Archive for the ‘Luke 12’ Category
Above: Near the Salem Witch Trials Memorial, Salem, Massachusetts
Image Source = Google Earth
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For the Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity, Year 1
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Lectionary from A Book of Worship for Free Churches (The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, 1948)
Collect from The Book of Worship (Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1947)
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Absolve, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy people from their offenses;
that from the bonds of our sins which, by reason of our frailty,
we have brought upon us, we may be delivered by thy bountiful goodness;
through Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth
with thee and the Holy Spirit, ever One God, world without end Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 228
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Hosea 10:12-11:12
Psalm 146
Philippians 3:7-21
Luke 12:49-59
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We read of the imperative of following God’s way, not our way. Our way leads to, in words from Hosea 10:13, reaping iniquity and eating the fruits of treachery, having plowed wickedness. Rather, we ought to sow righteousness and reap the fruits of goodness (Hosea 10:12). In concrete terms, sowing righteousness means emulating YHWH. In Psalm 146, YHWH keeps faith with the wronged, defends the cause of the oppressed, feeds the hungry, liberates prisoners, opens the eyes of the blind, uplifts those bend double, loves the just, protects the strangers, reassures the fatherless and the widows, and overturns the domination of the wicked. Those sound like make many enemies, often among the conventionally religious, who should know better.
Jesus made enemies every time he healed on the Sabbath. He made enemies every time he woke up after a good night’s sleep. Christ made enemies because he had a pulse.
We Christians, who profess to follow Jesus, tread the way of the cross, if we really are doing what we should. We, like St. Paul the Apostle, will make enemies by pursuing righteousness. Ironically, many of these foes may identify themselves as Christians. Intra-Christian persecution is a shameful and indefensible tradition. Other persecution may originate from outside the Christian faith. Either way, persecutors may imagine that they are positive figures doing what is necessary for the greater good. Villains frequently think they are heroes.
Christ, functionally, is a cause of dissension. This reality is as old as the ministry of Jesus and as recent as the present day. This reality reflects negatively on those who object to Jesus, not on him.
One may also recall other words from the Gospel of Luke:
Blessed are you when people hate you, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, look!–your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the prophets….Alas for you when everyone speaks well of you! This was the way their ancestors treated the false prophets.
–Luke 6:22-23, 26, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
May we never take offense at Jesus and think of him as a proper cause of dissension. After all, many distinctions properly cease to exist or matter in Christ. Therefore, Jesus should be a means of unity.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 2, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALEXANDER OF ALEXANDRIA, PATRIARCH; AND SAINT ATHANASIUS OF ALEXANDRIA, PATRIARCH AND “FATHER OF ORTHODOXY”
THE FEAST OF CHARLES SILVESTER HORNE, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF CHARLES FRIEDRICH HASSE, GERMAN-BRITISH MORAVIAN COMPOSER AND EDUCATOR
THE FEAST OF JULIA BULKLEY CADY CORY, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT SIGISMUND OF BURGUNDY, KING; SAINT CLOTILDA, FRANKISH QUEEN; AND SAINT CLODOALD, FRANKISH PRINCE AND ABBOT
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Above: Icon of Habakkuk
Image in the Public Domain
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For the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, Year 1
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Lectionary from A Book of Worship for Free Churches (The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, 1948)
Collect from The Book of Worship (Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1947)
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O Lord, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy Church;
and because it cannot continue in safety without thy succor,
preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 212
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Habakkuk 2:1-14
Psalm 84
Ephesians 4:8-16
Luke 12:16-40
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The Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire was cruel. It was evil. The empire, in the words of God, delivered to Habakkuk,
destroyed many peoples
and
plundered many nations.
The prophet’s theological problem was how to relate to God when the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire seemed invincible. God’s answer, recorded in Habakkuk, was that the empire would fall. The empire that lived by the sword doomed itself to die by the sword.
The existence of evil does not negate the existence and justice of God. Few questions impress me less than,
If God exists and is just, why did x happen?
I tread carefully in the realm of theodicy, an undertaking that turns into idiocy easily and frequently. Social injustice will always exist as long as people are in charge of institutions and governments. We can, however, reduce social injustice. We have a moral mandate to do so. God equips us to do so.
Empires and nation-states rise and fall. So be it. We cannot change that reality, certainly. We can, regardless of whatever else is happening and who ever is in political power, trust and take refuge in God. We can trust in our real king. We can pray, with the author of Psalm 84,
How lovely is your dwelling,
O Yahweh of Hosts!
My soul longs and pines aloud
for your court, O Yahweh!
My heart and my flesh cry out.
Amen.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 26, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM COWPER, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT ADELARD OF CORBIE, FRANKISH ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND ABBOT; AND HIS PROTÉGÉ, SAINT PASCHASIUS RADBERTUS, FRANKISH ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, AND THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF ROBERT HUNT, FIRST ANGLICAN CHAPLAIN IN JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA
THE FEAST OF RUTH BYLLESBY, EPISCOPAL DEACONESS IN GEORGIA
THE FEAST OF SAINT STANISLAW KUBISTA, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1940; AND SAINT WLADYSLAW GORAL, POLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP AND MARTYR, 1945
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Above: Icon of Jeremiah
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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1 Samuel 12:19-24 or Jeremiah 20:7-18
Psalm 107:1-15
Romans 8:26-39
Luke 12:49-13:9
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Relationships with God can be difficult; read today’s lesson from Jeremiah, for example. It starts with,
O LORD, you have duped me, and I have been your dupe;
you have outwitted me and have prevailed.
A few verses later, one reads,
But the LORD is on my side, strong and ruthless,
therefore my persecutors shall stumble and fall powerless.
Nevertheless, a few verses later, one reads,
A curse on the day when I was born!
This is vintage Jeremiah. It is stronger than Psalm 107, consistent with our reading from Jeremiah. The reading from Romans 8, in contrast, is upbeat:
If God is on our side, who is against us?…for I am convinced that…nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
–Verses 31, 38, and 39, The Revised English Bible (1989)
I suppose that, depending on the time of day, Jeremiah, a prophet of God, changed his mind about whether God was on his side. That was fine, for Jeremiah had a relationship with God, at least.
My second favorite aspect of Judaism is arguing faithfully with God. (Monotheism is my favorite aspect of Judaism.) Islam is about submitting to God. In Judaism, however, one can kvetch at God and be pious. One can also be pious in the same way in Christianity, fortunately. After all, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Repentance remains vital, though. Although nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, divine judgment and mercy remain in balance. We human beings retain our free will; may we use it wisely.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 24, 2020 COMMON ERA
GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE
THE FEAST OF SAINT EGBERT OF LINDISFARNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK; AND SAINT ADALBERT OF EGMONT, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT FIDELIS OF SIGMARINGEN, CAPUCHIN FRIAR AND MARTYR, 1622
THE FEAST OF JOHANN WALTER, “FIRST CANTOR OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH”
THE FEAST OF SAINT MELLITUS, BISHOP OF LONDON, AND ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2020/04/24/devotion-for-proper-20-year-c-humes/
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Above: Fresco of Samuel
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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1 Samuel 8:4-20; 11:14-15 or Jeremiah 19:1-6, 10-12a
Psalm 106:1-16, 19-23, 47-48
Romans 8:1-11
Luke 12:35-48
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These assigned readings pertain to collective matters–sins, punishment for sins, and life in the Holy Spirit. The context is that of a group–a faith community, a kingdom, et cetera. All of that is consistent with the Biblical theme of mutuality. We are responsible to and for each other.
Collective guilt and responsibility may seem unfair, assuming a certain perspective. For example, sometimes a court releases a wrongly-convicted person who has spent years in prison yet whom evidence has exonerated. Perhaps an expert witness lied under oath. Maybe DNA has proven the prisoner’s innocence. Perhaps the prisoner pleaded guilty to a lesser charge to avoid a certain conviction on a more severe charge. Maybe the testimony of eyewitnesses proved to be unreliable, as it frequently does. Perhaps the prosecutor engaged in professional misconduct by withholding exculpatory evidence. Either way, taxpayers have borne the financial costs of what went wrong, leading to the incarceration of an innocent person. And taxpayers may bear the financial costs of paying reparations to the wrongly convicted. We not begrudge giving a liberated, wrongly-convicted person a fresh start and the financial means to begin a new life, do we? We know, after all, that the wrongly-convicted person has paid for the actions of others with time in prison.
Whatever one person does affects others, whether one behaves as a private citizen or in an official capacity. Likewise, society is people. What society does wrong and sinfully does affect even those members of it who vocally oppose those sinful actions. Those activists for justice also suffer when their society incurs punishment for its sins.
On the other hand, given that society is people, individuals can change their society. Individuals can improve their society or make it worse.
May all of us leave our societies better than we found them.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 23, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF TOYOHIKO KAGAWA, RENEWER OF SOCIETY AND PROPHETIC WITNESS IN JAPAN
THE FEAST OF JAKOB BÖHME, GERMAN LUTHERAN MYSTIC
THE FEAST OF MARTIN RINCKART, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT TERESA MARIA OF THE CROSS, FOUNDRESS OF THE CARMELITE SISTERS OF SAINT TERESA OF FLORENCE
THE FEAST OF WALTER RUSSELL BOWIE, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, SEMINARY PROFESSOR, AND HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2020/04/23/devotion-for-proper-19-year-c-humes/
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Above: The Parable of the Rich Fool, by Rembrandt van Rijn
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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1 Samuel 3:1-20 or Jeremiah 18:1-11
Psalm 104:1-6, 14-24
Romans 7:12-25
Luke 12:13-21
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Abundance is of God. Scarcity is a human creation.
The society in which Jesus lived consisted mostly of poor people. A small portion of the population controlled most of the wealth. The middle class was very small. The society in which Jesus lived resembled many contemporary societies in these ways. The rich fool in the parable hoarded much more food than he needed; he should have kept what he needed for himself and shared the rest. That was his moral obligation to the poor, according to the Law of Moses and the testimony of the Hebrew prophets. The rich fool was not bereft of teaching of the law and the testimony of the prophets. He chose to disregard them.
Assuming that one (1) recognizes the voice of God, and (2) understands what that voice tells one to do, obeying that voice may prove challenging, as St. Paul the Apostle knew. Temptation is strong, after all. The temptation to trust in that which is tangible is hardwired into human psychology. Human psyches frequently stand between us and our potential in God. This overarching problem is both psychological and spiritual. It holds back individuals and societies, to common detriment. However, assuming that one does not recognize the voice of God or what that voice tells one to do, one is like the rich fool in the parable. Obliviousness to God is a spiritual and societal affliction.
In Augustinian terms, sin is disordered love. God is worthy of the most love. People, hobbies, et cetera, are worthy of less love. To love anyone or anything more than one ought to do is to have disordered love and to commit idolatry, to draw love away from God. Hoarding, as in the parable, is a psychological and a spiritual ailment.
Life does not consist of the abundance of possessions, Jesus teaches us.I know hoarding when I see it, based on other people’s houses in which I have been present, as well as on some reality television programs. I have never been a hoarder. Nevertheless, I know the negative consequences of having collected too many possessions. I also know the joys of downsizing. I know the sensation of having become the possession of the inanimate objects, as well as the joys of removing many of them, revealing walls and floors. I rejoice in seeing uncluttered surfaces and walls with a few, spaced-out pictures on them. I understand that overabundance is antithetical to abundant life. Overabundance leads one to serve possessions and to swear fealty to them, not to God.
Abundance is of God. There is enough of everything for all people to have what they need. Scarcity is a sinful, human creation. It is the inevitable result of overabundance, rooted in idolatry.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 22, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF GENE BRITTON, EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF DONALD S. ARMENTROUT, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER AND SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF HADEWIJCH OF BRABERT, ROMAN CATHOLIC MYSTIC
THE FEAST OF KATHE KOLLWITZ, GERMAN LUTHERAN ARTIST AND PACIFIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT VITALIS OF GAZA, MONK, HERMIT, AND MARTYR, CIRCA 625
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2020/04/22/devotion-for-proper-18-year-c-humes/
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Above: Jeremiah
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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1 Samuel 2:18-26 or Jeremiah 17:5-10
Psalm 102:18-28
Romans 6:12-23
Luke 12:1-12
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In the context of the balance of divine judgment and mercy, an evergreen Biblical theme, we read another evergreen Biblical theme: Be your best selves in God. This applies both individually and collectively. Be your best self in God. Be the best family possible in God. Be the best congregation possible in God. Be the best ____ possible in God.
Fearlessness, grounded in faith and bound by mutual responsibility, is part of achieving human potential in God. May we be fearless in loving our neighbors as we love ourselves in good times and during crises. May we build up each other fearlessly. May we speak and hear the truth in love, fearlessly. May we proclaim Christ in words and deeds, fearlessly. May we eschew all bigotry, fearlessly. May we hold irresponsible authority figures to account for the common good, fearlessly. May we fearlessly cooperate with God in building societies that are more just, especially for the vulnerable and the impoverished.
May we remember and act fearlessly on the truth that we are precious to God and should, therefore, be precious to each other.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 21, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ROMAN ADAME ROSALES, MEXICAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1927
THE FEAST OF SAINT CONRAD OF PARZHAM, CAPUCHIN FRIAR
THE FEAST OF GEORGE B. CAIRD, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST THEN UNITED REFORMED MINISTER, BIBLICAL SCHOLAR, AND HYMN WRITER AND TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF GEORGIA HARKNESS, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, ETHICIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT SIMEON BARSABAE, BISHOP; AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS, 341
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2020/04/21/devotion-for-proper-17-year-c-humes/
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Above: The Wrath of Elihu, by William Blake
Image in the Public Domain
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For the Seventh Sunday of the Season of God the Father, Year 2, according to the U.S. Presbyterian lectionary of 1966-1970
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O God, who hast promised for those who love thee such good things as pass man’s understanding:
pour into our hearts such love toward thee, that we, loving thee above all things,
may obtain thy promises, which exceed all that we can desire;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Common Worship–Provisional Services (1966), 128
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Job 28:12-28
James 3:1-13
Luke 12:22-34
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Reading the Book of Job with proper understanding requires paying close attention. For example, as in the poetic portion, one needs to keep in mind who is speaking. If one of the alleged friends is speaking, read the words with more than a few grains of salt, so to speak.
In Chapter 27, Job complained that God had deprived him of justice. This was consistent with Chapters 1 and 2, in which God permitted “the Satan,” in the Book of Job, God’s loyalty tester–an employee–to test Job. Two posts ago in this series, we read James 1:12-18, in which the author insisted that God does not tempt/test anyone. In Job 1 and 2, God permitted the testing of Job. Was this a distinction without a difference?
Elihu (alleged friend #4) replied with conventional piety in Chapter 28. The alleged friends assumed that Job must have sinned, for they thought that God would not permit the innocent to suffer. In Job 28, Elihu compared God to a miner and likened wisdom to silver. The beautiful prose about the preciousness of wisdom, meant to condemn Job as a fool and a sinner, actually defined the titular character as a sage, ironically:
[God] said to man,
“See! Fear of the Lord is wisdom;
To shun evil is understanding.”
Words matter.
The words of Elihu and other three alleged friends of Job were part of an intervention. They meant well, but were wrong.
To mean well is insufficient. Good results are the proof in the proverbial pudding.
May we seek to use our words for the glory of God and the spiritual benefit of others–to build them up, not to tear them down. There is room for strong criticism, a practice in which Jesus engaged. As we seek to use our words for good effect, may we succeed, by grace. May we trust in God, on whom we rely entirely, and not imagine that we must deprive others to help ourselves.
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
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Above: The Parable of the Rich Fool
Image in the Public Domain
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For the Sixth Sunday of the Season of God the Father, Year 2, according to the U.S. Presbyterian lectionary of 1966-1970
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O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace:
give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our divisions.
Take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Common Worship–Provisional Services (1966), 128
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Genesis 9:8-17
1 Timothy 6:6-19
Luke 12:13-21
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People who long to be rich are a prey to trial; they get trapped into all sorts of foolish and harmful ambitions which plunge people into ruin and destruction. The love of money is the root of all evils and there are some who, pursuing it, have wandered away from the faith and so given their souls any number of fatal wounds.
–1 Timothy 6:9-10, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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One theme this week is greed.
Money and, more generally, wealth, are morally neutral. How one relates to them is not, however. The Bible contains more verses about money and wealth than about sexual desire and activities, but the latter conveniently receives more attention in sermons and lessons that the former. I propose that ranking our moral concerns according to Biblical priority is a good idea.
A bigger idea than greed is the lack of trust in God that greed indicates. We want security blankets, so to speak. Radical discipleship does not permit them, however. Trust in God becomes evident in one’s actions, just as lack of trust in God does. Whenever we turn against each other for selfish purposes, we reveal our lack of trust in God. We are en route to evil when we do so.
According to a note in The Jewish Study Bible, an excellent resource, especially for a Gentile, the Talmud teaches that all Gentiles who observe the
seven commandments of the descendants of Noah
will meet with full divine approval. Jews have 613 commandments, but Gentiles have just the following:
- To establish courts of justice,
- To avoid blaspheming the God of Israel,
- To refrain from committing idolatry,
- To refrain from committing sexual perversion,
- To refrain from committing bloodshed,
- To refrain from committing robbery, and
- To avoid eating meat cut from a living animal.
Most of these seven commandments relate to how we relate to God and each other. Those two relationships are akin, after all. One cannot love God and habitually tear others down for our immediate benefit. Besides, when we harm others, we really damage ourselves, too. This may become clear to us only with the passage of time, but the principles remain true.
Do we trust God enough to love our neighbors as we love ourselves?
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
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Above: Home to Thanksgiving, Circa 1867
Image Creator = Currier & Ives
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-pga-00780
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FOR THANKSGIVING DAY, ACCORDING TO A LECTIONARY FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP IN THE BOOK OF WORSHIP FOR CHURCH AND HOME (1965)
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O God, we praise you, we give you thanks for your bountiful providence,
for all the blessings and all the hopes of life.
Above all we praise and adore you for your unspeakable gift
in your only Son our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Let the memory of your goodness fill our hearts with joy and thankfulness to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
–Modernized from The Book of Worship for Church and Home (1965), page 163
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Deuteronomy 8:7-18
Psalm 22
2 Corinthians 9:6-12
Luke 12:16-31
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The extravagant generosity of God, on whom we depend completely, is one theme in these assigned readings. Another is the reality that grace, although free, is not cheap; it imposes certain obligations on its recipients. Those who enter a land new to them must not imagine that they have succeeded by their own power when God has delivered them into that land. One must never think vainly that life consists of the abundance of possessions. One must trust in God in times of plenty as well as in times of scarcity. One must help others as one is able.
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.
–Luke 12:34, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
Psalm 22 might seem like an odd pericope for Thanksgiving Day. The text, a prayer for deliverance from a mortal illness, might remind one immediately of the crucifixion of Jesus (Mark 15:34), for example. The psalm does take a turn toward gratitude early on, however. The text is of a mixed mood until the end, when gratitude takes over. The mixed mood of much of Psalm 22 is true to life. We might feel forsaken by God, but we are probably not. If we continue the spiritual struggle with despair long enough, we will understand that. As we suffer, God keeps us company. The light of God might seem brighter in the darkness, and we might find ourselves more grateful than we expected we would. This is my experience.
A helpful spiritual practice I have adopted is to thank God for blessings throughout the day. I do this quietly, in my non-demonstrative, introverted way. I thank God that my car is consistently reliable, but especially at a particular moment. I thank God that the sunlight shines beautifully on the Middle Oconee River. I thank God that I enjoy reading good books–one particular book at a given moment, specifically. I thank God that I have plenty of nutritious food readily available. I thank God for many blessings over time. Whatever is on my mind or in front of me dictates what I thank God for at any given moment. I admit freely that I do not thank God as often as I should, but I continue to endeavor to become more mindful. Anyhow, the goal is to cultivate an attitude of gratitude, not to compile a comprehensive list, which would be impossible anyway. I understand that I rely completely on God, who has provided abundantly. The least I can do is to be grateful and act accordingly.
Where are our treasures? May it be in God. May we be grateful daily.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 15, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER AND MARTYR
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Above: Give Us This Our Daily Bread Print, Currier & Ives, 1872
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-USZC2-2453
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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 41:9-40
Psalm 37:23-28a
Acts 6:1-7
Mark 8:14-21
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Depart from evil, and do good,
so you shall abide forever.
For the LORD loves justice;
he will not forsake his faithful ones.
The righteous shall be kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
–Psalm 37:27-28, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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David Ackerman omits the second part (the passage contrasting the righteous and the children of the wicked) in Beyond the Lectionary (2013).
On another topic, the Psalmist might not have seen the children of the righteous begging for bread, but I have. I am not alone in this.
The Joseph of the Book of Genesis bears little resemblance to the figure of whom I have read in many a book of Bible stories retold for children. I read Genesis 37 and 39-50 (the Joseph Epic) and encounter a spoiled brat who grew up because he had no choice. I also meet an interpreter of dreams who rose to a position of prominence, reunited his family, and in Chapter 47, fed the Egyptian population during a time of severe drought by returning their food (which he had ordered confiscated) to them in exchange for serfdom. Joseph is an imperfect protagonist.
The surviving Apostles (plus St. Matthias) feed the hungry then decide to focus on preaching and teaching. So they appoint deacons to wait tables. This is the origin of the Christian diaconate. There is no insistence upon serfdom here. No, we find quite the opposite.
When we turn to the reading from Mark 8 it is useful to understand that we pick up immediately following Jesus feeding “about four thousand people” with seven loaves and a few small fish. There are many leftovers. Then some Pharisees demand, of all things, a sign. Jesus warns his Apostles against the yeast–a metaphor for diffused or veiled evil (see Luke 12:1; 1 Corinthians 5:6; and Galatians 5:9) of the Pharisees. The literal-minded Apostles, confused, think that Christ refers to bread. Jesus is angry with them.
The depiction of the Apostles in the Gospel of Mark is interesting and part of a larger theme. The earliest canonical Gospel argues that those who think they are insiders might not be that. There are the condemnations of the religious establishment, of course. Furthermore, those closest to Jesus do not understand him. To the contrary, evil spirits recognize him immediately. This depiction of the twelve Apostles as being clueless is stronger in Mark than in Luke-Acts, for narrative reasons.
A sufficient supply of food is essential to sustaining life. Too little food leads to starvation, just as an excess of it leads to obesity. Furthermore, the wrong type of food leads to health problems. Likewise, improper spiritual nutrition leads to negative consequences. Do we not yet understand this?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 16, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF GEORGE BERKELEY, IRISH ANGLICAN BISHOP AND PHILOSOPHER; AND JOSEPH BUTLER, ANGLICAN BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF JOHN FRANCIS REGIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF NORMAN MACLEOD, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER; AND HIS COUSIN, JOHN MACLEOD, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF RUFUS JONES, QUAKER THEOLOGIAN
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2017/06/16/devotion-for-proper-7-ackerman/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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