Archive for the ‘Genesis 12’ Category
Above: Abraham’s Journey from Ur to Canaan, by József Molnár
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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Genesis 12:1-8
Psalm 105:4-11
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
John 4:5-26 (27-30, 39-42)
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Heavenly Father, it is your glory always to have mercy.
Bring back all who have erred and strayed from your ways;
lead them again to embrace in faith
the truth of your Word and hold it fast;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
or
God our Father, your Son welcomed
an outcast woman because of her faith.
Give us faith like hers,
that we also may trust only in our Love for us
and may accept one another as we have been accepted by you;
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), 18
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O God, whose glory is always to have mercy,
be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways,
and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith
to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word;
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), 34
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I grew up with a stereotype of Second Temple Judaism. I learned that the Judaism of Christ’s time was a legalistic faith with works-based righteousness. I learned a lie.
As E. P. Sanders thoroughly documented in his seminal work, Paul and Palestinian Judaism (1977), Second Temple Judaism taught Covenantal Nomism. Salvation came by the grace of being born Jewish. The maintenance of that salvation was a matter of habitually keeping the moral mandates in the Law of Moses. The failure to do so resulted in dropping out of the covenant. St. Paul’s objection to Second Temple Judaism was that it was not Christianity. For the Apostle, the death and resurrection of Jesus changed everything.
The Law of Moses, which postdated Abraham, defined the lines one should not cross. “Do this, not that,” was necessary guidance. The application of timeless principles to culturally-specific circumstances was essential.
It remains so. Unfortunately, many devout people fall into legalism by failing to recognize the difference between timeless principles and culturally-specific examples.
Faith, for St. Paul the Apostle, was inherently active. He dictated, in Greek translated into English:
For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
–Romans 3:28, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
The author of the Letter of James defined faith differently. He understood faith as intellectual assent to a proposition. Therefore, he reminded his audience that faith without works is dead (2:17) then wrote that Abraham’s works justified the patriarch (2:21f):
See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
–James 2:24, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
Despite the superficial discrepancy between Romans and James, no disagreement exists. When people use the same word but define it differently, they may seem to disagree when they agree.
Or justification may not be a factor at all.
Consider a different translation, O reader. David Bentley Hart, The New Testament: A Translation (2017) is a literal version that, in the words of its Eastern Orthodox translator, “provokes Protestants.” Hart renders Romans 3:28 as:
For we reckon a man as vindicated by faithfulness, apart from observances of the Law.
“Justified” becomes “vindicated,” and “works” become “observances.” Then we turn to James 2:24:
You see that a human being is made righteous by works, and not by faith alone.
“Justified” becomes “made righteous.”
Justification is a legal term. “Vindicated” and “made righteous” are not. That is a crucial distinction. I acknowledge the existence of the matter. Nevertheless, the point about using the same word and understanding it differently holds in both interpretations.
The reading from John 4 has become the subject of much misinterpretation, too. For nearly two millennia, a plethora of Christian exegetes have sullied the reputation of the Samaritan woman at the well. Yet Jesus never judged her. And his conversation with her was the longest one recorded in the canonical Gospels.
Jesus violated two major social standards in John 4. He spoke at length with a Samaritan and a woman he had not previously met. Jesus was not trying to be respectable. He had faith in the Samaritan woman at the well, who reciprocated.
For reasons I cannot fathom, God seems to have faith in people. My opinion of human nature is so low as to be subterranean. Observing the irresponsible behavior of many people (especially government officials who block policies intended to save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic) confirms my low opinion of human nature. Yet God seems to have faith in people.
May we reciprocate. And may our deeds and words be holy.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 4, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT CORNELIUS THE CENTURION
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Holofernes
Image in the Public Domain
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READING JUDITH
PART VI
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Judith 10:1-12:20
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Holofernes was like his master, King Nebuchadnezzar II. He was vain, boastful, and quick to accept flattery. The general also consumed lies as easily and in great quantities as easily as he drank too much wine.
Judith played the role of the seductress well. She understood male nature, which she exploited. In doing so, Judith placed herself in much danger. She was even sleeping in the tent of Holofernes. Her undercover (pardon the pun) mission was always perilous.
A few aspects of these three chapters are especially worthy of explanation and elaboration.
- Judith lied when she said her people were so desperate they were about to violate the food laws in the Law of Moses. She referenced Leviticus 17:10-16 and Numbers 18:8-32. Yet, at the time of the composition of the Book of Judith, any violation of the Law of Moses for the purpose of preserving human life was acceptable, according to one school of Jewish thought (1 Maccabees 2:29-41).
- Ironically, Holofernes told the truth, at least partially. He said that Judith was renowned throughout the world (11:20-23). The Book of Judith has long provided inspiration for artists.
- Judith was in extreme sexual danger (12:5). So was Sarah in Genesis 12:10-20 and 20:17.
- Judith established her routine of leaving the Assyrian army camp unchallenged each night (12:6-9). This strategy paid off in 13:11.
- Judith had to work quickly. She had only five days to deliver her people (7:29-32; 8:32-35).
- Judith obeyed kosher food laws, even in the Assyrian army camp. (One may think of Daniel and his friends in Daniel 1, too.)
- Judith’s unnamed female maid/servant was loyal and essential. Judith’s servant was intelligent, unlike the gullible Bagoas, servant of Holofernes.
- In 11:19-23, Judith used language laced with allusions to the prophets and the Book of Psalms. Verses 19 and 20, for example, echoed Isaiah 40:3-4; 35:8-10; 42:16; 51:11; 56:10-11;; as well as 2 Samuel 7:13; Psalm 89:4; Ezekiel 34:8; Zechariah 10:2 and 13:7.
- Ironically, the wisdom at which Holofernes marveled was deception.
- The words of Holofernes, “…your God will be my God…” (11:22), an echo of Ruth 1:16, are vague. Perhaps the character had no idea what he was saying.
- Holofernes lusted after Judith (11:16).
- The texts depict Judith as a great beauty. They also describe Assyrian soldiers as drooling over her. Therein resided part of Judith’s power, which she used to the full extent necessary.
The Book of Judith contains elements of satire and comedy. The text is rich with irony in many places. For example, even a boastful fool accidentally tells the truth sometimes. The intoxicated Holofernes also imagines himself to be in control of the situation. He has no idea how wrong he is.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 11, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF LUKE OF PRAGUE AND JOHN AUGUSTA, MORAVIAN BISHOPS AND HYMN WRITERS
THE FEAST OF SAINT KAZIMIERZ TOMASZ SYKULSKI, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1942
THE FEAST OF LARS OLSEN SKREFSRUD, HANS PETER BOERRESEN, AND PAUL OLAF BODDING, LUTHERAN MISSIONARIES IN INDIA
THE FEAST OF MARYRS OF EL MOZOTE, EL SALVADOR, DECEMBER 11-12, 1981
THE FEAST OF SAINT SEVERIN OTT, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
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Above: Arphaxad
Image in the Public Domain
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READING JUDITH
PART I
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Judith 1:1-16
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The Book of Judith is a novella, like the Books of Tobit and Esther. This story exists in two parts. Chapters 1-7 establish the crisis facing the Jews of Bethulia. Chapters 8-16 contain the story of the titular character. The Book of Judith, composed between 135 and 100 B.C.E., during or shortly after the reign (134-104 B.C.E.) of John Hyrcanus I (named in 1 Maccabees 13:53, 16:1-23), includes details and characters from five centuries, mixed and matched in odd combinations. The Book of Judith also exists in four Greek recensions, four ancient translations, and a Hebrew translation from the Vulgate version.
The Book of Judith, although never in the Jewish canon of scripture, has canonical status in the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. Certain early Christian writings attest to the high esteem in which some saints held that text. One can, for example, read St. Jerome (347-419), the great, frequently moody translator of the Vulgate, describing Judith as (1) a model widow, and (2) a type of the Church. One can also read of St. Jerome describing St. Mary of Nazareth, the Mother and Bearer of God, as a new Judith. One can also read St. Clement (I) of Rome, Bishop of Rome from 88/91 to 97/101, writing in his (First) Epistle to the Corinthians, cite Esther and Judith as examples of heroic love of their people.
“Judith,” literally “Jewish woman,” echoes other Jewish women. These include Jael (Judges 4), Deborah (Judges 4-5), and Sarah (Genesis 11, 12, 16-18, 20-22).
Now, for Judith 1:1-16….
Do not bother trying to keep track of historical dates, O reader; they are all over the chronology. Likewise, the measurements of the wall of Ectabana are hyperbolic. Who has ever seen a wall 105 feet high and 75 feet thick, with tower gates 150 feet high and 60 feet wide?
On the surface, this is a story about the warfare between King Arphaxad of the Medes and King Nebuchadnezzar II (allegedly of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, but really of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire). Chapter 1 ends with Jews in Samaria and Judah dreading the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar II for not supporting his campaign against Arphaxad.
A careful reader may know that King Nebuchadnezzar II governed from Babylon, not Nineveh.
Chapter 1 sets up the rest of the Book of Judith. One theme is already evident. That theme is whether one should be loyal to a tyrant. The answer is “no.”
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 6, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
THE EIGHTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF MYRA, BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT ABRAHAM OF KRATIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, BISHOP, AND HERMIT
THE FEAST OF ALICE FREEMAN PALMER, U.S. EDUCATOR AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF HENRY USTICK ONDERDONK, EPISCOPAL BISHOP, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF PHILIP AND DANIEL BERRIGAN, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND SOCIAL ACTIVISTS
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Above: Magnificat
Image in the Public Domain
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For the First Sunday of Advent, Year 2, according to the U.S. Presbyterian lectionary of 1966-1970
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O God, whose throne is set eternal in the heavens:
make ready for thy gracious rule the kingdoms of this world, and come with haste, and save us;
that violence and crying may be no more, and righteousness and peace may less thy children;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with thee and the Holy Spirit, ever one God. Amen.
—The Book of Common Worship–Provisional Services (1966), 117
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Genesis 12:1-9
Hebrews 11:8-16
Luke 1:26-33
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We read of two journeys of faith today.
Abram (not yet Abraham) had no idea where he and his family were going. They departed from their home and traveled to a new one, to destiny.
St. Mary (later of Nazareth) embarked on a great adventure, too. She whom God had chosen, had a destiny she would never have expected.
The dangers were real for Abraham and his family, as they were for St. Mary. Yet they remained faithful to God.
We who stand on the proverbial shoulders of faith of Abraham and St. Mary also have a destiny. Will we step out on faith and take the necessary risks?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 5, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT DOROTHEUS OF TYRE, BISHOP OF TYRE, AND MARTYR
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Above: Jethro’s Visit, by Gerard Jollain
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Eternal God, you draw near to us in Christ, and you make yourself our guest.
Amid the cares of our lives, make us attentive to your presence,
that we may treasure your word above all else,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 43
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The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 18:1-12
Psalm 119:97-104
Colossians 1:27-2:7
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From your precepts I learn wisdom,
so I hate all deceptive ways.
–Psalm 119:104, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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The liberation of the Israelites from Egypt had occurred in Exodus 14. (The departure of Abram and Sarai from Egypt in Genesis 12 had foreshadowed that event.) In Exodus 18 Moses reunited with his father-in-law (Jethro), and his wife (Zipporah), his two sons (Gershom and Eliezer), who left Midian to meet him. Jethro acknowledged the superiority of YHWH to other deities. He did not, however, become a monotheist.
This was not unusual. As the notes in The Jewish Study Bible–Second Edition (2014) inform me,
The Torah does not expect Gentiles to become monotheists (see Deut. 4.19), only to recognize the LORD’s superiority when he asserts it, as in the case of Egypt. The idea of universal monotheism first appears in the later classical prophets (Jer. 16.19-20; Zech. 14.9). Neither the prophets nor Jewish tradition call for Gentiles, even monotheistic ones, to convert to Judaism, though later Jewish tradition–characteristically reading the Bible through the prism of the prophets–believed that Jethro did abandon idolatry (Exod. Rab. 1.32) and, going even further, became a Jew (Tg. Ps.-J. Exod. 18.6, 27; Tanh. Buber Yitro, 5).
–Page 135
St. Paul the Apostle, himself a Jew, expected that Gentile converts to Christianity (A) need not become Jews first, and (B) renounce any allegiances to deities other than God (YHWH). He recognized no compatibility of Christianity (then a small and young Jewish sect) and idolatry.
Psalm 119 speaks of the Law of Moses, something which did not exist at the time of Exodus 18. (The Law of Moses began Chapter 20.) Nevertheless, the timeless principles of the Law of Moses existed prior to that code. Among these principles was acknowledging the greatness of YHWH then acting accordingly, that is, humbly before God. That is possible via grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 16, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ADALBALD OF OSTEVANT, RICTRUDIS OF MARCHIENNES, AND THEIR RELATIONS
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ABRAHAM KIDUNAIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT, AND MARY OF EDESSA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ANCHORESS
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2016/03/16/devotion-for-monday-after-proper-10-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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This is post #1500 of BLOGA THEOLOGICA.
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Above: The Parable of the Sower
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Eternal God, you draw near to us in Christ, and you make yourself our guest.
Amid the cares of our lives, make us attentive to your presence,
that we may treasure your word above all else,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 43
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 12:10-20 (Thursday)
Genesis 13:1-18 (Friday)
Genesis 14:1-16 (Saturday)
Psalm 15 (All Days)
Hebrews 5:1-6 (Thursday)
Ephesians 3:14-21 (Friday)
Luke 8:4-10 (Saturday)
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Yahweh, who can find a home in your tent,
who can dwell on your holy mountain?
Whoever lives blamelessly,
who acts uprightly,
who speaks the truth from the heart,
who keeps the tongue under control,
who does not wrong a comrade,
who casts no discredit on a neighbour,
who looks with scorn on the vile,
but honours those who fear Yahweh,
who stands by an oath at any cost,
who asks no interest on loans,
who takes no bribe to harm the innocent.
No one who so acts can ever be shaken.
–Psalm 15, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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Abram (later Abraham) was a fascinating, contradictory, and frequently puzzling figure, for he was a human being. In Genesis 12-14 alone he pretended that Sarai (his wife) was his sister, lied to the Pharaoh (who, unlike Abram, suffered because of the lie), prospered (in large part due to that lie), remained in Canaan and engaged in warfare while Lot, his nephew, moved to Sodom. At the end of Chapter 14 Abram encountered Melchizedek, hence one reason for the reading from Hebrews 5, I suppose.
The traditional name of the reading from Luke 8 is the Parable of the Sower. Nevertheless, the emphasis in the story is the soils, so, as some commentators I have read have argued, we should refer to the Parable of the Four Soils. Each of us is, under the best circumstances, good soil, albeit not entirely so. That is a fact of human nature. Abram/Abraham and Sarai/Sarah had serious defects of character, as did St. Paul the Apostle. Likewise, you, O reader, and I have character flaws. Nevertheless, may the lovely prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21 be others’ prayer for us and our prayer for others.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 16, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ADALBALD OF OSTEVANT, RICTRUDIS OF MARCHIENNES, AND THEIR RELATIONS
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ABRAHAM KIDUNAIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT, AND MARY OF EDESSA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ANCHORESS
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2016/03/16/devotion-for-thursday-friday-and-saturday-before-proper-11-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Abraham and Lot Separate
Image in the Public Domain
Legalism and Fidelity
FEBRUARY 18 and 19, 2016
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The Collect:
God of the covenant, in the mystery of the cross
you promise everlasting life to the world.
Gather all peoples into your arms, and shelter us with your mercy,
that we may rejoice in the life we share in 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 27
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 13:1-7, 14-18 (Thursday)
Genesis 14:17-24 (Friday)
Psalm 27 (Both Days)
Philippians 3:2-12 (Thursday)
Philippians 3:17-20 (Friday)
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The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom then shall I fear?
the LORD is the strength of my life;
of whom then shall I be afraid?
–Psalm 27:1, Book of Common Worship (1993)
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Sometimes the portrayal of Abram/Abraham in the Bible puzzles me. In Hebrews 10:8-22 the patriarch is a pillar of fidelity to God. Yet he hedges his bets and lies in Genesis 12, and the only people who suffer are the Pharaoh of Egypt and members of the royal household. Abram exiles his firstborn son, Ishmael, in Genesis 21:8-21. The patriarch intercedes on behalf of strangers in Genesis 19 yet not for his second son, Isaac, three chapters later. Abram, who is wealthy, refuses even to appear to have enriched himself by means of the King of Sodom in Genesis 14. In so doing the patriarch, who has just paid a tithe of war booty to Melchizedek, King of Salem (Jerusalem) and priest of El Elyon, a Canaanite sky deity, invokes YHWH, not El Elyon. I do not know what to make of Abram/Abraham.
Circumcision is a major issue in Philippians 3. St. Paul the Apostle refers to rival missionaries who favor the circumcision of Gentile male converts to Christianity. He calls these Judaizers “dogs,” a strong insult many Jews reserved for Gentiles. One can find the mandate for circumcision of males (including some Gentiles) in Genesis 17:9-14, where it is a sign of the Abrahamic Covenant. It has been, for Jews, a physical sign of the covenant for millennia. It has become an emotional issue for people who favor it as a religious obligation and a mark of identity as well as for those who consider it cruel.
In Philippians 3 circumcision is, for St. Paul the Apostle, a physical sign of righteousness based on law, not on active faith in God. The line between legalism and righteousness can be difficult to locate sometimes. One should obey certain commandments out of fidelity and love and respect for God. One loves and honors God, so one keeps the commandments of God.
If you love me you will obey my commands…,
John 14:15 (The Revised English Bible, 1989) quotes Jesus as saying. But when does keeping commandments turn into a fetish of legalism? And when does the maintenance of one’s identity transform into exclusion of others? Where is that metaphorical line many people cross?
One sure way of knowing if one has crossed that line is catching that person obsessing over minute details while overlooking pillars of morality such as compassion. If one, for example, complains not because Jesus has healed someone but because he has done this on the Sabbath, one is a legalist. If one becomes uptight about personal peccadilloes yet remains unconcerned about institutionalized injustice (such as that of the sexist, racial, and economic varieties), one is a legalist. If one’s spiritual identity entails labeling most other people as unclean or damned, one is a legalist. If one thinks that moral living is merely a matter of following a spiritual checklist, one is a legalist. If one becomes fixated on culturally specific examples of timeless principles at the expense of those principles, one is a legalist.
May we who claim to follow and love God eschew legalism. May we also care for our close friends and relatives at least as much as we do suffering strangers for which we harbor concern.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 14, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHN AMOS COMENIUS, FATHER OF MODERN EDUCATION
THE FEAST OF THE CONSECRATION OF SAMUEL SEABURY, FIRST EPISCOPAL BISHOP
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM ROMANIS, ANGLICAN BISHOP AND HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2015/11/14/devotion-for-thursday-and-friday-before-the-second-sunday-in-lent-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Abraham Journeying into the Land of Canaan, by Gustave Dore
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Almighty God, by grace alone you call us and accept us in your service.
Strengthen us by your Spirit, and make us worthy of your call,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 23
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 12:1-9 (Monday)
Genesis 45:25-46:7 (Tuesday)
Psalm 46 (Both Days)
1 Corinthians 7:17-24 (Monday)
Acts 5:33-42 (Tuesday)
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The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
–Psalm 46:7, Common Worship (2000)
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I refuse to defend St. Paul the Apostle’s consistent failure to condemn slavery. Perhaps he thought that doing so was unnecessary, given his assumption that Jesus would return quite soon and correct societal ills. The Apostle was wrong on both counts. At least he understood correctly, however, that social standing did not come between one and God.
Whom God calls and why God calls them is a mystery which only Hod understands. So be it. To fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant partially via notorious trickster and con artist as well as his sons, some of whom sold one of their number into slavery, was to take a route which many people (including the author of this post) would have avoided. And the eleven surviving Apostles (before the selection of St. Matthias) had not been paragons of spiritual fortitude throughout the canonical Gospels. Yet they proved vital to God’s plan after the Ascension of Jesus.
Those whom God calls God also qualifies to perform important work for the glory of God and the benefit of others. This is about God and our fellow human beings, not about those who do the work. So may we, when we accept our assignments, fulfill them with proper priorities in mind. May we do the right thing for the right reason.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 23, 2014 COMMON ERA
PROPER 29–CHRIST THE KING SUNDAY–THE LAST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF JOHN KENNETH PFOHL, SR., U.S. MORAVIAN BISHOP; HIS WIFE, HARRIET ELIZABETH “BESSIE” WHITTINGTON PFOHL, U.S. MORAVIAN MUSICIAN; AND THEIR SON, JAMES CHRISTIAN PFOHL, SR., U.S. MORAVIAN MUSICIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT CLEMENT I OF ROME, BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT COLUMBAN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF MIGUEL AUGUSTIN PRO, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2014/11/23/devotion-for-monday-and-tuesday-after-the-third-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Stoning of Saint Stephen, by Paolo Uccello
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.
Give us grace to love one another,
to follow in the way of his commandments,
and to share his risen life with all the world,
for he 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:
Genesis 12:1-3 (26th Day)
Exodus 3:1-12 (27th Day)
Jeremiah 26:20-24 (28th Day)
Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16 (All Days)
Acts 6:8-15 (26th Day)
Acts 7:1-16 (27th Day)
John 8:48-59 (28th Day)
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Some Related Posts:
Genesis 12:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/devotion-for-january-2-and-3-year-a-elca-daily-lectionary/
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/second-sunday-in-lent-year-a/
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/devotion-for-the-eighth-and-ninth-days-of-lent-lcms-daily-lectionary/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/11/20/proper-5-year-a/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/week-of-proper-7-monday-year-1/
Exodus 3:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/devotion-for-january-4-and-5-year-a-elca-daily-lectionary/
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/third-sunday-in-lent-year-c/
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/devotion-for-the-thirtieth-and-thirty-first-days-of-lent-lcms-daily-lectionary/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/12/27/week-of-proper-10-wednesday-year-1/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/proper-17-year-a/
Jeremiah 26:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/09/15/second-day-of-christmas-the-feast-of-st-stephen-deacon-and-martyr-december-26/
Acts 6:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/09/15/second-day-of-christmas-the-feast-of-st-stephen-deacon-and-martyr-december-26/
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/sixteenth-day-of-easter/
John 8:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/09/29/week-of-2-epiphany-saturday-year-1/
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2011/06/10/week-of-2-epiphany-saturday-year-2/
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2012/04/26/devotion-for-february-26-in-epiphanyordinary-time-lcms-daily-lectionary/
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/thirty-second-day-of-lent/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2012/07/03/devotion-for-may-28-29-and-30-in-ordinary-time-lcms-daily-lectionary/
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Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe,
for you are my crag and my stronghold;
for the sake of your name, lead me and guide me.
Take me out the net that they have secretly set for me,
for you are my tower of strength.
Into your hands I commend my spirit,
for you have redeemed me,
O LORD, O God of truth.
–Psalm 31:3-5, Book of Common Worship (1993)
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Blasphemy is a capital crime in the Law of Moses, which frowns upon perjury. In fact, the penalty for perjury is whatever fate the falsely accused suffered or would have suffered. So, according to the Law of Moses, the authorities stoned the wrong man in Acts 7.
The stoning of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, is just one of several accounts of violence, attempted and otherwise, of which we read in these lections. That kind of violence–done in the name of God by heirs of Abraham (physically or spiritually or both), members of a nation God has freed more than once–is always unbecoming. To disagree with a person is one thing, but to seek to kill him or her because of that difference is quite another. It constitutes an attempt to prove one’s righteousness by sinful means. Thus such an act defines as a lie that which the perpetrator seeks to affirm.
I, as a Christian, follow one who died for several reasons, among them the motivation I just mentioned. Thus I am especially aware of the perfidy of such violence, which, unfortunately, continues. Christians in certain Islamic countries are subject to charges of blasphemy then to execution. Honor killings continue to occur around the world. They seem to attract the most attention in the Western press when immigrants commit them in Western countries, but they happen daily, often without the press noticing them. I am also aware of the long, shameful history of “Christian” violence against Jews. Ritual washing of hands, for example, contributed to greater cleanliness among European Jews relative to other populations on the continent and therefore helped to reduce their vulnerability to the Black Death in the 1300s. Many fearful, Anti-Semitic Gentiles blamed Jews for the plague and attacked them. God, please save us from your alleged followers!
May mutual love and respect prevail. And, when we disagree with someone whose presence threatens our notions of our own righteousness, may we refrain from violence. Even if the other person is wrong, partially or entirely, that does not justify killing or attempting to kill an innocent person.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 16, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE SIXTEENTH DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF GUSTAF AULEN, SWEDISH LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT ADELAIDE, HOLY ROMAN EMPRESS
THE FEAST OF MARIANNE WILLIAMS, ANGLICAN MISSIONARY
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Adapted from this post:
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2013/12/16/devotion-for-the-twenty-sixth-twenty-seventh-and-twenty-eighth-days-of-easter-year-a-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: A Question Mark
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The Collect:
Almighty God, you have filled the earth with the light of your incarnate Word.
By your grace empower us to reflect your light in all that we do,
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 21
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 12:1-7 (January 2)
Genesis 28:10-22 (January 3)
Psalm 72 (both days)
Hebrews 11:1-12 (January 2)
Hebrews 11:13-22 (January 3)
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Some Related Posts:
Genesis 12:
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/second-sunday-in-lent-year-a/
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/devotion-for-the-eighth-and-ninth-days-of-lent-lcms-daily-lectionary/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/11/20/proper-5-year-a/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/week-of-proper-7-monday-year-1/
Genesis 28:
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/devotion-for-the-third-sunday-in-lent-lcms-daily-lectionary/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/12/20/week-of-proper-9-monday-year-1/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/12/31/proper-11-year-a/
Hebrews 11:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/week-of-3-epiphany-saturday-year-1/
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/week-of-6-epiphany-saturday-year-1/
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/devotion-for-the-fifth-day-of-easter-thursday-in-easter-week-lcms-daily-lectionary/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/11/13/week-of-proper-1-saturday-year-1/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2012/10/16/proper-14-year-c/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2012/11/09/proper-15-year-c/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2013/06/05/devotion-for-friday-before-the-first-sunday-of-advent-year-a-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Now faith means that we have full confidence in the things we hope for, it means being certain of things we cannot see. It was this that that won their reputation for the saints of old.
–Hebrews 11:1-2, J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English, Revised Edition (1972)
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Faith gives substance to our hopes and convinces us of realities we do not see.
It was by faith that the people of old won God’s approval.
–Hebrews 11:1-2, The Revised English Bible
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Faith is the reality of we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see. The elders in the past were approved because they showed faith.
–Hebrews 11;1-2, Common English Bible
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Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of realities that are unseen. It is for their faith that our ancestors are acknowledged.
–Hebrews 11:1-2, The New Jerusalem Bible
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Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval.
–Hebrews 11:1-2, The New Revised Standard Version–Catholic Edition
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Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wonderful things.
And blessed by his glorious name for ever.
May all the earth be filled with his gory.
Amen. Amen.
–Psalm 72:18-19, The Book of Common Prayer (2004)
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The Bible is replete with troublesome characters. Yet, the texts tell us, God worked through many of them. For example, Abraham and Sarah became the parents of nations in their old age–an inspiring story? But what about the mistreatment of Hagar and Ishmael? Furthermore, the story of near-sacrifice of Isaac disturbs me; I will make no excuses for it. As Elie Wiesel pointed out in a Bible study I saw in the 1990s, the Bible does not record any conversation between father and son after that incident, which must have damaged their relationship in ways which the passage of time did not repair.
As for Jacob, he was a trickster whom others conned.
Yet God worked with and through them, transforming these people for their benefit and that of many others, even to the present day. That is grace, is it not?
“Faith” has more than one meaning in the Bible. It is purely intellectual in James and inherently active in Paul, hence the appearance (but no more than that) of a faith-works contradiction between the two. And, in the Letter to the Hebrews, faith is that which, in the absence of evidence for or against, enables one to continue in justifiable confidence. If we have empirical evidence one way or the another, we do need faith. I have heard church members say that they (A) have faith and (B) have evidence for the same proposition. They misunderstood whereof they spoke. They sought certainty when they should have desired confidence.
As James D. G. Dunn wrote in a different context (the search for the historical Jesus):
The language of faith uses words like “confidence” rather than “certainty.” Faith deals in trust, not in mathematical calculations, nor in a “science” which methodically doubts everything which can be doubted….Walking “by faith” is different from walking “by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). Faith is commitment, not just conviction.
Faith as trust is never invulnerable to questions. Rather, faith lives in dialogue with questions. Faith-without-doubt is a rare commodity, which few (if any) have experienced for any length of time. On the contrary, doubt is the inoculation which keeps faith strong in the face of unbelief. Whereas it is the “lust for certainty” which leads to fundamentalism’s absolutising of its own faith claims and dismissal of all others. In fact, of course, little or nothing in real life is a matter of certainty, including the risks of eating beef, or of crossing a road, or of committing oneself in marriage….
–Jesus Remembered (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2003), pages 104-105
I propose that we should never fear to question God faithfully. Have we understood God correctly? We can misunderstand, after all. We have done so often. And sometimes, as in the case of the Syro-Phoenician woman who encountered Jesus, rebutting a statement is the result which the speaker of the rebutted statement desires. Sometimes passing the test of faithfulness entails arguing with, not being submissive, to God. We need not stand in terror of God if we act out of healthy faith, the kind which creates space for many intelligent questions. And then how will God work through us in the world?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 24, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THOMAS A KEMPIS, SPIRITUAL WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN BOSTE, GEORGE SWALLOWELL, AND JOHN INGRAM, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS
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Adapted from this post:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/devotion-for-january-2-and-3-year-a-elca-daily-lectionary/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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