Queerying Easter 5A

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Acts reading.

Acts 7:55-60
⁵⁵But filled with the Holy Spirit, Stephen gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶“Look,” Stephen said, “I see the heavens opened and the Human One standing at the right hand of God!”

⁵⁷But the religious authorities covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against Stephen. ⁵⁸Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

⁵⁹While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Sovereign Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰Then Stephen knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Becoming One, do not hold this sin against them.” When Stephen had said this, he died.

Queeries for the text:
Who is Stephen?
What prompted this?
From what do we cover our ears?
What happens when crowds get together?  Can good come from groups?
Why are young men dangerous?
Who does Stephen sound like?

What are your queeries?

Queerying 6th after Epiphany A

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

Tanakh: Deuteronomy 30:15-20

See, I set before you this day life and prosperity, death and adversity. For I command you this day, to love the Becoming One your God, to walk in Her ways, and to keep Her commandments, Her laws, and Her rules, that you may thrive and increase, and that the Becoming One your God may bless you in the land that you are about to enter and possess.

But if your heart turns away and you give no heed and are lured into the worship and service of other Gods, I declare to you this day that you shall certainly perish; you shall not long endure on the soil that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life—if you and your offspring would live— by loving the Becoming One your God, heeding Her commands, and holding fast to Her. For thereby you shall have life and shall long endure upon the soil that the Becoming One swore to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them.

Queeries for the text:
What dualisms are set up in this text? How can they be queered?
How are ways, commandments, laws and rules similar? How are they different?
Who are the other Gods? What kind of relationship to the Becoming One exists in this text?
How does the text handle its forays into the future? How does knowing what comes after change your encounter with the text?
What does it mean to value life? What are your personal growing edges in valuing life? What are the growing edges of society?
Where does choosing life lead us to today? Is that a worthwhile destination? What are the unintended consequences?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Matthew 5:21-37
²¹“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ ²²But I say to you that if you are angry with a sibling, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. ²³So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your sibling has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your sibling, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. ²⁶Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

²⁷“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. ³¹“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³²But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

³³“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Becoming One.’ ³⁴But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, ³⁵or by the earth, for it is her footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great Queen. ³⁶And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Queeries for the text:
How does anger lead to death?  How is anger good?
What does "you fool" sound like?
Who are the powerful Jesus is talking to?  How does Jesus address power?
Who might be assumed to look at a woman with lust?  What does this imply about victim blaming?  How does personal responsibility impact these situations?
What would happen to a woman if she received a certificate of divorce?  How did they perpetuate the patriarchy?
What is Jesus saying about control?

What are your queeries?

7th after Epiphany year C

Periodic queerier, River Needham, queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: Genesis 45:3-11, [12-14], 15
Joseph said to eir brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still well?”

But eir brothers could not answer em, so dumbfounded were they on account of em.

Then Joseph said to eir brothers, “Come forward to me.”
Then, when they came forward, ey said:

“I am your brother Joseph, ey whom you sold into Egypt.

Now, do not be distressed or reproach yourselves because you sold me to them;

it was to save life that God sent me ahead of you.

It is now two years that there has been famine in the land,

and there are still five years to come in which there shall be no yield from tilling.

God has sent me ahead of you to ensure your survival on earth,

and to save your lives in an extraordinary deliverance.

So, it was not you who sent me here, but God;

and She has made me a parent to Pharaoh, sovereign of all his household,

and ruler over the whole land of Egypt.

“Now, hurry back to my father and say to him:

Thus says your son Joseph, ‘God has made me lord of all Egypt;

come down to me without delay.

You will dwell in the region of Goshen, where you will be near me—

you and your children and your grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all that is yours.

There I will provide for you—for there are yet five years of famine to come—

that you and your household and all that is yours may not suffer want.’

[You can see for yourselves, and my brother Benjamin for himself, 

that it is indeed I who am speaking to you. 

Then, you must tell my father everything about my high station in Egypt and all that you have seen;

and bring my father here with all speed.

With that ey embraced eir brother Benjamin around the neck and wept, 

and Benjamin wept on eir neck.]

Ey kissed all eir brothers and wept upon them; only then were eir brothers able to talk to em.

Queeries for the text:
What does Joseph's first question point to?
Who else in Torah is dumbfounded?
Why does this famine get extensive Biblical coverage? Where are there famines today? What causes the famine?
Is God condoning or partaking in human trafficking?
Why is it important for Joseph's father to come to em?
Where is Goshen?
What happens to all of the people who live in Goshen?
What do Benjamin's tears portray?
What might Joseph's brothers say to em?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Luke 6:27-38
Jesus said:
²⁷“But I say to you that listen,

Love your enemies,

do good to those who hate you,

²⁸bless those who curse you,

pray for those who abuse you.

²⁹If anyone strikes you on the cheek,

offer the other also;

and from anyone who takes away your coat

do not withhold even your shirt.

³⁰Give to everyone who begs from you;

and if anyone takes away your goods,

do not ask for them again.

³¹Do to others as you would have them do to you.

³²“If you love those who love you,

what credit is that to you?

For even sinners love those who love them.

³³If you do good to those who do good to you,

what credit is that to you?

For even sinners do the same.

³⁴If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive,

what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners,

to receive as much again.

³⁵But love your enemies,

do good,

and lend,

expecting nothing in return.

Your reward will be great,

and you will be children of the Most High;

who is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

³⁶Be merciful,

just as the One who made you and loves you is merciful.

³⁷“Do not judge,

and you will not be judged;

do not condemn,

and you will not be condemned.

Forgive,

and you will be forgiven;

³⁸give,

and it will be given to you.

A good measure,

pressed down,
shaken together,
running over,

will be put into your lap;

for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

Queeries for the text:
What does it mean to love your enemy?
How do you pray for those who abuse you?
Why would you offer the other cheek?
Why would you strip naked for someone?
How is our relationship with money life-giving?  How is it life-taking?
When is it not good to do to others as you would have them do to you?
How has this text been harmful?
A good measure of what?

What are your queeries?

Queerying 6th after Epiphany year C

Periodic queerier, River Needham, queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: Jeremiah 17:5-10

Thus says the Becoming One:

Cursed is the one that trusts in a human,

and makes flesh their arm,

and whose heart departs from the Becoming One.

For they shall be like a tamarisk in the desert,

and shall not see when good comes;

but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,

a salt land and not inhabited.

Blessed is the one that trusts in the Becoming One,

and whose trust the Becoming One is.

For they shall be as a tree planted by the waters,

that spreads out its roots by the river,

that shall not see when heat comes,

and its foliage will be luxurious;

it shall not be anxious in the year of drought,

Neither will it cease from yielding fruit.

The heart is deceitful above all things,

and it is exceedingly weak—who can know it?

I the Becoming One search the heart,

I try the reins,

even to give every one according to their ways,

according to the fruit of their doings.

Queeries for the text:
What does it mean to be cursed? What curses follow us today?
Is the text pointing back to Judges? Does Hosea point back here? What do our hearts lust after today?
What is a tamarisk? Does it show up elsewhere in the Tanakh?
Is good a person? How does good come?
What is a blessing? Who is blessed? How many are there?
What is luxurious foilage? How could we reinterpret this metaphor for today?
How is the heart weak and deceitful?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Luke 6:17-26
¹⁷Jesus came down with the twelve

and stood on a level place,

with a great crowd of his disciples

and a great multitude of people

from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.

¹⁸They had come to hear Jesus

and to be healed of their diseases;

and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.

¹⁹And all in the crowd were trying to touch Jesus,

for power came out from him and healed all of them.

²⁰Then Jesus looked up at his disciples and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the dominion of God.

²¹“Blessed are you who are hungry now,

for you will be filled.

“Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh.

²²“Blessed are you when people hate you,

and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you

on account of the Human One.

²³Rejoice in that day and leap for joy,

for surely your reward is great in heaven;

for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

²⁴“But woe to you who are rich,

for you have received your consolation.

²⁵“Woe to you who are full now,

for you will be hungry.

“Woe to you who are laughing now,

for you will mourn and weep.

²⁶“Woe to you when all speak well of you,

for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets."

Queeries for the text:
Where did Jesus come down from?
How does power come out from a person to heal?
Who are poor?  Hungry?
Who weeps?
Who is hated, excluded, reviled, and defamed?
What do our ancestors do to the prophets?
Who are rich?  Full?  Laughing?
How do we speak well?

What are your queeries?