Above: Paul Writing His Epistles, by Valentin de Boulogne
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Most Holy God, the earth is filled with your glory,
and before you angels and saints stand in awe.
Enlarge our vision to see your power at work in the world,
and by your grace make us heralds of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 24
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The Assigned Readings:
Judges 5:1-11
Psalm 115
1 Corinthians 14:26-40
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Not to us, O LORD, not to us,
but to your Name give glory;
because of your love and because of your faithfulness.
–Psalm 115:1, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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The pericope from 1 Corinthians 14 contains a troubling passage which might be a later addition to it. In the context of cautions against seeking glory for oneself and thereby causing disruption in the church we read that women (actually, wives, in Greek) should be silent and subordinate in church. The meaning is probably that a wife who disagrees with or contradicts her husband in church will cause discord in the congregation, maybe by embarrassing him. Furthermore, some women in the Corinthian congregation were questioning speakers during worship. On the other hand, St. Paul the Apostle worked well with other women (such as St. Prisca/Priscilla, wife of St. Aquila), who taught, and many of the troublemakers in the Corinthian congregation were men. (For details regarding St. Prisca/Priscilla, read Acts 18:1-28; Romans 16:3; 1 Corinthians 16:19; and 2 Timothy 4:19.) One might also refer to Pauline assertions of equality in Christ, as in Galatians 3:27-29. And, with respect to the pericope from Judges 5, Deborah was a chieftain of the Israelites.
One of the contexts in which to interpret a passage of scripture is the entirety of the Bible. Another is the immediate environs (textual, historical, and geographical) of the passage. Nevertheless, sexist attitudes consistent with patriarchy permeate the Bible. I refuse to validation. Each of us learns from culture. This curriculum is of mixed quality. May we recognize the bad, reject it, and refuse to call it holy.
Meanwhile, may we refrain from causing disruptions in church.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 9, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT DENIS, BISHOP OF PARIS, AND HIS COMPANIONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF SAINT LUIS BERTRAN, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY PRIEST
THE FEAST OF ROBERT GROSSETESTE, SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF WILHELM WEXELS, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR; HIS NIECE, MARIE WEXELSEN, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN NOVELIST AND HYMN WRITER; LUDWIG LINDEMAN, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN ORGANIST AND MUSICOLOGIST; AND MAGNUS LANDSTAD, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, FOLKLORIST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMNAL EDITOR
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Adapted from this post:
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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