Archive for the ‘Exodus 12’ Category
Above: The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci
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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Exodus 12:1-14 (Year A)
Exodus 24:3-11 (Year B)
Jeremiah 31:31-34 (Year C)
Psalm 116:10-17 (Years A. B, and C)
1 Corinthians 11:17-32 or 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (Year A)
1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (18-21) (Year B)
John 13:1-17, 34 (Year A)
Mark 14:12-26 (Year B)
Luke 22:12-26 (Year C)
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Holy God, source of all love, on the night of his betrayal,
Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment:
To love one another as he had loved them.
By your Holy Spirit write this commandment in our hearts;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
OR
Lord God, in a wonderful Sacrament
you have left us a memorial of your suffering and death.
May this Sacrament of your body and blood so work in us
that the way we live will proclaim the redemption you have brought;
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 20
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O Lord Jesus, since you have left us
a memorial of your Passion in a wonderful sacrament,
grant, we pray,
that we may so use this sacrament of your body and blood
that the fruits of your redeeming work
may continually be manifest in us;
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 44
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In Exodus, the blood of the Passover lambs protected the Hebrew slaves from the sins of Egyptians. The Gospel of John, mentioning three Passovers during the ministry of Jesus, placed the crucifixion of Jesus on Thursday, not Friday, as in the Synoptic Gospels. The Fourth Gospel made clear that Christ was the Passover lamb that third Passover of his ministry. In the Johannine Gospel, Jesus died while sacrificial lambs were dying at the Temple.
We read of the Last Supper in 1 Corinthians 11. That is good, for John refers to it only in passing.
Jesus modeled humility and self-sacrificial love.
These are timeless principles. The nature of timeless principles is that how one lives them depends upon circumstances–who, when, and where one is. Certain commandments in the Bible are culturally-specific examples of keeping timeless principles. Legalism results from mistaking culturally-specific examples for timeless principles. Bishop Robert C. Wright, of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, says:
Love like Jesus.
To that I add:
Be humble like Jesus.
Circumstances dictate how living according to these maxims looks where and when you are, O reader. By grace, may you succeed more often than you fail, for the glory of God and the benefit of your neighbors in God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 14, 2022 COMMON ERA
HOLY/MAUNDY THURSDAY
THE FEAST OF EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY AND HENRY BEARD DELANY, EPISCOPAL SUFFRAGAN BISHOPS FOR COLORED WORK
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANTHONY, JOHN, AND EUSTATHIUS OF VILNIUS, MARTYRS IN LITHUANIA, 1347
THE FEAST OF SAINT WANDREGISILUS OF NORMANDY, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT LAMBERT OF LYONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZENAIDA OF TARSUS AND HER SISTER, SAINT PHILONELLA OF TARSUS; AND SAINT HERMIONE OF EPHESUS; UNMERCENARY PHYSICIANS
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Malachi
Image in the Public Domain
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READING MALACHI, PART II
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Malachi 1:2-3:12
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As I wrote in Reading Malachi, Part I, the dating of the Book of Malachi is vague–perhaps prior to 445 B.C.E., when the reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah began (Ezra 7-10; Nehemiah 1-13; 1 Esdras 8-9)–or perhaps not. Clear, however, are the sense of spiritual crisis and the religious decline in the Book of Malachi.
Consider 1:2-5, O reader. We read divine assurance of love for the people. We may assume safely that the population (much of it, anyway) needed this assurance. The proof of divine love for Jews in Judea in Malachi 1:2-5 is their continued existence in their ancestral homeland. The contrast with their ancient foe and cousin people, the Edomites, is stark.
I have read and blogged about divine judgment on the people of Edom in Amos 1:11-12; Isaiah 21:11-12; Jeremiah 49:7-22; Ezekiel 25:12-14; Ezekiel 35:1-15; Obadiah; and Isaiah 34:5-17.
The designated portion of the Book of Malachi continues with the condemnations of priests and the population. We read of priests offering defiled food as sacrifices. We read that God objected strongly to such disrespect, and preferred no ritual sacrifices to the offerings of blemished animals. (See Exodus 12:5; Exodus 29:1; Leviticus 1:3, 10; Leviticus 3:1; Leviticus 22:22). We read that God was really angry:
And now, O priests, this charge is for you: Unless you obey and unless you lay it to heart, and do dishonor to My name–said the LORD of blessings into curses. (Indeed, I have turned them into curses, because you do not lay it to heart.) I will put your seed under a ban, and I will strew dung upon your faces, the dung of your festal sacrifices, and you shall be carried out to its [heap].
–Malachi 2:1-3, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
Furthermore, we read that (much of) the population of Israel has failed to keep the covenant, too. We read that God objected to Jewish men divorcing Jewish wives to marry foreign women. One may recall that this was also an issue in Ezra 10. As prior to the Babylonian Exile, idolatry is in play. Deuteronomy 7:25-26; Deuteronomy 12:31 permit divorce, but Malachi 2:16 begins:
For I detest divorce….
—TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
Context is crucial; statements never arise in a vaccum.
Malachi 3:5 specifies offenses:
But [first] I will step forward to contend against you, and I will act as a relentless accuser against those who have no fear of Me: Who practice sorcery, who commit adultery, who swear falsely, who cheat laborers of their hire, and who subvert [the cause] of the widow, orphan, and stranger, said the LORD of Hosts.
—TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
Faithless members of the Chosen People remain “children of Jacob,” we read. And God (as in Zechariah 1:3) expects them to express remorse for their sins and to repent:
Turn back to Me, and I will turn back to you–said the LORD of Hosts.
–Malachi 3:7b, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
The text continues by explaining another way (other than not committing the previously listed sins) the people could return to God: to support the Levites (Leviticus 27:30; Numbers 18:21-31; Nehemiah 13:10-13). The text challenges the people to respond faithfully and generously to the extravagant and generosity of God.
Malachi 3:11 mentions locusts in the present tense. This clue does not reveal as much as one may guess. Does Malachi 3:11 date the Book of Malachi approximately contemporary with the Book of Joel, whenever that was? The case for this is tenuous and circumstantial. One may recall that swarms of locusts were a frequent threat in the region. Malachi 3:11 may tell us one reason many people were not paying their tithes, though.
The formula in Malachi 3:10-12 exists within a context, of course. Taking it out of context distorts its meaning. Recall Malachi 2:17, O reader. We read there that people have been wearying God by saying:
“All who do evil are good in the sight of the LORD, and in them He delights,” or else, “Where is the God of justice?”
—TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
The formula in Malachi 3:10-12 rebuts that wearying statements and that wearying question.
Trusting in God liberates. It liberates populations and individuals. It liberates them to become their best possible selves in God, who is extravagantly generous.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 18, 2021 COMMON ERA
PROPER 11: THE EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF BARTHOLOME DE LAS CASAS, “APOSTLE TO THE INDIANS”
THE FEAST OF ARTHUR PENRHYN STANLEY, ANGLICAN DEAN OF WESTMINSTER, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF EDWARD WILLIAM LEINBACH, U.S. MORAVIAN MUSICAN AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF ELIZABETH FERRARD, FIRST DEACONESS IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND
THE FEAST OF JESSAMYN WEST, U.S. QUAKER WRITER
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Above: Map of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire
Image in the Public Domain
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READING MICAH, PART VII
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Micah 6:1-7:20
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A motif in Hebrew prophetic literature in God making a legal case against a group of people. That motif recurs at the beginning of Chapter 6.
Another motif in the Hebrew Bible is that God is like what God has done. In other words, divine deeds reveal God’s character. Likewise, human deeds reveal human character. We read reminders of divine deliverance in Micah 6:4-5. These verses call back to Exodus 1:1-15:21; Numbers 22:1-24:25; and Joshua 3:1-5:12. God, who is just, expects and demands human justice:
He has told you, O man, what is good,
And what the LORD requires of you:
Only to do justice
And to love goodness,
And to walk modestly with your God.
Then will your name achieve wisdom.
–Micah 6:8-9, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
Not surprisingly, no English-language translation captures the full meaning of the Hebrew text. For example, to walk humbly or modestly with God is to walk wisely or completely with God. Doing this–along with loving goodness and doing justice–is more important than ritual sacrifices, even those mandated in the Law of Moses. This theme occurs also in Hosea 6:4-6. One may also recall the moral and ethical violations of the Law of Moses condemned throughout the Book of Amos. Micah 6 and 7 contain condemnations of such sins, too. The people will reap what they have sown.
To whom can they turn when surrounded by corruption and depravity? One can turn to and trust God. In the fullest Biblical and creedal sense, this is what belief in God means. In the Apostles’ Creed we say:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth….
In the Nicene Creed, we say:
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
Sometimes belief–trust–is individual. Sometimes it is collective. So are sin, confession, remorse for sins, repentance, judgment, and mercy. In Micah 7:7-13, belief–trust–is collective. Divine judgment and mercy exist in balance in the case of Jerusalem, personified. The figure is Jerusalem, at least in the later reading of Micah. The reference to Assyria (7:12) comes from the time of the prophet.
“Micah” (1:1) is the abbreviated form of “Micaiah,” or “Who is like YHWH?” That is germane to the final hymn of praise (7:18-20). It begins:
Who is a God like You….
–Micah 7:18a, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
Imagine, O reader, that you were a Jew born and raised in exile, within the borders of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire. Imagine that you had heard that the Babylonian Exile will end soon, and that you will have the opportunity to go to the homeland of which you have only heard. Imagine that you have started to pray:
Who is a God like you, who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but instead delights in mercy,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our iniquities?
You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to Jacob, and loyalty to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our ancestors from days of old.
—The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
Imagine, O reader, how exuberant you would have been.
As R. B. Y. Scott wrote regarding the Book of Hosea:
[The prophet] speaks of judgment that cannot be averted by superficial professions of repentance; but he speaks more of love undefeated by evil. The final word remains with mercy.
—The Relevance of the Prophets, 2nd. ed. (1968), 80
Thank you, O reader, for joining me on this journey through the Book of Micah. I invite you to join me as I read and write about First Isaiah (Chapters 1-23, 28-33).
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 27, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF PAUL GERHARDT, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF ALFRED ROOKER, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST PHILANTHROPIST AND HYMN WRITER; AND HIS SISTER, ELIZABETH ROOKER PARSON, ENGLISH CONGREGATINALIST HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF AMELIA BLOOMER, U.S. SUFFRAGETTE
THE FEAST OF JOHN CHARLES ROPER, ANGLICAN ARCHBISHOP OF OTTAWA
THE FEAST OF SAINT LOJZE GROZDE, SLOVENIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR, 1943
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Above: The Angel of Death and the First Passover, by Charles Foster
Image in the Public Domain
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For Maundy/Holy Thursday, 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 Lord God, who hast left unto us in a wonderful Sacrament a memorial of thy passion:
grant, we beseech thee, that we may so use this Sacrament of thy Body and Blood that,
the fruits of thy redemption may continually be manifest in us;
who livest and reignest with the Father, and the Holy Spirit,
ever One God, world without end. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947),161
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Exodus 12:1-14
Psalm 55:1-14
1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Matthew 26:36-46
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For the sake of not flying off in several directions in this post, I refer you, O reader, to the germane tags attached to this post. One could pursue a number of threads. I have pursued most or all of them over the years.
March 25 is an important date. It is, according to ancient mythology, the anniversary of the creation of the world. March 25 is also, in tradition, the anniversary of the conception of Jesus, the annunciation to St. Mary of Nazareth. Also, March 25 was the date of the crucifixion of Jesus, traditionally. March 25 is the Feast of the Annunciation, hence December 25 is Christmas Day. March 25 is also the Feast of St. Dismas, the penitent bandit,
We are approaching Good Friday, the commemoration of the execution of our Lord and Savior. Although we read of that execution occurring on Friday in the Synoptic Gospels, we also read of it taking place on Thursday–Passover itself–in the Gospel of John. The Johannine Gospel makes clear that Jesus was the Passover Lamb that year (29 C.E. or so).
We need deliverance from our sins, of course. Yet that is not all. When we consider the meaning of the first Passover (the one in Exodus), we ought to perceive that we also need deliverance from the sins of others. Do we not read in Exodus that the deaths of firstborn sons in Egypt was divine judgment on Egyptians? Do we not read also that the blood prompted the angel of death to pass over a (Hebrew) home so marked?
The politics of celebrating Passover in Roman-occupied Jerusalem was perilous. A Roman fortress looked down into the Temple complex. Passover was not just an annual religious commemoration; it was also a celebration of God having freed Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. The political parallels to the time were obvious.
A partial explanation of why Jesus died is that he died because of the sins of others–Pontius Pilate, crowd members, various Temple officials, et cetera. (I am trying to remain focused.) That was neither the first nor the last time an innocent person has suffered because of the sins of others, usually the sins of members of officialdom or an institution.
People will not stop dying because of the sins of others until the fully-realized Kingdom of God becomes reality.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 1, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT GIUSEPPE GIROTTI, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1945
THE FEAST OF JOHN GRAY, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, MYTHOLOGIST, BIBLICAL SCHOLAR, AND PROFESSOR OF HEBREW AND SEMITIC LANGUAGES
THE FEAST OF SAINT LUDOVICO PAVONI, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND EDUCATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINTS SYRAGIUS OF AUTUN AND ANARCHARIUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; AND SAINTS VALERY OF LEUCONE AND EUSTACE OF LUXEUIT, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOTS
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Above: Israeli Stamp of David
Image in the Public Domain
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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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Exodus 12:1-14 or 2 Samuel 11:26-12:15
Psalm 52
2 Corinthians 5:11-21
Mark 6:1-13
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Repentance, as any theologically literate person should,know, is changing one’s mind and turning around. Repentance does not necessarily negate temporal consequences of sins, however. We still reap what we sow. If we sow love rather than evil, we will reap love rather than evil. We may still suffer for various reasons, ranging from the evil of others to the no cause we can discern, but we will suffer in the company of God, at least.
I choose to focus on a few aspects I noticed in some of the readings.
David was a troublesome character, as the story we began to read about him last week and finished this week made clear. Yet he accepted the uncomfortable words from the prophet Nathan. Other kings had yes-men for prophets, but David had Nathan.
One cannot use the imagery of the Jesus as the Passover Lamb to justify Penal Substitutionary Atonement and be intellectually honest. If one pays attention, one notices that the blood of the original Passover lambs saved the Hebrews from the consequences of Egyptians’ sins, not their sins.
St. Augustine of Hippo, writing about our Lord and Savior’s instructions to his Apostles in Mark 6:6b-13, offered this gem of wisdom:
They ought to walk not in duplicity, but in simplicity.
—The Harmony of the Gospels 2.32.75
May we refrain from walking in hypocrisy and duplicity before God and each other. May we walk in honest piety and simplicity instead. May we repent of hypocrisy and duplicity.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 23, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BRIDGET OF SWEDEN, FOUNDRESS OF THE ORDER OF THE MOST HIGH SAVIOR; AND HER DAUGHTER, SAINT CATHERINE OF SWEDEN, SUPERIOR OF THE ORDER OF THE MOST HIGH SAVIOR
THE FEAST OF ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, PROFESSOR OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
THE FEAST OF SAINTS PHILIP EVANS AND JOHN LLOYD, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF THEODOR LILEY CLEMENS, ENGLISH MORAVIAN MINISTER, MISSIONARY, AND COMPOSER
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2019/07/23/devotion-for-proper-12-year-b-humes/
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Above: The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci
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:
Exodus 12:1-14
Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Luke 22:7-38 and/or John 12:1-7, 31b-35
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The Gospel of John provides the three-year framework for the ministry of Jesus, for that gospel refers to three Passover celebrations. In the Gospel of John we read that Jesus was the Passover Lamb the third year. Thus the Last Supper, referred to in passing in the Johannine Gospel, was not a Passover meal, according to that gospel.
The commandment to serve others–to love as Jesus loved–is timeless. The account from Luke 22 juxtaposes the selflessness of Christ with a foolish and ill-timed dispute among the Apostles about who was the greatest. Jesus, we know, went on to die painfully, unlike the author of Psalm 116, who recovered.
Ego can be a difficult temptation to resist. The problem is one of imbalance. People with inadequate or raging egos are trouble, but people with proper senses of self are helpful to have around. One with a weak ego seeks to reinforce it, thereby living selfishly. A person with a raging ego also lives selfishly. Yet we human beings have a commandment to live self-sacrificially and unconditionally–not to occupy the center. No, God should occupy the center. As Gale Sayers stated the case so ably,
God is first, my friends are second, and I am third.
Getting to that point can be challenging, but possible, via grace. We have a fine exemplar–Jess. Loving as he loved is an example of faithful response.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 27, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR B: TRINITY SUNDAY
THE FEAST OF PAUL GERHARDT, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF ALFRED ROOKER, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST PHILANTHROPIST AND HYMN WRITER; AND HIS SISTER, ELIZABETH ROOKER PARSON, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF AMELIA BLOOMER, U.S. SUFFRAGETTE
THE FEAST OF SAINT LOJZE GROZDE, SLOVENIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2018/05/27/devotion-for-holy-maundy-thursday-years-a-b-c-and-d-humes/
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Above: The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci
Image in the Public Domain
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FOR MAUNDY THURSDAY, ACCORDING TO A LECTIONARY FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP IN THE BOOK OF WORSHIP FOR CHURCH AND HOME (1965)
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O God, who by the example of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ
has taught us the greatness of true humility,
and calls us to watch with him in his passion:
Give us grace to serve one another in all lowliness,
and to enter into the fellowship of his sufferings;
in his name and for his sake. Amen.
–Modernized from The Book of Worship for Church and Home (1965), page 101
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Exodus 12:1, 3, 6-8, 11, 14, 25-27
Psalm 7
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Mark 14:17-25
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The annual Passover celebration is the commemoration of God’s act of liberating the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt thousands of years ago. A diligent student of Biblical history should know that, int he time of Christ, these observances occurred under Roman occupation. Talk about awkward politics!
The author of Psalm 7 demonstrates great concern regarding his righteousness as well as that of God. Yes, individual actions matter, for they affect not only the one who commits them but other people, even if only indirectly. That said, divine righteousness is more important, for it is more constant than ours. In particular the righteousness of Jesus provides a model to emulate and a life to proclaim.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 18, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE SIXTEENTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF MARC BOEGNER, ECUMENIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT GIULIA VALLE, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN
THE FEAST OF SAINT ISAAC HECKER, FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE
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Above: A Crucifix
Photograph by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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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:
Exodus 11:1-6; 12:29-36
Psalm 69:19-21
1 Corinthians 11:17-22, 27-34
John 15:18-25
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The Corinthian congregation was fractious during and after the time of St. Paul the Apostle. A generation after St. Paul, for example, St. Clement of Rome wrote his letter, called 1 Clement, to that church, which had recently deposed all of its presbyters. Reinstate them, he instructed. The issue at hand in 1 Corinthians 11 was the potluck meal, an early version of the Holy Eucharist. The poorer members of the congregation depended on that meal, which some of the more fortunate members were abusing by eating ahead of time and/or taking the occasion of the potluck meal to become intoxicated. These individuals were not contributing their fair share of the menu.
Jesus, unlike them, gave of himself selflessly and sacrificially. He understood well that following God might make one unpopular to the point of persecution and even execution. To make a mockery of the Holy Eucharist was (and is) to take Jesus lightly.
The author of the canonical Gospels were clear that Jesus was innocent of the charge (insurrection) upon which Roman imperial officials crucified him. Also innocent were the firstborn Egyptian sons in Exodus; they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Maundy Thursday is an especially appropriate time, guided by these readings, to ponder the suffering of the innocent, whether at the hand of the state, selfish individuals, or any other actors. It is also a fine time to consider how our religious tradition continues to ascribe much of this suffering of the innocent to God. What are we accusing God of being like anyway?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 10, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE INAUGURATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.), 1983
THE FEAST OF THE INAUGURATION OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA, 1925
THE FEAST OF SAINT LANDERICUS OF PARIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2017/06/10/devotion-for-maundy-thursday-ackerman/
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Above: Annunciation of the Angel to Zechariah, by Domenico Ghirlandaio
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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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Malachi 1:1-14
Psalm 8
Luke 1:1-25
Hebrews 1:1-2:4
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O LORD, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
–Psalm 8:1a, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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In Malachi 1 YHWH complains (via the prophet) that many people are taking their sacrifices lightly, offering unfit food and creatures in violations provided in the Torah. (Consult Exodus 12:5 and 29:1 as well as Leviticus 1:3 and 10; 3:1; and 22:17-30 plus Deuteronomy 15:21 regarding animal sacrifices). People in many lands honored God, but, in Persian-dominated Judea, where, of all places, that reverence should have been concentrated, many people were slacking off.
St. Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist, certainly revered God. The old man was a priest at the Temple at Jerusalem. He and his wife, St. Elizabeth, the Gospel of Luke tells us,
were upright ad devout, blamelessly observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.
–1:6, The Revised English Bible (1989)
In an echo of Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 17:15-22 and 18:1-15, each account coming from a different source), the elderly priest learned that he and his wife would become parents against all odds. He was predictably dubious. The prediction of a miracle and a marvel, to borrow language from Hebrews 2:4, came true.
Hebrews 2:3 provides a timeless warning against neglecting
such a great salvation
–The New Jerusalem Bible (1985).
That salvation is the offer of God, who made the aged Abraham and Sarah parents and did the same for the elderly Sts. Zechariah and Elizabeth. It is the offer of God, who chose St. Mary of Nazareth to become an instrument of the Incarnation. It is the offer of God, the name of when many people all over the world honor. May we revere God and strive, by grace, to offer our best, not our leftovers and spares in sacrifice.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 19, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ANNE HUTCHINSON, REBELLIOUS PURITAN
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM HAMMOND, ENGLISH MORAVIAN HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2016/08/19/devotion-for-the-first-sunday-of-advent-year-d/
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Above: Christ Before Pilate, by Mihaly Munkracsy
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Creator God, you prepare a new way in the wilderness,
and your grace waters our desert.
Open our hearts to be transformed by the new thing you are doing,
that our lives may proclaim the extravagance of your love
given to all 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 29
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The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 12:21-27
Psalm 126
John 11:45-47
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When the LORD restored Zion
it was as though we were dreaming.
We could not speak for laughing,
we could only utter cries of joy.
Then the saying arose among the nations,
“The LORD has done something great with these people.”
The LORD has done something great with us;
we were delighted.
–Psalm 126:1-3, Harry Mowvley, The Psalms Introduced and Newly Translated for Today’s Readers (1989)
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The remembrance of what God has done (as in Psalm 126) and was about to do (as in Exodus 12) was supposed to inspire reverence for God, measurable in various ways, including how people treated others. The plot to scapegoat Jesus (in John 11) contradicted that ethic.
Celebrating Passover, the annual commemoration of God liberating the Hebrew slaves from Egypt, in occupied Jerusalem was politically sensitive. Furthermore, the Temple was the seat of collaboration with the Roman occupying forces. Jesus was a threat to the Temple authorities and, by extension, to their Roman overlords and partners. When he entered the city at the beginning of that fateful week leading up to his crucifixion, Jesus arrived in the manner of a triumphant king en route to peace talks after a battle. Our Lord and Savior, the Gospel of John makes clear, rejected offers to seek to expel the Romans, but many people, including Pontius Pilate, thought that Jesus might lead an insurrection. Even after Pilate realized that Jesus was not a political rebel, he understood our Lord and Savior to be a threat nevertheless. Jesus was a threat, but not in the way Pilate thought.
Jesus was a threat to a form of piety which privileged wealth and depended on a certain amount of it in a society which consisted primarily of illiterate peasants. Jesus was a threat to religious legalism. Jesus was a threat to religious practices which draped economic injustice in the cloak of piety.
Above: The Table of Contents from The Man Nobody Knows: A Discovery of the Real Jesus (1925), by Bruce Barton
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Jesus remains a threat to such practices in our time. We cannot kill him again. Besides, he did not remain dead for long the last time. We are capable, however, of attempting to domesticate Jesus. People left, right, and center have been engaged in this practice for a very long time. One might, for example, ignore the Beatitudes and Woes from Luke 6:17-26, downplay or ignore his apocalyptic teachings, or portray him as always nice and smiling. The genuine article, however, was–and remains–a threat to a variety of misconceptions about Jesus. I like to think that, even if I had not grown up in the Christian faith, I would have become a Christian because of the portrayal of Jesus in the four canonical Gospels.
The remembrance of what God has done and some awareness of what God is doing compel me to have reverence for God. Among the examples to which I point is Jesus. His life invites me to examine my life. Much of what he reveals to me makes me uncomfortable, but identifying a problem is the first step in correcting them.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 4, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THOMAS COTTERILL, ENGLISH PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND LITURGIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN CALABRIA, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE POOR SERVANTS AND THE POOR WOMEN SERVANTS OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE
THE FEAST OF JOSEPH MOHR, AUSTRIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2015/12/04/devotion-for-saturday-before-the-fifth-sunday-in-lent-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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