Archive for the ‘Acts of the Apostles 4’ Category
Above: Good Shepherd
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 4:23-33
Psalm 23
1 John 3:1-2
John 10:11-18
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God of all power,
you called from death our Lord Jesus Christ,
the great shepherd of the sheep.
Send us as shepherds to rescue the lost,
to heal the injured,
and to feed one another with knowledge and understanding;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
OR
Almighty God,
you show the light of your truth to those in darkness,
to lead them into the way of righteousness.
Give strength to all who are joined in the family of the Church,
so that they will resolutely reject what erodes their faith
and firmly follow what faith requires;
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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Almighty God, merciful Father,
since you have wakened from death the Shepherd of your sheep,
grant us your Holy Spirit that we may know the voice of our Shepherd
and follow him that sin and death may never pluck us out of your hand;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 52
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The Fourth Sunday of Easter is Good Shepherd Sunday on more than one lectionary.
- YHWH is the Good Shepherd in Psalm 23. In that text, only divine goodness and steadfast love either pursue or accompany the psalmist. The enemies, not invited to the divine banquet, do not harm the psalmist.
- Jesus is the Good Shepherd in John 10. He knows his sheep, who, in turn, recognize him. And the Good Shepherd sacrifices himself for his sheep.
- Yet many in the “the world”–kosmos, in Greek–fail to recognize God and Jesus. These spiritually blind people live according to the values which the Beatitudes (Matthew 5) and the Beatitudes and Woes (Luke 6) contradict. Many of these spiritually blind people are conventionally religious, by the standards of their cultures or subcultures.
“Sacred violence” is a value of the kosmos, the morally disordered world. Notice the absence of “sacred violence” in Psalm 23 and John 10, O reader. God does not smite the psalmist’s foes. God does, however, force them to watch a grand banquet to which God did not invite them. And the perpetrators of the violence in John 10 are not acting out of divine love. These two readings contradict some disturbing stories of violence committed in the name of God and allegedly in obedience to divine commands. Elijah’s massacre of the prophets of Baal Peor (1 Kings 18:40-41) comes to my mind immediately.
I, having read the full canon of the Bible–all 73 books–reject the stereotype of God changing character between Testaments. Divine judgment and mercy exist in balance in both the Old and the New Testaments. Beautiful passages about divine mercy exist in both Testaments. Likewise, so do harrowing passages about divine judgment.
I am a Christian. Therefore, my concept of God hinges on Jesus of Nazareth. I read stories about Jesus dying violently, not having people killed. I read about Jesus expressing righteous anger, something everyone should do. Yet I read no stories about Jesus ordering hatred or violence. So, God, as I understand God, does not order hatred and violence either. No, God is love. God triumphs over hatred and violence with love.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 21, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FOURTH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH, AND JOHANN CHRISTIAN BACH, COMPOSERS
THE FEAST OF SAINT LUCIA OF VERONA, ITALIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC TERTIARY AND MARTYR, 1574
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARK GJANI, ALBANIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1947
THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF FLÜE AND HIS GRANDSON, SAINT CONRAD SCHEUBER, SWISS HERMITS
THE FEAST OF SAINT SERAPION OF THMUIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Supper at Emmaus, by Caravaggio
Image in the Public Domain
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Acts 4:8-12
Psalm 139:1-11 (LBW) or Psalm 16 (LW)
1 John 1:1-2:2
Luke 24:36-49
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O God, by the humiliation of your Son you lifted up this fallen world,
rescuing us from the hopelessness of death.
Grant your faithful people a share in the joys that are eternal;
through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 21
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O almighty and eternal God,
now that you have assured us of
the completion of our redemption
through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ,
give us the will to show forth in our lives
what we profess with our lips;
through Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 51
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Multiple contexts for correctly interpreting scripture exist. These include history, science, culture, and other passages of scripture. Given the range of time and of Biblical authors, some internal contradictions exist. That is unavoidable.
In the case of our reading from the First Epistle of John, however, we find our context within the Johannine tradition and that document itself. 1 John 3:6 tells us:
Anyone who abides in Jesus does not sin; anyone who sins has not seen him, nor has he known him.
—Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)
Yet we read in 1 John 1:8 that those who claim to lack sin deceive themselves. The truth–in Johannine terms, activated integrity–is not in them. Recall, O reader, what I wrote in last Sunday’s devotion: In the Gospel of John, sin is the failure to recognize the divine revelation of God in Jesus. Elsewhere in the Bible–as in the Gospel of Matthew–sin is a moral failing.
While I am defining words, I add “righteousness” to the list. Righteousness is right relationship with God, self, others, and all of creation.
A complicating factor in First John is that the text mixes the two definitions of sin. When we consider all the germane verses from the Gospel of John and the First Epistle of John, we arrive at a synthesis: We all have moral failings. If we are penitent, God forgives us and restores us to right relationship with God, self, others, and all of creation. Jesus eradicates the power of our moral failings over us, both collectively and individually. And, given that the Johannine understanding of sin is failing to recognize the divine revelation in Christ (John 20:22-23), nobody who is in Christ sins, according to that definition of sin. Such a person has no theological license to wallow in habitual moral failings, regardless of what certain members of the original audience of First John may have thought.
I hope that is a clear explanation.
A friend (now deceased) interceded for others by praying for “God’s best” for them. Bill’s prayer has become my petition for others and myself.
God’s best precludes habitual moral failings. God’s best entails breaking such habits, both collectively and individually. We all have habitual moral failings, both collectively and individually. And we are all subject to moral blind spots, both collectively and individually. Furthermore, moral perfectionism is an impossible standard. However, we–both collectively and individually–can improve, with divine assistance. Despite the power of negative habits and habitual moral failings, we can admit that grace is not a license for them.
God is always with us; we are never on our own and alone.
I remember a story about a Nazi guard taunting a Jew in a concentration camp.
The guard had forced the Jew to clean the especially disgusting toilets. That guard asked the Jew:
Where is your God now?
The Jew replied:
Beside me, in the muck.
God is beside us–collectively and individually–in the muck of the world and our lives. Do we recognize God in our presence? If so, how do we respond?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 20, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-SECOND DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SEBASTIAN CASTELLIO, PROPHET OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
THE FEAST OF CHRISTOPHER WORDSWORTH, HYMN WRITER AND ANGLICAN BISHOP OF LINCOLN
THE FEAST OF ELLEN GATES STARR, U.S. EPISCOPAL THEN ROMAN CATHOLIC SOCIAL ACTIVIST AND REFORMER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA JOSEFA SANCHO DE GUERRA, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE SERVANTS OF THE POOR
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL RODIGAST, GERMAN LUTHERAN ACADEMIC AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SIMON WILLIAM GABRIEL BRUTÉ DE RÉMUR, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF VINCENNES
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Adapted from this post
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Above: A Vineyard
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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Isaiah 5:1-7
Psalm 80:7-14 (LBW) or Psalm 118:19-24 (LW)
Philippians 3:12-21
Matthew 21:33-43
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Our Lord Jesus, you have endured
the doubts and foolish questions of every generation.
Forgive us for trying to be judge over you,
and grant us the confident faith to acknowledge you as Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 28
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O God, whose almighty power is made known chiefly
in showing mercy and pity,
grant us the fullness of your grace
that we may be partakers of your heavenly treasures;
through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 84
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The Bible moves past preaching and immediately starts meddling. Good! It ought to do this.
The vineyard is an image of the people of God in the Bible. In Isaiah 5, the image of vineyard full of wild (literally, noxious) grapes condemns the population doomed to suffer exile and occupation. Psalm 80 likens the people of Israel to a vine and prays for the restoration of Israel in the midst of exile. The Parable of the Tenants condemns fruitless religious authority figures–a timeless warning.
That parable also quotes Psalm 119 when the Matthean text refers to the cornerstone the builders had rejected. The cornerstone is a messianic theme, as in Isaiah 8:14; 28:16; and Zechariah 3:9; 4:7. For other applications of the cornerstone to Jesus, read Acts 4:11; Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:4f; Ephesians 2:20; and 1 Corinthians 3:11.
Years ago, I had a discouraging conversation with a female student at the college where I taught. She told me before class one day that she did not care about what happened to and on the Earth, for her citizenship was in Heaven. I vainly attempted to persuade her to care. Her attitude contradicted the Law of Moses, the witness of the Hebrew prophets, the teachings of Jesus, and the epistles–Judaism and Christianity, in other words.
The Golden Rule requires us–collectively and individually–to care for and about each other and the planet. Judaism and Christianity teach that people are stewards–not owners–of the planet. (God is the owner.) The state of ecology indicates that we are terrible stewards, overall. The lack of mutuality during the COVID-19 pandemic proves that many people do not give a damn about others and the common good.
God remains God. God still cares. God cannot exist without caring. That should comfort many people and terrify many others. Divine judgment and mercy remain in balance.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 18, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ARTEMISIA BOWDEN, AFRICAN-AMERICAN EDUCATOR AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST
THE FEAST OF ERDMANN NEUMEISTER, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF FRANCIS JOHN MCCONNELL, U.S. METHODIST BISHOP AND SOCIAL REFORMER
THE FEAST OF JONATHAN FRIEDRICH BAHNMAIER, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF PETTER DASS, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post
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Above: The Sanhedrin
Image in the Public Domain
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READING LUKE-ACTS, PART LVIII
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Acts 5:12-42
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Acts 5:12-42 picks up from 3:1-4:31. Many of the comments in the post for 3:1-4:31 are germane to 5:12-42.
So [the apostles] left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Messiah, Jesus.
–Acts 5:41-42, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
I write and speak only for myself, for I am qualified to do that much. In the same position as these apostles, I, hypothetically, would have been cursing (in both meanings of that word), not rejoicing. You, O reader, may write and speak for yourself.
We read of the nascent Church growing in Jerusalem and already scaring religious authorities there. I wonder: How scared of the Church are the authorities where you, O reader, dwell? I do not refer to congregations and Christians getting into trouble for blatantly un-Christlike activities, such as needlessly endangering others and spewing hatred. I recall, for example, news stories of abusive congregations that have practiced child abuse under the cover of the Bible and the freedom of religion. Such criminals deserve legal penalties, and their victims deserve help and wholeness.
No, I refer to Christians and congregations who are behaving in Christlike ways–loving like Jesus, to borrow the advice of Bishop Robert C. Wright, of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. I refer, for example, to congregations who shelter immigrants and minister to homeless people–illegal activities, sometimes and in some places. If Christians and congregations do not get into legal trouble for loving like Jesus, that is wonderful. If, however, loving like Jesus causes them legal troubles, may they be like the apostles in Acts 5:41-42.
Another matter comes to my mind. Many people of varying religious identities mistake obnoxiousness for piety. Having studied all 73 books of the Bible closely, I cannot locate scriptural justification for obnoxiousness in the name of God. Recent converts frequently cross the line and cross over into obnoxiousness in the zeal. This pattern informs the cliché that recent converts often embarrass longtime adherents.
May we–individually and collectively–bring honor to God and Christ, regardless of our circumstances. May we–individually and collectively–behave ourselves properly.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 12, 2022 COMMON ERA
HOLY TUESDAY
THE FEAST OF HENRY SLOANE COFFIN, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR; AND HIS NEPHEW, WILLIAM SLOANE COFFIN, JR., U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND SOCIAL ACTIVIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT DAVID URIBE-VELASCO, MEXICAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1927
THE FEAST OF SAINT JULIUS I, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZENO OF VERONA, BISHOP
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Above: The Death of Ananias, by Raphael
Image in the Public Domain
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READING LUKE-ACTS, PART LVII
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Acts 4:32-5:11
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Acts 2:42-47 relates to 4:32-5:11.
The portion of scripture for this post comes in two parts: 4:32-37 and 5:1-11. 4:32-37 bears the stronger similarity to 2:42-47. The motif of members of Christian community in Jerusalem taking care of each other financially dominates in 4:32-37 and 2:42-47.
Also, we meet St. (Joseph) Barnabas in 4:36-37.
The famous story of Ananias and Sapphira is a cautionary tale. Do not lie to the community, we learn. One may be within one’s rights, legally, but do not lie.
What is done to the community is done to the Spirit of God.
–Dennis Hamm, in Daniel Durken, ed., The New Collegeville Bible Commentary: New Testament (2009), 387
How we regard God and how we think of each other are related to each other.
According to that standard, how do you measure up, O reader?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 9, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF DIETRICH BONHOEFFEFR, GERMAN LUTHERAN MARTYR, 1945
THE FEAST OF JOHANN CRUGER, GERMAN LUTHERAN ORGANIST, COMPOSER, AND HYMNAL EDITOR
THE FEAST OF JOHN SAMUJEL BEWLEY MONSELL, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND POET; AND RICHARD MANT, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF DOWN, CONNOR, AND DROMORE
THE FEAST OF LYDIA EMILIE GRUCHY, FIRST FEMALE MINISTER IN THE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
THE FEAST OF MIKAEL AGRICOLA, FINNISH LUTHERAN LITURGIST, BISHOP OF TURKU, AND “FATHER OF FINNISH LITERARY LANGUAGE”
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM LAW, ANGLICAN PRIEST, MYSTIC, AND SPIRITUAL WRITER
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Above: The Sanhedrin
Image in the Public Domain
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READING LUKE-ACTS, PART LVI
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Acts 3:1-4:31
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A cliché tells us that no good deed goes unpunished. If the world were not so!
Jesus had clashed with religious authorities. The time for some of his Apostles–Sts. Simon Peter and John, in this case–to do so had arrived. St. Simon Peter, who had often spoken before thinking, had eaten his spiritual Wheaties.
Two major themes stand out in my mind as I ponder Acts 3:1-4:31:
- Acts 3:17 includes the Lucan motif that those who had rejected and crucified Jesus had done so in ignorance. See Luke 23:34, also, O reader.
- Acts 4:18f, in which the commandments of God override human orders to the contrary, belies strict law-and-order arguments that quote the Bible. Acts 4:18f is not the only such passage in the Bible, but it is the one in the section of scripture for this post. We will return to this matter in Acts 5.
My politics regarding the strict law-and-order, my-country-right-or-wrong argument are plain. Neither anarchy nor totalitarianism allow freedom. Disobeying some governments is a moral obligation. Yet, on many other occasions, obeying governments is moral. Everything depends on the circumstances. The timeless principle at work is the Golden Rule.
We all know less than we imagine we do. For example, we may think we know what we are doing when do not. Or we may know partially. Luke 23:34 has the crucified Jesus intercede for those who had put him on the cross and for those who had consented to this action:
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they are doing.”
—The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
I have recorded my mixed thoughts regarding the extent of this ignorance in Luke 23:34. I have not arrived at a consistent position yet.
Sometimes we do not know what we are doing. However, sometimes we do. And sometimes we know somewhat. I cannot always tell which situation is which.
Nevertheless, I know something, however, slight, regarding sins of ignorance: We all commit them, individually and collectively. And we all–individually and collectively–stand before God in need of forgiveness. May we–collectively and individually–forgive each other, as we–individually and collectively–need forgiveness. And may God forgive us all.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 8, 2022 COMMON ERA
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 AYERS, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERHOOD OF THE HOLY COMMUNION
THE FEAST OF SAINT DIONYSIUS OF CORINTH, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF GODFREY DIEKMANN, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, PRIEST, ECUMENIST, THEOLOGIAN, AND LITURGICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF SAINT HUGH OF ROUEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP, ABBOT, AND MONK
THE FEAST OF SAINT JULIE BILLIART, FOUNDER 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: 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: The Calling of Matthew, by Vittore Capaccio
Image in the Public Domain
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For the Second Sunday after Pentecost, Year 2, according to the U.S. Presbyterian lectionary of 1966-1970
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Startle us, O God, with thy truth, and open our minds to thy Spirit,
that this day we may receive thee humbly and find hope fulfilled in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Common Worship–Provisional Services (1966), 124
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Numbers 14:11-24
Acts 4:1-12
Matthew 9:9-17
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Jesus kept some disreputable company. He dined openly with people such as prostitutes and tax collectors, collaborators who enriched themselves as they collected taxes for the Roman Empire. The response of the Pharisees in Matthew 9:10-14 was similar to that one might imagine respectable Christians upon witnessing a suspect religious leader doing the same. Do we not those who lie down with dogs rise with fleas?
Authority was one of the causes of conflict between Jesus then early Christian leaders on one hand and established religious leaders on the other hand. Where did Jesus and his Apostles acquire their credentials?
Lesslie Newbigin (1909-1998), a great missionary, had a negative opinion of much of Christian apologetics. He objected to portraying the Gospel as being true because it agreed with an outside standard. The only proper authority for the truth of the Gospel of Jesus, Newbigin wrote, is Jesus. To argue for the truth (reliability, literally) of the Gospel based on an outside authority is to depict that authority as being more authoritative than the Gospel, Newbigin insisted.
Absence of faith arises not only in the stubborn hearts of people who have witnessed mighty, dramatic deeds, but also in the minds of the conventionally devout, those piously upholding their received traditions and wisdom. Absence of faith also arises in the minds of those attached to their power and prestige.
Read the stories again, O reader. Then ask yourself,
Which of these characters am I like?
Then take the result to Jesus.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 17, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM WHITE, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
THE FEAST OF THE CARMELIT MARTYRS OF COMPIÈGNE, 1794
THE FEAST OF BENNETT J. SIMS, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF ATLANTA
THE FEAST OF NERSES LAMPRONATS, ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF TARSUS
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Above: Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, 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:
Acts 4:23-37
Psalm 31:1-9, 15-16
1 Peter 3:8-22
Matthew 20:1-16
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The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) tells of the generosity of God. The social setting is poverty created by rampant economic exploitation–in this case, depriving people of land, therefore depriving them of economic security. The economics of the Kingdom of God/Heaven–in tension with human systems–the Roman Empire, in particular–are morally superior.
Trusting in God can be difficult during the best of times, given human sins and frailties. Therefore trusting in God in precarious circumstances–such as persecution and/or systematic economic exploitation–can certainly prove to be challenging. Yet, when faith communities do so and, acting on trust in God, take care of their members’ needs, grace is tangibly present.
Dare we have much trust in God?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 31, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF MARY TO ELIZABETH
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2018/05/31/devotion-for-the-fifth-sunday-of-easter-year-a-humes/
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Above: The Sanhedrin
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 4:1-22
Psalm 23
1 Peter 2:11-25
Matthew 13:44-52
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One can find examples of God smiting evildoers in the Bible. The fate of the evil in Matthew 13 falls into a side category, one in which angels smite evildoers–at the end, on the day of judgment. Until then, as in Psalm 23, God simply outclasses and overpowers the wicked, who cannot keep up, much of the time. The wicked cease to pursue the righteous; divine goodness and mercy pursue or accompany the righteous, depending on the translation one considers authoritative.
Although I am reluctant to label members of the Sanhedrin evil, I side with Sts. John and Simon Peter in the confrontation with that council. I also rejoice that the Sanhedrin, for all its authority, lacked the power to prevent the Apostles from preaching. I thank God that the Sanhedrin could not keep up with God and part of the public.
May we be on God’s side. May we heed the advice of 1 Peter 2:12 and behave honorably always, to the glory of God. Human authority is not always worthy of respect and obedience, and slavery (in all its forms) is always wrong, so I agree with part of the reading from 1 Peter 2, a text some have used to justify chattel slavery and submitting to the Third Reich. The politics of early, persecuted Christianity aside, sometimes one must oppose human authority in order to live faithfully, in accordance with the divine commandments. Those figures of authority cannot keep up with God either, and the call to live as one should–to manifest the light of Christ–is timeless.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 31, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF MARY TO ELIZABETH
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2018/05/31/devotion-for-the-fourth-sunday-of-easter-year-a-humes/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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