Archive for the ‘Acts of the Apostles 11’ Category
Above: Head of Saint Paul, by Benedetto Gennari the Younger
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 11:19-30
Psalm 98
1 John 4:1-11
John 15:9-17
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O God, from whom all good things come:
Lead us by the inspiration of your Spirit
to think those things which are right,
and by your goodness to do them;
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), 22
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Lord, because you promised to give what we ask
in the name of your only-begotten Son,
teach us rightly to pray and with all your saints
to offer you our adoration and praise;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 54
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The readings for this Sunday bear a striking thematic similarity to those for last Sunday. So be it.
1 John 4:10 speaks of Jesus as the expiation for our sins. In this context, “sins” means moral failings. Generally, in Johannine thought, sin is failing to recognize the divine revelation in Jesus, as in John 20:22-23. The First Epistle of John, however, uses both the moral and theological definitions of sin. Expiation is an
atoning action which obliterates sin from God’s sight and so restores us to holiness and the divine favor.
—The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, E-J (1962), 200
Then that epistle continues:
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
–1 John 4:11, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)
In the lections, we can read of different ways of loving one another. In Acts 11:19-30 alone, we read of evangelism, of the encouraging role of St. (Joseph) Barnabas extending a welcome to a former persecutor (St. Paul the Apostle), and of raising funds for the church in Jerusalem.
How is God calling you, O reader, to love one another like Jesus in your context–when you are, where you are, and according to who you are? Think and pray about this matter, I urge you.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 23, 2024 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-SIXTH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SAINTS GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR AND ISAAC THE GREAT, PATRIARCHS OF ARMENIA
THE FEAST OF MEISTER ECKHART, ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGIAN AND MYSTIC
THE FEAST OF SAINT METODEJ DOMINIK TRCKA, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1959
THE FEAST OF UMPHREY LEE, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER AND PRESIDENT OF SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY
THE FEAST OF SAINT VICTORIAN OF HADRUMETUM, MARTYR AT CARTHAGE, 484
THE FEAST OF SAINT WALTER OF PONTOISE, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND ECCLESIASTICAL REFORMER
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Athens Korean Presbyterian Church, Athens, Georgia
Image Source = Google Earth
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READING LUKE-ACTS, PART LXV
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Acts 11:19-30
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Roman historians documented droughts throughout the Roman Empire during the reign (41-54 C.E.) of Emperor Claudius (I). The germane drought may have been the one that struck Judea in 46-48 C.E.
We read of the mixed (Jewish and Gentile) Christian community at Antioch. We also read of why St. (Joseph) Barnabas was the “son of encouragement,” especially regarding St. Paul the Apostle. And we read of the mixed Christian community at Antioch demonstrating concern for their Jewish Christian brethren at Jerusalem. This final point is crucial, given the tensions of which I wrote in the previous post in this series.
Focusing on what we have in common, not that which divides us, can be difficult sometimes. I know; I have tried this strategy with some of my relatives. The strategy only works when the only side reciprocates. Therefore, I know the taste of failure in these efforts.
Some differences are irreconcilable. I belong to Calvary Episcopal Church, the only congregation in Sumter County, Georgia, to which I can feasibly belong. If I had to belong to any other church in this county, I would starve spiritually and feel like an outcast. Spiritual types are real; so be it. But differences need not transmogrify into hostility. A level of mutual affection may flourish, too.
Before I moved to Americus, Georgia, I lived in Athens-Clarke County, and belonged to Saint Gregory the Great Episcopal Church. About a mile up the road, the local Korean Presbyterian congregation had moved into its new building. The Korean Presbyterians needed a new sign yet could not afford it. Our pianist/organist, who taught piano to children of some of Korean Presbyterians, created a fund for a new sign for the Athens Korean Presbyterian Church and encouraged Gregorians to donate to it. People were generous, and the Korean Presbyterian congregation purchased their new sign.
In contemporary terms, organic union may not always be feasible, but ecumenism may thrive. If we focus on what unites us–Jesus–we will do well.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 22, 2022 COMMON ERA
FRIDAY IN EASTER WEEK
THE FEAST OF GENE BRITTON, EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF DONALD S. ARMENTROUT, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER AND SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF HADEWIJCH OF BRABERT, ROMAN CATHOLIC MYSTIC
THE FEAST OF KATHE KOLLWITZ, GERMAN LUTHERAN ARTIST AND PACIFIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT VITALIS OF GAZA, MONK, HERMIT, AND MARTYR, CIRCA 625
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Above: St. Simon Peter
Image in the Public Domain
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READING LUKE-ACTS, PART LXIV
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Acts 9:32-11:18
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I refer you, O reader, to the other posts here at BLOGA THEOLOGICA in which I have written about the constituent parts of Acts 9:32-11:18. In this post, I focus on broader themes, not narrower ones.
The power of God that flowed through Jesus through St. Simon Peter, according to Acts 9:32-42.
Jewish-Gentile relations require some attention.
As we have already established in this series, Judaism allowed for divine acceptance of righteous Gentiles. Earlier in Luke-Acts, Jesus healed the slave of a Roman centurion who had favorable relations with the Jewish community of Capernaum (Luke 7:1-10). Yet, obviously, in Acts 10:1-11:18, some Jews were less accepting of Gentiles than other Jews were.
We need to read Acts 10:1-11:18 on three levels:
- the timeframe in which 10:1-11:18 is set,
- the timeframe of circa 85 C.E, and
- the timeframe of today.
The problem of social relations between Christians converted from Judaism and Christians converted from paganism underlies the narrative, cf. 10:10-16, 28-29; 11:2-14; and Ga[latians] 2:11-21.
—The Jerusalem Bible (1966), 217
The present-day lens of Acts 10:1-11:18 was circa 85 C.E. St. Paul the Apostle had argued valiantly and vehemently on the behalf of Christians converted from paganism, that they did not have to obey the Law of Moses. Decades after his martyrdom in Rome, the debate continued to rage.
Alas, St. Simon Peter was inconsistent regarding accepting Gentiles after Acts 10-11 (Galatians 2:11-21).
I, not content to chastise long-dead people and feel spiritually smug and self-righteous, look in the spiritual mirror instead. In my cultural context, which people do I exclude wrongly? And which people do I favor including yet get quiet about because of what others may think, say, or do? You, O reader, should ask yourself the same questions. Likewise, communities and institutions should ask themselves these questions, also. For example, many congregations proclaim that everyone is welcome. How accurate is that sentiment, though?
I realized then that God was giving them the identical thing he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ; and who was I to stand in God’s way?
–Acts 11:17, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
Who am I to stand in God’s way? Who are you, O reader, to stand in God’s way? Who is anyone to stand in God’s way? What is any institution or congregation to stand in God’s way?
Grace scandalizes by not discriminating. Does that make you, O reader, comfortable or uncomfortable? If it makes you uncomfortable, why does it do so?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 21, 2022 COMMON ERA
THURSDAY IN EASTER WEEK
THE FEAST OF SAINT ROMAN ADAME ROSALES, MEXICAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1927
THE FEAST OF SAINT CONRAD OF PARZHAM, CAPUCHIN FRIAR
THE FEAST OF DAVID BRAINERD, AMERICAN CONGREGATIONALIST THEN PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARY AND MINISTER
THE FEAST OF GEORGE B. CAIRD, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST THEN UNITED REFORMED MINISTER, BIBLICAL SCHOLAR, AND HYMN WRITER AND TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF GEORGIA HARKNESS, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, ETHICIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT SIMON BARSABAE, BISHOP; AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS, 341
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Above: Icon of St. Luke the Evangelist
Image in the Public Domain
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READING LUKE-ACTS, PART I
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The whole of Luke’s gospel is about the way in which the living God has planted, in Jesus, the seed of that long-awaited hope in the world.
–N. T. Wright, Lent for Everyone: Luke, Year C–A Daily Devotional (2009), 2
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The Gospel of Luke is the first volume of a larger work. The Acts of the Apostles is the second volume. One can read either volume spiritually profitably in isolation from the other one. However, one derives more benefit from reading Luke-Acts as the two-volume work it is.
Each of the four canonical Gospels bears the name of its traditional author. The Gospel of Luke is the only case in which I take this traditional authorship seriously as a matter of history. One may recall that St. Luke was a well-educated Gentile physician and a traveling companion of St. Paul the Apostle.
Luke-Acts dates to circa 85 C.E.,. “give or take five to ten years,” as Raymond E. Brown (1928-1998) wrote in his magisterial An Introduction to the New Testament (1997). Luke-Acts, having a Gentile author, includes evidence that the audience consisted of Gentiles, too. The text makes numerous references to the inclusion of Gentiles, for example. Two of the major themes in Luke-Acts are (a) reversal of fortune, and (b) the conflict between the Roman Empire and the Kingdom of God. The smoldering ruins of Jerusalem and the Second Temple in 70 C.E. inform the present tense of the story-telling.
Many North American Christians minimize or ignore the imperial politics in the New Testament. In doing so, they overlook essential historical and cultural contexts. Luke-Acts, in particular, performs an intriguing political dance with the Roman Empire. The two-volume work unambiguously proclaims Jesus over the Emperor–a treasonous message, by Roman imperial standards. Luke-Acts makes clear that the Roman Empire was on the wrong side of God, that its values were opposite those of the Kingdom of God. Yet the two-volume work goes out of its way to mention honorable imperial officials.
Know six essential facts about me, O reader:
- This weblog is contains other blog posts covering Luke-Acts, but in the context of lectionaries. I refer you to those posts. And I will not attempt to replicate those other posts in the new posts. Finding those posts is easy; check the category for the book and chapter, such as Luke 1 or Acts 28.
- I know far more about the four canonical Gospels, especially in relation to each other, than I will mention in the succeeding posts. I tell you this not to boast, but to try to head off anyone who may chime in with a rejoinder irrelevant to my purpose in any given post. My strategy will be to remain on topic.
- My purpose will be to analyze the material in a way that is intellectually honest and applicable in real life. I respect Biblical scholarship that goes deep into the woods, spending ten pages on three lines. I consult works of such scholarship. However, I leave that work to people with Ph.Ds in germane fields and who write commentaries.
- I am a student of the Bible, not a scholar thereof.
- I am a left-of-center Episcopalian who places a high value on human reason and intellect. I value history and science. I reject both the inerrancy and the infallibility of scripture for these reasons. Fundamentalists think I am going to Hell for asking too many questions. I try please God, not fundamentalists. I know too much to affirm certain theological statements.
- I am a sui generis mix of Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican theological influences. I consider St. Mary of Nazareth to be the Theotokos (the Bearer of God) and the Mater Dei (the Mother of God). I also reject the Virgin Birth and the Immaculate Conception with it.
Make of all this whatever you will, O reader.
Shall we begin our journey through Luke-Acts?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 20, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-THIRD DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT DOMINIC OF SILOS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF BATES GILBERT BURT, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF BENJAMIN TUCKER TANNER, AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL BISHOP AND RENEWER OF SOCIETY
THE FEAST OF D. ELTON TRUEBLOOD, U.S. QUAKER THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF JOHANN CHRISTOPH SCHWEDLER, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MICHAL PIASCZYNSKI,POLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1940
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Above: Curses Against the Pharisees, by James Tissot
Image in the Public Domain
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For the Tenth Sunday after Trinity, 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 declarest thine almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity;
mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace, that we,
running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promises,
and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 202
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Jeremiah 7:1-15
Psalm 144
Acts 11:1-18
Matthew 23:34-39
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Scorning the prophets and the Law of God is negative. At least it is not killing them, though. That is worse. Killing them in the name of God adds another layer of perfidy.
I am a Gentile and a Christian writing in 2021. Merely condemning long-dead Jews would be easy. All I would have to do would be to quote or paraphrase assigned readings for this Sunday. That strategy would lean toward self-righteousness, though.
I score high on the scale of Lutheran civic righteousness. I am generally kind. I have yet to kill anyone. I have yet to rob a bank or a liquor store. I compose lectionary-based devotions at least a year in advance sometimes. All that is positive. Yet none of that is salvific.
The readings from Jeremiah and Matthew, in particular, invite me to ask if I have scorned or do scorn any prophets of God. They beckon me to come and to ponder how many of God’s laws I have violated, actively or passively, especially regarding the areas Jeremiah specified. These readings invite me to update some of the details for my circumstances and to apply the timeless principles behind the details to my life. These readings invite you, O reader, to do the same regarding yourself.
One consequence of following this strategy is that self-righteousness melts away and the imperative of repentance becomes central.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 16, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ROBERTO DE NOBOLI, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY IN INDIA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BERARD AND HIS COMPANIONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS IN MOROCCO, 1220
THE FEAST OF EDMUND HAMILTON SEARS, U.S. UNITARIAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF GUSTAVE WEIGEL, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND ECUMENIST
THE FEAST OF RICHARD MEUX BENSON, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND COFOUNDER OF THE SOCIETY OF SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST; CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, COFOUNDER OF THE SOCIETY OF SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST, AND BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC; AND CHARLES GORE, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM, AND OXFORD; FOUNDER OF THE COMMUNITY OF THE RESURRECTION; AND ADVOCATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND WORLD PEACE
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Above: St. Barnabas
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 11:19-30
Psalm 23
1 Thessalonians 2:9-20
Luke 14:15-24
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A few themes converge in this set of readings. Divine judgment and mercy exist in balance. Only divine love may pursue the faithful in Psalm 23, but the enemies have pronounced judgment on themselves. Indeed, one may understand the wrath of God as proverbial chickens to roost. Accepting an invitation to the divine banquet then making bad excuses for not attending is a bad option. On the other hand, encouraging others in the faith, as St. Joseph Barnabas did to and with St. Paul the Apostle, is a wise course of action.
“Barnabas” means “Son of Encouragement.” That is a fitting name for the saint.
May each of us be a ____ of encouragement–a son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, father, mother, neighbor, friend, et cetera–of encouragement. The emphasis belongs on “of encouragement.” May we encourage each other in Christ, so that we all may achieve our full stature in Christ, not pronounce judgment on ourselves.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 7, 2020 COMMON ERA
TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK
THE FEAST OF SAINT TIKHON OF MOSCOW, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX PATRIARCH
THE FEAST OF SAINT GEORGE THE YOUNGER, GREEK ORTHODOX BISHOP OF MITYLENE
THE FEAST OF JAY THOMAS STOCKING, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS MONTFORD SCOTT, EDMUND GENNINGS, HENRY WALPOLE, AND THEIR FELLOW MARTYRS, 1591 AND 1595
THE FEAST OF RANDALL DAVIDSON, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2020/04/07/devotion-for-the-fourth-sunday-of-easter-year-c-humes/
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Above: St. Simon Peter
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 11:1-18
Psalm 30
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Luke 24:36-53
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The four assigned readings share the context of an uneasy situation. We read a prayer of thanksgiving of a person who has recovered from a potentially fatal illness in Psalm 30. The slime in the pit of Sheol will not praise God, but a living person does. We also read of St. Simon Peter defending his actions (from Acts 10) to his fellow Jewish Christians, whom he persuades. We read of past suffering in 1 Thessalonians 2. And we read of Jesus comforting and empowering frightened Apostles in Luke 24.
My keynote for this post comes from Acts 11:17b:
How could I stand in God’s way?
—The Revised English Bible (1989)
When God refuses to fit into or respect the categories that provide psychological comfort to us and reinforce our defense mechanisms, how do we respond or react? Do we respond or do we react? (Yes, those words have different definitions.) Many of us, regardless of where we fall on the liberal-conservative scale overall and on each issue, identify ourselves as insiders and others as outsiders. Outsiders exist, of course, but God’s criteria for defining insiders and outsiders differ from ours. And what if one who imagines oneself to be an insider is actually an outsider?
No devout person tries to stand in God’s way, I suppose. Yet many do, sometimes. We humans frequently mistake our standards for those of God. We may do our best, according to what we know or think we know, but we can and do err.
May we, by grace, never stand in God’s way.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 6, 2020 COMMON ERA
MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARCELLINUS OF CARTHAGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR, 413
THE FEAST OF BENJAMIN HALL KENNEDY, GREEK AND LATIN SCHOLAR, BIBLE TRANSLATOR, AND ANGLICAN PRIEST
THE FEAST OF DANIEL G. C. WU, CHINESE-AMERICAN EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF EMIL BRUNNER, SWISS REFORMED THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF MILNER BALL, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, LAW PROFESSOR, WITNESS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS, AND HUMANITARIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT NOKTER BALBULUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2020/04/06/devotion-for-the-third-sunday-of-easter-year-c-humes/
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Above: St. Barnabas
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
O Lord God, you teach us that without love, our actions gain nothing.
Pour into our hearts your most excellent gift of love, that,
made alive by your Spirit, we may know goodness and peace,
through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 34
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Samuel 20:1-23, 35-42 (Monday)
2 Samuel 1:4-27 (Tuesday)
Psalm 133 (Both Days)
Acts 11:19-26 (Monday)
Acts 11:27-30 (Tuesday)
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Oh, how good and pleasant it is
when brethren live together in unity!
It is like fine oil upon the head
that runs down upon the beard,
Upon the beard of Aaron,
and runs down upon the collar of his robe.
It is like the dew of Hermon
that falls upon the hills of Zion.
For there the LORD has ordained the blessing,
life for evermore.
–Psalm 133, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Friendship is a form of such unity.
Jonathan remained David’s friend, even to the detriment of his (Jonathan’s) relationship with his father, King Saul. In 1 Samuel 20:30 the monarch cursed out his son, although few versions in English have rendered the verse accordingly. Saul’s reminder that Jonathan was also endangering his own potential kingship were rational yet ultimately unnecessary, for father and son died at about the same time.
St. Barnabas was a major ally of St. Paul the Apostle. He assisted the former Saul of Tarsus, violent foe of nascent Christianity, who had become a convert to the faith recently. St. Barnabas escorted St. Paul to meet with the understandably frightened remaining Apostles (Acts 9:26-28). St. Barnabas, working among the Christians of Antioch, left to retrieve St. Paul from Tarsus and took him to Antioch (Acts 11:19-26). Sts. Barnabas and Paul carried alms to Jerusalem (11:27-30). The two men traveled together on evangelistic journeys (Acts 13:2). St. Barnabas addressed the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:12), and he and St. Paul delivered the decree thereof to churches (Acts 15:22-31). The two men parted company because they disagreed strongly over taking John Mark (St. Mark the Evangelist) with them, so Sts. Barnabas and Mark traveled together afterward (Acts 15:36-39). Although St. Paul respected St. Barnabas (1 Corinthians 9:6 and Galatians 2:1, 9), he criticized his former traveling companion for, like St. Simon Peter, refusing table fellowship with Gentiles (Galatians 2:13). Nevertheless, St. Barnabas had helped to make the former Saul of Tarsus the figure who became St. Paul the Apostle, vouching for him at a crucial juncture. What if St. Barnabas had been wrong about St. Paul? He took that risk.
Friends are people who stand by us at the most difficult times. Such people are natural agents of divine grace. May each of us have such friends and be such a friend to others, for the glory of God and for the common good.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 2, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE NINTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF JOHANN KONRAD WILHELM LOEHE, BAVARIAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND COORDINATOR OF DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN MISSIONS
THE FEAST OF SABINE BARING-GOULD, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2016/01/02/devotion-for-monday-and-tuesday-after-the-fifth-sunday-of-easter-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Peter’s Vision of the Sheet with Animals
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son.
By his coming strengthen us to serve you with purified lives;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 19
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The Assigned Readings:
Isaiah 4:2-6
Psalm 27
Acts 11:1-18
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One thing have I asked of the LORD;
one thing I seek;
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life;
To behold the fair beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
–Psalm 27:5-6, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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For the love of God is broader
than the measure of man’s minds
and the heart of the Eternal
is most wonderfully kind.
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But we make his love too narrow
by false limits of our own;
and we magnify his strictness
with a zeal he will not own.
–Frederick William Faber, “There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy” (1854)
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The vision of Jerusalem in Isaiah 4 is that of a city purified from moral corruption, such as economic exploitation (3:13-15). The purified city, which the text describes in imagery reminiscent of the Exodus, will be a glorious place.
That is all very nice, but I become nervous when mere mortals become judges of purity. Then, in the worst cases, people undertake inquisitions, Donatism, and allegedly holy wars in the name of God. Less extreme cases also offend me greatly, for they violate the inclusive spirit of Acts 11:1-18. Besides, I fail the purity tests which other people design. I recall something which Philip Yancey wrote in a book. He attended a Bible college in the 1960s. That institution’s grooming standards for men would have excluded Jesus, as artists have depicted him traditionally. And there was no emphasis on social justice, such as civil rights.
So may we strive, by grace, to love our neighbors as ourselves and to respect the dignity of every human being. May we not be too afraid to act compassionately toward each other. May mere human decency be a hallmark of our behavior. And may we leave matters of purity to God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 26, 2014 COMMON ERA
PROPER 25: THE TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS
THE FEAST OF SAINT CEDD, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF LONDON
THE FEAST OF DMITRY BORTNIANSKY, COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF PHILLIP NICOLAI, JOHANN HEERMANN, AND PAUL GERHARDT, HYMN WRITERS
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Adapted from this post:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2014/10/26/devotion-for-tuesday-after-the-second-sunday-of-advent-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Remains of the Hippodrome at Antioch, Turkey, Between 1934 and 1939
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-matpc-16684
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The Collect:
Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son.
By his coming strengthen us to serve you with purified lives;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 19
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The Assigned Readings:
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Psalm 85:8-13
Acts 11:19-26
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Show us your mercy, O LORD,
and grand us your salvation.
I will listen to what the LORD God is saying,
for he is speaking peace to his faithful people
and to those who turn their hears to him.
–Psalm 85:7-8, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Jeremiah had a difficult vocation: to prophesy to people who ignored his message at best and tried to kill him at worst. The prophets’ youth was a serious problem, from his initial perspective. Yet the power of God proved sufficient, as it always does. Those whom God calls, God qualifies. And why should youth function as a handicap when many foolish elders walk the earth?
Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, played a pivotal role in the early Christian Church. He accompanied St. Paul of Tarsus to a meeting with the Apostles at Jerusalem and spoke on behalf of the former persecutor. Joseph settled at Antioch, where people called him “Barnabas,” or “son of encouragement” or “son of consolation.” There he encouraged and consoled Jewish and Gentile Christians alike. He also traveled to Tarsus to retrieve St. Paul, with whom he traveled later. St. Paul would not have become the great figure he became without St. (Joseph) Barnabas, properly an Apostle also.
Sometimes I read of allegedly self-made people. The truth, however, is that we depend on God and each other. Everything comes from God, of course. And we rely on each other from the womb to the tomb. St. Paul needed St. (Joseph) Barnabas, with whom he argued sometimes. And we modern Christians owe a great debt of gratitude to both of these great men. The prophet Jeremiah came to understand that he depended on God for his life. He argued with God frequently, but theirs was an honest relationship. (I have no problem with arguing faithfully with God. In fact, I think that Jeremiah made some valid points.)
Jeremiah was the weeping prophet and St. (Joseph) Barnabas was the son of encouragement or consolation. Jeremiah preached a harsh yet necessary message, but St. (Joseph) Barnabas declared an inclusive and positive Gospel. Both men suffered for their faithful actions. Jeremiah died in exile; St. (Joseph) Barnabas became a martyr. Yet the book of Jeremiah survives in Bibles, as do accounts of St. (Joseph) Barnabas, encourager of St. Paul and many other Christians. Both men bequeathed living legacies to the human race.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 20, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARY A. LATHBURY, U.S. METHODIST HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT BERTILLA BOSCARDIN, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN AND NURSE
THE FEAST OF JOHN HARRIS BURT, EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF TARORE OF WAHAORA, ANGLICAN MARTYR
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Adapted from this post:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/devotion-for-friday-before-the-second-sunday-of-advent-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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