Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Queerying 12th after Pentecost C

River Needham, MA ThM queeries the Tanakh reading.
ID: an octagonal cistern dating back to the Roman era
Tanakh: Jeremiah 2:4-13

Hear the word of the Becoming One, O House of Jacob,
Every clan of the House of Israel!
Thus said the Becoming One:
What wrong did your ancestors find in me
that they abandoned me
and went after delusion and were deluded?
They never asked themselves, “Where is the Becoming One,
Who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
Who led us through the wilderness,
A land of deserts and pits,
A land of drought and darkness,
A land no human had traversed,
Where no human being had dwelt?”

I brought you to this country of farm land
To enjoy its fruit and its bounty;
But you came and defiled my land,
you made my possession abhorrent.
The priests never asked themselves, “Where is the Becoming One?”
The guardians of the teaching ignored me;
The rulers rebelled against me,
and the prophets prophesied by Baal
and followed what can do no good.

Oh, I will go on accusing you
—declares the Becoming One—
and I will accuse your children’s children!
Just cross over to the isles of the Kittim and look,
Send to Kedar and observe carefully;
see if anything like this has ever happened:
Has any nation changed its gods
Even though they are no-gods?
But my people have exchanged their glory
for what can do no good.
Be appalled, O heavens, at this;
be horrified, utterly dazed!
—says the Becoming One.

For my people have done a twofold wrong:
They have forsaken me, the fount of living waters,
and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns,
which cannot even hold water.

Queeries for the text:
Who abandoned whom?
What does the power analysis say?
Where are Kittim and Kedar?
Where else are living waters?

-----

ETA: There was a mix-up this week and next week's gospel was queeried this week! Hopefully it didn't mess too many people up.
Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.
ID: a photo of the unfinished Duomo di Siena taken by tommao wang on Unsplash
Gospel: Luke 14:25-33
25Now large crowds were traveling with Jesus; and he turned and said to them, 26“Whoever comes to me and does not hate parents, spouse and children, siblings, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. 27Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether you have enough to complete it? 29Otherwise, when you have laid a foundation and are not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule you, 30saying, ‘This one began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31Or what ruler, going out to wage war against another ruler, will not sit down first and consider whether they are able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against them with twenty thousand? 32If they cannot, then, while the other is still far away, they send a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. 33So therefore, none of you can become my chosen family if you do not give up all your possessions.

Queeries for the text:
What did we skip?
Who hates family?
Who hates life?
How do humans hate life?
How are building cost estimates inaccurate?
Who actually builds towers?
How is peace negotiated?
What harm does war cause?

What are your queeries?





No comments: