Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Queerying 8th after Pentecost C

Pace Warfield-May queeries the reading from Ecclesiastes.
ID: a word cloud of the text in shades of green against a black background. The words meaningless, sun, labor, wisdom, work, labored, teacher, and leave are the most prominent with the rest of the words of the text in small font around them.
Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23
1:2 Meaningless, meaningless, says the Teacher, absolutely meaningless! All is meaningless.

[...]

12I, the Teacher, when caretaker over Israel in Jerusalem, 13 applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all things under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. 14 I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is meaningless like a paper bag blowing in the wind.

[...]

2:18I hated all my work in which I had labored under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me 19--and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will take over all for which I labored and worked hard on and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is meaningless.

20So I turned and gave in to deep despair concerning all the work and labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes one who has labored and studied with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all their labor to be exploited and enjoyed by another who did not work for it at all. This also is meaningless and a great evil.

22What do we mere mortals get from all the labor and strain with which we labor under the sun? 23 For all their days are full of pain and heartache, and their work is frustrating and tiresome; even at night their minds are not free to rest. This also is meaningless.

Queeries for the text:
What's missing?
What is the exploitation of labor?
What makes this exploitation meaningless and a great evil?
What causes you to feel despair?
What things feel meaningless, frustrating, or tiresome?
What can be holy and helpful about feelings of despair and meaninglessness?

-----

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.
ID: Elon Musk looks smug in front of a fleet of fancy shmancy red and white electric vehicles.
Gospel: Luke 12:13-21
13Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.”

14But Jesus said to them, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?”

15And Jesus said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”

16Then Jesus told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 18Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’
20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your possessions demanded of you your life. And the things you have hoarded, whose will they be?’
21So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

Queeries for the text:
Who has a family inheritance to receive?
Who judges and arbitrates?
Who has abundant possessions?
How does land produce?
Who is raising bigger barns?
What is the purpose of abundance?
Who stores food for many years?
How do possessions claim our lives?
Whose will your possessions be? 

What are your queeries?





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