textweek

Genesis 32

If you're looking at the Genesis 32 text, don't miss Dan Clendenin's essay at The Journey with Jesus. I keep thinking of parallels between the Genesis text and the Luke text and my own life and communities... Any thoughts?

ATLAS suggestions for Proper 24 Ordinary 29 Pentecost +21 - October 17, 2010

Here are some starting places for study at ATLA this week. If you are the graduate of an accredited U.S. theological school, you may have free access to these articles through your school. Check ATLAS access options. You can find full lists of ATLAS recommended articles for this week at The Text This Week's page for this week's texts.

Proper 24 / Ordinary 29 / Pentecost+21
October 17, 2010

Psalm 121

 Limburg, James, "The Autumn Leaves: Pages from the Psalter for Late Pentecost," Word & World, 1992. (The section on this text begins on page 276.)
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 “The psalm for this Sunday lends itself to preaching. It has always been identified as a ‘raveler's psalm’ and has been used in the congregation or family circle before setting out on a trip.”

 

Jeremiah 31:27-34

 Harrelson, Walter, "How to Interpret the Old Testament: The Central Issue between Christians and Jews," Review & Expositor, 2006.
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Abstract: “This essay has two parts. After a brief historical sketch of Christian anti-Judaism, we turn to the major issue in Christian relations with Judaism and the Jewish people: how we Christians understand and use the Jewish Bible—our Old Testament. In the first section we deal in particular with misreadings of the Old Testament and how we might interpret Jewish scripture more accurately and fairly. In the second part we call attention to themes and teachings in the Jewish scriptures (the Christian Old Testament) that are, in my judgment, central and vital to Christian faith, elements held in common with Judaism.”

Hutton, Rodney R., "Are the Parents Still Eating Sour Grapes? Jeremiah's Use of the Masal in Contrast to Ezekiel," Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2009.
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“The parents did, indeed, once eat sour grapes. That is most certainly true. And the children did, indeed, once suffer for it. That, too, is true. Steeped in Deuteronomistic theology, the Book of Jeremiah understands the fatedness of Judah to be already fixed with the offense of the past generations, sealed by the sins of Jeroboam and Manasseh (see above). There was no attempt to undermine or countermand this historical awareness by Jeremiah, by his audience, or by editors. The very confession of Yhwh's basic identity—as one who is merciful but who also "remembers iniquity"—lay unabashedly behind the assumed theological panorama of Jeremiah. But that historical confession was now relegated to the past, to be retired alongside the ark and the exodus, alongside religious infrastructure and historical remembrance, and a new field was to be prepared to receive the seed of Israel's future.”

 Rhymer, David, "Between Text & Sermon: Jeremiah 31:31-34," Interpretetation, 2005.
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 An Interpretation “Between Text & Sermon” article from 2005. “What the Christian church is not good at is encouraging the people of God to have unmediated access to the word of God. Interpreting the Bible is assumed to be just too difficult to be left to the people in the pew: it should be the responsibility of the person in the pulpit. Which is precisely the assumption that Jeremiah was challenging.”

Genesis 32:22-31

Snell, Robert G., "Between Text and Sermon: Genesis 32:22-32," Interpretation, 1996.
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An Interpretation “Between Text & Sermon” article from 1996. “With this text as gateway, a sermonic exploration of the obvious and incontrovertible combination, emendation, and variation of traditions in the Jacob cycle of the ancestral narrative will provide a powerful reminder that tradition is authentically interpreted and proclaimed in the context of dynamic dialogical engagement between the community of faith, contemporary circumstances, text, and living Lord.”

Vollmer, Ulrike, "I Will Not Let You Go Unless You Teach Me the Tango: Sally Potter's The Tango Lesson," Biblical Interpretation, 2003.
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Abstract: “This paper explores Sally Potter's film The Tango Lesson and the story of Jacob's fight with the angel that features in it. The Tango Lesson is not only about the tango and the relationship between the characters Sally and Pablo but also about their search for what it means to feel like a Jew. On this search, Sally and Pablo embody in a tango pose Jacob's fight with the angel as painted by Eugène Delacroix. This pose and the biblical story behind it act as a key to understanding the relationship between Sally and Pablo. In this paper, I show how Sally resembles Jacob and Pablo the angel of both the biblical story and Delacroix's painting. But I also argue that a role reversal takes place in Potter's film; that Pablo can be Jacob and Sally his angel. The experiences of being blessed and hurt as well as the importance of being remembered shape not only Sally's but also Pablo's life. To feel Jewish, I conclude, does not mean to be Jewish through birth or through belonging to a congregation but to search for a sense of self through a relationship. On this search, the ability to play different roles in different relational contexts is essential.”

 

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Thompson, Philip E., "Between Text & Sermon, 2 Timothy 4:1-5," Interpretation, 2002.
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A 2002 Interpretation “Between Text & Sermon” article on 2 Timothy 4:1-5. “To remember the gospel is neither mentally to form an image nor simply to recall a fact. It is rather to enter the vast, open middle of the story of God's redemption, allowing the reverberation of God's signal acts of salvation to shape life (see N. Dahl, Jesus in the Memory of the Early Church [Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1976] 20). The authority for Christian ministry derives from the very trustworthiness of the One remembered.”

 

 Luke 18:1-8

 Bruckner, James K., "Justice in Scripture," Ex Auditu, 2006.
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“As a concept infused with cultural values, justice is often equated with fairness. Fairness-justice, however, is usually defined from one's own vantage point and is often skewed toward one's own advancement. As a result justice is returned to a court of competing claims. The Scripture also has claims to make, presenting God's perspectives on justice. This external perspective may bring comfort to some, but it may also challenge and reshape our categories.”

 Dawn, Maggi, "Prayer Acts," The Christian Century, 2007.
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 “Prayer as Jesus taught it isn't just a private matter. It's not personal therapy or a crutch for the weak. Prayer is about refusing to believe that the way things are has to be the way they will always be, about imagining how the world could be, and gaining the wisdom and the energy to bring it about.”

 Hinson, E. Glenn, "Persistence in Prayer in Luke-Acts," Review & Expositor, 2007.
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 Abstract: “Persistence in prayer is the key theme that runs throughout Luke and Acts. This theme is demonstrated by Jesus' actions throughout the gospel, is taught explicitly in one of the unique parables of Luke (the Persistent Widow), and is highlighted in the ways that Luke edits his gospel. In the book of Acts, this theme is demonstrated by the actions of Peter, Paul, and the early community of faith. Throughout Luke and Acts, persistence in prayer is not a matter of persuading a reluctant God, but rather it is a matter of disciples remaining faithful. In this interval between the "D-Day" of the cross and the "V-Day" of the parousia, not all our prayers are or can be answered. Persistence in prayer is how we remain faithful as we await the eschatological fulfillment of the gospel.”

 Penny, Donald, "Persistence in Prayer: Luke 18:1-8," Review & Expositor, 2007.
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 Abstract: “The Parable of the Persistent Widow, Luke 18:1-8, gives us a reason to keep on trusting and praying, 'Thy kingdom come," even as we wait in a world where the "already" of God's victory at the cross has not fully supplanted the "not yet" that we see in a world of evil around us. The parable does not tell us that we must badger God; rather it shows us that, if even an evil judge will provide justice for a helpless widow, how much more will our loving Father bring in his Kingdom. The parable encourages us to tackle difficult issues with confidence; it cautions us not to expect difficult results; it assures us that God's justice will prevail in the end. In the midst of uncertain times, we must keep praying in the confidence that at the right time God will answer us suddenly, swiftly, and fully.”

Luke 18:1-8 at Textweek

I really need help with this Luke 18:1-8 passage, you all! Articles & commentaries are posted at http://www.textweek.com/mtlk/lk18a.htm and at http://www.textweek.com/yearc/properc24.htm . Look at all of the different interpretations! How do you read this passage? Which of the commentaries, etc, make the most sense to ...you. Is this a story about being persistent in prayer, or is God saying something else through it to you and your congregation?

Worship Resources for Advent

Starting to plan for Advent? http://www.textweek.com/advent.htm

"The Hardest Question" for Psalm 119 and Luke 18:1-8

I'm starting this week with "The Hardest Question." Russell Rathbun has some interesting questions to bring to this week's texts. What questions do you bring to your hearing of this week's texts? What is "the hardest question" for you?

Proper 24C Ordinary 29C Pentecost +21, October 17, 2010

 Updates for links to resources for Proper 24 / Ordinary 29 / Pentecost +21 have been posted at http://www.textweek.com/yearc/properc24.htm . I'll continue to update throughout the week.

ATLAS recommendations for 10-12-10

Here are some starting places for study at ATLA this week. If you are the graduate of an accredited U.S. theological school, you may have free access to these articles through your school. Check ATLAS access options. You can find full lists of ATLAS recommended articles for this week at The Text This Week.

Luke 17:11-19 

Clifton-Soderstrom, Michelle, "Recalling Luke's Healer: Slave Doctoring as Liberative Healing," Ex Auditu, 2005.
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“This paper argues for what is perhaps a truism—namely, that healing is not an end in itself. It is a tool for kingdom work and must be understood in the context of a rightly ordered kingdom. Healing is a tool for liberation, for establishing God's order.”

 

 

Dawn, Maggi, "The Untouchables," The Christian Century, 2007.
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“The nine were right back where they came from, safely on the right side of the border, healed of their exterior problems but locked back into their prejudices. Only one, through faith, became well in the broader sense of the word, realized his freedom and walked away from prejudice. He knew that under a viaduct, an aristocrat can be best friends with a man from the tenements.”

 

 

Kreider, Eugene C., "The Politics of God: The Way to the Cross," Word & World, 1986.
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The section on this text begins on page 456. “As a foreigner, the Samaritan was one who brought none of the expectations of tradition with him. He is a sign of openness and becomes Luke's commentary on discipleship here.”

 

 

Neyrey, Jerome H., S.J., "Lost in Translation: Did It Matter IF Christians 'Thanked' God or 'Gave God Glory'?" Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2009.
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The section on this text begins on page 3. “But what of the leper's response to Jesus: ευχάριστων αύτω? It is sandwiched between two references to ‘giving glory’ to God, which inclines us to render it here as a synonym of praise. Moreover, since nowhere else in Luke is God or Jesus ‘thanked,’ this fact further inclines us to render it as ‘praise.’”

 

 

Nickle, Keith F., "Ten Lepers Cleansed," Journal for Preachers, 2000. (Sermon)
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A sermon on Luke 17:11-19. “It was not that the other nine were not grateful. We may imagine them praising God all the way to the priests, and beyond. So exhilarated were they at how the encounter with Jesus had improved their health, their physical condition, their future prospects, they overlooked the far greater miracle of who Jesus was and what God was accomplishing for the entire creation through him.”

 

 

Carroll John T., "Between Text & Sermon, Luke 17:11-19," Interpretation, 1999.
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A 1999 Interpretation “Between Text & Sermon” article. “It is the powerless, the sick, and the sinful who rush into God's realm, while many who are powerful, healthy, and respected lodge their protest and turn away.”

 

 

2 Timothy 2:8-15

 

Roose, Hanna, "Sharing in Christ's Rule: Tracing a Debate in Earliest Christianity," Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 2004.
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Abstract: “This article traces some major issues concerning a debate among the first Christians as to who will share in Christ's rule in the βασιλεία του θεού. In Mt. 19.28—a logion that probably goes back to the historical Jesus—the Twelve are unconditionally appointed as eschatological rulers. After Easter, due to the influence of the passio-iusti tradition (cf. Wis. 3-5), ruling with Christ came to be understood, among some Christian groups, as a reward for martyrs (Rev. 20.4-6; 22.5; Lk. 22.28; 2 Tim. 2.12a; critical of this view is Mk 10.35-45). Paul, by contrast, characterizes eschatological rule as a gift for all who are baptized. In Romans, eschatological life and eschatological reign are blended together (Rom. 5.17) and linked with Paul's participationist understanding of baptism (Rom. 6.1-4). Ephesians further develops this idea (1.23; 2.6). Thus there is in early Christianity a diversity of views, and some controversy, concerning the hope of sharing in Christ's rule.”

 

 

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

 

 

Smoak, Jeremy D., "Building Houses and Planting Vineyards: The Early Inner-Biblical Discourse on an Ancient Israelite Wartime Curse," Journal of Biblical Literature, 2008.
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“Notions of building and planting have profound significance in the discourse of biblical literature. One important indication of this is the inner-biblical discourse of a wartime curse, which threatens Israel in the following words, "You will build a house, but you will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will not harvest its fruit" (Deut 28:30). A survey of biblical literature reveals that this particular curse held an especially prominent place in the discourse of ancient Israel and early Judaism.Over a dozen biblical texts contain formulations of, or allusions to, this particular curse and its imagery (Amos 5:11; 9:14; Isa 5:1-17; Zeph 1:13; Jer 6:9-15; 29:5,28; 31:4; Deut 20:5-6; 28:30; Isa 62:6-9; 65:21; Ezek 28:26; 36:36). The following study traces the origins and early inner-biblical discourse of the curse in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C.E.”

 

 

Weaver, Alain Epp, "On Exile: Yoder, Said, and a Theology of Land and Return," Cross Currents, 2003.
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“How should Palestinian exile, and exile more generally, be understood theologically? How should Christians understand the dreams of many exiles, dreams which often appear hopeless, of return to their homes?”

 

 

2 Kings 5

 

 

Brueggemann, Walter, "2 Kings 5: Two Evangelists and a Saved Subject," Missiology, 2007.
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“The world is leprous. The world is diseased to death. And we—on a good day—know the antidote. The testimony offered by the young girl is nothing dramatic, flamboyant, or irrational. It is an utterance that connects need and resource whereby all things are made new.”

Preaching / Study resources for Luke 17:5-10

What about the gospel text? How do you understand it within your own community? Who are you / you all in this story? How? Some ideas: http://www.textweek.com/mtlk/lk17a.htm Don't miss Brian Stoffregen's Exegetical Notes, Alyce McKenzie's notes, Debbie Blue, John Petty, and the oral story telling commentaries, etc at Go Tell Communications. What issues/questions/meditations do you find in this week's gospel text?