Above: The Vision of Cornelius the Centurion, by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Holy God, mighty and immortal, you are beyond our knowing,
yet we see your glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
Transform us into the likeness of your Son,
who renewed our humanity so that we may share in his divinity,
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 26
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The Assigned Readings:
Deuteronomy 9:1-5 (Thursday)
Deuteronomy 9:6-14 (Friday)
Deuteronomy 9:15-24 (Saturday)
Psalm 99 (All Days)
Acts 3:11-16 (Thursday)
Acts 10:1-8 (Friday)
Luke 10:21-24 (Saturday)
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The LORD is King;
let the people tremble;
he is enthroned upon the cherubim;
let the earth shake.
–Psalm 99:1, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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The ways in which God works frequently surprise many people. Declaring the Hebrews, who rebelled against God repeatedly, to be the Chosen People was one example. Working through St. Simon Peter, an impetuous man, and St. Cornelius the Centurion, a Roman soldier, were two more examples. The Incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity as Jesus of Nazareth was unique. And what about hiding wonders
from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children?
–Luke 10:21b, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
God chooses to work in ways, many of which surprise or scandalize many mere mortals. Certain heroic figures in the Hebrew Bible were also scoundrels. Oblivious Apostles in the Gospels became great leaders of nascent Christianity. The circumstances of our Lord and Savior’s conception and birth led to decades of whispering behind his back and to his face. Some Gentiles were closer to God than certain prominent Jews. Standard labels might not apply when God is acting. If we have spiritual and/or emotional difficulty with that reality, we need to confess that sin to God, to apologize, and to repent, by grace.
Simply put, if one is St. Simon Peter in an analogy, who is the St. Cornelius whose invitation will lead to an epiphany. And is one willing to have an epiphany?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 28, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS
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Adapted from this post:
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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