Thursday, January 31, 2019

Queerying 4th after Epiphany year C


Periodic queerier, River Needham, queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: Jeremiah 1:4-10
The word of the Becoming One came to me:
Before I created you in the womb, I selected you;
Before you were born, I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet concerning the nations.
I replied: Ah, Becoming GOD!
I don’t know how to speak, for I am still a boy.
And the Becoming One said to me: Do not say, “I am still a boy,”
but go wherever I send you and speak whatever I command you.
Have no fear of them, For I am with you to deliver you —declares the Becoming One.
The Becoming One put out Faer hand and touched my mouth, and the Becoming One said to me:
Here I put My words into your mouth.
See, I appoint you this day over nations and kingdoms:
to uproot and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.

Queeries for the text:
Who and what else is consecrated?
Who is the Becoming GOD? How is Fae different from the Becoming One? What might this difference signify?
Who are the nations for Jeremiah? Who are they today?
What would a prophet to the nations say today?
Who else struggles with words?
Where in the Tanakh is the first boy? What does Islam teach about him? What is the significance of these first two boys? What does it say about God?
Where else do we see God's finger?
What is the significance of the triad of pairs at the end?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Luke 4:21-30
21Then Jesus began to say to all in the synagogue of Nazareth,
“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
22All spoke well of Jesus
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They said,
    “Is not this Joseph’s son?”
23Jesus said to them,
“Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb,
‘Doctor, cure yourself!’
And you will say,
‘Do here also in your hometown
the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’”
24And Jesus said,
“Truly I tell you,
no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown.
25But the truth is,
there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah,
when the heaven was shut up three years and six months,
and there was a severe famine over all the land;
26yet Elijah was sent to none of them
except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.
27There were also many lepers in Israel
in the time of the prophet Elisha,
and none of them was cleansed
except Naaman the Syrian.”

28When they heard this,
all in the synagogue were filled with rage.
29They got up,
drove Jesus out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built,
so that they might hurl him off the cliff.
30But Jesus passed through the midst of them
and went on his way.

Queeries for the text:
What happened before this?
Why is Jesus offended at their amazement?
What does Joseph have to do with Jesus' proclamation?
Where is Zaraphath?  What happened to the widow?
How was Namaan cleansed?
Why were they filled with rage?
Was it a hill or a cliff?
What does the brow of a hill look like?
How did Jesus pass through the midst of them?
When does Jesus pass through the midst of us to go on his way?

What are your queeries?



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