Queerying Reign of Christ A

River Needham M.A., queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

Then, the Becoming God said: Here am I! I am going to think about my flock, and go find them. As a shepherd seeks out her flock when some have gotten lost, so I will seek out my flock, I will rescue them from all the places to which they were scattered during the cloudy and gloomy day. I will take them out from the peoples and gather them from the nations, and I will bring them to their own land, and will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses and in all the settled portions of the land. I will feed them in good grazing land, and the lofty hills of Israel shall be their pasture. There, in the hills of Israel, they shall lie down in a good pasture and shall feed on rich grazing land. I Myself will graze My flock, and I Myself will let them lie down—declares the Becoming God. I will look for the lost, and I will bring back the strayed; I will bandage the injured, and I will sustain the weak;and the fat and healthy ones I will destroy. I will tend them rightly.

[...] 

Assuredly, thus said the Becoming God to them: Here am I, I am going to decide between the fat animals and the lean. Because you pushed with your whole being against the weaker ones and butted them with your horns until you scattered them abroad, I will rescue My flock and they shall no longer be a reward. I will decide between one animal and another. Then I will appoint a single shepherd over them to tend them—My servant David. He shall tend them, he shall be a shepherd to them. I the Becoming One will be their God, and My servant David shall be a ruler among them—I the Becoming One have spoken.

Queeries for the text:
Who is the Becoming God?
Where are the flocks? What are the flocks of?
What lies are we told about being fat? How can they be remedied?

Who are the people pushed away? Who pushes them away?
How will David be the ruler of the people? When will this happen?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said:
31 ‘When the Human One comes in Their glory, and all the angels with Them, then They will sit on the throne of Their glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before Them, and They will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, ³³and the Human One will put the sheep at Their right hand and the goats at the left. ³⁴Then the ruler will say to those at Their right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the dominion prepared for you from the foundation of the world; ³⁵for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 

³⁷Then the righteous will answer Them, “Liege, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? ³⁸And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? ³⁹And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” 

⁴⁰And the ruler will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” 

⁴¹Then They will say to those at Their left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴²for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” 

⁴⁴Then they also will answer, “Liege, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?”  

⁴⁵Then They will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” ⁴⁶And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.’

Queeries for the text:
What kind of ruler is this? Who might rule like this?
Why are sheep the preferred animal over goats?
What does it mean to be thirsty?
How many visits to Black, Indigenous, People of Color in prison will make you question the prison industrial complex?
How many people will you give food, water, and shelter to until you question the capitalist system of requisite poverty?

What are your queeries?