Tuesday Lectionary Leanings~~Hard texts edition

In my  neck of the woods we've clearly moved into fall--the leaves are turning and the air has a definite chill. And in the church year, we continue to move through "ordinary time," working our ways through some hard readings! As we begin our contemplation of this week's choices, let us begin with prayer:

Sovereign God,
you make us for each other,
to live in loving community
as friends, sons and daughters,
sisters and brothers, wives and husband,
partners and companions.
Teach us to choose love
that is committed and devoted;
teach us like little children
to wonder and to trust,
that our loving may reflect the image of Christ. Amen.

The RCL gives us a choice this week between Job and Genesis. The saga of Job will continue to unfold over the month of October and offers the opportunity and challenge, should you choose it, to delve into the sticky questions of theodicy--never an easy topic but always a compelling one.  Or you may choose the creation story in Genesis, culminating in the creation of Woman. This foundational story is often cited when "biblical marriage" is brought up, and might (or might not!) fit with a discussion of the gospel, that tricky passage from Mark where Jesus is questioned about divorce. 

For me, a divorced priest, preaching this Markan text is a bit daunting, but there is help out there. On Facebook this morning found this excellent piece by Mike Kinman, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Saint Louis. And as usual David Lose at Working Preacher has some useful insights on the subject as does Karoline Lewis. If you have other thoughts, questions, or creative ways to preach this text, please share them with us!

And let's not forget our other option--from Hebrews. This opening of this letter is really a treatise on Christology, addressing issues that most of us, I suspect, tend to take for granted: Jesus' status as God's exalted Son, both human and divine, more exalted than even the angels even in his humanity. 

So where are you headed this week, preachers? Some of you may be beginning stewardship sermons, or following the narrative lectionary, or otherwise away from the RCL. Wherever your ponderings are taking you, we're interested. You never know when one preacher's question might become another's "ah-ha!" moment.