Archive for the ‘Mark 12’ Category
Above: Ahriman (from Zoroastrianism)
Image in the Public Domain
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READING THIRD ISAIAH, PART II
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Isaiah 24:1-27:13
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Babylon is not mentioned even once. Rather, the eschatological focus of these chapters has raised their sights to the ultimate purpose of God in portraying the cosmological judgment of the world and its final glorious restoration. Moreover, the redemption of Israel is depicted as emerging from the ashes of the polluted and decaying world. Not just a remnant is redeemed , but the chapter recounts the salvation of all peoples who share in the celebration of God’s new order when death is banished forever (25:8).
–Brevard S. Childs, Isaiah (2001), 173
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INTRODUCTION
Isaiah 24-27 constitutes the Isaiah Apocalypse. They also constitute an early and not full-blown example of Biblical apocalyptic literature. Some books I read inform me that the Jewish apocalyptic form emerged in the wake of the fall of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire–in the late sixth century (early 500s) B.C.E., to be precise. These books also teach that full-blown Jewish apocalypses emerged only in the second century (100s) B.C.E., as in the case of Daniel 7-12.
Isaiah 24, in vivid language, depicts the divine destruction of the natural order and the social order. I recommend the translation by Robert Alter, in particular. Regardless of the translation, we read that people have violated the moral mandates embedded in the Law of Moses:
And the earth is tainted beneath its dwellers,
for they transgressed teachings, flouted law, broke the eternal covenant.
Therefore has a curse consumed the earth,
and all its dwellers are mired in guilt.
Therefore earth’s dwellers turn pale,
and all but a few humans remain.
–Isaiah 24:5-6, in Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary, Volume 2, Prophets (2019)
The timeframe is sometime in the future, relative to both Third Isaiah and 2021. in this vision, high socio-economic status provides no protection against God’s creative destruction.
Within the Book of Isaiah, in its final form, chapters 24-27 follow oracles against the nations (chapters 13-23) and precede more oracles against nations (chapters 28-33). This relative placement is purposeful.
SWALLOWING UP DEATH FOREVER
Returning to the Isaiah Apocalypse, the establishment of the fully-realized Kingdom of God entails the defeat of the enemies of God’s people, the celebration of an eschatological banquet, and the swallowing up of death forever (See 1 Corinthians 15:54; Revelation 7:7-17). The divine swallowing up of death echoes the swallowing up of Mot (the Canaanite god of death) in mythology.
Isaiah 25:8 and 26:19 refer to divine victory over death. Given the temporal origin of the Isaiah Apocalypse, is this a metaphor for the divine vindication of the downtrodden, likened to the dead? Such language, in Book of Daniel (100s B.C.E.) and the Revelation of John (late 100s C.E.), refers to the afterlife. The operative question regarding Isaiah 25:8 and 26:19, however, is if the author knew about and affirmed the resurrection of the dead. We know that Ezekiel 37 (the vision of the dry bones) is a metaphor for the restoration of Israel after the Babylonian Exile. But what about Isaiah 25:8 and 26:19? Even the Jewish commentaries I consult do not arrive at a conclusion.
I understand why. The Isaiah Apocalypses comes from a time when Jewish theology was changing, under the influence of Zoroastrianism. Satan was moving away from being God’s employee–loyalty tester (Job 1-2) and otherwise faithful angel (Numbers 22:22-40)–and becoming a free agent and the chief rebel. The theology of Ahriman, the main figure of evil in Zoroastrianism, was influencing this change in Jewish theology. Jewish ideas of the afterlife were also changing under Zoroastrian influence. Sheol was passing away. Reward and punishment in the afterlife were becoming part of Jewish theology. By the second century (100s) B.C.E., belief in individual resurrection of the dead was unambiguous (Daniel 12:2-3, 12).
I do not know what Third Isaiah believed regarding the resurrection of the dead. I suppose that he could have affirmed that doctrine. The historical context and the symbolic language of the apocalypse combine to confuse the matter. So be it; I, as an Episcopalian, am comfortable with a degree of ambiguity.
DIVINE JUDGMENT ON ENEMIES OF THE COVENANT PEOPLE
Isaiah 25:9-12 singles out Moab, in contrast to the usual practice of not naming enemies in chapters 24-27. One may recall material condemning Moab in Amos 2:1-3; Isaiah 15:1-16:13; Jeremiah 48:1-47; Ezekiel 25:8-11.
In the divine order, the formerly oppressed rejoice in their victory over those who had oppressed them. Oppression has no place in the divine order.
Divine judgment and mercy remain in balance in Isaiah 24-27. Divine deliverance of the oppressors is frequently catastrophic for the oppressors. And the contrast between the fates of the enemies of God (27:11) and the Jews worshiping in Jerusalem (27:13) is stark. As Brevard S. Childs offers:
In sum, the modern theology of religious universalism, characterized by unlimited inclusivity, is far removed from the biblical proclamation of God’s salvation (cf. Seitz, 192),
—Isaiah (2001), 186
GOD’S VINEYARD
Neither do apostasy and idolatry have any place in the divine order. And all the Jewish exiles will return to their ancestral homeland. Also, the message of God will fill the earth:
In days to come Jacob shall take root,
Israel shall bud and flower,
and the face of the world shall fill with bounty.
–Isaiah 27:6, Robert Alter (2019)
The face of the world will be God’s productive vineyard, figuratively. The people and kingdom of God, figuratively, are a vineyard in the Old and New Testament. (See Isaiah 5:1-7; Matthew 20:1-16; Matthew 21:33-46; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19).
CONCLUSION
Despite ambiguities in the texts, I am unambiguous on two germane points:
- Apocalyptic literature offers good news: God will win in the end. Therefore, faithful people should remain faithful.
- Apocalyptic literature calls the powers and leaders to account. It tells them that they fall short of divine standards when they oppress populations and maintain social injustice. It damns structures and institutions of social inequality. It condemns societies that accept the unjust status quo.
Regardless of–or because of–certain ambiguities in the Isaiah Apocalypse, chapters 24-27 speak to the world in 2021. Some vagueness in prophecy prevents it from becoming dated and disproven, after all. And structural inequality remains rife and politically defended, unfortunately.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 16, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE RIGHTEOUS GENTILES
THE FEAST OF CATHERINE LOUISA MARTHENS, FIRST LUTHERAN DEACONESS CONSECRATED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 1850
THE FEAST OF GEORGE ALFRED TAYLOR RYGH, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF HENRY WILLIAMS, ANGLICAN MISSIONARY IN NEW ZEALAND; HIS WIFE, MARIANNE WILLIAMS, ANGLICAN MISSIONARY AND EDUCATOR IN NEW ZEALAND; HER SISTER-IN-LAW, JANE WILLIAMS, ANGLICAN MISSIONARY AND EDUCATOR IN NEW ZEALAND; AND HER HUSBAND AND HENRY’S BROTHER, WILLIAM WILLAMS, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF WAIAPU
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARY MAGDALEN POSTEL, FOUNDER OF THE POOR DAUGHTERS OF MERCY
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Above: The Widow’s Mite, by James Tissot
Image in the Public Domain
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For the Twenty-First 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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Lord, we beseech thee to keep thy household, the Church, in continual godliness;
that through thy protection it may be free from all adversities,
and devoutly given to serve thee in good works, to the glory of thy Name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 223
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Isaiah 30:15-19
Psalm 138
Ephesians 6:10-20
Mark 12:18-44
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The context of Mark 12:18-44 is conflict during Holy Week. Jesus avoided many verbal traps, resisted challenges to his authority, and bemoaned the Temple System, which devoured the property of widows. (I advise reading 12:41-44 in the context of 12:38-40 and 13:1-2.) Jesus also defined the greatest commandment; he used Rabbi Hillel’s summary of the Torah. The Incarnate Son of God quoting Hillel constituted high regard for that rabbi.
Trust God, we read. Trusting God saves one from much trouble. Even when we distrust God, God seeks to show us mercy. Yes, we will have to contend with the consequences of our bad choices. Perhaps we will learn from our mistakes, however. If we do, and if we find our strength in God, we will be free to become our best selves, families, et cetera. When we love God fully and our neighbors as ourselves, we will leave everybody better off. That will be wonderful, will it not?
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: Caesar’s Coin, by Peter Paul Rubens
Image in the Public Domain
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For the Twentieth 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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Grant, we beseech thee, merciful Lord, to thy faithful people pardon and peace,
that they may be cleansed from all their sins,
and serve thee with a quiet mind. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 221
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Proverbs 16:1-20
Psalms 126 and 129
Ephesians 5:1-16
Matthew 22:15-22
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The Synoptic Gospels tell many of the same stories, but not identically. That is how oral tradition works; the core remains consistent yet the margins are variable. Identifying the constant and the variable elements of repeated stories from one Synoptic Gospel to another is easy. One may, most simply, see them in parallel columns in books of Gospel parallels. I have two such volumes–Gospel Parallels (Burton H. Throckmorton, Jr.) and Synopsis of the Four Gospels (Kurt Aland).
Matthew 22:15-22, Luke 20:20-26, and Mark 12:13-17 are parallel to each other. The question was superficially about taxes in general in Luke 20. In Mark 12 and Matthew 22, however, the tax in question was a census/poll/head tax of one denarius per year. A denarius, a worker’s wage for one day, at the time bore the image of Emperor Tiberius,
son of the divine Augustus.
A denarius was, therefore, an idol. Why did Pharisees carry idols around with them? The tax, which started in 6 C.E., led to the zealot movement. Jesus avoided alienating zealots on one side and Romans on the other. Those who sought to entrap Jesus retreated in humiliation (Psalm 129).
We belong to God. We depend entirely on God. Most of Ephesians 5:1-16 consists of commentary or advice consistent with the first two sentences of this paragraph:
Live in love as Christ loved you and gave himself up on your behalf, in offering and sacrifice whose fragrance is pleasing to God.
–Ephesians 5:2, The Revised English Bible (1989)
Value wisdom more than gold and silver. Seek to build up each other, not to entrap and tear down each other. Forgive one another as God has forgiven one. Live generously. All this advice is consistent with Ephesians 5:2.
Living this way may require one to surrender the idol of wanting to be right, of not want wanting to admit error. A rare saint may not struggle with this temptation. I am not part of that company. I report accurately, however, that this struggle has decreased within me during the last few years. Do not praise me, O reader; God has caused this change.
Anyhow, those who confronted Jesus in the Gospel story for today wanted to be right. They sought to prove that they were right by placing Jesus in greater peril than he was in already. He evaded their trap and showed them up, however. They still refused to admit error.
Psychological defense mechanisms are powerful. Many people, although confronted with objective evidence of their error or an error, refuse to admit being wrong. They have leaned on ego instead. Such defense of ego is destructive, both individually and collectively. It contributes to the polarization of politics, whereby factions argue about what constitutes objective reality. This ego defense also prevents individuals from maturing in their thinking and in their spiritual lives.
How much better would society be if more people were trying to build up each other, not beat each other into political, intellectual, and theological submission?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 1, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS
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Above: Caduceus
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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Numbers 21:4-9 or Malachi 3:19-24/4:1-6
Psalm 74:1-2, 10-17
Hebrews 13:1-16, 20-21
Mark 12:35-44
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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
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2019/07/27/devotion-for-proper-28-year-b-humes/
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Above: Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen
Image in the Public Domain
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For the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Year 2, according to the U.S. Presbyterian lectionary of 1966-1970
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Grant us, Lord, the Spirit to think and do what is right;
that we, who cannot do anything good without thee, may,
with thee, be enabled to live according to thy will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Common Worship–Provisional Services (1966), 125
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2 Kings 5:1-14
Acts 17:16-34
Mark 12:1-12
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God welcomes and seeks to be gracious to Jews and Gentiles. I, as a Gentile, thank God for this truth. We are all children of God, although not all of us acknowledge and respond faithfully to God. Humility before God is always proper. We need to recognize that God is the landlord and that we are all renters and stewards.
All of these principles contradict some preciously-held cultural assumptions. We humans enjoy establishing and maintaining categories that define ourselves as insiders and those who are different as outsiders. But what if we are really the outsiders? Furthermore, do we dare consider the possibility that we and very different people are all insiders?
If that is not sufficiently challenging, are we willing to part with the illusions of self-sufficiency and ownership? Do we dare to adjust our egos and attachments to prestige to match reality.
May we do so, by grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 23, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BRIDGET OF SWEDEN, FOUNDRESS OF THE ORDER OF THE MOST HIGH SAVIOR; AND HER DAUGHTER, SAINT CATHERINE OF SWEDEN, SUPERIOR OF THE ORDER OF THE MOST HIGH SAVIOR
THE FEAST OF ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, PROFESSOR OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
THE FEAST OF SAINTS PHILIP EVANS AND JOHN LLOYD, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF THEODOR LILEY CLEMENS, ENGLISH MORAVIAN MINISTER, MISSIONARY, AND COMPOSER
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Above: The Conversion of Saint Paul, by Luca Giordano
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Acts 9:1-22
Psalm 98
2 Peter 3:1-7
Mark 12:28-34
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In Mark 12, after Jesus rebuffed two trick questions and evaded a political trap just a few days prior to his crucifixion, he heard a sincere question. His reply was consistent, with the Hebrew Bible and Rabbi Hillel: Love God fully and one’s neighbor as oneself.
Saul of Tarsus, while zealously participating in making Christians martyrs, thought he was loving God fully. God had a different opinion.
All things have continued as they were from as far back as documentation and memory recount. We say that God is the king yet we read headlines and consume news stories that seem to indicate otherwise. Doubting ans scoffing are understandable results. Nevertheless, we must retain hope that divine justice will eventually prevail; we must never surrender to despair. Perhaps God will work through us to improve the world as we cease to seek excuses for disobeying the Golden Rule while pretending to honor it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 28, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN GERARD, ENGLISH JESUIT PRIEST; AND SAINT MARY WARD, FOUNDRESS OF THE INSTITUTE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
THE FEAST OF SAINTS PLUTARCH, MARCELLA, POTANOMINAENA, AND BASILIDES OF ALEXANDRIA, MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF SAINT TERESA MARIA MASTERS, FOUNDRESS OF THE INSTITUTE OF THE SISTERS OF THE HOLY FACE
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM AND JOHN MUNDY, ENGLISH COMPOSERS AND MUSICIANS
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2019/06/28/devotion-for-the-sixth-sunday-of-easter-year-b-humes/
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Above: St. Philip the Deacon and the Ethiopian Eunuch
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Acts 8:26-40
Psalm 22:22-31
2 Peter 2:12-22
Mark 12:18-27
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Ignorance is a lack of knowledge. Ignorance of scripture is a matter in Acts 8:26-40, in which St. Philip the Deacon (not the Apostle) evangelized a man on the path to finding faith in Christ. That pericope fits well with the assigned portion of Psalm 22, with its global emphasis. Ignorance of scripture is also a matter in Mark 12:18-27, in which Jesus fielded another in a series of trick questions–this time, about the resurrection of the dead, of which the Sadducees rejected. Apostasy–rejection after acceptance–not ignorance–is a matter in 2 Peter 2:12-22.
The readings from 2 Peter and Mark point to deliberate obliviousness. We human beings are deliberately oblivious to much. This is not always negative, for we have finite time, and we need to choose where to focus. I am deliberately oblivious to almost all television, the majority of movies, and bad (that is to say, nearly all) music. I am also a Western classicist, and I enjoy many old movies. The three and a half hours required to watch Lawrence of Arabia (1962) are always time spent well.
When we are oblivious to God, however, we occupy the realm of the negative. When we seek a proper path, we need reliable guides. May we walk in faith and, when God calls upon as to do so, may we function as reliable guides, so that all the nations of the earth will serve God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 27, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CORNELIUS HILL, ONEIDA CHIEF AND EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF HUGH THOMSON KERR, SR., U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND LITURGIST; AND HIS SON, HUGH THOMSON KERR, JR., U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, SCHOLAR, AND THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF JAMES MOFFATT, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, SCHOLAR, AND BIBLE TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN THE GEORGIAN, ABBOT; AND SAINTS EUTHYMIUS OF ATHOS AND GEORGE OF THE BLACK MOUNTAIN, ABBOTS AND TRANSLATORS
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2019/06/27/devotion-for-the-fifth-sunday-of-easter-year-b-humes/
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Above: The Tribute Money, by Peter Paul Rubens
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Acts 8:1-2, 9-25
Psalm 23
2 Peter 2:1-11
Mark 12:13-17
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The context for the reading from Mark 12 is Holy Week. As one reads the chapter, one should notice the tension building up to the crucifixion in Chapter 15.
Jesus had the ability to spring traps on people who tried to ensnare him. The Roman coin bore the idolatrous image of Emperor Tiberius, allegedly the “Son of God, ” the heir of Augustus, supposedly the “Savior of the World.” The hypocrisy of Christ’s would-be ensnarers was evident physically by the possession of such a coin.
St. Augustine of Hippo, writing in On the Psalms 58, provided sage advice:
Caesar seeks his image; render it. God seeks his image; render it. Do not withhold from Caesar his coin. Do not keep from God his coin.
In Tractates on John 40, St. Augustine wrote,
We are God’s money.
Empires, kingdoms, and nation-states rise and fall, but God lasts forever. The latter deserves more love than the former. Divine love, depending on the translation of Psalm 23, either pursues or accompanies us. This grace, which is free, imposes demands and obligations on us in public and private morality. We have an obligation to be God’s coins.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 27, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CORNELIUS HILL, ONEIDA CHIEF AND EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF HUGH THOMSON KERR, SR., U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND LITURGIST; AND HIS SON, HUGH THOMSON KERR, JR., U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, SCHOLAR, AND THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF JAMES MOFFATT, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, SCHOLAR, AND BIBLE TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN THE GEORGIAN, ABBOT; AND SAINTS EUTHYMIUS OF ATHOS AND GEORGE OF THE BLACK MOUNTAIN, ABBOTS AND TRANSLATORS
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2019/06/27/devotion-for-the-fourth-sunday-of-easter-year-b-humes/
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This is post #2050 of BLOGA THEOLOGICA.
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Above: St. Stephen, by Luis de Morales
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Acts 7:48-60
Psalm 4
2 Peter 1:13-21
Mark 12:1-12
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Many of those who persecuted St. Paul the Apostle and who were complicit in the executions of Jesus and St. Stephen imagined themselves to be acting out of righteousness. St. Paul, as Saul of Tarsus, had zealously martyred Christians and been present for the stoning of St. Stephen.
To read the assigned lessons and imagine that they have nothing to do with us, who have not martyred or persecuted anyone, would be convenient, would it not? Yet we are guilty of, at a minimum, of consenting to the inhumane treatment of others–perhaps prisoners, immigrants, employees in deathtrap factories, et cetera. We think we own the planet, but we are merely tenants. Many of those who peacefully oppose injustice risk martyrdom or incarceration.
The minimal extent to which we are complicit is the degree to which we are invested in socio-economic-political structures that rely on and perpetuate violence and exploitation. Yet we imagine ourselves to be righteous.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 27, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CORNELIUS HILL, ONEIDA CHIEF AND EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF HUGH THOMSON KERR, SR., U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND LITURGIST; AND HIS SON, HUGH THOMSON KERR, JR., U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, SCHOLAR, AND THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF JAMES MOFFATT, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, SCHOLAR, AND BIBLE TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN THE GEORGIAN, ABBOT; AND SAINTS EUTHYMIUS OF ATHOS AND GEORGE OF THE BLACK MOUNTAIN, ABBOTS AND TRANSLATORS
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2019/06/27/devotion-for-the-third-sunday-of-easter-year-b-humes/
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Above: Statue of Liberty, 1894
Photographer = John S. Johnston
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-USZ62-40098
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Patriotism is a virtue, but jingoism and blind obedience to civil authority are vices. Nationalism can be a virtue, but it can also be a vice. To worship one’s nation-state is to commit idolatry, for one should worship God alone.
The way denominations handle the relationship to civil government can be interesting. According to the North American Lutheran service books I have consulted, neither July 1 (Canada Day) nor July 4 is on the ecclesiastical calendar, but there are propers for a national holiday of those sorts. Given the historical Lutheran theology of obedience to civil government, the lack of feast days for Canada Day and Independence Day (U.S.A.) surprises me. Perhaps it should not surprise me, though, given the free church (versus state church) experience of Lutherans in North America since the first Lutheran immigrants arrived, during the colonial period. (I, an Episcopalian, have read more U.S. Lutheran church history than many U.S. Lutherans.) The Anglican Church of Canada, a counterpart of The Church of England, a state church, has no official commemoration of Canada Day on its liturgical calendar, but The Book of Alternative Services (1985) contains prayers for the nation, the sovereign, the royal family, and the Commonwealth. (God save the Queen!) The Episcopal Church, another counterpart of The Church of England, has an ecclesiastical commemoration for Independence Day, but that feast (except for an attempt to add it in 1786) dates to 1928.
My context is the United States of America, a country in which all of us are either immigrants or descendants of immigrants. Even the indigenous peoples descend from immigrants. My context is the United States of America, a country in which xenophobia and nativism have a long and inglorious legacy, and constitute elements of current events. My country is one dissidents from the British Empire founded yet in which, in current, increasingly mainstream political discourse, or what passes for political discourse, dissent is allegedly disloyal and treasonous. My country is one with a glorious constitution that builds dissent into the electoral system, but a country in which, in July 2018 (as I write this post), support for those who espouse authoritarian ideas and tactics is growing stronger. my country is one founded on noble ideals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence (1776), but one in which denying inalienable rights to one portion or another of the population is a tradition (often wrapped sacrilegiously in the cloak of the moral and the sacred) older than the republic.
Patriotism entails recognizing both the good and the bad. It involves affirming the positive and seeking to correct the negative. I am blessed to be a citizen of the United States of America. The reality of my birth here provides me with advantages many people in much of the rest of the world lack. My patriotism excludes the false idea of American Exceptionalism and embraces globalism. My knowledge of the past tells me that we in the United States have never been cut off from the world, for events and trade patterns in the rest of the world have always affected us. My patriotism, rooted in idealism (including anti-colonialism), seeks no form of empire or hegemony, but rather warm, respectful relations with democratic, pluralistic allies and insistence on essential points, such as human rights. My patriotism eschews the false, self-justifying mockery of patriotism that Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) correctly labeled as
the last refuge of a scoundrel.
(Johnson, that moralist, word expert, and curmudgeon, has never ceased to be relevant.) Some of those who are officially enemies of the state are actually staunch patriots. To quote Voltaire (1694-1778),
It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
I seek, however, to avoid becoming too temporally bound in this post. For occasional temporally specific critiques, consult my political statements at SUNDRY THOUGHTS, my original weblog, from which I spun off this weblog.
As much as I love my country, I do not worship it or wrap the Stars and Stripes around a cross. No, God is bigger than that. A U.S. flag properly has no place in a church; I support the separation of church and state as being in the best interests of the church. The church should retain its prophetic (in the highest sense of that word) power to confront civil authority when necessary and to affirm justice when it is present. No person should assume that God is on the side of his or her country, but all should hope that the country is more on God’s side than not.
Finally, all nations and states will pass away, as many have done. Yet God will remain forever. As St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) taught, that which is temporary (even if long-lasting from human perspective) can be worthy of love, but only so much. To give too much love to that which is temporary is to commit idolatry. And, in Augustinian theology, what is sin but disordered love? So yes, may we love our countries with the highest variety of patriotism, but may we love God more, for God is forever.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 23, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BRIDGET OF SWEDEN, FOUNDER OF THE ORDER OF THE MOST HOLY SAVIOR; AND HER DAUGHTER, SAINT CATHERINE OF SWEDEN, SUPERIOR OF THE ORDER OF THE MOST HOLY SAVIOR
THE FEAST OF ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, PROFESSOR OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
THE FEAST OF SAINTS PHILIP EVANS AND JOHN LLOYD, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF THEODOR LILEY CLEMENS, ENGLISH MORAVIAN MINISTER, MISSIONARY, AND COMPOSER
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Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us,
and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn:
Grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Deuteronomy 10:17-21
Psalm 145 or 145:1-9
Hebrews 11:8-16
Matthew 5:43-48
—Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), 453
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Lord of all the worlds, guide this nation by your Spirit to go forward in justice and freedom.
Give to all our people the blessings of well-being and harmony,
but above all things give us faith in you, that our nation may bring to your name and blessings to all peoples,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
Jeremiah 29:4-14
Psalm 20
Romans 13:1-10
Mark 12:13-17
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 63
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Almighty God, you rule all the peoples of the earth.
Inspire the minds of all women and men to whom you have committed
the responsibility of government and leadership in the nations of the world.
Give to them the vision of truth and justice,
that by their counsel all nations and peoples may work together.
Give to the people of our country zeal for justice and strength of forbearance,
that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will.
Forgive our shortcomings as a nation; purify our hearts to see and love the truth.
We pray all these things through Jesus Christ. Amen.
–Andy Langford in The United Methodist Book of Worship (1992)
Deuteronomy 10:12-13, 17-21
Psalm 72
Galatians 5:13-26
John 8:31-36
—The United Methodist Book of Worship (1992)
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Almighty God, you have given us this good land as our heritage.
Make us always remember your generosity and constantly do your will.
Bless our land with honest industry, sound learning, and an honorable way of life.
Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way.
Make us who come many nations with many different languages a united people.
Defend our liberties and give those whom we have entrusted
with the authority of government the spirit of wisdom,
that there might be justice and peace in the land.
When times are prosperous, let our hearts be thankful,
and, in troubled times, do not let our trust in you fail.
We ask all this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Book of Common Worship (1993), 816
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2018/07/23/devotion-for-independence-day-u-s-a-july-4/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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