Queerying 2nd after Pentecost B

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Mark 3:20-35
²⁰and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. ²¹When Jesus' family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” ²²And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.”

²³And Jesus called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴If a reign is divided against itself, that reign cannot stand. ²⁵And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. ²⁶And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. ²⁷But no one can enter a strong person’s house and plunder their property without first tying up the strong person; then indeed the house can be plundered.

²⁸“Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; ²⁹but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— ³⁰for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

³¹Then Jesus' mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him.

³²A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to Jesus, “Your mother and your siblings are outside, asking for you.”

³³And Jesus replied, “Who are my mother and my siblings?” ³⁴And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my siblings! ³⁵Whoever does the will of God is my sibling and mother.”

Queeries for the text:
When did the crowd come together before?
Who is out of their mind?  Who do we restrain?
By whom are demons cast out?
Who is divided?
What is a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
Why don't people come inside?
Who is family?

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 7th after Pentecost C

Periodic queerier, River Needham, queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: Hosea 1:2-10

When the Becoming One first spoke to Hosea, the Becoming One said to Hosea, “Go, get yourself a wife of whoredom and children of whoredom; for the land will stray from following the Becoming One.”
So Hosea went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim. She conceived and bore him a son, and the Becoming One instructed him, “Name him Jezreel; for, I will soon punish the House of Jehu for the bloody deeds at Jezreel and put an end to the monarchy of the House of Israel. In that day, I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
She conceived again and bore a daughter; and Ze said to him, “Name her Lo-ruhamah; for I will no longer accept the House of Israel or pardon them. (But I will accept the House of Judah. And I will give them victory through the Becoming One their God; I will not give them victory with bow and sword and battle and horses and riders.)”
After weaning Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. Then Ze said, “Name him Lo-ammi; for you are not My people, and I will not be your God.” The number of the people of Israel shall be like that of the sands of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted; and instead of being told, “You are Not-My-People,” they shall be called Children-of-the-Living-God.

Queeries for the text:
How has whoredom been misappropriated?
Where else does whoredom show up in the Tanakh?
How does the land move?
Where does whoredom exist today?
What is whoredom?
What does it mean to not recieve mercy (lo-ruhamah)?
What does this passage say about the status of women?
Would you change this passage, if you were able to write it today? How would you change it?
What do we need mercy for today?
Who am I not asking about?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Luke 11:1-13
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”  

²Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say: Zaza, hallowed be your name. Let your reign come. ³Give us each day our daily bread. ⁴And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.”  

⁵And Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to that friend at midnight and say to zir, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before them.’ ⁷And ze answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ ⁸I tell you, even though ze will not get up and give you anything because you are zir friend, at least because of your persistence ze will get up and give you whatever you need.

⁹“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. ¹¹Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? ¹²Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? ¹³If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Zaza give the Holy Spirit to those who ask!”

Queeries for the text:
What's with all the certain places?
How are these words different from the versions of the Jesus' Prayer used today?  How else could we pray with this model?
What time of trial?
What quality of friends do you have to not lend bread?
What is asked for and not given?
What do we search for and not find?
What doors are still locked closed?
Would Slytherins give snakes instead of fish?
How are the disciples evil?

What are your queeries?

19th after pentecost year b - numbers

This queery is brought to you by our periodic contributor, River Needham.

Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29
⁴And the mixed multitude that was among them fell to lusting; and the children of Israel also wept on their part, and said: "Would that we were given flesh to eat! ⁵We remember the fish, which we were able to eat in Egypt without thinking about it; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic; ⁶but now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all; we have nothing except this manna to look to."

¹⁰And Moses heard the people weeping, family by family, every leader at the door of their family tent; and the anger of the Becoming One grew considerably; and Moses was displeased.

¹¹Then Moses said to the Becoming One "Why have you dealt ill with your servant, and why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all these people upon me? ¹²Have I conceived all these people? Have I brought them forth, that you should say to me: Carry them in your bosom, as a nursing father carries the sucking child, to the land which you did swear to their parents? ¹³When should I have flesh to give to all these people, for they trouble me with their weeping, saying: Give us flesh, that we may eat. ¹⁴I am not able to bear all these people by myself, alone, because it is too heavy for me. ¹⁵And if you deal thus with me, kill me, I ask you, out of hand, if I have found favor in your sight; and let me not look at my wretchedness." 

¹⁶And the Becoming One said to Moses: "Gather unto me seventy of the elders of Israel, who you know to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring these elders to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. 

²⁴And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Becoming One; and Moses gathered seventy of the elders of the people, and set them round about the Tent. ²⁵And the Becoming One came down in the cloud, and spoke to Moses, and took from the spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders; and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did so no more. ²⁶But there remained two in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad; and the spirit rested upon them; and they were among those recorded, but had not gone out unto the Tent; they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said: "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." ²⁸And Joshua, the son of Nun, the minister of Moses from his youth up, answered and said: "My lord Moses, shut them in." ²⁹And Moses said unto him: "Are you jealous for my sake? I would prefer that all the Becoming One's people were prophets, that the Becoming One would put Xyr spirit upon them!"

Queeries for the text:
What are we missing?
How do we lust for flesh today?
What kinds of flesh do we lust after?
What are our unwritten expectations of God?
How does God meet our unwritten expectations?
How is Moses a nursing father? What does this mean?
Where else does 70 show up in the Torah?
Why is Moses despondent? How do we respond when dealing with depressed people? How can we make that better?
Is the Spirit zero-sum?
How can Joshua deal with a polyamorous God?

What are your queeries?