 An entire sermon could probably be preached and an entire hour of education could probably be developed around this single verse. What is our treasure? What among our treasure is new? What among our treasure is old? What among our treasure is valuable and what is junk? Is anyone else thinking of Phyllis Tickle’s The Great Emergence?

ADDENDUM

In addition to serving as the half time Designated 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 our my WyzAnt  page and follow the appropriate links.

Go Fish!: Summertime Outreach

If you’re church is anything like mine, you probably already enjoyed, or will soon enjoy, the annual church picnic. It’s that time the entire church family converges to share potluck potato salad and way too many cookies and bars from the dessert table.

Our church kicks off summer with the picnic, and ends the season with a three-day outdoor retreat over Labor Day weekend. Sometimes in between we share an outdoor dinner on Sundays after evening worship.

Those times of “family” are important to help us remain connected to one another. Breaking bread together is a crucial part of the Christian experience, and helps build the kind of community and connection God desires for the Church.

Yet it’s very important that we don’t get so caught up in “family” activities that we ignore others in our community who aren’t a part of our congregations.

Back in 2007 I attended The National Outreach Convention in San Diego. One of the workshop speakers, pastor John Angle, related how at one time he and his wife were so caught up in church family activities, they had no time to connect with people in their own neighborhood.

Angle vividly recalled one evening how as he and his wife pulled out of their driveway and drove out of the neighborhood for a church event they were obliged to attend, they passed by neighbors who were coming together on the street for an impromptu block party. They felt genuine pain that they weren’t going to be part of the party, and confided in one another that they really didn’t want to go to the church event.

That experience radically shifted Angle’s thinking about outreach and evangelism. He developed a whole new strategy for outreach based on neighborhood evangelism. His congregation went from planning everything at the church, to members hosting events in their own neighborhoods.

For example, Angle and his wife set up some food and drinks in their front yard on Halloween, so that neighborhood parents could drop by with their kids and hang out with each other before moving on for more Trick or Treating.

Their only agenda was to get to know their neighbors and build relationships. They did not force their faith on neighbors, but rather allowed room for spiritual conversations to emerge organically over time.

I’ve invested in getting to know my neighbors over the years. Several years ago, I decided I knew them well enough that I could bring up faith directly. My family braved inviting the neighbors to an Alpha Course introduction dinner at our house. A number of neighbors who never would have come to our church a few miles away came to the dinner on our street, and most came back for the 10-week course we hosted in our home. Even after the course ended, we continued with a Bible Study for several months.

It’s not too late. There’s still some summer left. If you haven’t already thought about how to connect with neighbors, consider planning a little summertime get together. It doesn’t have to be fancy or carefully produced. Maybe a few snacks and beverages, and the space to get to know one another.

On another note: Evangelism Sunday is coming up on Sept. 25. You can download the worship packet at http://www.pcusa.org/resource/2011-evangelism-sunday-worship-packet/.

Lectionary Ruminations for Sunday, July 17, 2011, the Sixteenth 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.) Lectionary Ruminations is also cross-posted on my personal blog, Summit to Shore.

Genesis 28:10-19a
v. 10 Is there anything special or significant about these travel plans?

v. 11 Using a stone as a pillow? What do you know about “The Stone of Destiny” or “Stone of Scone”? Could this be an example of “dream incubation”?

v. 12 Is there any symbolic relationship between the Tower of Babel and Jacob ’s ladder? Do Angels really need a ladder to travel between earth and heaven?

v. 13 If Angels were ascending and descending via the ladder, how did the LORD end up standing beside Jacob? What about Sarah and Rebekah?

v. 14 Why does this sound familiar?

v. 15 Where have we heard this before? What if the Lord does not keep this promise?

v. 16 How could Jacob not have known God was in that place? Is it not true that God is in every place? What do you know about the Celtic concept of a “Thin Place”?

v. 17 When was the last time you, or anyone, walked into your church, or any church, and exclaimed “How awesome is this place”?

v. 18 What is the meaning and significance of this action? Is this an example of raising an Ebenezer?

Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24
v. 1 It sounds like God works for the TSA.

vs. 1-6 It also sounds like God knows us better than we know ourselves.

v. 5 What is the meaning of this verse? Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

v. 6 From a Socratic perspective, this Psalmist was very wise.

v. 7 Are these rhetorical questions? What is the expected answer?

v. 8 What and where is “Sheol”?

v. 10 Proof positive that God is right handed and therefore all right handed people are created in the image of God and all left-handed people are evil. Or maybe not.

v. 12 So whether it is day or night makes no difference to God?

vs. 23-24 If we invite God to search us and know us in this way, if God knows our sins better than we do, then why do we confess our sins?

Romans 8:12-25
v. 12 If we are debtors, but not debtors to the flesh, what are we debtors to?

v. 13 What does it mean to “put to death the deed sof the body”?

v. 14 What is Paul contrasting when he contrasts “a spirit of slavery” with “a spirit of adoption”? Do Americans read and hear this differently due of our own nation’s sordid history of involuntary servitude? When do we cry “Abba! Father!”?

v. 18 But the sufferings of the present time are still sufferings. What would Marx say about this passage?

vs. 19-22 For the creation, not just humans, BUT THE CREATION, waits. From a theological and ecological perspective, can Global Climate Change be viewed not only as a result of sin, but a symptom of sin? If so, would there be a temptation to throw up our hands and say “There is nothing we can do about Global Climate Change. It is up to God to redeem the situation?”

v. 25 I hope for many things I can see. I can see them, but they are realistically out of my reach.

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
v. 24 Another kingdom parable involving seeds, good seeds.

v. 25 Weeds, or Agent Orange? What does Just War theory say about such a practice?

vs. 25-26 So know you know how all those weeds ended up in your garden. It is no coincidence that species of plants that are not native to an area are referred to as “invasive species”?

v. 27 Oh no, more slavery language. Gag!

v. 30 I am hearing overtones of the hymn “Harvest Home” and we are still months away from Thanksgiving.

v. 36 Which house? Whose house?

v. 37-43 Jesus explains another parable.

v. 38 The field is the world, not the church. Does that mean there are no weeds growing in any churches? With all this talk about weeds, is anyone getting the munchies?

vs. 37-42How do these apocalyptic verses inform the popular image of hell?

v. 43 A truly Semitic rather than a classical Greek metaphor.

ADDENDUM
In addition to serving as the half time Designated 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 our my WyzAnt page and follow the appropriate links.

Lectionary Ruminations for Sunday, July 10, 2011, the Fifteenth 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.) Lectionary Ruminations is also cross-posted on my personal blog, Summit to Shore.
Genesis 25:19-34
vs. 19-20 Last Sunday, Isaac and Rebekah got hitched. This week, we learn about their offspring. First, however, we are reminded of Isaac and Rebekah’s ancestry. Why such an emphasis on lineage?

v. 21 Where have we read about something like this before?

v. 22 Pre-natal care or pre-natal prayer?

v. 23 Is this an example of prophecy or foreshadowing?

v. 24 Did we not see this coming based on the previous verse?

vs. 24-26 What do these names, Esau and Jacob, mean?

vs. 27-28 Can you spell “conflict” “dysfunctional family”? What greater conflict might be represented by the personal conflict between Esau and Jacob?

v. 31 What is a “birthright” and what does it mean to sell it? How can such a thing be sold?

v. 34 If Esau despised his birthright, did Jacob despise his bother?

vs. 29-34 Is this an example of unbridled capitalism or exploitation?

Psalm 119:105-112
How does this Psalm serve as a commentary on or contrast to the First Reading? Does it make any difference that these verses are only part of a larger acrostic work?

v. 105 This is a rather well known verse, thanks to its use in the liturgy. Does such familiarity make it more difficult to read and hear it in new ways? What “word” is being referred to?

v. 106 What does it mean to “confirm” an oath?

v. 110 What might be the nature of this “snare”?

Are “word”, “ordinances”, “law”, “precepts”, “decrees”, and “statutes” mere synonyms, used for poetic reasons, or are there nuanced differences being suggested?

Romans 8:1-11
v. 1 I hate it when readings begin with a “therefore” because I always wonder what came before.

v. 2 What is the “law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus”? Is there an assumption of contrast?

v. 3 How was the law weakened by the flesh? What is the meaning of “likeness”? Does “likeness” suggest anything less than full humanity?

v. 4 What is the “just requirement of the Law”?

vs. 3-11 In our day and age, how do we deal with all this “flesh” and “spirit” language?

v. 11 This sounds like life now, not everlasting life later. Is it also true that those whom the Spirit does not dwell in are already “dead”?

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
v. 1 What same day?

v. 2 Why did Jesus get into a boat?

v. 3 If Jesus told the crowds many things, why is this parable, and not some other parable or parables, included in the Gospel? Is this parable about a sower, about the seeds, or about something else all together?

v. 9 Maybe the sower was sowing seed corn.

v. 18 does the fact that we have this verse mean that Jesus knew or assumed we do not have ear>

v.19 OK.

vs. 20-21 Alright, I know some people who were like that.

v. 22 Makes sense.

v. 23 So not all seed, even if it falls on good soil, bear the same quantity? What about quality?

In retrospect, was this parable about a sower, about the seed that was sown, or about the soil where the seed was sown, or something else all together? Why did Jesus tell this particular parable? What was he trying to tell the crowd that he could tell them only through this parable?

ADDENDUM
In addition to serving as the half time Designated 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 our my WyzAnt page and follow the appropriate links.