Queerying Transfiguration C

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Luke 9:28-36[37-43a]
²⁸Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹And while Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling. ³⁰Suddenly the chosen family present saw two people, Moses and Elijah, talking to Jesus. ³¹They appeared in glory and were speaking of Jesus' departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

³²Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two who stood with him. ³³Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Leader, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” —not knowing what he said.

³⁴While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. ³⁵Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Child, my Chosen; listen to him!”

³⁶When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

[³⁷On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met Jesus. ³⁸Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my child; they are my only child. ³⁹Suddenly a spirit seizes them, and all at once they shriek. It convulses them until they foams at the mouth; it mauls them and will scarcely leave them. ⁴⁰I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they were not able.”

⁴¹Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your child here.”

⁴²While they were coming, the demon dashed the child to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave them back to their father. ⁴³And all were astounded at the greatness of God.]

Queeries for the text:
After which sayings?
How dazzling?
What departure was Jesus about to accomplish?
What happens when someone is weighed down by sleep? 
Why Moses and Elijah?
When else does a voice speak?
Who still keeps silent today?
When are people not able to help?
Why is Jesus burnt out?
What needs rebuking today?

What are your queeries?

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?

 

Queerying 16th after Pentecost A

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

Tanakh: Exodus 16:2-15 

In the wilderness, the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Becoming One in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, when we ate our fill of bread! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to starve this whole congregation to death.”

The Becoming One said to Moses, “I will rain down bread for you from the sky, and the people shall go out and gather each day that day’s portion—that I may thus test them, to see whether they will follow my instructions or not. But on the sixth day, when they apportion what they have brought in, it shall prove to be double the amount they gather each day.” 

So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “By evening you shall know it was the Becoming One who brought you out from the land of Egypt; and in the morning you shall behold the Presence of the Becoming One, because they have heard your grumblings against the Becoming One. For who are we that you should grumble against us? Since it is the Becoming One,” Moses continued, “who will give you flesh to eat in the evening and bread in the morning to the full, because the Becoming One has heard the grumblings you utter against them, what is our part? Your grumbling is not against us, but against the Becoming One!” 

Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole Israelite community: Advance toward the Becoming One, for They have heard your grumbling.” 

And as Aaron spoke to the whole Israelite community, they turned toward the wilderness, and there, in a cloud, appeared the Presence of the Becoming One. The Becoming One spoke to Moses: “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Speak to them and say: By evening you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; and you shall know that I the Becoming One am your God.” In the evening quail appeared and covered the camp; in the morning there was a fall of dew about the camp. When the fall of dew lifted, there, over the surface of the wilderness, lay a fine and flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?”—for they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “That is the bread which the Becoming One has given you to eat.

Queeries for the text:

Which character do you most relate to in this story?
What are fleshpots?
Where do we reject the God of Liberation?

Where else do we look for liberation?

What does God provide for us? 

Who changes in this story? How do they change?
 
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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16

“For the reign of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for their vineyard. ²After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, they sent them into the vineyard. 

³When they went out about nine o’clock, they saw others standing idle in the marketplace ⁴and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. 

⁵When the landowner went out again about noon and about three o’clock, they did the same. ⁶And about five o’clock they went out and found others standing around and said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ 

⁷They said to the landowner, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ 

The landowner said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ 

⁸When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to their manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ ⁹When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. 

¹⁰Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. ¹¹And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, ¹²saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 

¹³But the landowner replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? ¹⁴Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. ¹⁵Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ ¹⁶So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Queeries for the text:
How would the world be different if no one were forced to work in order to survive?
Why didn't anyone hire the 5pm laborers?
What impact did finally getting hired have on them?
What happens if God is the person at 5pm with no work?
Who is the real enemy?
What does friend mean?
What if no one was last or first?

What are your queeries?

Queerying 15th after Pentecost A

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

Tanakh: Exodus 14:19-31

The angel of God, who had been going ahead of the Israelite army, now moved and followed behind them; and the pillar of cloud shifted from in front of them and took up a place behind them, it came between the army of the Egyptians and the army of Israel. Thus there was the cloud with the darkness, and it cast a spell upon the night so that the armies could not come near the other all through the night.

Then Moses held out his arm over the sea and the Becoming One drove back the sea with a strong east wind all that night, and turned the sea into dry ground. The waters were split, and the Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.

The Egyptians came in pursuit after them into the sea, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsepeople. At the morning watch, the Becoming One looked down upon the Egyptian army from a pillar of fire and cloud, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. They locked the wheels of their chariots so that they moved forward with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Becoming One is fighting for them against Egypt.”

Then the Becoming One said to Moses, “Hold out your arm over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians and upon their chariots and upon their horsepeople.” Moses held out his arm over the sea, and at daybreak, the sea returned to its normal state, and the Egyptians fled at its approach. But the Becoming One hurled the Egyptians into the sea.

The waters turned back and covered the chariots and the horsepeople—Pharaoh’s entire army that followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. But the Israelites had marched through the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.

Thus the Becoming One delivered Israel that day from the Egyptians. Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea. When Israel saw the wondrous power which the Becoming One had wielded against the Egyptians, the people feared the Becoming One; they had faith in the Becoming One and their servant Moses.

Queeries for the text:
What do we need freedom from?  Who is setting us free?
How do we shift the leaders around us?
How does God work in the world?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35

²¹Then Peter came and said to Jesus, “Guide, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” 

²²Jesus said to Peter, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. 

²³“For this reason the reign of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. ²⁴When the king began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; ²⁵and, as the slave could not pay, her lord ordered her to be sold, together with her spouse and children and all their possessions, and payment to be made. 

²⁶So the slave fell on her knees before the king, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ ²⁷And out of pity for her, the lord of that slave released her and forgave her the debt. 

²⁸But that same slave, as she went out, came upon one of her fellow slaves who owed her a hundred denarii; and seizing them by the throat, she said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 

²⁹Then her fellow slave fell down and pleaded with her, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ ³⁰But she refused; then she went and threw them into prison until they would pay the debt. 

³¹When her fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 

³²Then her lord summoned her and said to her, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴And in anger her lord handed her over to be tortured until she would pay her entire debt. 

³⁵So my heavenly Parent will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your sibling from your heart.”

Queeries for the text:

What's so special about 77?
How does a person rack up a debt of 10,000 talents?
How can debts be paid when the debtor is imprisoned? When they are tortured?
Who is master in this story?
What is mercy?

What are your queeries?

Queerying Pentecost A

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

Tanakh: Numbers 11:24-30

Moses went out and reported the words of the Becoming One to the people. He gathered seventy of the people’s elders and stationed them around the Tent. Then the Becoming One came down in a cloud and spoke to him; They drew upon the spirit that was on him and put it upon the seventy elders. And when the spirit rested upon them, they spoke in ecstasy but did not continue. Two men, one named Eldad and the other Medad, had remained in camp; yet the spirit rested upon them—they were among those recorded, but they had not gone out to the Tent—and they spoke in ecstasy in the camp. A youth ran out and told Moses, saying, “Eldad and Medad are acting the prophet in the camp!” And Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ attendant from his youth, spoke up and said, “My lord Moses, restrain them!” But Moses said to him, “Are you wrought up on my account? Would that all the Becoming One’s people were prophets, that the Becoming One put Their spirit upon them!” Moses then reentered the camp together with the elders of Israel.

Queeries for the text:
How do we gatekeep people from our movements?

How is gatekeeping a helpful construct?

Who are the prophets who are ignored?

Who are the prophets we overhonor?

What do you have to say to the church today?

Who do you need to listen to?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Acts reading.

Acts 2:1-21

When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

⁵Now there were devout Jewish people from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jewish born and proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.”

¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

¹³But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd, “People of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ¹⁷‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your children of all genders shall prophesy, and your youth shall see visions, and your elders shall dream dreams. ¹⁸Even upon my slaves, of all genders, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. ¹⁹And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. ²⁰The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Becoming One’s great and glorious day. ²¹Then everyone who calls on the name of the Becoming One shall be saved.’

Queeries for the text:
What kind of wind is violent?
What else can tongues do besides rest on people?
How else does communication happen on earth?
What bewilders us?
What is happening to native languages now?
What does this mean?
Who is prophesying today?
What visions are coming to people today?

What are your queeries?