Queerying Narrative Lectionary 107

Pace Warfield-May queeries the Narrative Lectionary readings.

2 Samuel 11:1-5, 26-27; 12:1-9
¹Kings often went out to battle in the spring, so King David sent Joab with his officers and all of Israel to ravage the Ammonites and besiege Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem while his army went off to fight his battles. ²Late one spring afternoon, David rose from his settee and went for a walk on the roof of the palace. While on the roof he saw a woman bathing and thought she was very beautiful. ³David sent someone to find the identity of the woman. The person reported, "This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite." ⁴So David sent messengers to bring her to him, and she came to him, and he raped her while she was in the stage of purifying herself after menstruation. Then she returned to her house. ⁵Bathsheba conceived; and she sent and told David, "I am pregnant."

[…]

²⁶When Bathsheba heard Uriah, her husband, was dead, she grieved for him. ²⁷When the official period of mourning was over, David sent and brought Bathsheba to his house and married her. She gave birth to a son.

But the Becoming One saw what David had done to Bathsheba and became upset, ^12:1and the Becoming One sent the prophet Nathan to David. Nathan came to him and said, "There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. ²The rich man had many herds of animals and many sheep, ³but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb which he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of the meager food he could provide and drink from his cup, and lie in his house, and the ewe was like a daughter to him. ⁴Now a traveler came to the rich man. The rich man didn't want to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, so he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared that for the guest who had come to him." ⁵David became greatly angered against the man in the story. He said to Nathan, "As the Becoming One lives, the rich man who has done this deserves to die; ⁶he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."

⁷Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the Becoming One, the God/ess of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from the hand of Saul; ⁸I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your heart, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if all of that had still been too little, I would have added as much more. ⁹Why have you despised the word of the Becoming One, to do what is evil in my sight? You have purposefully caused Uriah the Hittite to be struck down with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.

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Psalm 51:1-9

To the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had raped Bathsheba.

¹Have mercy on me, O divine one,

as your love is steadfast

and your mercy overflows in abundance

erase the harm I've done.

²Bathe me so that my inequity may be washed away,

and cleanse me from the harm I've done.

³For I know my transgressions,

and my harm is ever before me.

⁴Against you, you alone, have I caused harm,

and I have done what is evil in your sight,

so that you are justified in your punishment

and without blame when you pass judgment on me.

⁵Indeed, I was born guilty,

a sinner when my mother conceived me.

⁶You long for a truthful heart,

so teach me wisdom in my deepest, most secret part of me.

⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.

Look away from the harm I've done,

and erase my inequities.

Queeries for the text:
What is this building on?
What is missing from this passage? Why was it left out?
What is the companion text?
Where is this headed?
Who has agency in this story?
What makes sex consensual?
Who did David commit sin against?
What is holy about blackness? What is sinful about whiteness?

What are your queeries?

Queerying 4th after Pentecost B

River Needham, MA ThM queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: 1 Samuel 17:32-49

David said to Saul, “Let no person's courage fail them. Your servant will go and fight that Philistine!”

But Saul said to David, “You cannot go to that Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth!”

David replied to Saul, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep, and if a lion or a bear came and carried off an animal from the flock, I would go after it and fight it and rescue it from its mouth. And if it attacked me, I would seize it by the beard and strike it down and kill it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and that uncircumcised Philistine shall end up like one of them, for he has defied the ranks of the living God.

The Becoming One,” David went on, “who saved me from lion and bear will also save me from that Philistine.” “Then go,” Saul said to David, “and may the Becoming One be with you!”

Saul clothed David in his own garment; he placed a bronze helmet on his head and fastened a breastplate on him.

David girded his sword over his garment. Then he tried to walk; but he was not used to it. David said to Saul, “I cannot walk in these, for I am not used to them.” So David took them off.

He took his stick, picked a few smooth stones from the wadi, put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s bag and, sling in hand, he went toward the Philistine.

The Philistine, meanwhile, was coming closer to David, preceded by his shield-bearer.

When the Philistine caught sight of David, he scorned him, for he was but a boy, ruddy and handsome.

And the Philistine called out to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks?” The Philistine cursed David by his gods; and the Philistine said to David, “Come here, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.”

David replied to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come against you in the name of the Becoming God of Angel Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have defied.

This very day the Becoming One will deliver you into my hands. I will kill you and cut off your head; and I will give the carcasses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth. All the earth shall know that there is a God in Israel.

And this whole assembly shall know that the Becoming One can give victory without sword or spear. For the battle is the Becoming One's, and Femme will deliver you into our hands.”

When the Philistine began to advance toward him again, David quickly ran up to the battle line to face the Philistine.

David put his hand into the bag; he took out a stone and slung it. It struck the Philistine in the forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.

Queeries for the text:
What makes things scary? What are the big scary things in your life?
What is a wadi?

Why did the Philistine die?

How does God make Femmes will come to be?

Where is God's preferential option?

Where do we celebrate death today?
 

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Mark 4:35-41
³⁵On that day, when evening had come, Jesus said to his chosen family, “Let us go across to the other side.”

³⁶And leaving the crowd behind, they took Jesus with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. ³⁷A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.

³⁸But Jesus was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and his chosen family woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

³⁹Jesus woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. ⁴⁰He said to his chosen family, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?”

⁴¹And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Queeries for the text:
On which day?
When does Jesus call us to cross to the other side?
Who do we take just as they are?
When is weather dangerous?
What have you slept through?
Who is perishing?
Why are we afraid?  Where is our faith?

What are your queeries?

Queerying 2nd after Epiphany B

River Needham, MA queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: 1 Samuel 3:1-10
Young Samuel was in the service of the Becoming One under Eli. In those days the word of the Becoming One was rare; prophecy was not widespread. One day, Eli was asleep in his usual place; his eyes had begun to fail and he could barely see. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Becoming One where the Ark of God was. 

The Becoming One called out to Samuel, and Samuel answered, “I’m coming.” He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” 

But Eli replied, “I didn’t call you; go back to sleep.” So Samuel went back to lay down. 

Again the Becoming One called, “Samuel!” 

Samuel rose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” 

But Eli replied, “I didn’t call, my son; go back to sleep.”

—Now Samuel had not yet experienced the Becoming One; the word of the Becoming One had not yet been revealed to him.— 

The Becoming One called Samuel again, a third time, and he rose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” 

Then Eli understood that the Becoming One was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down. If you are called again, say, ‘Speak, Becoming One, for Your servant is listening.’” And Samuel went to his place and lay down. 

The Becoming One came, and stood there, and She called as before: “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”

Queeries for the text:

Why was the word of the Becoming One rare? Why is the word of the Becoming One rare today? Where do we receive the word of the Becoming One today?
When were they sleeping? Why?
Who can sleep in God's temple? Which communities are they permitted in?

What is the significance to being called three times?
Does the Becoming One have a body? How?
 

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

 

Gospel: John 1:43-51

⁴³The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. Jesus found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

 

⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the one about whom Moses in the Torah and also the prophets wrote: Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 

 

⁴⁶Nathanael said to Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” 

 

Philip said to Nathanael, “Come and see.” 

 

⁴⁷When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, Jesus said of Nathanael, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 

 

⁴⁸Nathanael asked Jesus, “Where did you get to know me?” 

 

Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 

 

⁴⁹Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Divine One! You are the Ruler of Israel!” 

 

⁵⁰Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹And Jesus said to Nathanael, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the messengers of God ascending and descending upon the Human One.”

 

Queeries for the text:

The next day after what?

Where do we assume goodness comes from? Can anything good come out of any nation?

Where else do fig trees show up?

How do titles convey meaning? How can they contradict meaning?

What's so great about a fig tree?

Where else do messengers of God ascend and descend?

 

What are your queeries?

 

 

Queerying Lent 4A

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

Tanakh: 1 Samuel 16:1-13

And the Becoming One said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and set out; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have decided on one of his sons to be king.”

Samuel replied, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.”

The Becoming One answered, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Becoming One.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrificial feast, and then I will make known to you what you shall do; you shall anoint for me the one I point out to you.”

Samuel did what the Becoming One commanded. When he came to Bethlehem, the elders of the city went out in alarm to meet him and said, “Do you come on a peaceful errand?”

"Yes,” he replied, “I have come to sacrifice to the Becoming One. Purify yourselves and join me in the sacrificial feast.” He also instructed Jesse and his sons to purify themselves and invited them to the sacrificial feast. When they arrived and he saw Eliab, he thought: “Surely the Becoming One’s anointed stands before Them.” But the Becoming One said to Samuel, “Pay no attention to his appearance or his stature, for I have rejected him. For not as man sees does the Becoming One see; man sees only what is visible, but the Becoming One sees into the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass before Samuel; but he said, “The Becoming One has not chosen this one either.” Next Jesse presented Shammah; and again he said, “The Becoming One has not chosen this one either.” Jesse presented seven of his sons before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The Becoming One has not chosen any of these.” Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the boys you have?” He replied, “There is still the youngest; he is tending the flock.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send someone to bring him, for we will not sit down to eat until he gets here.” So they sent and brought him. He was ruddy-cheeked, bright-eyed, and handsome. And the Becoming One said, “Rise and anoint him, for this is the one.” Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Becoming One gripped David from that day on. Samuel then set out for Ramah.

Queeries for the text:
What do we fear?
Who do we ignore in society?
Who gets ignored, forgotten and canceled?
What work does society not value?
What is man?  What is human?
What external characteristics are valued by nature, or by humans?
What else happened in Ramah?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: John 9:1-41

As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. ²Jesus' disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

³Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. ⁴We must work the works of Them who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” ⁶When Jesus had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, ⁷saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then the man went and washed and came back able to see.
 
⁸The neighbors and those who had seen the man before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” ⁹Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.”

The man kept saying, “I am the man.”

¹⁰But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?”

¹¹He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.”

¹²They said to the man, “Where is he?”

He said, “I do not know.”

¹³They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. ¹⁴Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened the man's eyes. ¹⁵Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “Jesus put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.”

¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. ¹⁷So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”

The man said, “Jesus is a prophet.”

¹⁸The Judeans did not believe that the man had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight ¹⁹and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”

²⁰His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; ²¹but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” ²²His parents said this because they were afraid of the Judeans; for the Judeans had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. ²³Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

²⁴So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.”

²⁵He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

²⁶They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

²⁷He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?”

²⁸Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. ²⁹We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.”

³⁰The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. ³¹We know that God does not listen to sinners, but They do listen to one who worships them and obeys their will. ³²Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. ³³If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

³⁴They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.

³⁵Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found the man, he said, “Do you believe in the Human One?”

³⁶He answered, “And who are they, Captain? Tell me, so that I may believe in them.”

³⁷Jesus said to him, “You have seen them, and the one speaking with you is the one.”

³⁸He said, “Governor, I believe.” And he worshiped Jesus.

³⁹Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.”

⁴⁰Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?”

⁴¹Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”

Queeries for the text:
Why do people so often need someone to blame?
What happened when someone was isolated in that time?  What happens when someone is isolated today?
How are God's works revealed in the ones others cast off?
What is up with a pool named Sent?
Why won't the neighbors believe the truth?
What happens when people are afraid?
How might a disabled person understand this story?

What are your queeries?

Queerying Christmas 1 Year C

Periodic queerier, River Needham, queeried the reading from the Tanakh.

Tanakh: 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
Samuel was engaged in the service of the Becoming One as an attendant, girded with a linen ephod. Hir mother would also make a little robe for hir and bring it up to hir every year, when she made the pilgrimage with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. Eli would bless Elkanah and eir wife, and say, “May the Becoming One grant you offspring by this woman in place of the loan she made to the Becoming One.” Then they would return home.
Young Samuel, meanwhile, grew in esteem and favor both with God and with humans.

Queeries for the text:
What is missing from this text?
What does it mean to be an attendant?
What is an ephod?
What pilgrimages do we make today?
What does it mean to bless someone?
Where is home? What is home?
What does it mean to grow in esteem and favor?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeried the reading from the Gospel.

Gospel: Luke 2:41-52
⁴¹Now every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem

for the festival of the Passover.

⁴²And when Jesus was twelve years old,

they went up as usual for the festival.

⁴³When the festival was ended and they started to return,

the child Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem,

but his parents did not know it.

⁴⁴Assuming that he was in the group of travelers,

they went a day’s journey.

Then they started to look for Jesus among their relatives and friends.

⁴⁵When they did not find Jesus,

they returned to Jerusalem to search for him.

⁴⁶After three days they found Jesus in the temple,

sitting among the teachers,

listening to them

and asking them questions.

⁴⁷And all who heard Jesus were amazed

at his understanding and his answers.

⁴⁸When Jesus' parents saw him they were astonished;

and his mother said to him,

“Child, why have you treated us like this?

Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.”

⁴⁹Jesus said to them,

“Why were you searching for me?

Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

⁵⁰But they did not understand what Jesus said to them.

⁵¹Then Jesus went down with them and came to Nazareth,

and was obedient to them.

His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

⁵²And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years,

and in divine and human favor.

Queeries for the text:
How hard is it to get to Jerusalem every year for the Passover?
What were Mary and Joseph doing during the festival?
What system of family care-giving did Jesus grow up with?
Where did Jesus sleep after Mary and Joseph began to head home?
Why does everything happen after three days?
If Jesus was listening and asking questions, how could people be amazed at his answers?
Who is responsible for anxiety?
How often do we not understand Jesus?  Children?
When else did Mary treasure things in her heart?
What does it mean to increase in wisdom? years? divine favor? human favor?

What are your queeries?

2nd after epiphany year b - 1 samuel

1 Samuel 3:1-20

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Sovereign under Eli.

     The word of the Sovereign was rare in those days;

          visions were not widespread.

     ²At that time Eli,

          whose eyesight had begun to grow dim

               so that he could not see,

                    was lying down in his room;

                        ³the lamp of God had not yet gone out,

     and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Sovereign,

          where the ark of God was.

⁴Then the Sovereign called,

     “Samuel! Samuel!”

and Samuel said,

     “Here I am!”

     ⁵and ran to Eli, and said,

          “Here I am,

               for you called me.”

But Eli said,

     “I did not call;

          lie down again.”

               So Samuel went and lay down.

⁶The Sovereign called again,

     “Samuel!”

Samuel got up and went to Eli,

     and said,

          “Here I am,

               for you called me.”

But Eli said,

     “I did not call, my child;

          lie down again.”

⁷Now Samuel did not yet know the Sovereign,

     and the word of the Sovereign had not yet been revealed to him.

⁸The Sovereign called Samuel again,

     a third time.

     And Samuel got up and went to Eli,

          and said,

               “Here I am,

                    for you called me.”

Then Eli perceived that the Sovereign was calling the child.

     ⁹Therefore Eli said to Samuel,

          “Go, lie down;

               and if they call you,

                    you shall say,

                        ‘Speak, Sovereign,

                             for your servant is listening.’”

So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰Now the Sovereign came and stood there,

     calling as before,

          “Samuel! Samuel!”

And Samuel said,

     “Speak,

          for your servant is listening.”

¹¹Then the Sovereign said to Samuel,

     “See, I am about to do something in Israel

          that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle.

          ¹²On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken

               concerning his house,

                    from beginning to end.

               ¹³For I have told Eli that I am about to punish his house forever,

                    for the iniquity that he knew,

                        because his sons were blaspheming God,

                        and he did not restrain them.

               ¹⁴Therefore I swear to the house of Eli

                    that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated

                        by sacrifice or offering forever.”

¹⁵Samuel lay there until morning;

     then he opened the doors of the house of the Sovereign.

     Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.

          ¹⁶But Eli called Samuel and said,

               “Samuel, my son.”

Samuel said,

     “Here I am.”

¹⁷Eli said,

     “What was it that the Sovereign told you?

          Do not hide it from me.

               May God do so to you and more also,

                    if you hide anything from me of all that God told you.”

¹⁸So Samuel told Eli everything

     and hid nothing from him.

Then Eli said,

     “It is the Sovereign;

          let God do what seems good to God.”

¹⁹As Samuel grew up,

     the Sovereign was with him

     and let none of his words fall to the ground.

          ²⁰And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew

               that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Sovereign.

Queeries the text:

Are the word of God and visions rare today or do we just institutionalize or ostracize the people to whom they come?

What kind of "word of the Sovereign" has to be revealed to you before you recognize God's voice?  Isn't God's voice also God's word?

How annoyed are Samuel and Eli with each other before they figure out what's going on?

How many times have we been confused when God is calling us?

Did Eli know he was in trouble?

Was God only appearing by voice the first three times so that Samuel would wake Eli up and clue him in on what was going on?

Why does God always seem to give prophets news people don't want?

When words fall to the ground, do they become seeds?  

What are your queeries?