Archive for the ‘2 Corinthians 11’ Category
Above: Paul the Apostle, by Rembrandt van Rijn
Image in the Public Domain
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
READING LUKE-ACTS, PART LXXIII
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Acts 27:1-28:14
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
St. Luke seems to have accompanied St. Paul the Apostle and Aristarchus to Rome. Notice the instances of “we,” starting in 27:10, O reader.
Reading Acts 27:1-28:14 is enjoyable; it is a good story, told well. The setting, by the way, is the winter of 60-61 C.E.
I choose not to retell the story. Instead, I opt to focus on a few themes:
- St. Paul knew about sailing and shipwrecks. (See 2 Corinthians 11:25, too.) The “I told you so” moment was fun.
- Storms at sea reinforce why ancient Near Eastern mythology associated the deep with chaos.
- 27:35-38 echoes Eucharistic language.
- Providence is a major theme.
- The language of salvation becomes literal in the text. Associated with this, jettisoning cargo–a necessity in this case–functions also as a spiritual mentor.
- Another parallel between St. Paul and Jesus is that Jesus was sailing in Luke 8:23, in the story of the calming of the storm (Luke 8:22-25).
- In a cultural motif, surviving a disaster indicated divine favor. God vindicated St. Paul.
- The shipwreck created an opportunity for another healing.
The journey through Luke-Acts has one more stop left. I encourage you, O reader, to complete the journey with me.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 4, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT CEFERINO JIMENEZ MALLA, SPANISH ROMANI MARTYR, 1936
THE FEAST OF ANGUS DUN, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF WASHINGTON, AND ECUMENIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT BASIL MARTYSZ, POLISH ORTHODOX PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1945
THE FEAST OF SAINT JEAN-MARTIN MOYË, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, AND FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE AND THE CHRISTIAN VIRGINS
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN HOUGHTON, ROBERT LAWRENCE, AUGUSTINE WEBSTER, HUMPHREY MIDDLEMORE, WILLIAM EXMEW, AND SEBASTIAN NEWDIGATE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1535
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Christ Walking on the Sea, by Amédée Varint
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Exodus 17:1-7 or 1 Kings 2:13, 10-12; 3:3-14
Psalm 54
2 Corinthians 11:18-33
Mark 6:45-56
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Those compulsively protected from risk do not grow strong in faith.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The way of proper faith is not Easy Street. No, the path leads through peaks and valleys on its way to union with God. The way of proper faith includes storms, too, but one need not endure them alone. The presence of God may seem more obvious during times of difficulty, actually.
I attest, O reader, that times spiritual darkness and turbulence, regardless of what triggered them, are opportunities for spiritual growth. Perhaps you, O reader, know this from experience, too.
One detail from the Gospel reading caught my attention this time, the umpteenth time I have read the story. I focused on Jesus, walking on the water of the stormy Sea of Galilee, intending to pass by the boat carrying the Apostles. This was no casual detail. No, it was an allusion to the presence of YHWH passing before Moses in Exodus 33:19-22. Furthermore, in Mark 6:50, the words of Jesus,
It is I,
echo the great
I AM,
from Exodus 3:13f.
When we encounter the presence of God in a way out of the ordinary for us, how do we respond? Do we fall into sin? Do we remain somewhat oblivious, as the Apostles did for a while? Do we laugh (Genesis 17:17 and 18:12) because divine promises seem absurd? Or do we respond faithfully?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 24, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THOMAS À KEMPIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, PRIEST, AND SPIRITUAL WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHN NEWTON, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, U.S. BAPTIST MINISTER AND THEOLOGIAN OF THE SOCIAL GOSPEL
THE FEAST OF SAINTS VINCENTIA GEROSA AND BARTHOLOMEA CAPITANIO, COFOUNDERS OF THE SISTERS OF CHARITY OF LOVERE
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2019/07/24/devotion-for-proper-15-year-b-humes/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Jeremiah
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
For the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany, Year 2, according to the U.S. Presbyterian lectionary of 1966-1970
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Almighty God, who hast given us thy Word as a lamp for our feet:
keep thy Word ever before us, so that, in times of doubt or temptation,
by the light of thy truth we may walk, without stumbling,
in the way of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Common Worship–Provisional Services (1966), 120
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jeremiah 23:23-29
2 Corinthians 11:16-31
Matthew 5:38-48
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Those of God glorify God. False prophets please those who pay them. Genuine prophets tell the truth, even when doing so is immediately dangerous. (Jeremiah was a genuine prophet.) Genuine religious leaders glorify God. Cult leaders glorify and enrich themselves. Between these extremes are deluded people, who probably mistake a monologue for a dialogue.
Genuine prophets and religious leaders teach difficult truths. Love for enemies is a difficult moral teaching. It is one with which Jeremiah struggled, understandably. I know the experience of struggling with it, too. I also understand that my grudge will harm me, not my enemy. Knowing that truth and acting on it are different from each other, of course.
I have the power to select my destiny. Will I walk down the path of love and forgiveness, or will I choose the path of hatred and resentment? Left to my own devices, I will choose the latter. By grace, however, I can choose the former. Grace does not deprive me of free will, however.
Sometimes one needs to approach the correct path–the way of love and forgiveness of enemies–in baby steps. God knows that we are “but dust,” poetically, as the Book of Psalms tells us. I do not pretend to be a spiritual giant, especially in this matter. No, I still struggle . Yet I detect progress and anticipate more progress. I trust in God that more progress will ensue.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 17, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF EDITH BOYLE MACALISTER, ENGLISH NOVELIST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT EMILY DE VIALAR, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF SAINT JOSEPH OF THE APPARITION
THE FEAST OF JANE CROSS BELL SIMPSON, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS TERESA AND MAFALDA OF PORTUGAL, PRINCESSES, QUEENS, AND NUNS; AND SAINT SANCHIA OF PORTUGAL, PRINCESS AND NUN
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Job and His Friends, by Ilya Repin
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Job 3
Psalm 119:113-120
2 Corinthians 11:16-31
John 8:39-47
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The theme of hardship unites the assigned readings for this day. The Psalmist prays for deliverance and affirms his fidelity to God. Job, suffering with divine permission for no sin, curses the fact of his existence yet refuses to curse God and die. St. Paul the Apostle cites his hardships as his apostolic credentials. And, in the Gospel of John, the life of Jesus is in peril from people claiming to be faithful to God.
Reading the Book of Job and the Gospel of John is an interesting experience. In the Johannine Gospel the glorification of Jesus involves his crucifixion–his execution by an ignominious method, and not for any sin he had committed. This contradicts the theology of Job’s alleged friends, who defended their God concepts. As we read in Job, these alleged friends angered God (42:7-8).
Whenever we encounter people experiencing hardship, the proper response is compassionate in nature. Particulars will, of course, vary from circumstance to circumstance, but the element of compassion will always be present. We, if we are to respond properly, must be sure that, although we might need to act compassionately, we actually do so. This is possible via grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 20, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF BERNARD ADAM GRUBE, GERMAN-AMERICAN MINISTER, MISSIONARY, COMPOSER, AND MUSICIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT BAIN OF FONTANELLE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP, MONK, MISSIONARY, AND ABBOT
THE FEAST OF JOHANN FRIEDRICH HERTZOG, GERMAN LUTHERAN HYMN WRITER
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2017/06/20/devotion-for-proper-22-ackerman/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Icon of Aaron
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 4:1-17 or Deuteronomy 5:1-33 or Deuteronomy 31:23-29 or Daniel 12:1-13
Psalm 119:113-136
Matthew 10:9-23 or Luke 12:1-12
2 Corinthians 11:1-12:1
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If we love God, we will keep divine commandments, the summary of which is to love God with our whole selves and to practice the Golden Rule. Details of those generalizations tend to be culturally specific, but the principles are timeless. We cannot keep divine commandments all the time, but we can be aware of the mandate to obey God, try to obey, and trust in the faithfulness of God. We will have help for our vocations from God. This help might arrive via human beings or directly from God. Furthermore, circumstances might be quite treacherous and we might suffer and/or die, but God will never abandon those who are faithful.
Appropriately a recurring theme in some of the assigned readings for this day is speaking. To be precise, God sends Aaron to speak for Moses and the Holy Spirit to speak through persecuted Christians. Speech is powerful; it can build up or tear down. Speech can inspire people to greatness and positive action or convince them that all hope is lost or that they should act negatively. It can glorify God or blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. Speech can exonerate or convict the innocent. It can bless or curse. Speech can elevate a situation with beauty and profundity or downgrade it with vulgarity.
Out of the same mouth come praise and curses. This should not be so, my friends. Does a fountain flow with both fresh and brackish water from the same outlet? My friends, can a fig tree produce olives, or a grape vine produce figs? No more can salt water produce fresh.
–James 3:10-12, The Revised English Bible (1989)
May we glorify God via our words and deeds, and may God speak and act through us. Grace is free yet never cheap; it will cost us something. Grace will require us to sacrifice that which detracts and distracts from glorifying God. Grace will also never abandon us and will flow through us to benefit others and glorify God. Will we be willing vehicles of grace?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 12, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARTIN DOBER, MORAVIAN BISHOP AND HYMN WRITER; JOHANN LEONHARD DOBER, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND BISHOP; AND ANNA SCHINDLER DOBER, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF EDITH CAVELL, NURSE AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT KENNETH OF SCOTLAND, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT NECTARIUS OF CONSTANTINOPLE, ARCHBISHOP
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2016/10/12/devotion-for-pentecost-sunday-year-d/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Temple of Solomon
Image Scanned by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Christ, the Temple of Yahweh
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
Merciful Lord God, we do not presume to come before you
trusting in our own righteousness,
but in your great and abundant mercies.
Revive our faith, we pray; heal our bodies, and mend our communities,
that we may evermore dwell in your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 38
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
1 Kings 6:23-38 (Thursday)
1 Kings 8:14-21 (Friday)
1 Kings 8:31-40 (Saturday)
Psalm 96:1-9 (All Days)
2 Corinthians 5:11-17 (Thursday)
2 Corinthians 11:1-6 (Friday)
Luke 4:31-37 (Saturday)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Great is Yahweh, worthy of all praise,
more awesome than any of the gods.
All the gods of the nations are idols.
–Psalm 96:4-5a, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
King Solomon presided over the construction of the first Temple at Yahweh. That process entailed forced labor, unfortunately. That structure functioned both religiously, housing the Ark of the Covenant, and politically, boosting the monarchy. The crown controlled the place where God dwelt, according to the orthodoxy of the day. How convenient was that?
Jesus engaged in conflicts with people attached to the successor of Solomon’s Temple. The Second Temple, expanded by the order of King Herod the Great as a political and self-serving policy, was the seat of collaboration with the occupying Roman forces. Yes, much of the Jewish populace of Palestine had great respect for the Temple, but the fact of the exploitative system rooted in that place remained. That Jesus competed with the Temple and the priesthood, healing people and offering reconciliation with God, contributed to animosity between him and people invested in the Temple system financially.
Christ became the new Temple, the figure via whom people can become new creations. He was the figure whom St. Paul the Apostle proclaimed jealously, defending his version of the Christian gospel. Christ became the timeless Temple free of corruption, the Temple no power can control or destroy.
May all nations worship God at that Temple.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 28, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF THOMAS BINNEY, ENGLISH CONFORMIST MINISTER, LITURGIST, AND “ARCHBISHOP OF NONCONFORMITY”
THE FEAST OF ANDREW REED, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, HUMANITARIAN, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER AND ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, AFRICAN-AMERICAN EDUCATORS
THE FEAST OF ELIZABETH C. CLEPHANE, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN HYMN WRITER
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2016/02/28/devotion-for-thursday-friday-and-saturday-before-proper-4-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: An Icon of the Prophet Ezekiel
Image in the Public Domain
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
God of the covenant, in our baptism you call us
to proclaim the coming of your kingdom.
Give us the courage you gave the apostles,
that we may faithfully witness to your love and peace
in every circumstance of life,
in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 41
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Ezekiel 2:8-3:11
Psalm 119:81-88
2 Corinthians 11:16-33
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My soul is pining for your salvation;
I have hoped in your word.
My eyes fail with watching for your word,
while I say, “O, when will you comfort me?”
I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
yet I do not forget your statutes.
How many are the days of your servant?
When will you bring judgment on those who persecute me?
The proud have dug pits for me
in defiance of your law.
All your commandments are true;
help me, for they persecute me with falsehood.
They had almost made an end of me on earth,
but I have not forsaken your commandments.
Give me life according to your lovingkindness;
so shall I keep the testimonies of your mouth.
–Psalm 119:81-88, The Book of Common Prayer (2004)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The role of a prophet of God can be an unhappy and quite difficult one. Ezekiel accepted his commission readily then objected bitterly to having to make harsh statements to a population which refused to heed his message, which he relayed from God. St. Paul the Apostle, by his own accounts, was frequently in danger. Nevertheless, the audience of 2 Corinthians 11:16-33 had misplaced priorities:
For you put up with it when someone makes slaves of you, or preys upon you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or gives you a slap in the face.
–2 Corinthians 11:20, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
They suffered because of their foolishness, not for the sake of righteousness.
A more interesting question concerns why so many of we human beings refuse to heed prophets from God. Often we have difficulty telling the false prophets from the genuine articles, so we clump them together as “kooks.” That explains much, but not all, germane to my question. I am convinced that we humans prefer to be comfortable, sometimes in socially unjust and theologically false contexts. God’s prophets denounce idolatry, but we have become fond of and attached to our idols. We find that not resisting social injustice is easier than calling it what it is then acting accordingly, so we do little or nothing when the opportunity to act presents itself. The prophets of God remind us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. They tell us to welcome strangers and to care for widows and orphans, but we find ways to justify dong the opposite while claiming to follow God. The prophets of God call our attention to the exploitation of people, but we might benefit financially from economic injustice.
The image of God is among the most profound theological concepts in the Bible, an anthology packed with them. I wonder how much better societies and communities would be if more people tried to recognize the image of God in all others then acted accordingly. The treatment of human beings, especially the somehow different, would certainly improve. Prejudices would decline, the world would be a more peaceful place, and efforts to justify discrimination as the protection of religious freedom would have less support. More people would heed the words of God’s prophets.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 4, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE EVE OF EASTER, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF BENJAMIN HALL KENNEDY, GREEK AND LATIN SCHOLAR, BIBLE TRANSLATOR, AND ANGLICAN PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINT GEORGE THE YOUNGER, GREEK ORTHODOX BISHOP OF MITYLENE
THE FEAST OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/devotion-for-monday-after-proper-9-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Paul Writing His Epistles, by Valentin de Boulogne
Image in the Public Domain
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
Loving God, by tender words and covenant promise
you have joined us to yourself forever,
and you invite us to respond to your love with faithfulness.
By your Spirit may we live with you and with one another
in justice, mercy, and joy,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 37
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Hosea 14:1-9 (Protestant versification)/Hosea 14:2-10 (Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox versification)
Psalm 45:6-17
2 Corinthians 11:1-15
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever,
a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your reign;
you love righteousness and hate iniquity.
–Psalm 45:6-7a, Book of Common Worship (1993)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The arrangement of 2 Corinthians is not chronological, so Chapter 11 is part of a painful letter which St. Paul the Apostle wrote prior to Chapters 1 and 2. The tone of Chapters 10-13–scolding and sometimes threatening (as in 10:6)–comes from a place of disappointment. Sometimes a scolding is appropriate, for it can bring us back to our senses. Underlying the scolding is hope that it will have a positive effect.
Hope of return and restoration drives the conclusion of the Book of Hosea. God is willing to forgive Israel, a nation, which God calls to repent–to change its mind, to turn around–and to accept God’s generous love.
St. Paul loved the Corinthian Church, so he scolded it even as he stayed away to avoid causing needless pain. He called them to repent. The historical record indicates, however, that the Corinthian Church struggled with factionalism as late as a generation after the martyrdom of St. Paul. St. Clement of Rome wrote a letter to the congregation circa 100 C.E. In the opening of that document he made the following statement:
Because of our recent series of unexpected misfortunes and set-backs, my dear friends, we feel there has been some delay in turning our attention to the causes of dispute in your community. We refer particularly to the odious and unholy breach of unity among you, which is quite incompatible with God’s chosen people, and which a few hot-headed and unruly individuals have inflamed to such a pitch that your venerable and illustrious name, so richly deserving of everyone’s affection, has been brought into such disrepute.
–Early Christian Writings: The Apostolic Fathers (Penguin Books, 1987, page 23)
When God calls us to repent–even scolds us–may we respond more favorably.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 1, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF DANIEL MARCH, SR., U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST AND PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, POET, HYMN WRITER, AND LITURGIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT MAXIMILLIAN OF TREVESTE, ROMAN CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT THEOPHANES THE CHRONICLER, DEFENDER OF ICONS
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2015/03/01/devotion-for-tuesday-after-proper-3-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Hosea
Image in the Public Domain
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
Loving God, by tender words and covenant promise
you have joined us to yourself forever,
and you invite us to respond to your love with faithfulness.
By your Spirit may we live with you and with one another
in justice, mercy, and joy,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 37
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Hosea 3:1-5
Psalm 45:6-17
2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever,
a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your reign;
you love righteousness and hate iniquity.
–Psalm 45:6-7a, Book of Common Worship (1993)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
St. Paul the Apostle had visited Corinth and had a difficult experience with the church there–or rather, with certain members of the church there. Then he wrote a scolding letter (Chapters 10-13 of 2 Corinthians, a book with a non-chronological organization). Afterward, to avoid causing more pain, the Apostle stayed away. His absence was, according to some, evidence of the Apostle’s vacillating nature. (Some people seem to thrive on criticizing others!) St. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1 and 2, explaining his rationale for staying away and announcing that he had forgiven the ringleader of the critics. The Apostle also encouraged his allies to forgive that person. The dispute had injured the body (to use a Pauline metaphor for the church), so continuing the unhappiness would make a bad situation worse.
Forgiveness is a difficult grace to bestow on the offender and on oneself much of the time. I know this difficulty firsthand and wonder why letting go of a burden as great as a grudge is frequently so hard. I have arrived at no satisfactory answer, but I do know that a grudge hurts the person who holds it.
The reading from Hosea is ambiguous regarding the identity of Hosea’s platonic female friend yet the metaphor is clear: that human relationship is like God’s relationship with Israel. Difficult times will occur, but restoration will become the new reality. Israel will
thrill over the LORD and over His bounty in the days to come.
–Hosea 3:5b, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
The restoration of offenders can be a sensitive subject, for forgiveness seems to deny justice. Sometimes, I agree, offenders must face the consequences of their actions. Yet, much of the time, radical forgiveness is the best way into the future for the community, the society, the nation-state, and the individual. (I think especially of the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the Republic of South Africa.) Taking an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth might curtail otherwise unrestrained vengeance, but should anyone seek revenge? Does not the quest for vengeance reveal the seeker’s protestation of righteousness to be a lie?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 1, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF DANIEL MARCH, SR., U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST AND PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, POET, HYMN WRITER, AND LITURGIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT MAXIMILLIAN OF TREVESTE, ROMAN CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT THEOPHANES THE CHRONICLER, DEFENDER OF ICONS
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2015/03/01/devotion-for-monday-after-proper-3-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Ruins of the Temple of Apollo, Corinth
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
Loving God, by tender words and covenant promise you have joined us to yourself forever,
and you invite us to respond to your love with faithfulness.
By your Spirit may we live with you and with one another in justice, mercy, and joy,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 25
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Hosea 3:1-5 (Monday)
Hosea 14:1-9 (Tuesday)
Isaiah 62:1-5 (Wednesday)
Psalm 45:6-17 (All Days)
2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11 (Monday)
2 Corinthians 11:1-15 (Tuesday)
John 3:22-36 (Wednesday)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Your throne is God’s throne, for ever;
the sceptre of your kingdom is the sceptre of righteousness.
You love righteousness and hate iniquity;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness above your fellows.
–Psalm 45:6-7, The Book of Common Prayer (2004)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The readings for these three days, taken together, use marriage metaphors for the relationship between God and Israel and the relationship between God and an individual. Idolatry is akin to sexual promiscuity, for example. That metaphor works well, for there were pagan temple prostitutes.
Idolatry and social injustice are a pair in many Old Testament writings, for the Bible has much to say about how we ought to treat others, especially those who have less power or money than we do. Thus Psalm 45, a royal wedding song, becomes, in part, a meditation on justice. Also, as St. Paul the Apostle reminds us by words and example, nobody has the right to place an undue burden upon anyone or cause another person grief improperly.
May we recall and act upon Hosea 14:1-9, which states that, although God judges and disciplines, God also shows extravagant mercy. May we forgive ourselves for our faults. May we forgive others for their failings. And may we, by grace, do all the above and recall that there is hope for us all in divine mercy. Such grace calls for a positive response, does it not?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 4, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FIFTH DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF JOSEPH MOHR, AUSTRIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT BARBARA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN CALABRIA, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE POOR SERVANTS AND THE POOR WOMEN SERVANTS OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2014/12/04/devotion-for-monday-tuesday-and-wednesday-after-the-eighth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
You must be logged in to post a comment.