Archive for the ‘Hebrews 7’ Category
Above: The First Paragraph of the Shema
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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Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Psalm 119:1-16 (LBW) or Psalm 119:121-128 (LW)
Hebrews 7:23-28
Mark 12:28-34 (35-37)
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Lord, when the day of wrath comes
we have no hope except in your grace.
Make us so to watch for the last days
that the consumation of our hope may be
the joy of the marriage feast of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 29
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O Lord, we pray that the visitation of your grace
may so cleanse our thoughts and minds
that your Son Jesus, when he shall come,
may find us a fit dwelling place;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 89
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Jesus knew the tradition of Rabbi Hillel, as he proved in Mark 12:29-31. Christ stood within his Jewish tradition and within the school of Hillel, in particular. So, the Christian tradition of pitting Jesus against Judaism has always been erroneous.
After Rabbi Hillel quoted the same verses Jesus eventually quoted also, Hillel said:
The rest is commentary. God and learn it.
That ethos permeates Psalm 119, in which the Torah refers to divine instruction, with the Law incorporated into it. Traditional Christian disregard for the Law of Moses–a subsequent theological development–contradicts Psalm 119 and Deuteronomy 6:1-9.
Deuteronomy 6:1-9 drips with hindsight, irony, and melancholy. The author, reflecting centuries after the time in the wilderness, understood what had transpired in time and in Jewish folk religion, as opposed to Jewish priestly religion. This author, consistent with Deuteronomistic theology, affirmed that collective and national disaster was the inevitable result of this pattern.
As Christianity emerged from its Jewish roots, Christian theology developed along divergent paths. Part of the church, consistent with Judaism, never developed the theology of Original Sin and the Fall of Man, with the ensuing corruption of human nature. Augustinian theology, which postdates the Epistle to the Hebrews by centuries, could not have informed that document. The author of Hebrews–perhaps St. Apollos, although Origen wrote that only God knew the author’s identity–affirmed that Christ is the timeless, sinless high priest who covers sins and intercedes for sinners.
So, regardless of one’s opinion of Augustinian theology and the role of the Law of Moses, one can frolic in the good news that God is not chomping on the bit to throw lightning bolts at anyone. Christ intercedes for us. Do we even notice, though?
I, without minimizing or denying the importance of works in moral terms, choose not to walk the Pelagian path. Salvation is a process of grace, and God is in charge of the process. I also affirm Single Predestination, so some people sit on the chosen list. How one responds to grace remains an individual decision, with individual responsibility. Yet grace surrounds even this situation. The longer I live, the less inclined I am to think of any people as belonging in Hell. Matters of salvation and damnation are in the purview of God. I am not God. Neither are you, O reader.
We–like the author of Deuteronomy 6:1-9, possess hindsight. We–like the author of Deuteronomy 6:1-9–also live in something called the present. Therefore, we can have only so much hindsight. And even the most perceptive human hindsight is…human. God knows far more than we do.
Yet we can live according to love and mere decency. This is a certain way to embody divine love, honor God and human dignity, and get into trouble with some conventionally pious people and sometimes with legal authorities.
Nevertheless, this is one standard Jesus upheld in Mark 12:28-34. The Golden Rule should never be controversial, but it frequently is.
Our works matter morally. May we, by grace, make them count for as much good as possible.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 11, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE THIRTY-THIRD DAY OF EASTER
THE FEAST OF HENRY KNOX SHERRILL, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
THE FEAST OF BARBARA ANDREWS, FIRST FEMALE MINISTER IN THE AMERICAN LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1970
THE FEAST OF SAINT GJON KODA, ALBANIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1947
THE FEAST OF JOHN JAMES MOMENT, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MATTEO RICCI, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT MATTHÊÔ LÊ VAN GAM, VIETNAMESE ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR, 1847
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Christ Blessing the Children, by Adolphe Joseph Thomas Monticelli
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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Leviticus 19:1-18 or 2 Kings 2:1-15
Psalm 68:1-6, 32-35
Hebrews 7:22-8:12
Mark 9:38-50
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MAKE LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR GREAT AGAIN.
–A sign I saw on a bulletin board in the copy room at St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church, Athens, Georgia, in 2019
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What else am I supposed to think when I cannot possibly reconcile the Biblical commandment to welcome the strangers among us with news stories about refugees at the southern border of the United States treated as criminals and worse than feral four-legged animals?
The divine law–the one we, as human beings, are supposed to have written on our hearts–teaches the following timeless principles, among others:
- We depend entirely on God.
- We depend on each other.
- We are responsible to each other.
- We are responsible for each other.
- We have no right to exploit each other.
The Law of Moses abounds with culturally-specific examples of those timeless principles. We can think of effective, culturally-specific ways of fulfilling those timeless principles in our societies, workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, et cetera. Whenever, wherever, and whoever one is, one has a divine vocation to practice the Golden Rule. When one’s life ends, others will continue that vocation.
I ask you, O reader, to read Leviticus 19:1-18. Identify the timeless principles and the culturally-specific examples of them. Then ponder your society. How could your society improve with the application of the timeless principles? Ask yourself what the best tactics may be. Examine yourself spiritually, also. How could you improve with the application of the timeless principles? Trust God to help you do so.
Society is people. Society shapes people and influences their opinions. However, people also shape society.
May we shape our societies for the better–for the common good and the glory of God–with the help of God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 26, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANNE AND JOACHIM, PARENTS OF SAINT MARY OF NAZARETH
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2019/07/26/devotion-for-proper-23-year-b-humes/
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Above: Abraham and Melchizedek
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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Genesis 14:18-20
Psalm 110:1-4
Hebrews 7:1-3, 11-19
John 5:30-47
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The LORD has sworn and he will not recant:
“You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
–Psalm 110:4, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Melchizedek, a Canaanite priest-king whose name means “Zedek is my king,” appears briefly and mysteriously in Genesis 14. (Zedek was a Canaanite deity.) The name “Melchizedek” recurs in Psalm 110, which identifies the monarch as a priest. The Letter to the Hebrews associates Melchizedek with Jesus.
Jesus is a powerful figure in all of the canonical Gospels. That power is more evident in deeds than in words in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Gospel of John Jesus is considerably more verbose. His plethora of words accompanies mighty signs. Jesus accepts no glory from people (John 5:41), seeking to glorify God the Father instead, just as Abraham gives all glory to YHWH in Genesis 14.
This Sunday is traditionally the Sunday of the Transfiguration. In the chronology of the Synoptic Gospels the Transfiguration occurs en route to Jerusalem the last time; Jesus is going to the city not to seek his own glory, but to obey and glorify God. And, in the Gospel of John, the glorification of Jesus by God is his crucifixion.
Regardless of the ambiguous details of Melchizedek, most of which I have not written about because they are irrelevant to my main point in this post, the principle that we mere mortals should seek to glorify God, not ourselves, remains. It is a counter-cultural message, for quite often we tend to praise those who seek their own glory. That glory is fleeting, but God’s glory is everlasting.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 3, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIE-LEONIE PARADIS, FOUNDER OF THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE HOLY FAMILY
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM WHITING, HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2017/05/03/devotion-for-the-last-sunday-after-the-epiphany-ackerman/
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Above: Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, by Ludolf Bakhuizen
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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Genesis 14:1-24
Psalm 110
Matthew 8:14-34 or Mark 5:1-20
Hebrews 7:1-28
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The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind,
“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
–Psalm 110:4, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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Psalm 110 is a text that speaks of divine assurance of victory for a priest-king. “Priest-king” is a description that applies to the mysterious Melchizedek, King of (Jeru)Salem, perhaps a Gentile follower of YHWH. The meaning of Psalm 110 is vague and the text of Genesis 14 concerning Melchizedek is ambiguous, but the political use of the Melchizedek story, centuries later was clear. David and his descendants are worthy to perform certain priestly roles, subsequent royal publicity experts claimed.
The use of certain passages of scripture to convince people to obey their leaders is an old strategy. My bias in this question is to resist the use of scripture to control people. No, I argue, following God is about liberation–to follow God and to build up communities and other groups of people. The truth of God is frequently contrary to the message of many human authority figures. I think also of Samuel’s warning about the dangers of monarchy in 1 Samuel 8:10-18.
Jesus liberates us to love others as we love ourselves. He frees to build up the whole, not seek selfish gains and hurt others in the short, medium, and long terms, as well as ourselves in the long run. Jesus liberates us to take up a cross and follow him. He frees us to glorify and enjoy God forever. Jesus invites us to die–to self, at least–and perhaps, literally, for him. Jesus liberates us to become our best selves in God.
How do we respond to Jesus? Do we seek to honor him one way or another? Or do we make excuses for why we refuse to follow him? Perhaps we find Jesus threatening, maybe to our livelihood, and/or our identity (regarding who and what we are not, rather than who and what we are) and demand that he leave us alone.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 31, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF KARL OTTO EBERHARDT, GERMAN MORAVIAN ORGANIST, MUSIC EDUCATOR, AND COMPOSER
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2016/08/31/devotion-for-the-first-sunday-of-christmas-year-d/
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Above: Construction of the Tabernacle, by Gerard Hoet
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 40:1-15
Psalm 20
Hebrews 10:19-25
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May the LORD answer you on the day when trouble comes,
may Jacob’s God lift you safely above it.
From his Temple may he send you help
and support you from Zion.
–Psalm 20:1-3, Harry Mowvley, The Psalms Introduced and Newly Translated (1989)
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Exodus 40:15 refers to the order of Aaron as an “everlasting priesthood” (TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures, 1985). That priesthood, although long-lasting, did end, however. In Hebrews 10 we read that Jesus has an everlasting priesthood. He, unlike Aaron and subsequent priests of that order, is not subject to death (Hebrews 7:23-25) or sin (Hebrews 7:26-28). Christ, our everlasting and eternal (in the Johannine sense of the word; there is no eternity apart from God, although there is an option for afterlife apart from God) priest, impels is to support each other in spiritual living:
Let us consider [how we] might stimulate one another to love and good works, not giving up meeting together (as some have been doing), but encouraging [one another] even the more so since you see the day drawing near.
–Hebrews 10:24-25, George Wesley Buchanan, The Anchor Bible (1972)
As of December 2015, Jesus has yet to return, but the ethical teaching remains applicable. God helps us to live faithfully by direct and indirect methods. We humans are properly here to, among other things, support each other in goodness, loving each other as we love ourselves, sometimes to the point of self-sacrifice. I am not naive; I understand that, in an imperfect world, one must use violence in certain circumstances to effect positive change. This is why the work of police and military personnel is socially constructive much of the time. However, much violence–perhaps most of it–does not build up the common good. It does not fit the description of “stimulating one another to love and good works.”
May you, O reader, stimulate those around you to love and good works, by grace. And may those around you do the same for you.
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-monday-after-the-fifth-sunday-in-lent-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Icon of Christ in Majesty
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Eternal light, shine in our hearts.
Eternal wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance.
Eternal compassion, have mercy on us.
Turn us to seek your face, and enable us to reflect your goodness,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 51
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The Assigned Readings:
Jeremiah 23:9-16 (Thursday)
Jeremiah 26:12-24 (Friday)
Jeremiah 29:24-32 (Saturday)
Psalm 126 (All Days)
Hebrews 7:1-10 (Thursday)
Hebrews 7:11-22 (Friday)
Mark 8:22-26 (Saturday)
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When the Lord turned again the fortunes of Zion:
then we were like men restored to life.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter:
and our tongue with singing.
Then said they among the heathen:
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
Truly the Lord has done great things for us:
and therefore we rejoiced.
Turn again our fortunes, O Lord:
as the streams return to the dry south.
Those that sow in tears:
shall reap with songs of joy.
He who goes out weeping bearing the seed:
shall come again in gladness, bringing his sheaves with him.
–Psalm 126, Alternative Prayer Book 1984
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The prophet Jeremiah labored faithfully for and argued with God during especially dangerous times. The Kingdom of Judah was a vassal state, false prophets were numerous, and true prophets were targets of the theocratic royal regime. The process of exiling populations had begun, and the full-scale Babylonian Exile had not started yet. False prophets predicted a glorious future and condemned faithful prophets. Yet even Jeremiah, who predicted doom and gloom, stated that divine deliverance and restoration would come in time.
The appearance of Melchizedek in Genesis 14:17-21 linked Abram/Abraham to the Davidic Dynasty, for Melchizedek was the King of Salem (Jerusalem). Hebrews 7 linked Melchizedek to Jesus (“resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever”–verse 3b, The New Revised Standard Version). At the end of the line of faithful Hebrew prophets (ending with St. John the Baptist) stands Jesus, greater than all of them. He is, as Hebrews 7:22 states,
the guarantee of a better covenant.
—The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
Jesus, permanently a priest (7:24), is the Messiah (“Christ” in Greek) unbounded by time. Now he exists beyond human capacity to harm him, but he did die via crucifixion. There was a resurrection, fortunately.
Often we mortals desire to hear words which confirm our prejudices and belie hard truths. Perhaps we know sometimes that what we want to hear is inaccurate, but we accept it anyway because doing so is bearable. Or perhaps we are so deluded that we cannot distinguish between true and false prophecy, prophecy often having more to do with the present day and the near future than the more distant future. Yet, even when we seek to distinguish between true and false prophecy, our ignorance can prove to be a major obstacle. I know of no easy way out of this conundrum. No, the best advice I can offer is to seek to live according to affirming human dignity and loving others as one loves oneself. Following the Golden Rule is sound advice. One might err in the execution of it, but I propose that God will not condemn one for loving one’s neighbors. As for the details of prophecy, they will unfold according to course.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 4, 2015 COMMON ERA
INDEPENDENCE DAY (U.S.A.)
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2015/07/04/devotion-for-thursday-friday-and-saturday-before-proper-25-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Jim Crow Jubilee, Sheet Music Cover, Circa 1847
Image Source = Library of Congress
(http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2001701399/)
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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 everlasting 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 14:10-31
Psalm 93 (Morning)
Psalms 136 and 117 (Evening)
Hebrews 7:23-8:13
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Some Related Posts:
Exodus 14:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/week-of-proper-11-monday-year-1/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/week-of-proper-11-tuesday-year-1/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/proper-19-year-a/
Hebrews 7-8:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/week-of-2-epiphany-thursday-year-1/
Prayer:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/prayer-for-easter-sunday/
Prayer of Praise and Adoration:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/prayer-of-praise-and-adoration-for-easter-sunday/
Prayer of Dedication:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/prayer-of-dedication-for-easter-sunday/
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I’m just telling you what you already know….You know what’s right; trust yourselves. Learn to love. Learn to forgive.
–Jesus at the end of Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (2001)
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I chose not to resist the desire to quote Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter, that crazy movie, which, by the way, one needs a firm grasp of the Gospels to comprehend fully. And the quote relates to the readings for this day.
The Exodus from Egypt occurs in Exodus 14:10-31. And Psalm 136 and Hebrews 8:6-12 refer to the Exodus. Hebrews, when mentioning the Exodus, quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34, the glue which holds this set of readings together. God liberated the Israelites from Egypt and established a covenant with them. But Jeremiah 31:31-34 reminds us, they violated it. Therefore consequences befell the people. Yet God will establish a new covenant, one internalized by the people. This is the covenant, of which Jesus is the mediator, according to Hebrews 8:6-13.
As a song says,
You have to be taught to hate.
I labor under no delusions that unsocialized infants are pristine creatures then that society corrupts them. In fact, I suspect that the roots of bullying reside in human nature itself. Nevertheless, we do learn prejudices from others. We learn a great deal from others as they socialize us. Sometimes this is for the worse, as in racism and any other form of group-based hatred and related discrimination. We are not born hating; no, we learn to do that.
So, if we look within ourselves and post negative socialization, we will find some great virtues, such as altruism. We will obey the covenant God has placed within us. We have a living role model, one whom humans killed yet which God raised to life again.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 2, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT STEPHEN OF SWEDEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY, BISHOP, AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF THE MARTYRS OF LYONS (A.K.A. SAINT BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS)
THE FEAST OF REINHOLD NIEBUHR, UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST THEOLOGIAN
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Adapted from this post:
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/devotion-for-the-first-day-of-easter-easter-sunday-lcms-daily-lectionary/
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Above: The Entombment of Christ, by Caravaggio
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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 everlasting 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 13:17-14:9
Psalm 43 (Morning)
Psalms 31 and 113 (Evening)
Hebrews 7:1-22
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Some Related Posts:
Exodus 13-14:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/week-of-proper-11-monday-year-1/
Hebrews 7:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/week-of-2-epiphany-wednesday-year-1/
Prayer:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/prayer-for-holy-saturday/
O Christ, Who Called the Twelve:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/o-christ-who-called-the-twelve/
O Thou Who Through This Holy Week:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/o-thou-who-through-this-holy-week/
Thou Art the Way:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/thou-art-the-way/
Hymn of Promise:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/hymn-of-promise/
O Jesus, Youth of Nazareth:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/o-jesus-youth-of-nazareth-by-ferdinand-q-blanchard/
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Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul?
and why are you so disquieted within me?
Put your trust in God;
for I will yet give thanks to him,
who is the help of my countenance, and my God.
–Psalm 43:5-6, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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We read of
hope that brings us close to God
–Hebrews 7:19b, The New Jerusalem Bible
in the New Testament reading. This hope occurs in the context of Christ’s high priesthood and superiority to the Law of Moses. In the Book of Exodus we read that the Pharaoh, having begged Moses to take the Hebrews out of Egypt, changes his mind and sends military forces to prevent their departure. Hope is at hand yet seemingly far away on the cusp of the Exodus.
This is, of course, a devotion for Holy Saturday, a day which should function as far more than a day to decorate a church building for Easter Sunday. We ought to let Holy Saturday sink in. We should let Jesus be dead liturgically for a time. Easter Sunday will arrive on schedule, and its effect on us will be greater if we give Holy Saturday its proper due.
On this day hope is near yet seemingly far away. This liminal state is uncomfortable, is it not? Yet such liminality describes much of our lives: hope is near yet seemingly far away. In these moments we might notice God’s presence more palpably than at others. Maybe God is present more palpably then because the need is greater. Or perhaps we are merely paying closer attention. A lamp turned on during both daytime and nighttime emits the same amount of light each time, yet the light is more obvious after sunset. When hope is near yet seemingly far away may we cling tenaciously to it, for it is all that we have.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 31, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF MARY TO ELIZABETH
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Adapted from this post:
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/devotion-for-the-fortieth-day-of-lent-holy-saturday-lcms-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Jesus, Too Crowded
(This is a screen capture from the 2000 video of Jesus Christ Superstar, with Glenn Carter as Jesus. The film is the property of Universal Pictures.)
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Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), of The Episcopal Church, contains an adapted two-years weekday lectionary for the Epiphany and Ordinary Time seasons from the Anglican Church of Canada. I invite you to follow it with me.
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Hebrews 7:23-8:7 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues for ever. Consequently he is able for all time to save those who draw near God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; for he did this once for all when he offered up himself. Indeed, the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been make perfect for ever.
Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent, which is set up not by man but by the Lord. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; hence it is necessary necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary; for when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying,
See that you make everything according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.
But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry which is much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second.
Psalm 40:8-12, 17-19 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
8 Burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required,
and I said, “Behold, I come.
9 In the roll of the book it is written concerning me:
‘I love to do your will, O my God;
your law is deep within my heart.’”
10 I proclaimed righteousness in the great congregation;
behold, I did not restrain my lips;
and that, O LORD, you know.
11 Your righteousness have I not hidden in my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your deliverance;
I have not concealed your love and faithfulness from the great congregation.
12 You are the LORD;
do not withhold your compassion from me;
let your love and your faithfulness keep me safe for ever,
17 Let all who seek you rejoice in you and be glad;
let those who love your salvation continually say,
“Great is the LORD!”
18 Though I am poor and afflicted,
The LORD will have regard for me.
19 You are my helper and my deliverer;
do not tarry, O my God.
Mark 3:7-12 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed; also from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from about Tyre and Sidon a great multitude haring all that he did, came to him. And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they should crush him, for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out,
You are the Son of God.
And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
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The Collect:
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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(Another Screen Capture)
We all have needs. Many of us take these to God, as our religious traditions and aspects thereof, including our sacred texts, tell us to do. There is nothing wrong with this. Do we stop there, however? Is prayer little or nothing more than presenting God with a “honey do” list?
We–you and I–and have been following the Gospel According to Mark. (The Canadian Anglican lectionary I am following for these devotions entails doing this for almost all of the Epiphany Season.) Jesus has worked astounding miracles and begun to attract much attention to himself. The desperately poor and sick of his region have flocked to him, and the stress has gotten to him. The man needed some time away, too. Even Jesus needed to be alone. He needed to be where people did not seek anything from him.
Jesus is more than our perfect, celestial high priest, a role of which the author of the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us eloquently. Jesus is also our passover lamb, our Messiah, a great sage, and our Lord and Savior. He is our role model. And I propose that we ought to seek him for these reasons. We should seek to please him, as best we can. As the old quote says, “I don’t know how to please you, Lord, but I think the fact that I try to please you, pleases you.”
Speaking of Jesus as role model…..
If Jesus needed quiet time, we do, too. If Jesus needed to escape the demands of others, even for a little while, so do we. I write from a society replete with computers, pagers, email, cellular phones, blackberries, and many other electronic devices. I have chosen to forgo these, except for computers, email, and cellular phones, which have become necessities in my life. The rest, however, are purely optional, and I opt out. One can be too accessible too much of the time, and sometimes I want to isolate myself from the rest of the world for a few hours at a time. So I do. That time is wonderful.
God speaks to us frequently, but how often to we listen? We cannot pay God adequate attention if other stimuli distract us. And we must be quiet in order to listen. We cannot seek Jesus properly if we do not study his life and teachings. All of these efforts require us to devote ourselves to reading and contemplating, among other tasks. These, in turn, are possible only if we turn off the electric and electronic distractions at certain times. And then we might hear God speaking, and we will know why we seek God?
Why do I seek God within the context of Christianity? I do this because of the person who was Jesus on this planet. One can never uncover the full reality of the historical Jesus, in the sense that one can understand who other people were. The Gospels are not biographies, in the sense that we moderns think of biography. They tell us how others understood him, and they omit many details. Yet I can and do know that the historical Jesus was a remarkable and brave figure whom the Roman Empire executed as an insurrectionist. He was a rebel, of sorts, but that is a high compliment. The execution of Jesus was an act of state-sponsored terrorism, judicial murder, and scapegoating, but the death of Jesus was an act of love. It signified, among other things, that God does not desire scapegoating. And, by faith, I believe that Jesus was far more than this. By faith I understand that the divine power to resurrect Jesus is unconquerable. Christ is the victor. Although the Roman Empire executed Jesus, who was love incarnate, it could not kill love.
These are just some of the reasons I seek Jesus.
Glenn Carter as Jesus
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 27, 2010 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT LEOBA, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN AND MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF THE INAUGURATION OF THE CHURCH OF SOUTH INDIA, 1947
THE FEAST OF THOMAS TRAHERNE, POET
THE FEAST OF SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL, COFOUNDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF CHARITY
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Adapted from this post:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/week-of-2-epiphany-thursday-year-1/
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Above: Ruins of the Capernaum Synagogue, Built in the 300s C.E.
Good Works are Lawful Every Day
JANUARY 19, 2011
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Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), of The Episcopal Church, contains an adapted two-years weekday lectionary for the Epiphany and Ordinary Time seasons from the Anglican Church of Canada. I invite you to follow it with me.
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Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him; and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is without father or mother or genealogy, and has neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest for ever.
This becomes even more evident when another priest in the likeness of Melchizedek, and who has become a priest, not according to a legal requirement concerning bodily descent but by the power of an indestructible life. But it is witnessed of him,
You are a priest for ever,
according to the order of Melchizedek.
Psalm 110 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
2 The LORD will send the scepter of your power out of Zion,
saying, “Rule over your enemies round about you.
3 Princely state has been yours from the day of your birth;
in the beauty of holiness have I begotten you,
like dew from the womb of the morning.”
4 The LORD has sworn and he will not recant;
“You are a priest for ever in the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord who is at your right hand
will smite kings in the day of his wrath;
he will rule over the nations.
6 He will heap high the corpses;
he will smash heads over the wide earth.
7 He will drink from the brook beside the road;
therefore he will lift high his head.
Mark 3:1-6 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. And they watched him, to see whether he would heal him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand,
Come here.
And he said to them,
Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?
But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man,
Stretch out your hand.
He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out, and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
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The Collect:
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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Is it lawful to perform a good and kind work on the sabbath? Or, to state the matter another way, is it ever wrong to do something good and kind? Jesus’ answer is that goodness and kindness are lawful in the eyes of God at all times and all places. This seems obvious to me, but why was it not obvious to our Lord’s critics in the Gospel reading?
There is much depth and subtlety in the reading from Hebrews. Part of it is this: Jesus is the great high priest because of who he is, not due to his lineage. Thus he stands apart from human religious establishments, especially priesthoods. The Gospels tell many stories of Jesus contradicting something one of the religious parties (or a representative thereof) of his time advocated or did. He stood apart from them. Many people become quite defensive about religion, and some take this mindset to malicious extremes.
Religion which is inherently self-defensive is negative, and can turn easily against any good soul who just happens to have another opinion. In the case of these certain Pharisees, they turned against Jesus (truly a good person) and enlisted the help of Herodians, natural rivals. But the enemy of my enemy is friend, as the old saying goes. Even if one were not familiar with the Synoptic Gospel narrative, one reading Mark closely should pick up some foreboding hints about the fate of Jesus by now.
These Pharisees were holding onto their traditions and egos, and others be damned. Jesus be damned, they said, in so many words. The unfortunate man with a withered hand be damned, they said, in so many words. The man with a withered hand could not use that hand to hold onto anything, so he had nothing to lose but everything to gain. These Pharisees, however, had everything to lose.
Jesus taught by his words and his deeds that good works and simple human kindness are always righteous. Today we have other cultural and legal restrictions against good works and simple human kindness. Some basic facts never change, only the details, such as names, dates, places, and clauses. Yet some facts remain constant. God is love. God commands us love God fully, and our neighbors as ourselves. The Golden Rule still applies. And good deeds and simple acts of kindness are righteous at any time and any place.
I encourage you, O reader, to devote yourself to ever-increasing good and kind works for the benefit of others, especially those who will never be able to repay you in any way. Do this for the others and for God. And know that, along the way, you will attract criticism, sometimes from people who should know better. Some things never change, but neither does the divine mandate to love each other.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 24, 2010 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ANNA E. B. ALEXANDER, EPISCOPAL DEACONESS
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN X OF DENMARK AND HAAKON VII OF NORWAY, KINGS
THE FEAST OF PAULINE SPERRY, POLITICAL ACTIVIST
THE FEAST OF ROBERT MCAFEE BROWN, ECUMENIST
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Adapted from this post:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/week-of-2-epiphany-wednesday-year-1/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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