Scriptural Reasoning 2

Jennifer McBride’s Radical Discipleship employs the liturgical seasons as a framework for engaging such social ethical issues as mass incarceration, capital punishment, poverty, and homelessness. Her argument is that Christians must become disciples of Jesus. She does so through organically connecting liturgy with activism and theological reflection. In the first half of the course, students will read McBride as a way to help foster scriptural reasoning. For lessons taken from Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary, students will write a paragraph in answer to the sets of questions below. The aim of the assignment is to increase listening to and reasoning with Scripture for the purpose of ethical questions and to aid in the discernment of moral life. Utilizing the lectionary cycle helps to set this exercise of listening and reasoning within the context of liturgical worship. There is no “one right way” to interpret Scripture for this assignment; absolute directives are not expected or encouraged. Students are encouraged to pray over and with these texts. And students may use outside study resources as assistants to their own thought and reflections. Students are encouraged to think widely about various avenues of ethical themes over the course of these assignments, such as: personal virtues, family, relationships, social matters, life stages, institutional systems, current events, national and cultural issues. Students may minimally interact with McBride; however, primarily engage the biblical texts. Questions: • What is of importance in these biblical passages? What mode of ethical reasoning, if any, is employed in these passages? • What ethical issues are connected to these passages? What might the biblical passages be saying about them? What questions do the ethical themes, if any, present to the biblical texts? • Have I been changed, challenged, and/or deepened by these readings, and how? What should I do today, in response to reading these passages of Scripture? Writing Prayers: • In addition to your responses to the above questions, you are to write a prayer. The prayer should (1) be based on/reflect the scripture passages, (2) emphasize themes of the liturgical season/day, and (3) express a commitment to justice. Christmas Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1:1-4 (5-12); John 1:1-14