According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
God (YHWH, Elohim, or whichever other name one prefers to use; a Christian term is God the Father) is one. God is sovereign. God is just. These characteristics come from the assigned readings from the Hebrew Bible, before I turn to Romans 8 and John 3.
The readings from Romans 8 and John 3 add Jesus and the Holy Spirit to the mix. Thus, we have all the ingredients for the formula of the Trinity. The word “Trinity” never appears in the New Testament. The ingredients of it do, however. The current, orthodox form of that doctrine is the result of successive councils and rebuttals against heresies during the first few centuries of Christianity.
I have read enough books and portions of books to know that every Trinitarian heresy began as a well-meaning attempt to explain the Trinity. So, I choose not to play that game. No, I embrace the mystery and focus on its meanings. One meaning is that, although God is one, God is complex, not simple.
In Christian terms, spiritual birth via the Holy Spirit is essential. This may be quiet or dramatic. Itay include an event one can mark as the time of spiritual renewal or it may sneak up on someone. I belong the company of people who have, within their active memory, always known God via Jesus. The dates I can mark on a timeline are mostly sacramental. They include one baptism, one confirmation, and three reaffirmations, with each of the last four occurring in the presence of a bishop in Apostolic Succession.
Lutheran minister and liturgist Philip H. Pfatteicher tells us that Trinity Sunday is:
not the feast of a doctrine but…the celebration of the richness of the being of God and the occasion of a thankful review of the now-completed mystery of salvation, which is the work of the Father thorugh the Holy Spirit.
—Commentary on the Lutheran Book of Worship: Lutheran Liturgy in Its Ecumenical Context (1990), 301
So, on Trinity Sunday, as well as all other days, may we thank God for the
now-completed mystery of salvation.
And, with the author of Psalm 96, may we ascribe glory and might to God. May our words, thoughts, and actions glorify God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 27, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-NINTH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF CHARLES HENRY BRENT, EPISCOPAL MISSIONARY BISHOP OF THE PHILIPPINES, BISHOP OF WESTERN NEW YORK, AND ECUMENIST
THE FEAST OF SAINTS NICHOLAS OWEN, THOMAS GARNET, MARK BARKWORTH, EDWARD OLDCORNE, AND RALPH ASHLEY, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1601-1608
THE FEAST OF PETER LUTKIN, EPISCOPAL COMPOSER, LITURGIST, AND MUSIC EDUCATOR
THE FEAST OF ROBERT HALL BAYNES, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF MADAGASCAR
THE FEAST OF SAINT RUPERT OF SALZBURG, APOSTLE OF BAVARIA AND AUSTRIA
THE FEAST OF STANLEY ROTHER, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, MISSIONARY, AND MARTYR IN GUATEMALA, 1981
According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
Before the seraphim became a class of angels in Hebrew thought, they were venomous snakes. This helps to explain why the vision in Isaiah 6 was terrifying; Isaiah ben Amoz reported a vision of venomous snakes. The snakes in Numbers 21:4-9 were seraphim, too. And the cure for their bites was sympathetic magic–in this case, gazing upon a copper representation of such a seraph.
Numbers 21:4-9 offers another story I find theologically troubling. My concept of God–modeled on Jesus–does not mesh with YHWH sending venomous snakes to bite ungrateful, murmuring Hebrews in a desert. Yet I acknowledge that at least one Biblical author attributed that action to God.
During the Hellenistic period, a Jewish author, writing as Solomon, also accepted that YHWH had sent the seraphim, among other natural punishments (locusts and flies) at different times. That author wrote, in part:
For when the dire venom of beasts came upon them
and they were dying from the bite of the crooked serpents,
your anger endured not to the end.
But as a warning, for a short time they were terrorized,
though they had a sign of salvation, to remind them of the precept of your law.
For the one who turned toward it was saved,
not by what was seen,
but by you, the savior of all.
–Wisdom of Solomon 16:5-7, The New American Bible–Revised Edition
Divine judgment and mercy remain in balance. What is that balance? Sometimes we wrongly blame or ascribe credit for misfortune to God. We need to be careful about what we say and write about God, even reverently. Otherwise, we may depict God as a monster, one whose face we would quake and tremble to seek. Yet God is not a warm fuzzy, of course.
Judgment is real. God sends nobody to Hell, though. No, as C. S. Lewis wrote, the doors to Hell are locked from the inside. People condemn themselves. Salvation comes by grace; damnation comes by free will.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 16, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTIETH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT ADALBALD OF OSTEVANT, SAINT RICTRUDIS OF MARCHIENNES, AND THEIR RELATIONS
THE FEAST OF SAINT ABRAHAM KIDUNAIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT; AND SAINT MARY OF EDESSA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ANCHORESS
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN CACCIAFRONTE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, BISHOP, AND MARTYR, 1183
THE FEAST OF SAINT MEGINGAUD OF WURZBURG, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF THOMAS WYATT TURNER, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC SCIENTIST, EDUCATOR, AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST; FOUNDER OF FEDERATED COLORED CATHOLICS
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM HENRY MONK, ANGLICAN ORGANIST, HYMN TUNE COMPOSER, AND MUSIC EDUCATOR
According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
Malachi 2:3 is not an assigned verse. I suppose that hearing it read aloud in church would raise some awkward issues and prompt gasps of shock. Set in the context of priests offering sacrifices wrongly after the end of the Babylonian Exile, Malachi 2:3 reads:
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].
—TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
God seems to take proper worship seriously in Malachi 2.
For all the John 3:16 signs at sporting events, I cannot recall one Malachi 2:3 sign. Perhaps a wiseacre should correct that oversight.
Eschatological overtones in the New Testament combine with musings about the human condition and about trust in God in the Hebrew Bible. Psalm 131 speaks of individual and collective trust in God, described in maternal terms. Matters individual and collective are inseparable, as John Donne (1572-1631) wrote:
No man is an island, Entire of itself. Each is a piece of the continent, A part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less. As well as if a promontory were. As well as if a manor of thine own Or of thine friend’s were. Each man’s death diminishes me, For I am involved in mankind. Therefore, send not to know For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee.
Therefore, in faith community, encouraging one another is part of
a life worthy of God.
–1 Thessalonians 2:12, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
Lives worthy of God, by grace, build up people. Lives worthy of God seek and find the common good. Lives worthy of God play out both individually and collectively. Lives worthy of God remain deeply flawed–sinful. That is the human condition. Yet these lives do not wallow in that sin. No, these lives
…keep tranquil and quiet
like a child in its mother’s arms,
as content as a child that has been weaned.
–Psalm 131:2, The Jerusalem Bible (1966).
Consider that image, O reader. Live accordingly.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 24, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, MARTYR
As I have aged, I have changed in many ways. I have recovered more slowly after moving from one dwelling into another one. (Fortunately, I move only when necessary, and years apart.) White hairs have sprouted from my chin and temples. The rest of the hair on the top of my head has taken on a salt-and-pepper coloration. I have recognized how much my parents knew when I was a child and an adolescent. And I have become somewhat mystical.
I have written so many lectionary-based devotions for Trinity Sunday that I can no longer write one without repeating myself. Consult my other devotions for Trinity Sunday at this weblog for than I offer in this post, O reader. For now, I encourage you, O reader, to romp in the mystery of divine being. Do not try to explain much of it. No, revel in the mystery and unconditional love of God. Then respond to God accordingly.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 12, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BENEDICT BISCOP, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT OF WEARMOUTH
THE FEAST OF SAINT AELRED OF HEXHAM, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT OF RIEVAULX
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTHONY MARY PUCCI, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF HENRY ALFORD, ANGLICAN PRIEST, BIBLICAL SCHOLAR, LITERARY TRANSLATOR, HYMN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND BIBLE TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARGUERITE BOURGEOYS, FOUNDRESS OF THE SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME
The evildoers in Amos 8 were dishonest. They lived to cheat people and to exploit those who were vulnerable and less fortunate. These evildoers were, in terms of Proverbs 9, absent from Lady Wisdom’s banquet. No, they attended Lady Folly’s banquet. These evildoers, in terms of Psalm 119, did not have blameless ways and did not walk in the Law of God.
I seek to be clear, as Amos 8:4f is clear. Some people seek to obey the divinely-imposed ethical mandates vis-à-vis mutuality yet get some details wrong. Amos 8:4f does not condemn such people. No, it condemns those who are not even trying to obey divine law, to respect God in their fellow human beings.
Such dishonest people have always been with us, unfortunately.
A lifestyle of mutuality seeks to bring out the best in others. It strives to build the common good, therefore to respect the image of God each person bears. This effort glorifies God. May we humans love one another. May we love God, too. May we seek to build each other up, not to build ourselves up at the expense of others. May we glorify God, not ourselves.
This is what we should do, after all.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 2, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE NINTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF JOHANN KONRAD WILHELM LOEHE, BAVARIAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, AND COORDINATOR OF DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN MISSIONS
THE FEAST OF SAINTS NARCISSUS, ARGEUS, AND MARCELLINUS OF TOMI, ROMAN MARTYRS, 320
THE FEAST OF SAINT ODILO OF CLUNY, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF SABINE BARING-GOULD, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
Divine judgment and mercy exist in balance in the Old and New Testaments. They find balance in Jesus in John 3. Those who reject the light condemn themselves to the darkness. God sends nobody to Hell. All who go there send themselves. We read of the impending doom of the northern Kingdom of Israel in Amos 7. In that passage, we also read that God is in judgment mode.
Proverbs 8 speaks of divine wisdom. That is the wisdom, the persistent, collective rejection which led to the pronouncement of divine judgment in Amos 7. The word of God that Amos proclaimed was treasonous, according to authorities in the Kingdom of Israel. That word of God condemned the leaders who labeled that truth as treason. The Assyrians arrived in force, right on schedule, though. The truth was not treason.
The reading from 1 Timothy 5 speaks to divinely-mandated ethics. The passage also contains some culturally-specific elements that may be irrelevant to your context, O reader. May we not become distracted by those culturally-specific details. The timeless principle is mutuality: We are res[pmsob;e to and for each other. In that timeless context, individual and collective responsibility also exist in balance.
I admit without apology that I am pedantic. My pedantry extends to theology. In the Gospel of John, eternal life is knowing God via Jesus (John 17:3). Within the Johannine context, as in John 3:16, therefore, there is no eternity apart from God–Jesus, to be precise. In other words, eternal life and the afterlife are not synonyms in Johannine theology. “Eternal” describes the quality of life, not the length thereof. I am a generally Johannine Christian, so I understand “eternal life” according to the definition in John 17:3. Nevertheless, outside of the Johannine tradition in the New Testament, the meaning of “eternal” is “everlasting.”
I am not shy about saying and writing openly what I really think: I remain unconvinced that my Jewish elder brothers and sisters in faith are doomed to go to Hell. No, I affirm that their covenant remains in effect. According to Covenantal Nomism, consistently and unrepentantly disregarding the ethical obligations of the Law of Moses causes one to drop out of the covenant. Salvation comes via grace, but damnation comes via works.
The more I age and move away from reflexively Reformation-influenced theology, the more comfortable I become embracing the relationship among faith, works, salvation, and damnation in both Testaments. God cares deeply about how people treat each other, the Bible tells us. We mere mortals may deceive ourselves and each other. We cannot, however, pull the proverbial wool over God’s equally proverbial eyes. Our creeds become evident in our deeds.
Nevertheless, may we avoid the trap of thinking that we deserve salvation. That remains a gift. All who receive it may experience a degree of shock when they realize who else has received it. So be it.
The Book of Tobit, present in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles, falls into the canon of scripture for about three-quarters of the Christian Church. Tobit, like Esther, Jonah, and Judith, is a work of fiction that teaches theological and spiritual truths. The Catholic Study Bible (1990) and The Catholic Bible–Personal Study Edition (1995) describes the Book of Tobit as a novel. The Saint Joseph Edition of the New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011) accurately describes the Book of Tobit as a novella. The Book of Tobit is too long to be a short story and too short to be a novel.
The Orthodox Study Bible (2008) acknowledges that the Book of Tobit is a work of fiction. The introduction to the Book of Tobit describes the work as a love story in which a father sends his son out into the world. The son finds and saves a bride, whom he brings home. The introduction to the Book of Tobit links this story to Christ in John 3:16 and describes the Book of Tobit as an icon of the story of salvation.
The Book of Tobit is another Hellenistic work about Jews in exile. (The Book of Daniel is also such a work.) Superficially set in the eighth century B.C.E., the Book of Tobit teaches faith in God and trust in providence from the temporal perspective of the second century C.E.
The titular character is Tobit. His son is Tobias. “Tobit” is a shorter variation on “Tobias.” Both names mean, “the LORD is good.”
Tobit 1:2 signals the book’s status as fiction by naming the wrong Neo-Assyrian king. The verse names the monarch as Shalmaneser V (reigned 727-722 B.C.E.) Historical records tell us Sargon II (reigned 722-705 B.C.E.) was the king who completed Shalmaneser V’s work and conquered the northern Kingdom of Israel. (See 2 Kings 17:1-6, O reader.) However, historical records and 2 Kings 15:19 tell us that Tiglath-Pilesar III, also known as Pul (reigned 745-727 B.C.E.), took the tribe of Naphtali into exile.
Tobit was a devout Jew. The impossible internal chronology had Tobit live in excess of 150 years (1:4f), despite his age at death (14:1) being 112. Anyhow, he eschewed idolatry and made his offerings at the Temple in Jerusalem (Numbers 18:12-13; Deuteronomy 18:3-4). Tobit also distributed money to widows, orphans, and converts. He kept the food laws (Exodus 34:15; Leviticus 7:26-27; Leviticus 11:1-47; Leviticus 17:10-14; Deuteronomy 12:23-25; Deuteronomy 14:3-21; and Deuteronomy 15:23) in exile, too. Tobit obeyed the Law of Moses regardless of how difficult doing so proved to be. At home and in exile, Tobit was a model Jew.
Tobit also deposited ten talents of silver with a relative, Gabael, in Media. That amount equaled 3000 shekels.
The germane note in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible (2003) reads:
A substantial amount, but efforts to express in modern monetary units are futile.
Other sources do express that amount in modern monetary units, though. The Catholic Study Bible (1990) estimates the value as being about $10,000. The Saint Joseph Edition of the New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011) estimates the value as being at least $10,000.
We also read of Tobit’s wife, Anna, which means “Grace.” Remember that, O reader; the name is sometimes ironic.
The Book of Tobit contains similarities to the Books of Job and Daniel. We read of Tobit working for the king in Chapter 1. One may recall that Daniel worked for several monarchs. And one may remember accounts of Daniel’s piety. The parallels to Job, already becoming apparent, will become stronger as we continue.
Tobit 1 contains the Theory of Retribution, that God rewards faithfulness and punishes faithlessness. The Theory of Retribution, a hallmark of Deuteronomic theology, is prominent throughout the Book of Tobit and in much of the Hebrew Bible. Deuteronomy 28 teaches the Theory of Retribution, which informs the Books of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings. In particular, consult Joshua 7:1-8:29; Judges 3:7-11; and 2 Samuel 11:1-12:15, for example, O reader.
The counterbalance also exists un the Hebrew Bible. Blessings also come undeserved. A relationship with God should not be a quid-pro-quo arrangement. See Deuteronomy 4:32-40; 6-11; 8:17-18; 9:4-6; 10:15; and 23:6, O reader. Likewise, that seems undeserved is a form of testing (Deuteronomy 8: 2, 3, 5, 16-17), and repentance following suffering precedes divine mercy (Deuteronomy 30:1-10).
What we do matters. How we respond to God is crucial. One does know a tree by its fruits. And actions have consequences. However, Prosperity Theology remains a heresy. Many of the devout suffer. Many of the devout become martyrs. And many of the devout endure poverty.
The Bible is a nuanced sacred theology. Any impression to the contrary is erroneous.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 25, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM HILEY BATHURST, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF ISAAC WATTS, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER OF THE ORDER OF THE HOLY CROSS
THE FEAST OF PETRUS NIGIDIUS, GERMAN LUTHERAN EDUCATOR AND COMPOSER; AND GEORG NIGIDIUS, GERMAN LUTHERAN COMPOSER AND HYMN WRITER
After writing lectionary-based devotions for years, I have come to dread drafting these posts for certain major feasts. I have written the same posts, some with minor variations, several times. Excuse me, therefore, O reader, for dwelling on John 3:16-21.
In the context of Pentecost, we may interpret the reference to light shining in the darkness as partially indicating the Holy Spirit. In the context of today, we may expand the definition to include all who follow Jesus. Each of us may be the only face of Christ some people will see. If the Holy Spirit shines through us, we become faces of Christ.
The darkness of the world will be less dark if more of us shine more brightly with Christ, via the Holy Spirit.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 11, 2020 COMMON ERA
HOLY SATURDAY
THE FEAST OF HEINRICH THEOBALD SCHENCK, GERMAN LUTHERAN PASTOR AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF CHARLES STEDMAN NEWHALL, U.S. NATURALIST, HYMN WRITER, AND CONGREGATIONALIST AND PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER
THE FEAST OF GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF NEW ZEALAND, PRIMATE OF NEW ZEALAND, AND BISHOP OF LICHFIELD; MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF GEORGE ZABELKA, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, MILITARY CHAPLAIN, AND ADVOCATE FOR CHRISTIAN NONVIOLENCE
THE FEAST OF HENRY HALLAM TWEEDY, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER
Trinity Sunday is one of those feasts for which I dread writing, due to having rewritten the same post repeatedly.
I can, however, bring the readings from Ezekiel, Ephesians, and John together and weave the threads into a pattern. The pattern is one of divine love being consistent with divine judgment and mercy. Judgment need not occur; human repentance is one way to avoid it. Another way of preventing judgment is direct divine action, meant to, among other goals, invite people to repent. One may recall scenes of Jesus associating with notorious sinners in the Gospels, for example. Furthermore, there is the matter of the Atonement. Yet many continue to reject grace. They condemn themselves.
The Holy Trinity is a great mystery. The Church does not grasp this mystery, despite Ecumenical Councils and millennia of theological development. The Eastern and Western branches continue to disagree about the filioque clause of the Nicene Creed. Furthermore, Christological differences separate the Eastern Orthodox from the Oriental Orthodox.
The mystery will sort itself out. We can, however, acknowledge the mystery and listen for the Holy Spirit urging us along spiritual pathways.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 10, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARIE-JOSEPH LAGRANGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF SAINT AGRIPINNUS OF AUTUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; SAINT GERMANUS OF PARIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; AND SAINT DROCTOVEUS OF AUTUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF FOLLIOT SANDFORD PIERPOINT, ANGLICAN EDUCATOR, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN OGLIVIE, SCOTTISH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1615
THE FEAST OF SAINT MACARIUS OF JERUSALEM, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
The promise of divine punishment for evil and of divine deliverance of the oppressed and righteous on the great Day of the LORD is one example of judgment and mercy being like sides of a coin. The deliverance of the oppressed is very bad news for the oppressors, who are, in a way, victims of themselves.
If we behave as we should–revere God, take care of each other, et cetera–we will not have to fear punishment from God for not doing so. We may incur punishment from human authorities, as in Tobit 1, but God did not promise a peaceful life in exchange for righteousness.
Two stories require more attention.
The cure in Numbers, cited also in John 3:14-15, in the context of the crucifixion of Jesus, our Lord and Savior’s glorification, according to the Fourth Gospel, is a textbook case of sympathetic magic. It is related to Egyptian imagery of kingship, divinity, and protection from cobra saliva. A commonplace visual echo is the caduceus, the medical symbol.
Pay attention to what precedes and follows Mark 12:41-44. Our Lord and Savior’s condemnation of those who, among other things,
eat up the property of widows,
precedes the account of the widow giving all she had to the Temple. Immediately in Chapter 13, we read a prediction of the destruction of the Temple. I conclude that Jesus found the widow’s faith laudable yet grieved her choice.
May our lives bring glory to God and lead others to faith and discipleship. May we, in our zeal, not go off the deep end and embarrass God and/or accidentally drive people away from God or get in the way of evangelism. And may we never mistake an internal monologue for a dialogue with God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 27, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF BROOKE FOSS WESTCOTT, ANGLICAN SCHOLAR, BIBLE TRANSLATOR, AND BISHOP OF DURHAM; AND FENTON JOHN ANTHONY HORT, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN HENRY BATEMAN, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHAN NORDAHL BRUN, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN BISHOP, AUTHOR, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND RENEWER OF THE CHURCH; AND HIS GRANDSON, WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, U.S. ARCHITECT AND QUAKER PEACE ACTIVIST
BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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