Archive for the ‘Mark 14’ Category
Above: Icon of the Crucifixion
Image in the Public Domain
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Zechariah 9:9-10
Psalm 31:1-5, 9-16 (LBW) or Psalm 92 (LW)
Philippians 2:5-11
Mark 14:1-15:47 or Mark 15:1-39
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Almighty God, you sent your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ,
to take our flesh upon him and to suffer death on the cross.
Grant that we may share in his obedience to your will
and in the glorious victory of his resurrection;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 19
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Almighty and everlasting God the Father,
who sent your Son to take our nature upon him
and to suffer death on the cross
that all mankind should follow the example of his great humility,
mercifully grant that we may both follow
the example of our Savior Jesus Christ in his patience
and also have our portion in his resurrection;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 39
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Sometimes I stand back from my standard format for posts such as these and produce short devotions. Doing that now and again is appropriate. I have two tall bookcases full of Bibles, commentaries, and other reference materials. I use these volumes. Yet today I opt to stand back in awe and refrain from becoming too analytical, not that I object to analysis.
Above: My Biblical Studies Library, March 17, 2023
Photographer = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
I, as an active Episcopalian, belong to a denomination that understands the power of rituals and liturgies. The rites for Palm Sunday are especially powerful. By the end of the dramatic reading of the assigned Passion narrative, the congregation is in stunned, reverent silence. Such silence is appropriate at that time.
I invite you, O reader, to sit in stunned, reverent silence and awe after reading these assigned passages, especially the Markan Passion narrative. I also encourage you to move into the next stage as the Holy Spirit leads you.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 17, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FIRST DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT PATRICK, APOSTLE OF IRELAND
THE FEAST OF EBENEZER ELLIOTT, “THE CORN LAW RHYMER”
THE FEAST OF HENRY SCOTT HOLLAND, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER AND PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINT JAN SARKANDER, SILESIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND “MARTYR OF THE CONFESSIONAL,” 1620
THE FEAST OF JOSEF RHEINBERGER, GERMANIC ROMAN CATHOLIC COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA BARBARA MAIX, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
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Adapted from this post
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Above: The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci
Image in the Public Domain
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Exodus 12:1-14 (Year A)
Exodus 24:3-11 (Year B)
Jeremiah 31:31-34 (Year C)
Psalm 116:10-17 (Years A. B, and C)
1 Corinthians 11:17-32 or 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (Year A)
1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (18-21) (Year B)
John 13:1-17, 34 (Year A)
Mark 14:12-26 (Year B)
Luke 22:12-26 (Year C)
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Holy God, source of all love, on the night of his betrayal,
Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment:
To love one another as he had loved them.
By your Holy Spirit write this commandment in our hearts;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
OR
Lord God, in a wonderful Sacrament
you have left us a memorial of your suffering and death.
May this Sacrament of your body and blood so work in us
that the way we live will proclaim the redemption you have brought;
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 20
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O Lord Jesus, since you have left us
a memorial of your Passion in a wonderful sacrament,
grant, we pray,
that we may so use this sacrament of your body and blood
that the fruits of your redeeming work
may continually be manifest in us;
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 44
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In Exodus, the blood of the Passover lambs protected the Hebrew slaves from the sins of Egyptians. The Gospel of John, mentioning three Passovers during the ministry of Jesus, placed the crucifixion of Jesus on Thursday, not Friday, as in the Synoptic Gospels. The Fourth Gospel made clear that Christ was the Passover lamb that third Passover of his ministry. In the Johannine Gospel, Jesus died while sacrificial lambs were dying at the Temple.
We read of the Last Supper in 1 Corinthians 11. That is good, for John refers to it only in passing.
Jesus modeled humility and self-sacrificial love.
These are timeless principles. The nature of timeless principles is that how one lives them depends upon circumstances–who, when, and where one is. Certain commandments in the Bible are culturally-specific examples of keeping timeless principles. Legalism results from mistaking culturally-specific examples for timeless principles. Bishop Robert C. Wright, of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, says:
Love like Jesus.
To that I add:
Be humble like Jesus.
Circumstances dictate how living according to these maxims looks where and when you are, O reader. By grace, may you succeed more often than you fail, for the glory of God and the benefit of your neighbors in God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 14, 2022 COMMON ERA
HOLY/MAUNDY THURSDAY
THE FEAST OF EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY AND HENRY BEARD DELANY, EPISCOPAL SUFFRAGAN BISHOPS FOR COLORED WORK
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANTHONY, JOHN, AND EUSTATHIUS OF VILNIUS, MARTYRS IN LITHUANIA, 1347
THE FEAST OF SAINT WANDREGISILUS OF NORMANDY, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT LAMBERT OF LYONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZENAIDA OF TARSUS AND HER SISTER, SAINT PHILONELLA OF TARSUS; AND SAINT HERMIONE OF EPHESUS; UNMERCENARY PHYSICIANS
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Adapted from this post
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Above: A Cell Block, Wisconsin State Prison, 1893
Image in the Public Domain
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For Monday in Holy Week, Year 2
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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, Almighty God, that we, who amid so many adversities do fail through our own infirmities,
may be restored through the passion and intercession of thine only begotten Son,
who liveth and reigneth, with thee and the Holy Spirit, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 159
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Isaiah 42:1-16
Psalm 27
Colossians 1:19-29
Mark 14:1-72
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The faithfulness of God is the dominant theme in these readings. Those whom God has called constitute a covenant people, complete with responsibilities to God and to the rest of the world. People may fail in their duties individually and collectively. Nevertheless, God remains constant. God remains faithful. God continues to love us sacrificially and to call us to return.
Human actions have consequences for those who commit them and for those who do not. Consequences may be positive, neutral, or negative. The love of God may not preclude people people suffering because of their sins or the sins of others. This makes sense to me; I eschew easy proposed answers to difficult questions and problems. If we are in God, we may suffer in good company, though. The servant is not greater than the master. Consider the torture and execution of sinless Jesus, O reader. That happened because of the sins of people who condemned him to such unjust treatment.
The suffering of the innocent is a grave moral offense–of the guilty, of course. The Gospel of Luke, in its Passion narrative, hits the reader over the head with the innocence of Jesus. Individuals, systems, and institutions–especially judicial ones–frequently cause the innocent to suffer. False and inaccurate testimony leads to the conviction and incarceration of innocent people. Malicious prosecution and the denial of proper legal defenses are also documented sins. Some errors are mistakes; others are choices. The consequences may be the same, though.
May we, the people of God–a covenant people–stand with the innocent, especially the wrongly accused and convicted. May we, to quote Isaiah 42:7, engage in the sacred work of
Rescuing prisoners from confinement,
From the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
—TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 8, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT THORFINN OF HAMAR, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF A. J. MUSTE, DUTCH-AMERICAN MINISTER, LABOR ACTIVIST, AND PACIFIST
THE FEAST OF ARCHANGELO CORELLI, ROMAN CATHOLIC MUSICIAN AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF NICOLAUS COPERNICUS AND GALILEO GALILEI, SCIENTISTS
THE FEAST OF HARRIET BEDELL, EPISCOPAL DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY
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Above: Pact of Judas, by Duccio di Buoninsegna
Image in the Public Domain
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For the Twenty-Second 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 God, our Refuge and Strength, who art the author of all godliness;
be ready, we beseech thee, to hear the devout prayers of thy Church;
and grant that those things which we ask faithfully, we may obtain effectually;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 225
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Zephaniah 3:14-20
Psalm 144:1-10, 15
Philippians 1:3-11
Mark 14:1-17
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The sovereignty and trustworthiness of God is the theme that unites the readings this week.
- People are like vapor, but God is the bulwark of the author in Psalm 144.
- Zephaniah, after mostly pronouncing doom on Judah and some of its neighbors, mixes divine mercy with divine judgment in Chapter 3. The text concludes with a prophecy of messianic times.
- The in-text context of Philippians 1 is one of the periods of incarceration of St. Paul the Apostle. The mood is upbeat for a letter from prison.
- The countdown to the crucifixion of Jesus continues in Mark 14:1-17. We read of Judas Iscariot betraying Christ.
God is sovereign and trustworthy at all times. Affirming that truth during dark times may be difficult. Contrary to the heresy of Prosperity Theology, of course, God never promised the faithful a life without challenges and suffering. Servants have never been greater than their master. Jesus suffered. He said to take up one’s cross and follow him daily. God has consistently proven to be more powerful than evildoers and principalities. The Roman Empire executed Jesus. God resurrected him.
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: The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci
Image in the Public Domain
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For the First 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 Lord Jesus, who prayed for thy disciples that they might be one even as thou art one with the Father:
draw us to thyself that, in common love and obedience to thee,
we may be united to one another in the fellowship of the one Spirit,
that the world may believe that thou art Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
or
Eternal God, who hast called us to be members of one body:
bind us to those who in all times and places have called upon thy name,
that, with one mind and heart, we may display the unity of thy church
and bring glory to thy Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
—The Book of Common Worship–Provisional Services (1966), 127
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Isaiah 53:1-11
1 Corinthians 11:17-26
Mark 14:17-25
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This is a devotion for World Communion Sunday, hence the Eucharistic language in Mark and 1 Corinthians, texts that speak for themselves. I, as an Episcopalian, do not think much about World Communion Sunday, for the Holy Eucharist is our default service. The Book of Common Prayer (1979) defines the Holy Eucharist as
the central act of Christian worship.
Why should there be just one Sunday on which as many churches as possible celebrate Communion?
I choose to focus on Isaiah 53:1-11. The identity of the suffering servant is a topic of long-standing disagreement that reaches back into antiquity, before the birth of Christ. My question at the moment is, who was the suffering servant at the time of the Babylonian Exile and Second Isaiah? The most likely answer is the nation of Israel, a seemingly insignificant people who played a prominent role in divine plans and whose suffering was redemptive and salvific for Gentiles. According to this interpretation, resurrection is a metaphor for national renewal after the exile. Besides, a well-informed student of the development of Jewish theology knows that the resurrection of the dead was not yet part of Jewish theology.
In many ways, Jesus is a better fit for the suffering servant in Isaiah 53 because collective sin brought on the Babylonian Exile. Nevertheless, I remind you, O reader, pious Jews studying this passage in the 500s B.C.E. were not talking about Jesus, for obvious, temporal reasons, five centuries prior to the Incarnation.
I do not know how to process the thought that the suffering of Jewish exiles during the Babylonian Exile was redemptive for Gentiles. I suppose that one could argue that suffering brought them back to faith, thereby transforming them into a light to the nations. One could make that case, one which the author of the Book of Jonah probably would have favored. But what about the inward-looking, post-Exilic reaction that led to shunning Gentiles?
Anyway, suffering can lead to positive results for others, regardless of the cause of the suffering. If one grows spiritually, that growth will influence other people, who will influence other people, et cetera. Suffering is bad and unpleasant, but grace can bring about a high yield of benefit from it. Thanks be to God!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 25, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE, APOSTLE AND MARTYR
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Above: Denial of Saint Peter, by a Follower of Gerard Seghers
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:
Daniel 12:1-10
Psalm 51:1-12
2 Timothy 4:5-22
Mark 14:53-72
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With one week to go before Palm/Passion Sunday, we read downbeat lessons–an apocalypse in Daniel 12, confession of sin in Psalm 51, reports of suffering and bad treatment in 2 Timothy 4, and the railroading of Jesus by the Sanhedrin and the denial of Jesus by St. Simon Peter. All of this is seasonally appropriate.
Where, however, is the good news? God shows mercy to the contrite. God keeps company with the faithful suffering. The resurrection is temporally nearby in the Gospel narrative. Furthermore, the fully realized Kingdom of God will be good news for the faithful.
Before we get to the good news, however, we must pass through the valley of the shadow of death.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 24, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2019/06/24/devotion-for-the-fifth-sunday-in-lent-year-b-humes/
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Above: Candle Flame
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:
Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
2 Timothy 3:1-5, 14-4:4
Mark 14:26-52
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As St. Augustine of Hippo reminded us, we should love God most of all. God is, for lack of a better word, God. Kingdoms, empires, and nation-states rise and fall, but God remains. Authorities arrest innocent people, but God remains. We fail God, but God remains. Immorality is endemic, but God remains. And God is, in the words of Psalm 107,
very great indeed.
Although injustice (the opposite of righteousness in the Bible) is endemic, this will not always be so. Eventually the fully realized Kingdom God will be present on the Earth. Until then we must, as we wait, keep the faith and show the light of God in the darkness, so that the darkness will not be as dark as it would be otherwise.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 23, 2019 COMMON ERA
PROPER 7: THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF JOHN JOHNS, PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF HEINRICH GOTTLOB GUTTER, GERMAN-AMERICAN INSTRUMENT MAKER, REPAIRMAN, AND MERCHANT
THE FEAST OF SAINT NICETAS OF REMESIANA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF WILHELM HEINRICH WAUER, GERMAN MORAVIAN COMPOSER AND MUSICIAN
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2019/06/23/devotion-for-the-fourth-sunday-in-lent-year-b-humes/
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Above: Daniel in the Lions’ Den
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:
Daniel 6:4-24
Psalm 19
2 Timothy 2:16-26
Mark 14:12-25
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As I wrote in the previous post in this lectionary series, Darius the Mede, supposed predecessor of Cyrus II after the Persian conquest of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire, was ahistorical and contradictory of other Biblical accounts. Attempts to explain “Darius the Mede” away by claiming that “king” is a translation error have not convinced me, for the text of Daniel 6 states plainly that he was a predecessor of Cyrus II. (The word translated “king” can also refer to another high-ranking government official; that is an accurate statement. However, read Chapter 6 from beginning to end and place the end and the beginning of that chapter in context of each other.) The author of Daniel 6 wrote theology, not history.
I stand with the facts. While doing so, I ponder the theology of the story of Daniel in the lions’ den, relate the story to other readings, and create a devotional post that covers the four assigned lessons.
I do not wish to attempt to reduce the causes of the crucifixion of Jesus to just one, for I know better than that. When I read Mark 14:12-25 beside Daniel 6, however, I detect a common thread–the jealousy of people of lesser character. Psalm 19 extols the Law of God. A servant of God seeks to be as blameless as possible. That is consistent with the advice in 2 Timothy 2:16-26.
Both Daniel and Jesus became threats, because of who they were and how good they were, to people of lesser character. In the fictional account of Daniel and the lions’ den, Daniel emerged unscathed. Jesus of Nazareth died terribly, however. Then he rose again a few days later, of course.
We mere mortals are imperfect; we all have proverbial skeletons in the closet. The best of us is not proud of certain deeds he or she has committed, as well as certain sins of omission. Perhaps we will not be at risk of murder or another form of killing, but character assassination can be a great peril. This is especially true in the digital age; nothing really goes away on the Internet, and social media is frequently a cesspool.
When we recognize someone who is morally superior to us, we need to confess our sins and seek to become better people, not seek to destroy that person. We have the Golden Rule to obey, after all.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 22, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALBAN, FIRST BRITISH MARTYR
THE FEAST OF DESIDERIUS ERASMUS, DUTCH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, BIBLICAL AND CLASSICAL SCHOLAR, AND CONTROVERSIALIST; SAINT JOHN FISHER, ENGLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC CLASSICAL SCHOLAR, BISHOP OF ROCHESTER, CARDINAL, AND MARTYR; AND SAINT THOMAS MORE, ENGLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC CLASSICAL SCHOLAR, JURIST, THEOLOGIAN, CONTROVERSIALIST, AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF GERHARD GIESCHEN, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAULINUS OF YORK, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF NOLA
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2019/06/22/devotion-for-the-third-sunday-in-lent-year-b-humes/
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Above: Belshazzar’s Feast, by Rembrandt van Rijn
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:
Daniel 5:1-7, 17-30
Psalm 22:23-31
2 Timothy 2:1-15
Mark 14:1-11
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Before I address my main point, I write about two historical problems with Daniel 5 and 6. Belshazzar was never a king, for example. His father was Nabonidus (reigned 556-539 B.C.E.), the last king of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire. In 539 B.C.E. Cyrus II of the Persians and the Medes conquered the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire . Darius the Mede (6:1), a supposed predecessor of Cyrus II, was fictitious. At best Belshazzar was the regent or viceroy his father when his father was away. The chronology within the Book of Daniel makes no sense, regardless of whether one restricts oneself to the Hebrew version or the version with Greek additions. The Book of Daniel is not history; its chronology contradicts other portions of the Hebrew Bible. That fact does not mean, of course, that we cannot read it in a spiritually profitable manner.
Humility before God is a theme running through the assigned readings. Belshazzar was far from humble before God. The author of Psalm 22 preached the virtues of being in the awe of God, a term we usually read or hear translated as “fear of God.” St. Paul the Apostle, who knew much about ego, obeyed God and suffered for his obedience. The unnamed woman who anointed Jesus at the home of Simon the leper in Bethany demonstrated extravagant love and humility; she did not care about how she looked.
To be humble is to be down to earth, literally. In the context of God each of us should recognize his or her relative insignificance. Yet we bear the image of God, as Cyrus II was. Divine grace can flow through us to others. That should be sufficient status for us.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 21, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, JESUIT
THE FEAST OF BERNARD ADAM GRUBE, GERMAN-AMERICAN MINISTER, MISSIONARY, COMPOSER, AND MUSICIAN
THE FEAST OF CARL BERNHARD GARVE, GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN JONES AND JOHN RIGBY, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2019/06/21/devotion-for-the-second-sunday-in-lent-year-b-humes/
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Above: The Denial of Saint Peter, by Caravaggio
Image in the Public Domain
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For the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year 1, according to the U.S. Presbyterian lectionary of 1966-1970
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O Lord Jesus, who art the same yesterday, today, and forever:
strengthen our weak resolve, that we may remain faithful in all the changes of this life
and, at the last, enter the joy of thy kingdom. Amen.
—The Book of Common Worship–Provisional Services (1966), 126
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Zechariah 10:1-7
James 4:7-12
Luke 22:54-62
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If we love God as we should, that love will translate into love for our fellow human beings. If leaders love God as they should, that love will inform how they lead, as they seek the common good and fight against exploitation. If we love God as we should, we will not deny God.
Yet we are weak creatures much of the time. If we are willing, we will embrace opportunities to accept grace and to act as we ought to do.
Consider St. Simon Peter, O reader. He denied Jesus three times (Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:26-31; Luke 22:54-62; and John 18:15-18, 25-27). Jesus gave St. Simon Peter three opportunities to affirm him (John 21:15-19). The Apostle accepted.
We are weak creatures much of the time. God knows that we are, poetically, dust. Moral perfectionism is an unrealistic standard, but the imperative to improve is realistic.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 12, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE ELEVENTH DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF SAINT JANE FRANCES DE CHANTAL, FOUNDRESS OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE VISITATION
THE FEAST OF ALICIA DOMON AND HER COMPANIONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS IN ARGENTINA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS BARTHOLOMEW BUONPEDONI AND VIVALDUS, MINISTERS AMONG LEPERS
THE FEAST OF SAINT LUDWIK BARTOSIK, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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