15th after pentecost year b - deuteronomy

Our guest queerier for Deuteronomy is River Needham.

Image Description: A tree formed by ribbons of many colors.

Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9
¹And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and to the ordinances, which I teach you, and do them; that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the Becoming One, the God of your parents, gives to you.²You shall not add to the words which I command you, neither shall you take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Becoming One your God which I command you. 

⁶Observe therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, that, when they hear all these statutes, shall say: "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." ⁷For what great nation is there, that has God so close to them, as the Becoming One our God is whensoever we call upon Em? ⁸And what great nation is there, that has statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? ⁹Only pay attention to yourself, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes saw, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your children and your children's children;

Queeries for the text

What's the difference between a statute and an ordinance?

Why do following the laws lead to genocide?

Why does God not need an editor? What are the consequences for editing God?

What is Wisdom? What about understanding?

Why is God staying close? Is that creepy?

How is God staying close related to consent?

What happens to community care when you "only pay attention to yourself"?

What does the assumption of children say about when this was written? 

What are your queeries?

14th after pentecost year b - joshua

Translation Note: I used the JPS 1917 Translation as the basis of this translation. As a means of queering the text, I chose to gender God as She; my expectation is that each week I'll choose a different pronoun or neopronoun to use to gender God. This is my way of living into the realities that God is beyond, between and infinite when compared to the ways that humans can understand God. When necessary for the use of idioms, feel free to alter either the gendered aspect of the idiom or the gendering of God. To that end, I've translated the sacred name of God as the Becoming One.

Joshua 24:1-2, 14-18 JPS 1917, Adapted
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. ²And Joshua said unto all the people: "Thus says the Becoming One, the God of Israel: Your parents dwelt beyond the River, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor; and they served other gods.
¹⁴"Now therefore fear the Becoming One, and serve Her in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your parents served beyond the River, and in Egypt; and serve the Becoming One. ¹⁵And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Becoming One, choose this day who you will serve; whether the gods which your parents served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Becoming One."
¹⁶And the people answered and said: "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Becoming One, to serve other gods; ¹⁷for the Becoming One our God, She brought us and our parents up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed; ¹⁸and the Becoming One drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites that dwelt in the land; therefore we also will serve the Becoming One; for She is our God."

Queeries for the text
How are fear and evil constructed in our society? Do they compliment each other here?
How can we honor the land where we dwell?
What does Shechem mean and where else does it show up in the Hebrew Bible and Acts? 
What is the significance of the River?
How have Christians turned away from God?
Why was it important to give God credit for genocide and why do we still do it?
Who are the Amorites? 
How is God with us wherever we go, and keeping us safe today?
How has this passage impacted the ways in which the united states was founded? 

What are your queeries?

13th after pentecost year b - proverbs

Special thanks to friend of the blog and guest queerier this week: River Needham!

Proverbs 9:1-6
Wisdom has built her house,
she has hewn her seven pillars.  
²She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine,
she has also set her table.
³She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls
from the highest places in the town,  
⁴“You that are simple, turn in here!”
To those without sense she says,  
⁵“Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.  
⁶Lay aside immaturity, and live,
and walk in the way of insight.”

Queeries for the text:
What does it mean that wisdom has build a complete house?
Who is simple? Who is without sense?
How would a biblical wine cocktail taste?
How do immaturity and insight coexist?
What does it mean to be a strong, powerful, independent woman?
Where do the servant girls go?  Was Hagar an early type of the servant girl?
What is significant about slaughtering her animals?  Does she kill all of them?
How is wine mixed?
Is this different from a homeless shelter or other charity?
How can Christians name Wisdom today?

What are your queeries?

12th after pentecost year b - john

Special thanks this week to Mack Patrick and other Proclaimers, who collaborated on these queeries while we gathered for the annual Proclaim Gathering! 

John 6: 35, 41-51
³⁵Jesus said to them, 
     “I AM the bread of life. 
          Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, 
          and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.  
⁴¹Then the Judeans began to complain about Jesus because he said, 
     “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”  
⁴²They were saying, 
     “Is not this Jesus, 
          the son of Joseph, 
               whose father and mother we know? 
          How can he now say, 
               ‘I have come down from heaven’?”  
⁴³Jesus answered them, 
     “Do not complain among yourselves.
          ⁴⁴No one can come to me unless drawn by Abba who sent me; 
          and I will raise that person up on the last day.
          ⁴⁵It is written in the prophets, 
               ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ 
                    Everyone who has heard 
                    and learned from Abba
                         comes to me.
                         ⁴⁶Not that anyone has seen Abba
                              except the one who is from God; 
                                   this one has seen Abba.
          ⁴⁷Very truly, I tell you, 
               whoever believes has everlasting life.
                    ⁴⁸I AM the bread of life.
                         ⁴⁹Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, 
                              and they died.
                    ⁵⁰This is the bread that comes down from heaven, 
                         so that one may eat of it 
                              and not die.
                    ⁵¹I am the living bread that came down from heaven. 
                         Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; 
                              and the bread that I will give 
                                   for the life of the world 
                                        is my flesh.”

Queeries for the text:
Is Jesus the gingerbread man?  What about folks who can't eat gluten?
How can the bread of life keep me from being thirsty?
What did we skip from last week to this week?
How far does Jesus' apple fall from the family tree?
Are they actually trying to take a dig at Joseph through Jesus?
Is this really just the beginning of their complaining?  Do they realize Jesus can hear them?
Did Abba draw us with charcoal?  Pastels?  Crayon?
Does Jesus mostly just want to be incarnate as inanimate objects?
What is the thing that fills us? What sustains us?
How do we know that what we are eating is everlasting?
If the bread is alive, does that mean Jesus is sour dough?  Is Jesus claiming his identity as leavened bread?

What are your queeries?