Archive for the ‘2 Timothy 2’ Category
Above: Vineyard
Image in the Public Domain
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For the Fourth Sunday after Easter, Year 2
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Lectionary from A Book of Worship for Free Churches (The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, 1948)
Collect from The Book of Worship (Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1947)
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O God, who makest the minds of the faithful to be of one will;
grant unto thy people that they may love what thou commandest,
and desire what thou dost promise; that, among the manifold changes of this world,
our hearts may there be fixed where true joys are to be found;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 172
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Isaiah 5:1-7
Psalms 126 and 127
2 Timothy 2:8-13
John 11:30-54
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The raising of Lazarus was the last straw in the Gospel of John. After that, the really serious plotting of the execution of Jesus, as a scapegoat, began.
Scapegoating is one example of injustice. Executing or helping to execute an innocent person is another example of iniquity.
And [God] hoped for justice,
But behold, injustice;
For equity,
But behold, iniquity!
–Isaiah 5:7b, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
That is more than an indictment of the Kingdom of Judah at the time of First Isaiah. No, Isaiah 5:7b is also a condemnation of all societies, institutions, governments, et cetera, that perpetrate injustice today. It is also an indictment of all people who enable them actively or passively.
That should bother all of us.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 11, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT THEODOSIUS THE CENOBIARCH, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
THE FEAST OF CHARLES WILLIAM EVEREST, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF MIEP GIES, RIGHTEOUS GENTILE
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAULINUS II OF AQUILEIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC PATRIARCH OF AQUILEIA
THE FEAST OF RICHARD FREDERICK LITTLEDALE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS
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Above: The Vision of the Valley of the Dry Bones, by Gustave Doré
Image in the Public Domain
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For the Fourth Sunday after Easter, Year 1
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Lectionary from A Book of Worship for Free Churches (The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, 1948)
Collect from The Book of Worship (Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1947)
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O God, who makest the minds of the faithful to be of one will;
grant unto thy people that they may love what thou commandest,
and desire what thou dost promise; that, among the manifold changes of this world,
our hearts may there be fixed where true joys are to be found;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 172
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Ezekiel 37:1-14
Psalms 124 and 125
2 Timothy 2:8-23
John 16:1-11
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This saying is sure:
“If we have died with him, we shall also live with him;
if we endure, we shall also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful–for he cannot deny himself.”
–2 Timothy 2:11-13, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)
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The theme of seeking, trusting, and obeying God is prominent in the readings.
Martin Luther counseled people to trust in the faithfulness of God. Many baptized, practicing Christians, true to the Medieval zeitgeist that shaped them, feared that their sins condemned them to Hell. Luther, a theologian of the spoken word and of sacramental language, must have recalled the passage (itself a quoted portion of a hymn, probably) from 2 Timothy I quoted and that he translated into German. It was sound advice.
It remains good spiritual counsel.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 8, 2020 COMMON ERA
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK
THE FEAST OF HENRY MELCHIOR MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANISM; HIS GREAT-GRANDSON, WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND LITURGICAL PIONEER; AND HIS COLLEAGUE, ANNE AYRES, FOUNDRESS OF THE SISTERHOOD OF THE HOLY COMMUNION
THE FEAST OF SAINT DIONYSIUS OF CORINTH, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT HUGH OF ROUEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP, ABBOT, AND MONK
THE FEAST OF SAINT JULIE BILLIART, FOUNDRESS OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME
THE FEAST OF TIMOTHY LULL, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, SCHOLAR, THEOLOGIAN, AND ECUMENIST
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Above: Daniel in the Lions’ Den
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:
Daniel 6:4-24
Psalm 19
2 Timothy 2:16-26
Mark 14:12-25
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As I wrote in the previous post in this lectionary series, Darius the Mede, supposed predecessor of Cyrus II after the Persian conquest of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire, was ahistorical and contradictory of other Biblical accounts. Attempts to explain “Darius the Mede” away by claiming that “king” is a translation error have not convinced me, for the text of Daniel 6 states plainly that he was a predecessor of Cyrus II. (The word translated “king” can also refer to another high-ranking government official; that is an accurate statement. However, read Chapter 6 from beginning to end and place the end and the beginning of that chapter in context of each other.) The author of Daniel 6 wrote theology, not history.
I stand with the facts. While doing so, I ponder the theology of the story of Daniel in the lions’ den, relate the story to other readings, and create a devotional post that covers the four assigned lessons.
I do not wish to attempt to reduce the causes of the crucifixion of Jesus to just one, for I know better than that. When I read Mark 14:12-25 beside Daniel 6, however, I detect a common thread–the jealousy of people of lesser character. Psalm 19 extols the Law of God. A servant of God seeks to be as blameless as possible. That is consistent with the advice in 2 Timothy 2:16-26.
Both Daniel and Jesus became threats, because of who they were and how good they were, to people of lesser character. In the fictional account of Daniel and the lions’ den, Daniel emerged unscathed. Jesus of Nazareth died terribly, however. Then he rose again a few days later, of course.
We mere mortals are imperfect; we all have proverbial skeletons in the closet. The best of us is not proud of certain deeds he or she has committed, as well as certain sins of omission. Perhaps we will not be at risk of murder or another form of killing, but character assassination can be a great peril. This is especially true in the digital age; nothing really goes away on the Internet, and social media is frequently a cesspool.
When we recognize someone who is morally superior to us, we need to confess our sins and seek to become better people, not seek to destroy that person. We have the Golden Rule to obey, after all.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 22, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALBAN, FIRST BRITISH MARTYR
THE FEAST OF DESIDERIUS ERASMUS, DUTCH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, BIBLICAL AND CLASSICAL SCHOLAR, AND CONTROVERSIALIST; SAINT JOHN FISHER, ENGLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC CLASSICAL SCHOLAR, BISHOP OF ROCHESTER, CARDINAL, AND MARTYR; AND SAINT THOMAS MORE, ENGLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC CLASSICAL SCHOLAR, JURIST, THEOLOGIAN, CONTROVERSIALIST, AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF GERHARD GIESCHEN, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAULINUS OF YORK, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF NOLA
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2019/06/22/devotion-for-the-third-sunday-in-lent-year-b-humes/
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Above: Belshazzar’s Feast, by Rembrandt van Rijn
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:
Daniel 5:1-7, 17-30
Psalm 22:23-31
2 Timothy 2:1-15
Mark 14:1-11
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Before I address my main point, I write about two historical problems with Daniel 5 and 6. Belshazzar was never a king, for example. His father was Nabonidus (reigned 556-539 B.C.E.), the last king of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire. In 539 B.C.E. Cyrus II of the Persians and the Medes conquered the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire . Darius the Mede (6:1), a supposed predecessor of Cyrus II, was fictitious. At best Belshazzar was the regent or viceroy his father when his father was away. The chronology within the Book of Daniel makes no sense, regardless of whether one restricts oneself to the Hebrew version or the version with Greek additions. The Book of Daniel is not history; its chronology contradicts other portions of the Hebrew Bible. That fact does not mean, of course, that we cannot read it in a spiritually profitable manner.
Humility before God is a theme running through the assigned readings. Belshazzar was far from humble before God. The author of Psalm 22 preached the virtues of being in the awe of God, a term we usually read or hear translated as “fear of God.” St. Paul the Apostle, who knew much about ego, obeyed God and suffered for his obedience. The unnamed woman who anointed Jesus at the home of Simon the leper in Bethany demonstrated extravagant love and humility; she did not care about how she looked.
To be humble is to be down to earth, literally. In the context of God each of us should recognize his or her relative insignificance. Yet we bear the image of God, as Cyrus II was. Divine grace can flow through us to others. That should be sufficient status for us.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 21, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, JESUIT
THE FEAST OF BERNARD ADAM GRUBE, GERMAN-AMERICAN MINISTER, MISSIONARY, COMPOSER, AND MUSICIAN
THE FEAST OF CARL BERNHARD GARVE, GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN JONES AND JOHN RIGBY, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2019/06/21/devotion-for-the-second-sunday-in-lent-year-b-humes/
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Above: Labor Day, by Samuel D. Ehrhart
Published in Puck Magazine, September 1, 1909
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-ppmsca-26406
FOR LABOR DAY (U.S.A.)
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The Book of Common Prayer (1979) contains a collect and assigned readings for Labor Day.
Interdependence is a cardinal virtue in the Law of Moses. Interdependence is also obvious, or should be. Somehow, especially in the global West, the idea of rugged individualism persists. Yet, no matter how hard or well one works, one drives on roads other people built, relies on technology other people invented or maintain, and depends on many other people might guess at first thought. Anyone who can read this post with comprehension relies on hosts of educators, for example.
As I affirm that I depend on the work of others, just as others depend on my work, I also affirm the dignity of work. Therefore, I argue for certain propositions:
- Nobody should have to work in a death trap or a sweatshop;
- All wages should be living wages;
- People should work to live, not live to work;
- Union organizing and collective bargaining should be inviolable rights; and
- Access to affordable, quality health care is an inalienable right.
Nobody has a moral right to exploit anyone else. No institution has a moral right to exploit any person. After all, people should be more important than profits.
Furthermore, all work should benefit societies or communities. By this standard most jobs pass the test. We need plumbers and bus drivers, for example, but we also need actors, poets, and novelists. In a just world teachers, librarians, police officers, and fire fighters would be some of the best paid professionals, but that is not the world in which we live, unfortunately. It can be, however. A society is what its members make it. Sufficient force of public opinion, applied well, changes policies. The major obstacle to positive social change is resignation to the current reality.
Furthermore, the best kind of work is also indistinguishable from play. Work ought not only to provide financial support for one but also fulfill intangible needs. Work, at its best, is something one who performs it enjoys. Work should improve, not detract from, one’s quality of life.
Work does, of course, assume many forms, at home and out like the home. One should never forget that a stay-at-home parent is a working parent. One should never forget that one who leaves the labor force to become a caregiver for a relative is still working, just without wages. One should acknowledge that those who, for various reasons, cannot join the labor force, are valuable members of society, and that many of them can contribute greatly to society, if others will permit them to do so. Whenever a society holds back any of its members, it prevents itself from achieving its potential.
May we remember also that, as valuable as work is, rest and leisure are vital also. Ideally one will balance the three properly. We know that the brain requires a certain amount of sleep–especially REM sleep–to function properly. We know that the correct amount of rest is necessary for the body to function properly. We know that leisure makes for better employees.
Work, at its best, is a gift from God. It is a gift for divine glory and the meeting of human needs. Work, at its best, builds up (sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively) individuals, families, communities, societies, nation-states, and the world. One’s work, at its best, is a vocation from God; it occupies the intersection of one’s greatest joys and the world’s deepest needs.
May you, O reader, find your work fulfilling in every way.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 1, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA, DISCIPLE OF JESUS
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Almighty God, you have so linked our lives with one another
that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives:
So guide us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but for the common good;
and, as we seek a proper return for our own labor,
make us mindful of the rightful aspirations of other workers,
and arouse our concern for those who are out of work;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Ecclesiasticus/Wisdom of Sirach 38:27-32
Psalm 107:1-9 or 90:1-2, 16-17
1 Corinthians 3:10-14
Matthew 6:19-24
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), 261, 932
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We invoke thy grace and wisdom, O Lord, upon all men of good will
who employ and control the labor of men.
Amid the numberless irritations and anxieties of their position,
help them to keep a quite and patient temper,
and to rule firmly and wisely, without harshness and anger.
Since they hold power over the bread, the safety, and the hopes of the workers,
may they wield their power justly and with love,
as older brothers and leaders in the great fellowship of labor.
Suffer not the heavenly light of compassion for the weak and the old to be quenched in their hearts.
When they are tempted to sacrifice human health and life for profit,
do thou strengthen their will in the hour of need,
and bring to nought the counsels of the heartless.
May they not sin against thee by using the bodies and souls of men as mere tools to make things.
Raise up among us employers who shall be makers of men as well as of goods.
Give us men of faith who will look beyond the strife of the present,
and catch a vision of a nobler organization of our work,
when all shall still follow the leadership of the ablest,
no longer in fear, but by the glad will of all,
and when all shall stand side by side in a strong and righteous brotherhood of work;
according to thy will in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical and Reformed Church, Book of Worship (1947) 382-383
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Ecclesiasticus/Wisdom of Sirach 38:24-34 or Nehemiah 2:1-18
Psalms 124 and 125 or 147
2 Timothy 2:1-15 or Matthew 7:15-27
–General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, A Book of Worship for Free Churches (1948), 409
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Adapted from this post:
https://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2018/08/01/devotion-for-labor-day-u-s-a/
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Above: The Parable of the Talents
Image in the Public Domain
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FOR THE EIGHTH SUNDAY OF KINGDOMTIDE, ACCORDING TO A LECTIONARY FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP IN THE BOOK OF WORSHIP FOR CHURCH AND HOME (1965)
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O God, you are the author of truth, of beauty, and of goodness:
Inspire all who enrich the lives of the people,
all artists and poets, dramatists and musicians,
that our common life may be made radiant with the beauty of him
in whom your fullness dwelt, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
–Modernized from The Book of Worship for Church and Home (1965), page 154
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Amos 5:18-24
Psalm 39
2 Timothy 2:1-13
Matthew 25:14-30
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These four readings, taken together, teach the imperative of individual and collective righteousness, or justice. (“Righteousness” and “justice” are translations of the same words in the Bible.) The prophet Amos emphasizes social justice. The author (not St. Paul the Apostle) of 2 Timothy reminds us of suffering that results from one obeying God. The author of Psalm 39 reminds us of the brevity of life. May we use well the time God has given us.
Two readings cry out for unpacking. The first of these comes from Amos 5. The Torah orders certain rituals. They are not the problem; the abuse of them is. To engage in pious rituals cynically so as to maintain a veneer of holiness, while living in a way that pays no heed to righteousness, is to make a mockery of those rituals, which are far more than what Pietistic heretics dismiss as “externals.” This is not a case or righteousness or rituals; no, it is a call for both of them.
The other reading to unpack is the Parable of the Talents. The definition of “talent” in this context is more than fifteen years’ wages of a laborer. Thus a steward of just one talent is responsible for a large, especially in relative terms, sum of money. The meaning of the parable is the mandate to take risks for God, not to do nothing when one ought to act.
This is a difficult teaching. Sins of commission are relatively easy to identify, for one can point to what a person (perhaps oneself) has done wrong. Sins of omission are more challenging, though. I suspect that I am guilty of more sins of omission than of commission, but only God knows for sure. A sin of omission is “safe,” from a certain perspective, but God commands us to take risks for the sake of righteousness. After all, my life is short; what will I do with the rest of it, however long that will be? What will you, O reader, do with the rest of your life?
The commandments to live longingly fits neatly into this matter. Attempting to live thusly does not guarantee that one will succeed, but it is a positive development; at least one knows that one should do that and is trying to obey. Success is only possible via the power of God, however. May we seek, find, and use it as effectively as possible, for the glory of God and the benefit of our fellow human beings.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 11, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARY SLESSOR, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARY IN WEST AFRICA
THE FEAST OF GEORGE FOX, FOUNDER OF THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS
THE FEAST OF MIEP GIES, RIGHTEOUS GENTILE
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAULINUS OF AQUILEIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC PATRIARCH
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Above: Jacob and Esau Are Reconciled, by Jan Van den Hoecke
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
O Lord God, tireless guardian of your people,
you are always ready to hear our cries.
Teach us to rely day and night on your care.
Inspire us to seek your enduring justice for all the suffering world,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 50
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 31:43-32:2 (Friday)
Genesis 32:3-21 (Saturday)
Psalm 121 (Both Days)
2 Timothy 2:14-26 (Friday)
Mark 10:46-52 (Saturday)
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He will not let your foot be moved and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.
Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD himself watches over you; the LORD is your shade at your right hand,
So that the sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; it is he who shall keep you safe.
The LORD shall watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth for evermore.
–Psalm 121:3-8, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Here is a saying you may trust:
“If we died with him, we shall live with him;
if we endure, we shall reign with him;
if we disown him, he will disown us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.”
Keep on reminding people of this, and charge them solemnly before God to stop disputing about mere words; it does no good, and only ruins those who listen.
–2 Timothy 2:11-14, The Revised English Bible (1989)
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God seeks to build us up; we should strive to the same for each other. That is the unifying theme of these lessons.
Distracting theological arguments constitute “mere words” (2 Timothy 2:14). Of course, many people do not think that such theological arguments are distracting and destructive. Partisans certainly understand them to be matters of fidelity to God. Such arguments help to explain the multiplicity of Christian denominations. I think in particular of the Church of God (Guthrie, Oklahoma), which separated from the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) in 1910-1911 over, in part, the parent body’s liberalization with regard to Sola Scriptura (or, more to the point, that which the Reformed churches call the Regulative Principle of Worship) and worldliness. The Anderson Church began to (gasp!) permit the wearing of neckties! (Shock horror) Granted, the original, narrow meaning of Sola Scriptura, especially in Lutheran theology, applies only to requirements for salvation, but certain schools of Christianity have expanded its scope to matters beyond salvation–from liturgy to the presence or absence of neckties.
Legalism does not build up the body of Christ. Reconciliation, however, does. We read a prelude to the reconciliation of Jacob and Esau (effected in Genesis 33) in Chapter 32. Jacob, who had, with the help of his mother, cheated his brother out of his birthright in Genesis 27, had gone on to become a recipient of trickery in Chapter 29. He parted company with his father-in-law, Laban, with whom he had a difficult relationship, in Genesis 31, and was nervous about what might happen at a reunion with Esau, who proved to be conciliatory.
The healing of blind Bartimaeus (literally, son of Timaeus) is familiar. Jesus, unlike many people in the account, has compassion for the blind man calling out to him. Those others, we might speculate with little or no risk of being wrong, thought of Bartimaeus as a nuisance at worst and an irritant at best. One need not use one’s imagination much to grasp the application of this story in daily life. Do we see people, or do we see irritants and nuisances?
A moral law of the universe is that, whatever we do to others, we do to ourselves also. This challenges us all, does it not? Tearing others down might be in one’s short-term interests, but, in the long term, those who injure others do so to their detriment.
How is God calling you to build up others today, O reader?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 31, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF MARY TO ELIZABETH
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2016/05/31/devotion-for-friday-and-saturday-before-proper-24-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: The Tabernacle
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Almighty and most merciful God, your bountiful goodness fills all creation.
Keep us safe from all that may hurt us,
that, whole and well in body and spirit,
we may with grateful hearts accomplish all that you would have us to do,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 50
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The Assigned Readings:
Leviticus 14:33-53 (Thursday)
Numbers 4:34-5:4 (Friday)
Psalm 111 (Both Days)
2 Timothy 1:13-18 (Thursday)
2 Timothy 2:1-7 (Friday)
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Hallelujah!
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart,
in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation.
–Psalm 111:1, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Merely approaching the place of worship is impossible for some people in Numbers 5. The precincts of the Tabernacle are to be ritually pure, excluding
anyone with an eruption or a discharge and anyone defiled by a corpse.
–Verse 2a, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
This rule reflects the fear of ritual impurity as a contagion, albeit a temporary one. A build up of ritual impurity would, the prevailing voice of Numbers 5:2a feared, endangered the Presence of God in the community. That contagion even spread to walls affected by mildew or rot (Leviticus 14:33-53). In Numbers 5, however, the carriers of ritual impurity were those with skin diseases, sexual discharges, and those defiled by a corpse.
When I consider healing stories in the Bible, especially those involving Jesus, the first criterion of ritual impurity is frequently germane; the second criterion is relevant at least once. The healing of the afflicted person is in part a restoration of him or her to wholeness, community, and centers of worship.
I, as a Gentile, seldom think about ritual purity or purity in general, except in negative terms. The self-proclaimed theologically pure seem always to define people of my perspective as impure, after all. And, when I think deeply about ritual purity, I find that the concept offends me. Why, for example, should a gynecological or dermatological condition render one ritually impure? I know that the purpose of the ritual purity system in the Torah is to separate human matters of sex and death from the experience of encountering God. To restate that, the purpose of the Biblical ritual purity system is to heighten one’s God-like state temporarily, therefore making one temporarily eligible to enter the Presence of God in the designated place of worship. Yet what about the spiritual anguish of the good people among the ritually impure?
As much as I approve of the practice of approaching God with full reverence (including in one’s attire at worship) and therefore appreciate the sense of awe with which the Law of Moses treats the Tabernacle, I also detect an exclusionary tone. That bothers me, for the grounds for exclusion seem to be biological and medical, not moral. They seem immoral to me, therefore. I have none of the conditions which might render me ritually impure, but I am nevertheless always ineligible to enter the Presence of God in worship, except by grace. I, as a Christian, understand this grace to have much to do with Jesus of Nazareth. That is a sound teaching.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 31, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF MARY TO ELIZABETH
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2016/05/31/devotion-for-thursday-and-friday-before-proper-23-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Ahasuerus and Haman at Esther’s Feast, by Rembrandt van Rijn
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
God of power and might, your Son shows us the way of service,
and in him we inherit the riches of your grace.
Give us the wisdom to know what is right and
the strength to serve the world you have made,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 53
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The Assigned Readings:
Esther 2:1-18
Psalm 7
2 Timothy 2:8-13
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I will bear witness that the LORD is righteous;
I will praise the Name of the LORD Most High.
–Psalm 7:18, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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This is a devotion for the day after Christ the King Sunday. Pope Pius XI created that festival in 1925, when dictators governed much of Europe, interwar tensions were rising, and the Holy Father perceived the need to issue a reminder that God is in control, despite appearances. The original date was the last Sunday in October, opposite Reformation Sunday in many Protestant churches, but the Roman Catholic Church moved the date to the Sunday before Advent in 1969. In the middle of the twentieth century many U.S. Protestants observed Christ the King Sunday on the last Sunday in August. I have found evidence of this in the official materials of the reunited Methodist Church (1939-1968). Today observance of Christ the King Sunday (on the Sunday before Advent) has become common in many non-Roman Catholic communions. I have detected it in the Revised Common Lectionary and the Common Lectionary before that, as well as in official materials of Anglican/Episcopal, Methodist, Moravian, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Disciples of Christ, United Church of Christ, Cooperative Baptist, Evangelical Covenant, and other denominations.
In contrast to Christ the King we have the fictional Ahasuerus, a pompous figure whose courtiers manipulate him. He and others figure in the Book of Esther, which the germane notes in The Jewish Study Bible (2004) refer to as a low comedy with burlesque elements, as well as a serious side. (Comedy has a serious side much of the time.) The Book of Esther pokes fun at authority figures, one of the oldest pastimes. Ahasuerus, humiliated when Queen Vashti refuses his summons, decides angrily to replace her. Before he can reverse that decision, his advisers intervene. This opens the narrative door for Esther to become the secretly Jewish Queen of Persia just in time for Haman to plot to kill the Jews. Esther might have been a tool of schemers initially, but she becomes an instrument of God.
St. Paul the Apostle might not have written 2 Timothy, but the letter is of the Pauline tradition. Certainly the Apostle did suffer hardship due to his obedience to God and agreed, as the text says:
If we have died with [Christ Jesus], we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful–
for he cannot deny himself.
–2:11b-13, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
Regardless of the situations of our daily life and how they became our reality, may we obey God and do the right thing. This might prove to be quite dangerous, leading even to death, but so did the path of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SHEPHERD KNAPP, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN DUCKETT AND RALPH CORBY, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND MARTYRS IN ENGLAND
THE FEAST OF NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/devotion-for-monday-after-proper-29-year-a-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: The Healing of the Ten Lepers, by James Tissot
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The Assigned Readings:
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 and Psalm 66:1-11
or
2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c and Psalm 111
then
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Luke 17:11-19
The Collect:
Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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Some Related Posts:
Proper 23, Year A:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/05/02/proper-23-year-a/
Proper 23, Year B:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/11/02/proper-23-year-b/
Prayer of Praise and Adoration:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/prayer-of-praise-and-adoration-for-the-twenty-first-sunday-after-pentecost/
Prayer of Confession:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/hostility-fractures-the-body/
Prayer of Dedication:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/prayer-of-dedication-for-the-twenty-first-sunday-after-pentecost/
2 Kings 5:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2011/06/23/sixth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-b/
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/seventeenth-day-of-lent/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/06/23/proper-1-year-b/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2012/07/21/proper-9-year-c/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/devotion-for-september-8-lcms-daily-lectionary/
2 Timothy 2:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/devotion-for-january-30-lcms-daily-lectionary/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/week-of-proper-4-thursday-year-2/
Luke 17:
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2012/06/20/devotion-for-the-thirty-ninth-fortieth-and-forty-first-days-of-easter-lcms-daily-lectionary/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/week-of-proper-27-wednesday-year-1/
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Grace for outsiders is a potent and often politically unpopular theme. Much of the time the outsiders are enemies, perhaps nationals of hostile realms. Such was the case regarding Naaman. And what about the Prophet Jeremiah’s advice to seek the welfare of the soon-to-be-conquering empire? And, although Samaritans lived within the borders of the Roman Empire (as did Palestinian Jews), there was a long-standing hostile relationship between them and Jews. A Samaritan receiving good press in the Gospels was scandalous indeed.
Yet the God of Judaism and Christianity is for all people, although far from all of them worship and revere God. For all of them Christ died and with him all the potential (often unrealized) to live and reign. For, as St. Simon Peter said at Caesarea,
…God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him does what is right is acceptable to him.
–Acts 10:34b-35, New Revised Standard Version
God has many sheep. I belong to just one flock. And I wonder how many other sheep and flocks there are as I hope that I will never mistake any of them for not being of God. I interpret the “other sheep” to be Gentiles in the original context. But who, other than God, knows what really goes on inside others spiritually? Many of the officially observant are just putting up facades. And many people have faith of which God alone knows. What I do not know outweighs what I do know.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 2, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT SIGISMUND OF BURGUNDY, KING; SAINT CLOTILDA, FRANKISH QUEEN; AND SAINT CLODOALD, FRANKISH PRINCE AND ABBOT
THE FEAST OF SAINT ATHANASIUS OF ALEXANDRIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF JAMES LEWIS MILLIGAN, HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARCULF OF NANTEUIL, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
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Adapted from this post:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/proper-23-year-c/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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