Queerying Reign of Christ the Queen B

River Needham, MA ThM queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: 2 Samuel 23:1-7

These are the last words of David:

The utterance of David son of Jesse,
The utterance of the man set on high,
The anointed of the God of Jacob,
The favorite of the songs of Israel:

The spirit of the Becoming One has spoken through me,
Femmes message is on my tongue;
The God of Israel has spoken,
The Rock of Israel said concerning me:
“He who rules justly,
He who rules in awe of God
Is like the light of morning at sunrise,
A morning without clouds—
Through sunshine and rain
Bringing vegetation out of the earth.”
Is not my House established before God?
For Femme has granted me an eternal pact,
Drawn up in full and secured.
Will Femme not cause all my success
And my every desire to blossom?
But the wicked shall all
Be raked aside like thorns;
For no one will take them in their hand.
Whoever touches them
Must arm themself with iron
And the shaft of a spear;
And they must be burned up on the spot.

Queeries for the text:
What narratives from this year brought out David's complicatedness?
How does this narrative fit with God choosing David?
What are songs of Israel?
How is God Just?
Who was David's successor?
How was David's reign remembered?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: John 18:33-37
³³Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the Ruler of the Jews?”

³⁴Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?”

³⁵Pilate replied, “I am not Jewish, am I? Your own nation and its elites have handed you over to me. What have you done?”

³⁶Jesus answered, “My reign is not from this world. If my reign were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over. But as it is, my reign is not from here.”

³⁷Pilate asked Jesus, “So you are a ruler?”

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a ruler. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Queeries for the text:
When did Pilate enter the headquarters before?
Who is Ruler of the Jewish people?
When is gossip good?
Who else is handed over by their own government and elites?
Who is responsible for harm? 
What is the relationship between truth and power?

What are your queeries?

Queerying 12th after Pentecost B

River Needham, MA ThM queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14
So David slept with his ancestors, and he was buried in the City of David. The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years: he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem, then Solomon sat upon the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.
[...]
Then, Solomon, though he loved the Becoming One and followed the practices of his father David, also sacrificed and offered at the shrines. The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the largest shrine; on that altar Solomon presented a thousand burnt offerings. At Gibeon the Becoming One appeared to Solomon in a dream by night.

God said, “Ask, what shall I grant you?”

Solomon said, “You dealt most graciously with Your servant my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness and righteousness and in integrity of heart. You have continued this great kindness to him by giving him a son to occupy his throne, as is now the case. So now, O Becoming One, my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David; but I am a young lad, with no experience in leadership. Your servant finds himself in the midst of the people You have chosen, a people too numerous to be numbered or counted. Grant, then, Your servant an understanding mind to judge Your people, to distinguish between good and bad; for who can judge this vast people of Yours?”

The Becoming One was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.

God said to him, “Because you asked for this—you did not ask for long life, you did not ask for riches, you did not ask for the life of your enemies, but you asked for discernment in dispensing justice— I now do as you have spoken. I grant you a wise and discerning mind; there has never been anyone like you before, nor will anyone like you arise again. And I also grant you what you did not ask for—both riches and glory all your life—the like of which no king has ever had. And I will further grant you long life, if you will walk in My ways and observe My laws and commandments, as did your father David.”

Queeries for the text:
What's missing from this reading?
Who was worshipped at the shrines?
Was she God's spouse?
Is God monogamous?
Did God care about the shrine?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: John 6:51-58
Jesus continued:
⁵¹“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

⁵²The Judeans then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this person give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you gnaw on the flesh of the One Born of Woman and drink Their blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴Those who gnaw on my flesh and drink my blood have everlasting life, and I will raise them up on the last day; ⁵⁵for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. ⁵⁶Those who gnaw on my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. ⁵⁷Just as the living Caregiver sent me, and I live because of the Caregiver, so whoever gnaws on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

Queeries for the text:
What is given for the life of the world?
Who eats flesh?
Where is life?
When did Jesus become a vampire?
Why do we live? How?
What bread comes down from heaven?

What are your queeries?

Queerying 6th after Pentecost B

River Needham, MA ThM queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. Long before now, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led Israel in war; and the Becoming One said to you: You shall shepherd My people Israel; you shall be ruler of Israel.” All the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a pact with them in Hebron before the Becoming One. They anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

[...]

David occupied the stronghold and renamed it the City of David; David also fortified the surrounding area, from the Millo inward. David kept growing stronger, for the Becoming One, the God of Angel Armies, was with him.

Queeries for the text:
Who else rules instead of the king/queen? 
What is missing from this text?
Who else has asked for a ruler?
Who is God with today?
Who rules over the u.s.?
Who wrote this text?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Mark 6:1-13
Jesus left that place and came to his hometown, and his chosen family followed him. ²On the sabbath Jesus began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! ³Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and sibling of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Jesus.

⁴Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” ⁵And Jesus could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. ⁶And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then Jesus went about among the villages teaching. ⁷He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. ⁸Jesus ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; ⁹but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. ¹⁰He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. ¹¹If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” ¹²So the twelve went out and proclaimed that all should repent. ¹³They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Queeries for the text:
Where did Jesus leave?
Who takes offense at new wisdom?
What keeps us from deeds of power?
Who takes nothing today?
Who provides hospitality?
What happens when you shake off dust?
From what should we repent?

What are your queeries?

Queerying Advent 4B

River Needham, MA queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

When the king was settled in his palace and the Becoming One had granted him safety from all the enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan: “Here I am dwelling in a house of cedar, while the Ark of the Becoming One abides in a tent!”

Nathan said to the king, “Go and do whatever you have in mind, for the Becoming One is with you.” 

 

But that same night the Becoming one came and said to Nathan: “Go and say to My servant David: The Becoming One told me: Are you the one to build a house for Me to dwell in? From the day that I brought the people of Israel out of Egypt to this day I have not lived in a house, but have moved about in tent and tabernacle. As I moved about wherever the Israelites went, did I ever reproach any of the tribal leaders whom I appointed to care for My people Israel: Why have you not built Me a house of cedar? 

 

“Further, say to My servant David: The Becoming God of Angel Armies said: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be ruler of My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut down all your enemies before you. Moreover, I will give you great renown like that of the greatest people on earth. I will establish a home for My people Israel and will plant them firm, so that they shall dwell secure and shall tremble no more. Evil people shall not oppress them any more as in the past, ever since I appointed chieftains over My people Israel. I will give you safety from all your enemies. 

 

“The Becoming One declares to you that She, the Becoming One, will establish a house for you.”

Queeries for the text:
Is safety ongoing? Why or why not?
What does it mean to be live in a tent?
Why choose to live in a tent? Who suffers when living in a tent?

What do angel armies have to do with the situation?
What is missing?
What has become of David's House?

 

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

 

Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

²⁶In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And Gabriel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Becoming One is with you.” 

 

²⁹But Mary was much perplexed by Gabriel's words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 

 

³⁰The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a child, and you will name the child Jesus. ³²The child will be great, and will be called the Child of the Most High, and the Becoming God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³The child will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his reign there will be no end.” 

 

³⁴Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 

 

³⁵The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Child of God. ³⁶And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a child; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. ³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God.” 

 

³⁸Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Becoming One; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

 

Queeries for the text:

When is God perplexing?

What is there to be afraid of?

When do we question God?

What is virginity?

How is gender at play in this text?

Who else conceived in old age? What happened with Elizabeth and Zechariah?

Where is consent?

Who believes Mary?

 

What are your queeries?

 

 

 

 

Queerying Advent 1 Year C - Jeremiah

This text was queeried by periodic queerier, River Needham

Tanakh - Jeremiah 33:14-16
See, days are coming—declares the Becoming One—when I will fulfill the promise that I made concerning the House of Israel and the House of Judah. In those days and at that time, I will raise up a true branch of David’s line, who shall do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah shall be delivered and Israel shall dwell secure. And this is what she shall be called: “The Becoming One is our Vindicator.”

Queeries for the text:
What is the context of this passage?
Where is the house of Israel/house of Judah?
What are we waiting for in this passage?
How do these promises come to be?
What does this text refer to in its original context?
What about modern day controversies?
What kind of tree is David's branch from?
What looks just and right in the land?
What is the Becoming One vindicating? What does it look or feel like?

What are your queeries?



If you want to check out the sermon that came in part from this queery, you can find it here!