Archive for the ‘1 Peter 1’ Category
Above: Supper at Emmaus, by Caravaggio
Image in the Public Domain
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Acts 2:14a. 36-47
Psalm 16
1 Peter 1:17-21
Luke 24:13-35
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O God, by the humiliation of your Son you lifted up this fallen world,
rescuing us from the hopelessness of death.
Grant your faithful people a share in the joys that are eternal;
through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 21
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O almighty and eternal God,
now that you have assured us of
the completion of our redemption
through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ,
give us the will to show forth in our lives
what we profess with our lips;
through Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 51
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The readings from the New Testament come from a time when the Church was young, small, and not influential. This context frames Christian communalism in Acts 2. Christian communalism remains a feasible option in many contemporary settings.
The global Western emphasis on individualism gives short shrift to the collective, mutual aspect of lived faith. This is my most severe critique of my culture and its politics. In Biblical terms, mutuality is a prominent theme. People are responsible to and for each other. This ethos exists in 1 Peter 1; “you” is plural.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 19, 2022 COMMON ERA
TUESDAY IN EASTER WEEK
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, AND MARTYR, 1012
THE FEAST OF SAINT EMMA OF LESUM, BENEFACTOR
THE FEAST OF OLAVUS PETRI, SWEDISH LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN, HISTORIAN, LITURGIST, MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND “FATHER OF SWEDISH LITERATURE;” AND HIS BROTHER, LAURENTIUS PETRI, SWEDISH LUTHERAN ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, BIBLE TRANSLATOR, AND “FATHER OF SWEDISH HYMNODY”
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Tango Postcard, 1920
Image in the Public Domain
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Acts 2:14a, 22-32
Psalm 105:1-7
1 Peter 1:3-9
John 20:19-31
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Almighty God, we have celebrated with joy
the festival of our Lord’s resurrection.
Graciously help us to show the power of the resurrection
in all that we say and do;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 21
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Grant, almighty God,
that we who have celebrated the mystery of the Lord’s resurrection
may by the help of your grace bring forth
the fruits thereof in our life and conduct;
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 50
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Given that I have written lectionary-based devotions for more than a decade, I choose not to use this post to focus on a passage that may not seem like the obvious bullseye.
John 20:30-31 is probably the original conclusion to the Fourth Gospel. That conclusion ends:
…that through this belief [that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God] you may have life in his name.
—The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
This theme, present also in the readings from Acts and 1 Peter, is where I dwell today, instead of defending St. Thomas the Apostle again. Two words attract my attention:
- Belief, in the full, Biblical sense, is trust. Whenever someone asks me if I believe in God, I ask what that person means. In vernacular English, “believe” indicates acceptance of a preposition. In the English-language vernacular, to believe in God is to affirm the existence of God. I always affirm the existence of God. I usually trust in God. Likewise, to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God is to trust that he is both of those.
- “Life” refers to eternal life. In Johannine theology, eternal life is knowing God via Jesus. Logically, beginning with Johannine theological assumptions, to trust that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God leads to eternal life. If x, then y.
These are articles of faith; we have no evidence for them or against them. When trust in God is required, the quest for certainty constitutes idolatry. Certainty feels comforting. We can be certain of much, either by proving or disproving propositions. Yet much falls into the gray zone of faith; we have it or lack it. That uncertainty may unnerve us. Fundamentalism undercuts trust in God by offering the crutch of false certainty.
Somewhere, years ago, I heard an intriguing spiritual metaphor–performing a daring dance with God. That daring dance is the dance of trust, of faith. It is daring from a human perspective. May God have this dance?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 18, 2022 COMMON ERA
MONDAY IN EASTER WEEK
THE FEAST OF ROGER WILLIAMS, FOUNDER OF RHODE ISLAND; AND ANNE HUTCHINSON, REBELLIOUS PURITAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT CORNELIA CONNELLY, FOUNDER OF THE SOCIETY OF THE HOLY CHILD JESUS
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARY ANNA BLONDIN, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE SISTERS OF SAINT ANNE
THE FEAST OF MARY C. COLLINS, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MISSIONARY AND MINISTER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS MURIN OF FAHAN, LASERIAN OF LEIGHLIN, GOBAN OF PICARDIE, FOILLAN OF FOSSES, AND ULTAN OF PERONNE, ABBOTS; SAINTS FURSEY OF PERONNE AND BLITHARIOUS OF SEGANNE, MONKS
THE FEAST OF SAINT ROMAN ARCHUTOWSKI, POLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1943
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Adapted from this post
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READING THE GENERAL EPISTLES, PART VII
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1 Peter 1:1-25
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The audience for First Peter consisted of churches in northern Asia Minor. Practicing the faith was difficult, due to persecution and social pressures. Christianity was a young and growing religion in 70-90 C.E., but it was also a small minority.
The words of encouragement in the first chapter bolstered the spirits of the original audience. Counsel to lead honorable, devout, and love-filled lives followed those words of encouragement.
Pressures to conform can be powerful. Advertising employs peer pressure; the bandwagon strategy works. If it did not, the advertising industry would have abandoned it long ago. Peer pressure may work better on those who are more likely to conform, based on personality type.
I have long been a marginal figure, relative to most of the people around me. I have, as long as I recall, been stubbornly myself. God made me to be the best possible version of myself, not what anyone else wants me to become. This tenacity has gotten me into trouble, most infamously with powerful conformists in the Department of History of The University of Georgia.
So be it.
The main message in 1 Peter 1 is to conform to Christ, regardless of the cost of doing so. One may recall that he died via crucifixion. The servant is not greater than the master.
Let the masses say what they will and do as they will. Follow Jesus. Love like Jesus. The darkness cannot overpower that light (John 1:5). Be the best version of yourself in God.
I seek to be clear in my meaning. Following Jesus does not mean being an automatic, serial contrarian. “The world” gets some matters right. Where it gets matters wrong, be right.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 25, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SARAH LOUISE “SADIE” DELANY, AFRICAN-AMERICAN EDUCATOR; HER SISTER, ANNIE ELIZABETH “BESSIE” DELANY; AND THEIR BROTHER, HUBERT THOMAS DELANY, AFRICAN-AMERICAN ATTORNEY, JUDGE, AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST
THE FEAST OF BERNHARD W. ANDERSON, UNITED METHODIST MINISTER AND BIBLIAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF SAINT EUPHROSYNE AND HER FATHER, SAINT PAPHNUTIUS OF ALEXANDRIA, MONKS
THE FEAST OF SAINT HERMAN OF REICHENAU, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, LITURGIST, POET, AND SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF SAINT SERGIUS OF RADONEZH, ABBOT OF THE MONASTERY OF THE HOLY TRINITY, SERGIYEV POSAD, RUSSIA
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READING THE GENERAL EPISTLES, PART I
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This post opens a new series, one about the General (or Catholic or Universal) Epistles. This category dates to circa 325 C.E., from the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius of Caesarea.
MY GERMANE OPERATIONAL BIASES AND ASSUMPTIONS
Know, O reader, that my academic background is in history. I think historically, regardless of the topic du jour. The past tenses constitute my usual temporal perspective. Some people tell me that I ought not to think this way when considering the Bible or a television series that ceased production years or decades ago. These individuals are wrong. I defy them.
Some people tell me that the historical backgrounds of Biblical books do not matter or are of minimal importance. The messages for today is what matters, they say. The messages for today do matter; I agree with that much. Yet the definition of those messages depend greatly on the historical contexts from which these texts emerged. With regard to the General Epistles, whether one assumes relatively early or relatively late composition affects the interpretation.
I operate from the assumptions that (a) James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, and Jude are pseudonymous, and (b) they date to relatively late periods. These two assumptions relate to each other. The first assumption leads to the second. In terms of logic, if x, then y. Simultaneously, internal evidence supports the second assumption, which leads backward, to the first.
CONTEXTS
The General Epistles, composed between 70 and 140 C.E., came from particular societal and political contexts. The Roman Empire was strong. Religious persecutions of Christianity were mostly sporadic and regional. Christianity was a young, marginalized, sect (of Judaism, through 135 C.E.) unable to influence society and the imperial order. Christian doctrine was in an early phase of development. Even the definition of the Christian canon of scripture was in flux.
I, reading, pondering, and writing in late 2021, benefit from centuries of theological development, ecumenical councils, and the definition of the New Testament. I, as an Episcopalian, use scripture, tradition, and reason. I interpret any one of these three factors through the lenses of the other two. I, as a student of the past, acknowledge that scripture emerged from tradition.
The importance of theological orthodoxy was a major concern in the background of the General Epistles. That made sense; ecclesiastical unity, threatened by heresy, was a major concern for the young, small, and growing sect. Yet, as time passed and the Church’s fortunes improved, the definition of orthodoxy changed. Some of the Ante-Nicene Fathers (notably Origen) were orthodox, by the standards of their time. After 325 C.E., however, some of these men (notably Origen) became heretics postmortem and ex post facto.
Orthopraxy was another concern in the General Epistles. Orthopraxy related to orthodoxy. The lack of orthopraxy led to needless schisms and the exploitation of the poor, for example. As time passed and the Church became dominant in parts of the world, the Church fell short on the standard of orthopraxy, as defined by the Golden Rule. As Alfred Loisy (1857-1940), an excommunicated modernist Roman Catholic theologian, lamented:
Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God and what came was the Church.
Lest anyone misunderstand me, I affirm that theological orthodoxy exists. God defines it. We mere mortals and our theologies are all partially heretical. We cannot help that. Salvation is a matter of grace, not passing a canonical examination. Also, the Golden Rule is the finest standard according to which to measure orthopraxy. Orthopraxy is a matter of faithful response, which grace demands. Grace is free, not cheap.
BRIEF INTRODUCTIONS FOR EACH OF THE GENERAL EPISTLES
The Epistle of James dates to 70-110 C.E. The analysis of Father Raymond E. Brown (1928-1998) suggests that composition in the 80s or 90s was probable. The “epistle,” actually a homily, used the genre of diatribe to address Jewish Christians who lived outside of Palestine. James is perhaps the ultimate “shape up and fly right” Christian text. James may also correct misconceptions regarding Pauline theology.
The First Epistle of Peter, composed in Rome between 70 and 90 C.E., is a text originally for churches in northern Asia Minor. The majority scholarly opinion holds that First Peter is a unified text. A minority scholarly opinion holds that 1:3-4:11 and 4:12-5:11 are distinct documents.
The Epistle of Jude, composed between 90 and 100 C.E., may have have come from Palestine. Jude was also a source for Second Peter, mainly the second chapter thereof.
The Second Epistle of Peter is the last book of the New Testament composed. Second Peter, probably composed between 120 and 140 C.E., addresses a general audience in eastern Asia Minor. The second chapter expands on Jude.
The First Epistle of John is not an epistle. No, it is a homily or a tract. First John, composed circa 100 C.E., belongs to the Johannine tradition. Anyone who has belonged to a congregation that has suffered a schism may relate to the context of First John.
The author of the Second and Third Epistles of John (both from circa 100 C.E.) may have written First John. Or not. “The Elder” (the author of Second and Third John) speaks down the corridors of time in the contexts of ecclesiastical schisms and personality conflicts. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I invite you, O reader, to remain with me as I embark on a journey through the Epistle of James first.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 COMMON ERA
PROPER 20: THE SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF GERARD MOULTRIE, ANGLICAN PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS
THE FEAST OF SAINT CLARENCE ALPHONSUS WALWORTH, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, POET, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND HYMN WRITER; CO-FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE (THE PAULIST FATHERS)
THE FEAST OF SAINT EMILY DE RODAT, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF VILLEFRANCHE
THE FEAST OF WALTER CHALMERS SMITH, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM DALRYMPLE MACLAGAN, ARCHBISHOP OF YORK, AND HYMN WRITER
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Above: Symbol of the Holy Trinity
Image in the Public Domain
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For Trinity Sunday, Year 2, according to the U.S. Presbyterian lectionary of 1966-1970
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Almighty God, father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and giver of the Holy Spirit.
Keep us, we pray thee, steadfast before the great mystery of thy being,
and in faith which acknowledges thee to be the one eternal God. Amen.
—The Book of Common Worship–Provisional Services (1966), 124
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Isaiah 6:1-8
1 Peter 1:10-21
John 4:7-24
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The doctrine of the Trinity, as we know it, is the result of centuries of debates and numerous ecumenical councils. Although the word “Trinity” never occurs in the New Testament, that portion of the Bible mentions the Father (YHWH), the Son (incarnated as Jesus of Nazareth), and the Holy Spirit many times. Some passages contradict subsequent Church doctrine. In Pauline writings and the Gospel of John, for example, the Son is subordinate to the Father. Furthermore, in those same epistles, the Son and the Spirit are interchangeable sometimes. And the filoque question remains current.
The nature of God is a mystery no human being can fully solve. So be it. The orthodox doctrine of the Trinity is the best answer in human religion. So be it. My Western tradition tries to explain too much; it should frolic in glorious mysteries more often. The ultimate nature of God is one of those glorious mysteries. So be it.
The doctrine of the Trinity invites us to give up trying to explain the nature of God and to focus instead on relating to God. The creation, Father Robert Farrar Capon wrote in The Third Peacock, resulted from a “Trinitarian bash.” We should, in the words of the Westminster Catechisms, glorify and fully enjoy God forever. Love and enjoyment do not require full understanding, after all.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 29, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL APOSTLES AND MARTYRS
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Above: St. Matthias
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
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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The Assigned Readings:
Acts 1:12-26
Psalm 16:5-11
1 Peter 1:3-9, 14-25
Matthew 28:11-20
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Since by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves so that you can experience the genuine love of brothers, love each other intensely from the heart….
–1 Peter 1:22, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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As one’s soul rejoices in God, who resurrected Jesus, who has issued the Great Commission, one requires guidance in how to follow Christ. Certain rules are specific to times and places, but principles are timeless. In 1 Peter 1:22 and elsewhere the germane principle is genuine love for God and others. Love of the unconditional and self-sacrificial variety, we read in 1 Corinthians 13, prioritizes others and is not puffed up. Such love builds up others.
This is a high standard; each of us falls short of it. By grace we can succeed some of the time, however. Furthermore, we can strive for agape love more often than we act on it. We need not attempt moral perfection, which is impossible, but we must seek to do as well as possible, by grace. We are imperfect; God knows that. Yet we can improve.
The surviving Apostles regrouped and restored their number to twelve. They selected St. Matthias to fill the vacancy the death of Judas Iscariot had created. St. Matthias became a martyr; he loved God to the point of dying for the faith. We might not have to make the choice, but we still owe God everything.
Grace is always free yet never cheap. In the wake of Easter it demands that we who accept it lead resurrected lives defined by love.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 30, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOAN OF ARC, ROMAN CATHOLIC VISIONARY AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF APOLO KIVEBULAYA, APOSTLE TO THE PYGMIES
THE FEAST OF JOSEPHINE BUTLER, ENGLISH FEMINIST AND SOCIAL REFORMER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS LUKE KIRBY, THOMAS COTTAM, WILLIAM FILBY, AND LAURENCE RICHARDSON, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND MARTYRS
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2018/05/30/devotion-for-the-second-sunday-of-easter-year-a-humes/
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Above: St. Bartholomew, by Gregorio Bausa
Image in the Public Domain
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FOR THE SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ACCORDING TO A LECTIONARY FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP IN THE BOOK OF WORSHIP FOR CHURCH AND HOME (1965)
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Lord, who commanded your apostles to go into all the world,
and to preach the Gospel to every creature,
Let your name be great among the nations from the rising of the Sun
to the going down of the same. Amen.
–Modernized from The Book of Worship for Church and Home (1965), page 86
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Habakkuk 2:18-20; 3:2-4
Psalm 52
1 Peter 2:4-10
John 1:35-51
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The assigned reading from 1 Peter is too brief. One should, for full comprehension of 2:4-10, back up into chapter 1 and start reading. We read that Gentile Christians are a holy people, a priesthood set apart to serve God, and a holy people, a priesthood set apart to serve God, and a temple all at once, via divine mercy. With grace come obligations, of course. We ought to put away
all wickedness and deceit, hypocrisy and jealousy and malicious talk of any kind.
–1 John 2:1, The Revised English Bible (1989)
Not putting them away is inconsistent with being a light to the nations.
1 John 2:3 affirms that God is good, in an echo of Psalm 34:8. That segue brings me to Habakkuk. Once again the assigned reading is unfortunately truncated. The overall context of the Book of Habakkuk is the Babylonian Exile. The text struggles with how to affirm the goodness of God in light of a violent and exploitative international order. The author seems less certain than the man who wrote Psalm 52. The central struggle of Habakkuk is timeless, for circumstances change and time passes, but certain populations experience oppression at any given moment.
I have no easy answer to this difficult question, nor do I aspire to have one. God has some explaining to do, I conclude.
The Roman occupation of the Holy Land was in full effect at the time of Christ. A portion of the Jewish population sought a military savior who would expel the Romans. Jesus disappointed them. He did, however, astound St. Nathanael/Bartholomew. All Jesus had to do was say he had seen the future Apostle under a fig tree.
This is an interesting section of John 1. Every time I study 1:47-51 I consult resources as I search for more answers. The Gospel of John is a subtle text, after all; it operates on two levels–the literal and the metaphorical–simultaneously. St. Nathanael/Bartholomew acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah and follows him. The fig tree is a symbol of messianic peace in Micah 4:4 (one verse after nations end their warfare and beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks) and in Zechariah 3:10 (one verse after God promises to remove the Israelites’ collective guilt in one day, in the context of the Babylonian Exile. The context of the confession of St. Nathanael/Bartholomew then, is apocalyptic; an ideal future in which God reigns fully on the Earth is the hope. So as for Jesus seeing St. Nathanael/Bartholomew under a fig tree, that feat seems to have indicated to the future Apostle that possessed unique insights.
The apocalyptic nature of the vision of St. Nathanael/Bartholomew sitting under a fig tree is juicier material, though. I also wonder how well the future Apostle understood the messiahship of Jesus at the time of his confession. The answer is that he did so incompletely, I conclude. I do not mean that as a criticism; I merely make a statement of what I perceive to have been reality.
The question of now to make sense of the divine goodness in the context of a violent and exploitative world order remains. I offer a final thought regarding that: Is not hope superior to hopelessness? Deferred hope is still hope.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 4, 2017 COMMON ERA
LABOR DAY (U.S.A.)
THE FEAST OF PAUL JONES, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF UTAH AND PEACE ACTIVIST; AND HIS COLLEAGUE, JOHN NEVIN SAYRE, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND PEACE ACTIVIST
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Above: Jehoiakim
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
O God, our true life, to serve you is freedom, and to know you is unending joy.
We worship you, we glorify you, we give thanks to you for your great glory.
Abide with us, reign in us, and make this world into a fit habitation for your divine majesty,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 53
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The Assigned Readings:
Zechariah 11:1-17 (Friday)
Jeremiah 22:18-30 (Saturday)
Psalm 46 (Both Days)
1 Peter 1:3-9 (Friday)
Luke 18:15-17 (Saturday)
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God is our refuge and our strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved,
and though the mountains be toppled into the depths of the sea;
Though its waters rage and foam,
and though the mountains tremble at its tumult.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
–Psalm 46:1-4, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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The reading from Second Zechariah is an allegory of a selfish and foolish shepherd who, instead of protecting the sheep of his flock, sells them to their slaughterer for the sum of thirty shekels of silver. The identification of the shepherd (code for political leader) is open-ended, and the price for which he sells the sheep of his flock to their doom is the same amount Judas Iscariot went on to receive for betraying Jesus in Matthew 26:14-16. One might surmise correctly that many members of Matthew’s audience, being Jews familiar with their scriptural heritage, would have recognized the echo of Zechariah 11.
Perhaps Second Zechariah was thinking of monarchs such as Jehoiakim (reigned 608-598 B.C.E.), of whom one can read in Jeremiah 22:13-19, 2 Kings 23:36-24:7, and 2 Chronicles 36:5-8, and of his son, Jeconiah/Jehoiachin (reigned 597 B.C.E.), of whom one can read in Jeremiah 22:20-30, 2 Kings 24:8-17, and 2 Chronicles 36:9-10. Jehoiachin was the penultimate King of Judah, and, by the time of his deposition by a foreign potentate, the realm Kingdom of Judah was obviously independent in name only.
Of Jehoiakim, father of Jehoiachin, Jeremiah 22 says in part:
Woe to him who builds his house on wrong,
his terraces on injustice;
Who works his neighbor without pay,
and gives him no wages.
Who says, “I will build myself a spacious house,
with airy rooms,”
Who cuts out windows for it,
panels it with cedar,
and paints it with vermillion.
–Verses 13-14, The New American Bible (1991)
Such shepherds abound, unfortunately. I refer not to those who strive to do the right thing for their populations yet fail to accomplish their goals, but to those to operate not out of any sense of seeking the common good but out of greed, self-aggrandisement, and indifference toward justice, especially that of the economic variety.
Among the most familiar images of Jesus in the Gospels is that of the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-21), who not only watches his flock attentively but lays down his life for it. The Good Shepherd is the polar opposite of the shepherd in Zechariah 11. The Good Shepherd is Jesus in 1 Peter 1 and the figure who points to powerless children as spiritual models in Luke 18. The Good Shepherd is one consistent with the description of God in Psalm 46.
To be a sheep in the flock of the Good Shepherd is wonderful indeed.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 7, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF FREDERICK LUCIAN HOSMER, U.S. UNITARIAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTHONY MARY GIANELLI, FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARIES OF SAINT ALPHONSUS LIGUORI AND THE SISTERS OF MARY DELL’ORTO
THE FEAST OF CHARLES AUGUSTUS BRIGGS, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN PASTOR THEN EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINT ROBERT OF NEWMINSTER, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND PRIEST
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2016/06/07/devotions-for-friday-and-saturday-before-proper-29-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: A Scan from The Gregorian Missal for Sundays (1990)
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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The Collect:
Living God, in Christ you make all things new.
Transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace,
and in the renewal of our lives make known your glory,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 24
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The Assigned Readings:
Jeremiah 13:12-19 (Thursday)
Jeremiah 13:20-27 (Friday)
Psalm 1 (Both Days)
Acts 13:26-34 (Thursday)
1 Peter 1:17-2:1 (Friday)
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Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked,
nor lingered in the way of sinners,
nor sat in the seats of the scornful!
Their delight is in the law of the LORD,
and they meditate on his law day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water,
bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither;
everything they do shall prosper.
It is not so with the wicked;
they are like chaff which the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked shall not stand when judgment comes,
nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked is doomed.
–Psalm 1, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Psalm 1 might be overly optimistic, but it functions as a fine counterpoint to the other readings. Those readings address groups. Jeremiah spoke to the Kingdom of Judah. St. Paul the Apostle, addressing Jews in Antioch in Pisidia (in Asia Minor), spoke of the actions of religious authorities in Jerusalem. St. (Simon) Peter the Apostle or someone writing in his name addressed congregations in Asia Minor. Those three pericopes fit well together, for they diagnose societal problems. Hubris is the main ill in Jeremiah 13. From that pride flow other sins. Such a diagnosis fits the pericope from Acts 13 well, for hubris contributed to the execution of an innocent man. The readings from 1 Peter takes as its theme obedience to God.
Then away with all wickedness and deceit, hypocrisy and jealousy and malicious talk of any kind!
–1 Peter 2:1, The Revised English Bible (1989)
So much for a great deal of politics, talk radio, celebrity news, and Internet content!
The words of these days’ pericopes indict as strongly today as they did when they were fresh. Human nature has not changed over time. As Koheleth wrote,
Only that shall happen
Which has happened,
Only that occur
Which has occurred;
There is nothing new
Beneath the sun!
–Ecclesiastes 1:9, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
Time passes, technology changes, and political and economic systems come and go, but we are really playing out variations of old themes, are we not? Hubris remains current, malicious gossip has never ceased, and people in power continue to cause innocents to die.
May God have mercy on us all!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 14, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ALL CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF SHANGHAI
THE FEAST OF THOMAS HANSEN KINGO, DANISH LUTHERAN BISHOP, HYMN WRITER, AND “POET OF EASTERTIDE”
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2015/10/14/devotion-for-thursday-and-friday-before-the-sixth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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This is post #450 of ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS.
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Above: The Prophet Zechariah, from the Sistine Chapel
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Generous God, your Son gave his life
that we might come to peace with you.
Give us a share of your Spirit,
and in all we do empower us to bear the name of
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 48
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The Assigned Readings:
Zechariah 6:9-15 (Monday)
Zechariah 8:18-23 (Tuesday)
Zechariah 10:1-12 (Wednesday)
Psalm 5 (All Days)
1 Peter 1:3-9 (Monday)
1 John 2:18-25 (Tuesday)
Matthew 18:6-9 (Wednesday)
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Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness,
because of those who lie in wait for me;
make your way straight before me.
–Psalm 5:8, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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The pericopes for these three days indicate perilous uncertain circumstances. Either the Persian Empire, the Seleucid Empire, or the Roman Empire is in charge. The most optimistic hopes for the time after the Babylonian Exile have not come to fruition. Nevertheless, calls for hope in God and faithfulness to God resound.
The historical record indicates that the Kingdom of God has yet to arrive in its fullness, and that Jesus did not return in the first century C.E. Yet calls for hope in God and faithfulness to God remain valid, necessary, and proper. Dashed expectations of the creation of paradise on Earth should lead one to question certain human predictions, not the fidelity of God to divine promises. God and religion are different from each other, so disappointment with the latter ought not to lead to disillusionment with and/or rejection of the former.
As for human fidelity to God, the hyperbolic language of Matthew 18:6-9 agrees with the social ethics of Zechariah 8:18-23. Just as Matthew 18:6-9 is not an order to maim and mutilate oneself, Zechariah’s message to have no fear (8:15) and to treat each other properly is timeless.
Have no fear! These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to one another, render true and perfect justice in your gates. And do not contrive evil against one another, and do not love perjury, because all those are things that I hate–declares the LORD….you must love honesty and integrity.
–Zechariah 8:15b-17, 19b, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
Often we human beings abuse, oppress, and/or exploit some among us out of fear. Perhaps we fear that there will be too little of some commodity to provide for all sufficiently, so some of us protect the interests of “me and mine” at the expense of others. Or maybe we fear for our safety and that of those dear to us, so we deprive strangers of security or approve of policies to do so. Perhaps we merely fail to understand the “others,” so we fear those we do not comprehend. Fear requires little effort to transform into hatred, and hatred expresses itself actively and passively.
Some fear is healthy. I fear touching a hot oven, for example. Fear of consequences of actions has prevented me from committing many sins when moral courage has failed. I affirm well-placed fear which leads to good decision-making while rejecting fear which leads to actions harmful to innocent parties.
May love of our neighbors guide our decisions and actions relative to others. May we act for their benefit, not their detriment, for that which we do to others, we do to ourselves. May the joys of others cause us to rejoice and the sorrows of others prompt us to mourn. May we remember that, in God’s economy, there is no scarcity, artificial or otherwise. The mercantilist assumption that wealth is a zero-sum game does not apply to blessings, which God bestows generously. May we–especially we who claim to follow God, or at least to attempt to do so–never assume that blessings are part of a zero-sum game. May we therefore be generous of spirit when dealing with our fellow human beings.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 1, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF PAULI MURRAY, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY AND EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF CATHERINE WINKWORTH, TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS
THE FEAST OF HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, ABOLITIONIST
THE FEAST OF JOHN CHANDLER, ANGLICAN PRIEST, SCHOLAR, AND TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/devotion-for-monday-tuesday-and-wednesday-after-proper-21-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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