Thursday, June 6, 2019

Queerying Pentecost C


Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the reading from Acts.

Acts 2:1-21
When the day of Pentecost had come,
the disciples were all together in one place.
2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind,
and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them,
and a tongue rested on each of them.
4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in other languages,
as the Spirit gave them ability.

5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven
living in Jerusalem.
6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered,
because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.
7Amazed and astonished, they asked,
“Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?
9Parthians, Medes, Elamites,
and residents of Mesopotamia,
Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia,
10Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene,
and visitors from Rome,
both Jewish-born and proselytes,
11Cretans and Arabs—
in our own languages we hear them speaking
about God’s deeds of power.”
12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another,
“What does this mean?”
13But others sneered and said,
“They are filled with new wine.”

14But Peter, standing with the eleven,
raised his voice and addressed them,
“You Judeans and all who live in Jerusalem,
let this be known to you,
and listen to what I say.
15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose,
for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.
16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
17‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your children of all genders shall prophesy,
and your youth shall see visions,
and your elders shall dream dreams.
18Even upon my slaves of all genders,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
19And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
20The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Becoming One’s great and glorious day.
21Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Queeries for the text:
Why was it called the day of Pentecost?
What does a violent wind sound like?
Did they know which charm Wendelin the Weird used to protect from fire?
How many languages would be spoken today?
What are they saying about God's deeds of power?
Are they Lutherans? Or is this where Luther got it?
Do others also speak more easily in another language while drinking?  Who drinks at 9am
What are the dreams and visions?  What are the portents?
Is someone cooking over a campfire?  Is Joel talking about lunar and solar eclipses?
How else does coming out give birth to new opportunities and communities?

What are your queeries?



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