Archive for December 2020
Above: Christ Banishes Tradesmen from the Temple
Image in the Public Domain
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Amos 6:1-7 or Proverbs 6:6-22
Psalm 118:1-14
1 Timothy 4:1-16
John 2:13-25
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These five readings, taken together, remind individuals, communities, and populations to obey God’s laws, keep its ethical mandate of mutuality under God, and not to be arrogant while idling in obliviousness to consequences of disobeying divine ethical standards. The Assyrians were on their way in Amos 6. False teachers were troublesome in 1 Timothy 4. Sacred rituals were not talismans in John 2.
Keeping the ethical mandates from God is not a talisman either. One who reads the Gospel of John should notice that Gospel’s placement of the “Temple Incident” (as scholars of the New Testament call it) at the beginning of Christ’s ministry. Such a reader also notices that, according to the Gospel of John, different groups tried for years to kill Jesus throughout the Fourth Gospel. If righteousness were a shield against negative consequences, Jesus would have been the safest person who ever lived.
Unfortunately, old, false ideas remain persistent. (Old, true ideas persisting is positive, of course.) The idea that one is suffering, therefore must have sinned, is false. So is the proposition that one is prosperous and secure, therefore must have done something right and righteous. How many times must one read the Gospel of John, ponder the life of Christ, and read accounts of martyrs before one understands this?
The rain falls on the just and the unjust. Many of the wicked prosper. Many of the righteous struggle and suffer. It is not fair. Life is not fair. Nevertheless, actions do have consequences in this life and in the afterlife. Sometimes we also suffer because of the actions of others. The problem of suffering is too complex for simple answers.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 31, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE SEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF SAINT GIUSEPPINA NICOLI, ITALIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN AND MINISTER TO THE POOR
NEW YEAR’S EVE
THE FEAST OF ROSSITER WORTHINGTON RAYMOND, U.S. NOVELIST, POET, HYMN WRITER, AND MINING ENGINEER
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZOTICUS OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PRIEST AND MARTYR, 351
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Adapted from these posts:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/12/31/devotion-for-the-fifth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-d-humes/
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2020/12/31/devotion-for-proper-3-year-d-humes/
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Above: The Marriage at Cana, by Paolo Veronese
Image in the Public Domain
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Amos 5:18-24 or Proverbs 3:5-18
Psalm 117
1 Timothy 3:1-13
John 2:1-12
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Rituals are part of religion. The Law of Moses specifies elements of ritualism, down to priestly vestments and certain details of sacred spaces. May we human beings shun Puritanical and Pietistic excesses as we focus on the point of Amos 5:18-24. That point is that sacred rituals are not talismans. They do not shield people from the consequences of a lack of righteousness–in this case, manifested in the exploitation of the vulnerable and in corruption.
Divine judgment and mercy exist in balance. We may praise God for having merciful love (as in Psalm 117), but divine justice is catastrophic for the habitually unrighteous (as in Amos 5). Therefore, blessed and happy are those who find wisdom (as in Proverbs 3).
1 Timothy 3, somewhat bound by cultural context, does contain a timeless element, too. Ecclesiastical leaders have a duty to lead by example. They must have fine character. Their deeds must not belie the sacred truth.
Hypocrisy offends, does it not? I recall a news story from years ago. A minister had preached against gambling. Then someone caught him gambling in a casino.
Deeds reveal creeds. Words may deceive, but deeds to not lie. In Jewish theology, God is like what God has done and is doing. The same principle applies to human beings.
In the Gospel of John, Christ’s first miracle was turning water into wine at Cana. This was no mere parlor trick. Yes, Jesus saved his host from embarrassment. Christ also pointed to his glory, that is, God’s presence in him. Jesus pointed to God.
Divine grace is extravagant. It saves us from sins and from ourselves. Sometimes it may save us from embarrassment. Do we accept that grace and point to God? Do we accept that grace and love our neighbors as we love ourselves? Or do we reject that grace?
Our deeds will reveal our creeds.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 30, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE SIXTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF ALLEN EASTMAN CROSS, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHN MAIN, ANGLO-CANADIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MONK
THE FEAST OF FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, AFRICAN-AMERICAN EDUCATOR, PRISON REFORMER, AND SOCIAL WORKER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM ADAMS BROWN, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, AND SOCIAL REFORMER
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/12/30/devotion-for-the-fourth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-d-humes/
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Above: Saint Bartholomew, by Antonio Veneziano
Image in the Public Domain
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Amos 5:6-15 or Proverbs 1:20-33
Psalm 115:12-18
1 Timothy 2:1-15
John 1:43-51
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Without getting lost on a side trip through cultural context in 1 Timothy 2, I focus on the core, unifying theme this week: We reap what we sow.
Now they must eat the fruit of their own way,
and with their own devices be glutted.
For the self-will of the simple kills them,
the smugness of fools destroys them.
But he who obeys me dwells in security,
in peace, without fear of harm.
–Proverbs 1:33, The New American Bible (1991)
The crucifixion of Jesus, the blood of the martyrs, and the suffering of the righteous contradicts the last two lines. O, well. The Book of Proverbs is excessively optimistic sometimes. The Book of Ecclesiastes corrects that excessive optimism.
Righteousness is no guarantee against suffering in this life. Nevertheless, we will reap what we sow. Some of the reaping must wait until the afterlife, though.
The New Testament readings point to Jesus, as they should. 1 Timothy gets into some cultural details that do not reflect the reality of Athens, Georgia, in December 2020. I denounce the male chauvinism evident in 1 Timothy 1:9-15. That sexism is of its time and place. I focus instead on God desiring that people find salvation. They do not, of course. Many of them are like the disobedient people in Amos 5 and Proverbs 1.
The divine mandate of economic justice present in Amos 5 remains relevant. It is a mandate consistent with the teachings of Jesus and the ethos of Second Temple Judaism. That divine mandate, built into the Law of Moses, is crucial in Covenantal Nomism. According to Covenantal Nomism, salvation is via grace–birth into the covenant. One drops out of the covenant by consistently and willfully neglecting the ethical demands of the covenant.
In other words, damnation is via works and salvation is via grace.
The reading from John 1 requires some attempt at an explanation. The parts of John 1:35-43 that need to be clear are clear. But, after consulting learned commentaries, I still have no idea what amazed St. Bartholomew/Nathanael the Apostle about Jesus seeing him under a fig tree. I recall having read very educated guesses, though. The crucial aspect of that story is the call to follow Jesus. Also, John 1:43 links Jacob’s Ladder/Staircase/Ramp (Genesis 28:10-17) to the crucifixion (“lifting up”) of Jesus. The Johannine theme of the exaltation of Christ being his crucifixion occurs in Chapter 1, too. The crucifixion of Jesus was the gate of Heaven, according to John 1:43.
That gate is sufficiently narrow to exclude those who exclude themselves. Those who carry with them the luggage of bribery cannot enter. Those who haul along the bags of exploitation of the poor cannot pass. No, those who exclude themselves have done injustice to God and Jesus while exploiting “the least of these.” Those who have excluded themselves must eat the fruit of their own way.
C. S. Lewis wrote that the doors to Hell are locked from the inside.
Think about that, O reader.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 29, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF THE HOLY INNOCENTS (TRANSFERRED)
THE FEAST OF JOHN BURNETT MORRIS, SR., EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND WITNESS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
THE FEAST OF PHILIPP HEINRICH MOLTHER, GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER, BISHOP, COMPOSER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT THOMAS BECKET, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, AND MARTYR, 1170
THE FEAST OF THOMAS COTTERRILL ENGLISH PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND LITURGIST
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/12/29/devotion-for-the-third-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-d-humes/
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Above: Icon of Amos
Image in the Public Domain
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Amos 3:1-8 or Proverbs 1:1-19
Psalm 115:1-11
1 Timothy 1:1-2, 12-17
John 1:35-42
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The Humes lectionary provides two options for the First Reading. I will write about both of them.
Amos 3:1-8 includes a variation on the old saying that great responsibility accompanies great privilege. Grace is free, not cheap. One can never purchase it, but accepting it entails taking on duties. To tie Proverbs 1:1-19 into that principle, one has a duty to show love for God by doing love to one’s fellow human beings. Elsewhere in Amos, we read of greedy, exploitative people, as we do in Proverbs 1:8-19.
These men lie in wait for their own blood,
they set a trap for their own lives.
This is the fate of everyone greedy of loot:
unlawful gain takes away the life of him who acquires it.
–Proverbs 1:18-19, The New American Bible (1991)
Whatever we do to others, we do also to ourselves.
The audience in Amos 3 is collective; it is the people of Israel. To be precise, it is the people of Israel during the reigns of King Azariah (Uzziah) of Judah (785-733 B.C.E.) and King Jeroboam II of Israel (788-747 B.C.E.). The Deuteronomic theology of the Book of Amos teaches that actions have consequences. Obey the Law of Moses, please God, and reap the benefits. Alternatively, disobey the Law of Moses, displease God, and reap the negative consequences. Many of those commandments pertain to social justice, especially economic justice.
Our Western culture, with its pervasive individualism, easily overlooks collective responsibility. Politically, the Right Wing emphasizes individual responsibility. Meanwhile, the Left Wing stresses collective responsibility. Both sides err in so far as they give short shrift to or ignore either type of responsibility. Just as divine judgment and mercy exist in balance, so do individual and collective responsibility. Mutuality holds them in balance.
Psalm 115 condemns idolatry. The real idols are ideas, not objects. A statue of a god, for example, can be a work of art to display in a museum. Idolatry is about misplaced, disordered love, to go Augustinian on you, O reader. In the case of the greedy people in Proverbs 1, their idol was attachment to wealth.
The reading from 1 Timothy 1 reminds us that God embraces repentance. Remorse is an emotion that enables repentance, a series of actions.
Regardless of who wrote or dictated the First Letter to Timothy (probably not St. Paul the Apostle), St. Paul seemed unlikely to have become what he became in God. Saul of Tarsus certainly did not expect it. And, to turn to John 1:35-42, calling St. Simon “Peter,” or “Rock,” may have seemed ironic at first. But Jesus recognized potential in him. St. Simon Peter eventually grew into that potential. St. Paul the Apostle grew into his potential, as well.
If we are to grew into our potential individually, we need the help of God and other people. St. Paul had Ananias. St. Simon Peter had Jesus. Who do you have, O reader?
Likewise, if we are to grow into our potential collectively, we need the help of God and other groups of people. We live in a web of mutuality. We know this, do we not? Globalization, at least, should have taught us that the communities and nation-states can affect the fates of our communities and nation-states.
Will we work for the common good? Or will we persist in delusions of amoral rugged individualism and isolationism?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 28, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST (TRANSFERRED)
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/12/28/devotion-for-the-second-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-d-humes/
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Above: The Baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch by the Deacon Philip, by Lambert Sustris
Image in the Public Domain
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Isaiah 12:1-6
Psalm 29
Acts 8:26-39
John 1:29-34
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Isaiah 12:1-6 flows from Chapter 11. The two chapters are the final section of a poem about the ideal king in a peaceful future. As elsewhere in the Bible, divine judgment and mercy remain in balance.
Psalm 29 praises God. It is also an adaptation of a hymn to Baal Peor, the Canaanite storm god. Rewriting pagan stories and texts for Jewish theological purposes was a fairly common practice. Doing so was one way of asserting the sovereignty of God and affirming faith in the one true deity. Rewriting pagan texts also constituted an argument against the original texts’ validity. In this case, rewriting a hymn in praise of Baal Peor was rebutting the legitimacy of his cultus.
Acts 8:26-39 and John 1:29-34 point to Jesus, as they should.
The ideal future remains an unfulfilled prophecy. Nevertheless, I, as a Christian, affirm that the Incarnation was a game changer. I hold that the reality of God’s presence became obvious in a way it was not previously obvious.
The presence of God is evident in many ways in our deeply flawed societies. There are no gods; there is God. God is sovereign, despite all appearances to the contrary.
May we–you, O reader, and I–keep the faith and work to make the world resemble more closely the fully realized Kingdom of God. Only God can save the world and usher in the fully realized Kingdom of God, of course. Yet we–you, O reader, and I–have a divine mandate to leave the world better than we found it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 27, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, YEAR B
THE THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/12/27/devotion-for-the-first-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-d-humes/
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Above: Icon of St. John the Baptist
Image in the Public Domain
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Zechariah 2:10-13 (Protestant and Anglican)/Zechariah 2:14-17 (Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox)
Psalm 122
1 John 5:1-11
John 1:19-28
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The readings from Zechariah and the Psalms overlap thematically. First Zechariah (Chapters 1-8) is a section concerned with the rebuilding of of the Jewish community after the return from the Babylonian Exile. The legitimization of the Second Temple is a major theme in support of that goal. In the context of the establishment of an ideal Zion, we read that God will dwell in the midst of the people.
First Zechariah also overlaps with First John thematically. Both agree that love of God entails keeping divine commandments. One may think also of another verse:
If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
–John 14:15, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
In our scheduled portion of the Gospel of John, we read of St. John the Baptist pointing to Jesus, not himself. This is a good reading to pair with the verses from Zechariah 2. God has come to dwell among the people.
God still dwells among us. The Holy Spirit is present, of course. God also works through people. The face of Jesus someone may see today may be your face, O reader. Likewise, the face of Jesus I see today may be someone in public, as we go about our lives. God dwells among us. We will recognize that truth if we know where to look.
May the image of God in you, O reader, greet the image of God in those around you.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 26, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE SECOND DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF SAINT STEPHEN, DEACON AND MARTYR
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/12/26/devotion-for-the-fourth-sunday-of-advent-year-d-humes/
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Above: Detail from The Creation of Adam, by Michelangelo Buonarroti
Image in the Public Domain
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Genesis 1:26-2:3
Psalm 24
1 John 4:1-21
John 1:14-18
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Genesis 1:26f tells us that human beings bear the image of God. This is not a physical description. No, the meaning of of “image of God” is profound.
Dr. Richard Elliott Friedman, a Jewish scholar of the Bible, tells us:
Whatever it means, though, it implies that humans are understood here to share in the divine in a way that a lion or cow does not….The paradox, inherent in the divine-human relationship, is that only humans have some element of the divine, and only humans would, by their very nature, aspier to the divine, yet God regularly communicates with them means of commands. Although made in the image of God, they remain subordinates. In biblical terms, that would not bother a camel or a dove. It would bother humans a great deal.
—Commentary on the Torah, with a New English Translation and the Hebrew Text (2001), 12
The commandment to do love to each other, especially the vulnerable and the marginalized, has long been a controversial order. That this has been and remains so speaks ill of people.
Dr. Robert D. Miller, II, a professor at The Catholic University of America, and a translator of The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011), adds more to a consideration to the image of God. The Hebrew word of “image” is tselem. It literally means “idol.”
When Genesis 1 says that humanity is the tselem of God, it’s saying if you want to relate to God, relate to your fellow man?
—Understanding the Old Testament–Course Guidebook (Chantilly, VA: The Great Courses, 2019), 9
Biblical authors from a wide span of time hit us over the head, so to speak, with this message. If we do not understand it yet, we must be either dense or willfully ignorant.
John 1 offers us the flip side of Genesis 1: The Second Person of the Trinity outwardly resembles us. Moreover, as one adds other parts of the New Testament, one gets into how Jesus, tempted yet without sin, can identify with us and help us better because of experiences as Jesus of Nazareth, in the flesh. The theology of the Incarnation, with Jesus being fully human and fully divine, is profound and mysterious. I know the history of Christian theology well enough to understand that Trinitarian heresies originated with attempts to explain the Trinity rationally. I prefer to relish the mystery of the Trinity.
We bear the intangible image of God. Jesus bore the physical image of human beings. We reach out for God, who reaches out to us. These are thoughts worthy of every day of the year, but especially during Advent and Christmas.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 25, 2020 COMMON ERA
CHRISTMAS DAY
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/12/25/devotion-for-the-third-sunday-of-advent-year-d-humes/
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Above: Saint John the Evangelist, by Peter Paul Rubens
Image in the Public Domain
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Genesis 1:14-25
Psalm 146
1 John 2:7-12; 3:1-3
John 1:6-13
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Genesis 1 divides the first six days of creation into two groups–the creation of generalities and domains (the first three days’ work) and the creation of the specifics or the inhabitants of those domains (the work of the fourth, fifth, and sixth days). The seventh day is the time of the creation of the sabbath. The sovereignty of God is a theme that pervades this great myth.
God also deserves much love. As the other three readings tell us, that love (or absence thereof) is manifest in how we behave toward other human beings. These other human beings also bear the image of God (Genesis 1:27). I know I am getting ahead of the continuous readings in Genesis. I am staying on topic, though.
Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. Whoever hates his brother is in darkness; he walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because darkness has blinded his eyes.
–1 John 2:9-11, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
That text explains itself.
According to a story that may be apocryphal, the elderly St. John the Evangelist was due to visit a congregation somewhere. The members gathered in great anticipation on the appointed day. They watched as men carried the infirmed apostle into the space and sat him down in front of the congregation. Then St. John said,
My children, love one another.
Immediately, he motioned for the men to carry him out. One member of the congregation ran after St. John and asked, in so many words,
That’s all you came here to say?
The apostle replied,
When you have done that, I will tell you more.
Loving one another can be very difficult. Deciding to love one another can also prove challenging, albeit easier than effectively acting on the goal. We need grace to succeed, of course. Yet grace requires our desire to love one another. Free will and grace are partners.
I write this post during a period of prolonged and intensified political polarization. Even the definition of objective reality, as in X caused Y, and Z happened, is often contentious. More so than in the past, many disagreements start at the point of assuming that those who differ from one are bad, if not evil. The more generous judgment that that those who disagree are probably good yet misinformed and misguided is increasingly rare.
I notice this unfortunate pattern in topics that range far beyond science, religion, and politics. I detect this regarding science fiction (one of my favorite topics), too.
Do you enjoy that series? Do you not enjoy that movie? What kind of person are you? You certainly aren’t a real fan. I’m a real fan!
Many criteria can define tribalism.
Whenever we erect idols, whether tangible or intangible, we set ourselves up for this. We do this to ourselves and each other. We can choose never to do this. We can also choose to cease and desist from doing this. We can opt to repent of our idolatry and tribalism.
May we do so. May we love God. May we love ourselves and each other.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 24, 2020 COMMON ERA
CHRISTMAS EVE
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/12/24/devotion-for-the-second-sunday-of-advent-year-d-humes/
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Above: Sunrise
Image in the Public Domain
Photographer = Steve Hillebrand, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Genesis 1:1-13
Psalm 89
1 John 1:1-2:2
John 1:1-5
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Changing circumstances can alter how one reads texts one has read many times already. The texts remain constant. What one brings to them does not.
I write this post during a pandemic that is becoming worse for a number of reasons. Irresponsible human behavior is the primary reason for the COVID-19 pandemic becoming more severe. I write this post during a time of intensified global liminality. Behaviors that were polite prior to the pandemic have become hazardous to one’s health and the health of others. Hugging and singing can be lethal now. The world is in a liminal state.
The Humes lectionary has us reading Genesis 1:1-2:3 alongside John 1:1-18, with both texts spread across three weeks. This is wonderful scheduling on a lectionary, for the first (second one written) creation myth in Genesis is the model for John 1:1-18. Likewise, adding 1 John to the mix deepens the parallels. 1 John 1:1-3 resembles the beginning of the Gospel of John.
I side with Jewish theology against Roman Catholic theology regarding the beginning of Genesis: this is a mythical account of God creating order from chaos, not something from nothing. The Jewish interpretation fits the text, as I have affirmed for years. This year, in particular, that interpretation resonates with current events. I wait for God to create order from chaos again.
The light still shines in the darkness. The darkness continues to fail to overpower the light. The darkness remains persistent, though. Its repeated attempts wear me down emotionally and spiritually. God is that light, so the darkness will never overpower the light, fortunately.
Psalm 89 is of two moods–grateful and distressed. After reading commentaries, I do not know if the text is a pre-Babylonian Exilic prayer reworked during that Exile or if it is of Exilic origin. Anyhow, the text, as we have it, feels like a prayer from a period of spiritual despair.
Waiting can be difficult. I also know the discomfort of having to endure distress. A prayer I have uttered many times is a variation on,
What is taking you so long, God?
Liminality is an uncomfortable status. Alas, it is our status as a species, O reader. May we trust God and behave responsibly, collectively and individually. Only God can save the world. We have the power, however, to help or charm ourselves and each other.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 23, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FIFTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN OF KANTY, ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF ANTONIO CALDARA, ROMAN CATHOLIC COMPOSER AND MUSICIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT CHARBEL, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MONK
THE FEAST OF JAMES PRINCE LEE, BISHOP OF MANCHESTER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM JOHN BLEW, ENGLISH PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/12/23/devotion-for-the-first-sunday-of-advent-year-d-humes/
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Above: Marduk
Image in the Public Domain
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READING BARUCH AND THE LETTER OF JEREMIAH
PART V
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Baruch 6:1-72
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The Letter of Jeremiah is the sixth chapter of Baruch sometimes. Otherwise, the letter stands on its own.
The Letter of Jeremiah not a letter, despite its title. Rather, it is a polemic against idolatry.
The Letter of Jeremiah, superficially from the prophet Jeremiah to exiles in the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire, borrows and recycles from Jeremiah 10:1-16. The Letter of Jeremiah, dating to the 200s B.C.E., reminds us that idolatry is a timeless problem.
The text of the Letter of Jeremiah is tedious and repetitive. Stylistically, it is a low point in the canon of Christian scripture.
Walter J. Harrelson, writing in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible (2003), offered a succinct analysis of the meaning of the text:
What was the danger of idolatry to which this text and others point? The danger is that the worshiper may come to believe that the deity is manageable, subject to the control of the worshiper, able to be won over, placated. Israel’s God is sovereign and utterly free, and Israel is called to hear, obey, and adore.
–1531
That danger remains relevant. The temptation to think one can control or placate God continues to be ubiquitous. I admit to falling prey to it many times. I confess to having committed this variety of idolatry.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 22, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FOURTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF FREDERICK AND WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY
THE FEAST OF SAINTS CHAEREMON AND ISCHYRION, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, CIRCA 250
THE FEAST OF CHICO MENDES, “GANDHI OF THE AMAZON”
THE FEAST OF HENRY BUDD, FIRST ANGLICAN NATIVE PRIEST IN NORTH AMERICA; MISSIONARY TO THE CREE NATION
THE FEAST OF ISAAC HECKER, FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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