Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Queerying All Saints A

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

ID: the beattitudes in Spanish at Saint Cajetan Church in Mexico City.  The first beattitude reads Blessed are those who choose to be poor because theirs is the reign of heaven.

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then Jesus began to speak, and taught them, saying:

3“Blessed are those with the spirit of the poor, for theirs is the dominion of heaven. 

4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 

5“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 

6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for right relationship, for they will be filled. 

7“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 

8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 

9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 

10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for right relationship’s sake, for theirs is the dominion of heaven. 

11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely in my name. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Queeries for the text:
When have we read this before?
Who has the spirit of the poor?
Who mourns?
Who will inherit the earth?
Who hunger and thirst for right relationship?
Who is merciful?
Who are pure in heart?
Who are the peacemakers?
Who are persecuted for the sake of right relationship?
Who are reviled and persecuted? Against whom is uttered all kinds of evil falsely in Jesus' name?
Who are you?

What are your queeries?




Thursday, October 22, 2020

Queerying 21st after Pentecost A

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Matthew 22:34-46

34When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35and one of them, a lawyer, asked Jesus a question to test him. 36“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 

37Jesus said to him, “’You shall love the Becoming One your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38This is the greatest and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

41Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: 42“What do you think of the Messiah? Whose child are they?” 

They said to Jesus, “The child of David.” 

43Jesus said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls them Liege, saying, 44‘The Becoming One said to my Liege, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’? 45If David thus calls them Liege, how can they be his child?” 

46No one was able to give Jesus an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Queeries for the text:
How did Jesus silence the Sadducees?
How is silence good? How does silence harm?
What is Jesus quoting?
What are all the law and the prophets?
Who could be the Messiah?
How many questions does Jesus get asked in Matthew's gospel?

What are your queeries?




Thursday, October 15, 2020

Queerying 20th after Pentecost A

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

ID: on a white background black and gray text defines nothing from Oxford Languages as a pronoun (not anything; no single thing); an adjective (having no prospect of progress; of no value); and an adverb (not at all) with examples.

Gospel: Matthew 22:15-22

15Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said. 16So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” 

18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20Then Jesus said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 

21They answered, “The emperor’s.” 

Then Jesus said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

Queeries for the text:
Where did this conversation take place?
Who do I try to entrap today? Who tries to entrap me?
Who were the Herodians? Why would they collaborate with the Pharisees?
Who pays taxes? Who doesn't?
What purpose do taxes serve today?
Why do they have a denarius in the temple?
What does not belong to God? 

What are your queeries?




Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Queerying 19th after Pentecost A

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

ID: Text above states "WORK-FROM-HOME FASHIONS" a person with dark, shoulder-length hair is shown three times, first with a zip sweatshirt, leggings, and hair part up; the second with a long, heavy sweater, pj pants, and hair in a towel; the third is labeled Skype Conference Look! and has glasses, a button-up shirt, schlubbiest pj pants, and hair down and brushed.

Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14

Once more Jesus spoke to the religious leaders and elders in parables, saying: 2“The reign of heaven may be compared to a president who gave a wedding banquet for his child. 3He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 

4Again the president sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ 5But they made light of it and went away, one to their farm, another to their business, 6while the rest seized the slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. 7The president was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 

8Then the president said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ 10Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. 

11“But when the president came in to see the guests, he noticed a person there who was not wearing a wedding robe, 12and he said to them, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And the person was speechless. 13Then the president said to the attendants, ‘Bind them hand and foot, and throw them into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Queeries for the text:
To whom do we compare the reign of God?
Who would the president invite?
Who wouldn't show up? 
Who disregards the president?
Where are troops being sent? How are they destroying?
What happens when a ruler invites you somewhere?
Where is life?
What would happen if the people from the streets didn't want to go to the president's banquet?
Where is choice?

What are your queeries?



Friday, October 2, 2020

Queerying 18th after Pentecost A

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

ID: white letters read "What's the cornerstone of capitalism?" with graffiti on a brick wall in the background that reads "Capitalism is killing you"

Gospel: Matthew 21:33-46

Jesus said:

33“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then she leased it to tenants and went to another country. 34When the harvest time had come, she sent her slaves to the tenants to collect her produce. 35But the tenants seized her slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36Again she sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. 

37Finally she sent her child to them, saying, ‘They will respect my child.’ 

38But when the tenants saw the child, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill them and get their inheritance.” 39So the tenants seized them, threw them out of the vineyard, and killed them. 

40Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will she do to those tenants?” 

41The religious authorities and elders said to Jesus, “She will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give her the produce at the harvest time.” 

42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Becoming One’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’? 43Therefore I tell you, the reign of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the reign. 44The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” 45When the religious authorities and the elders heard Jesus' parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 46They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded Jesus as a prophet.

Queeries for the text:
What expectations exist for adults to respect children
Who is this parable about?
What answers to Jesus would have reflected the reign of God?
How would Jesus have responded if their answer was different?
What stones are we falling on?
Who is being crushed?

What are your queeries?