Archive for the ‘Matthew 1’ Category
Above: Head of Herod, by Giuseppe Arcimboldo
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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Isaiah 7:10-14 (15-17)
Psalm 24
Romans 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-25
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Stir up your power, O Lord, and come.
Take away the hindrance of our sins
and make us ready for the celebration of your birth,
that we may receive you in joy and serve you always,
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 14
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Stir up your power, O Lord, and come among us with great might,
and because we are sorely hindered by our sins,
let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 14
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Kings populate the readings for this Sunday.
The kings in Isaiah 7:10-17 were Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah. Immediately–in context–God was with Judah and the leadership of that kingdom during the Syro-Ephraimite War. The conception of the future King Hezekiah to an almah (young woman) was the sign of this.
YHWH is the King of Glory in Psalm 24.
Jesus was the king in Romans 1:1-7. The death and resurrection of Christ revealed in yet another way that he was the Son of God. (May we avoid the heresy of Adoptionism.)
Herod the Great was a client king of the Roman Empire. To accuse Herod of being mean was to understate reality. The man ordered the deaths of relatives and strangers alike.
Therefore, I, as a historian, attest that the story of the Massacre of the Innocents is plausible. It is consistent with the character of Herod the Great.
Matthew 1:18 quotes and reapplies Jeremiah 31:15, a text about Israel, personified as Rachel, weeping for her lost children, exiles during the Babylonian Exile. Jeremiah 31:16 predicts the return of the exiles, though. There is hope, even if it is deferred sometimes.
That must have been cold comfort to grieving parents, though.
As we approach the twelve days of Christmas, may all of us cling to hope. That hope may seem like cold comfort, especially if we grieve the absence of someone who has died or has not been able to attend for another reason. I need encouragement to cling to hope as much as the next grieving person; I know the feeling of more than one “blue Christmas.” Yet hope abides.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 8, 2022 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 ARCANGELO CORELLI, ITALIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC MUSICIAN AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF NICOLAUS COPERNICUS AND GALILEO GALILEI, SCIENTISTS
THE FEAST OF HARRIET BEDELL, EPISCOPAL DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT PEPIN OF LANDEN, SAINT ITTA OF METZ, THEIR RELATIONS, AND SAINTS AMAND, AUSTREGISILUS, AND SULPICIUS II OF BOURGES, FAITHFUL CHRISTIANS ACROSS GENERATIONAL LINES
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Judas Maccabeus
Image in the Public Domain
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READING TOBIT
PART X
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Tobit 13:1-14a
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There is much going on in this reading. Quickly, the Theory of Retribution, prominent in the Book of Tobit, recurs. So does the Biblical theme of divine judgment and mercy being in balance. Also, Tobit has two final testaments (Tobit 4:3-21 and 14:3-11), reminiscent of Moses in Deuteronomy 31-32 and 33. Community and repentance are other evergreen themes.
I am most interested, however, in another aspect of this reading. Jerusalem (Tobit 1:3-9) returns to the story. I read the verses about Jerusalem in the Book of Tobit in the context of the Hasmonean rebellion (contemporary or nearly so to the composition of the Book of Tobit), not in the context of the Babylonian Exile. I detect echoes of Hebrew prophecy and ponder how pious Jews living in the Hellenistic world related prophecy from prior centuries to their present day. I also wonder if the anonymous author of the Book of Tobit expected the restoration of Jerusalem or wrote after the rededication of the Temple.
The Book of Tobit teaches the importance of faithful community. Christian fundamentalism tends to be hyper-individualistic. It teaches Jesus-and-Meism. The Bible is not hyper-individualistic, though. No, it teaches mutuality. I cannot become my best self unless you, O reader, can become your best self, and vise versa.
The purpose of the book[of Tobit] is to move its readers from despair to prayer.
—The Catholic Study Bible (1990), RG210
Sinking into despair is easy. Hoping for better times can seem like setting oneself up for disappointment. Trusting God can seem like a fool’s errand. In other words,
Blessed are those who expect nothing;
they will not be disappointed.
Yet the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12; Luke 6:20-26), on which that quote riffs, teach lived prayer, not despair. They teach hope. They teach trust in God.
So does the Book of Tobit.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 4, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE SIXTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN OF DAMASCUS AND COSMAS OF MAIUMA, THEOLOGIANS AND HYMNODISTS
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALEXANDER HOTOVITZKY, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1937
THE FEAST OF SAINT BERNARD OF PARMA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF JOSEPH MOHR; AUSTRIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST; AND FRANZ GRUBER, AUSTRIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC TEACHER, MUSICIAN, AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF SAINT OSMUND OF SALISBURY, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
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Above: King Hezekiah
Image in the Public Domain
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For Christmas Day, 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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O God, who hast made this most holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light;
grant, we beseech thee, that as we have known on earth the mysteries of that Light,
we may also come to the fullness of his joys in heaven;
who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, One God, world without end. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 118
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Isaiah 9:2-7 (Anglican and Protestant)/Isaiah 9:1-6 (Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox)
Psalm 89:1-27 (Protestant and Anglican)/Psalm 89:2-38 (Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox)
1 John 4:7-21
Matthew 1:18-25
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On one level, at least, the prophecy in Isaiah 9:1-6/9:2-7 (depending on versification) refers to the birth of the future King Hezekiah of Judah (reigned 727/735-698/687 B.C.E.). The Bible is generally favorably disposed toward King Hezekiah, of whom one can read further in the following passages:
- 2 Kings 16:20;
- 2 Kings 18-20;
- 2 Chronicles 28:27;
- 2 Chronicles 29-32;
- Isaiah 36-39;
- Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 48:17-22; and
- Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 49:4.
We read in Ezekiel 34 that Kings of Israel and Judah were, metaphorically, shepherds–mostly abysmal ones. Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 49:4 lists Hezekiah as one of the three good kings, alongside David and Josiah.
The steadfast love of God is the theme that unites these four readings. This faithfulness may be evident in the Davidic Dynasty, a particular monarch, Jesus of Nazareth, or an ordinary human being or community of such people. Such divine fidelity requires a human faithful response. Grace is free, not cheap.
The epistle reading holds my attention most of all. I write you, O reader, to read it again. The text is fairly self-explanatory. There is no fear in love. Anyone who professes to love God yet hates a human being lies about loving God.
These are hard words to hear or read. I can write only for myself; I know the emotion of hatred. Perhaps you do, too, O reader. All of us are imperfect; God knows that. We can, by grace overcome that hatred. We all sin. We all stumble. But we can lead lives defined by love, by grace.
I can think of people who define their lives according to hatred and resentment. These are individuals who leave chaos and destruction in their wake. They are pitiable. They need to repent. And, according to our reading from 1 John, they do not love God. May perfect love drive out their fear, for their sake and for ours.
And may perfect love drive out the remaining unreasonable, destructive fear in the lives of the rest of us. I refer not to proper, cautious fear. I write during the COVID-19 pandemic. A certain level of fear is positive and responsible; it leads to behavior that protects everyone. No, I refer to fear that leads to selfish, destructive decisions. I refer to fear that defines certain people as expendable, subhuman, deserving of fewer civil rights and civil liberties than the rest of us, et cetera. I refer to fear that works against the common good and drags everyone down. I refer to fear to violates the image of God in anyone. I refer to fear that violates the principle of mutuality, enshrined in the Law of Moses, the teachings of Hebrew prophets, and the ethics of Jesus of Nazareth.
Merry Christmas, O reader! May the love of God in Christ fill your life and transform you daily more nearly into his likeness. May you love like Jesus.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 1, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE THIRD DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF ALBERT BARNES, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, ABOLITIONIONST, AND ALLEGED HERETIC
THE FEAST OF SAINT BRIOC, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT TUDWAL, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF DOUGLASS LETELL RIGHTS, U.S. MORAVIAN MINISTER, SCHOLAR, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF EDWARD TIMOTHY MICKEY, JR., U.S. MORAVIAN BISHOP AND LITURGIST
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Above: Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness, by James Tissot
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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2 Chronicles 10:1-11, 19 or Joshua 2
Psalm 75
Ephesians 1:1-14
Luke 4:1-13
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The Gospel reading for today is one account of the temptation of Jesus. I have written of those temptations and their implications for people and institutions today in other blog posts. (Just follow the germane tags, O reader.) I am not included to repeat myself today–at least not regarding that point.
Perhaps the main temptation I face is to pretend to know more than I do. This is an error of King Rehoboam of Israel/Judah in 2 Chronicles 10. We read of the disastrous consequences for his realm in that chapter. Perhaps one would judge a prostitute harshly. Yet Joshua praises Rahab, who saved the lives of Israelite spies and won a place in Israelite society for herself and her family (Joshua 6:22-25). We even read of her place in the family tree of Jesus (Matthew 1:5).
In God, in Christ, our pretenses prove to be worthless. That which we know is inadequate, and we do not know as much as we imagine. Besides, salvation is not a matter of knowledge. If it were, learning would constitute a saving work. God is sovereign. God knows much more than we do. If we approach God with humility, we will learn more than we can imagine. We will certainly learn how little we know. Perhaps this humility will lead us to become more cautious about judging others.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 15, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZACHARY OF ROME, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JAN ADALBERT BALICKI AND LADISLAUS FINDYSZ, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS IN POLAND
THE FEAST OF OZORA STEARNS DAVIS, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF VETHAPPAN SOLOMON, APOSTLE TO THE NICOBAR ISLANDS
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/03/15/devotion-for-the-second-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-c-humes/
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Above: The Nativity, by John Singleton Copley
Image in the Public Domain
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For Christmas Day, First Service, Year 2, according to the U.S. Presbyterian lectionary of 1966-1970
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Glory be to thee, O God in the highest, who by the birth of thy beloved Son
has made him to be for us both Word and Sacrament:
grant that we may hear thy Word, receive thy grace,
and be made one with him born for our salvation;
even Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Common Worship–Provisional Services (1966), 118
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Isaiah 9:2-7
Hebrews 1:1-12
Matthew 1:18-25
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Christmas devotions occupy the same category as graduation speeches if one is not careful to avoid thoughtless repetition. I endeavor to avoid vain repetition and traditional platitudes.
Isaiah 9 opens with a text, with an uncertain timeframe, about the ideal Davidic king. Is the setting of the text the past or the future–the “prophetic past,” from our perspective? Historical identification seems to settle on Hezekiah, King of Judah (reigned 727/715-698/687 B.C.E.), son of King Ahaz. Matthew 1:23 quotes Isaiah 7:14 in Greek, not Hebrew, probably originally about Hezekiah yet subsequently interpreted to apply to Jesus. One may read about Hezekiah in 1 Kings 18-20 and 2 Chronicles 29-32. These texts make plain that Hezekiah, although great, was flawed.
Hebrews 1:1-12, with its high Christology, makes clear the superiority of Jesus to Hezekiah.
The birth of Jesus was much more important than that of Hezekiah.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 9, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE DAY OF PENTECOST, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF SAINT COLUMBA OF IONA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY AND ABBOT
THE FEAST OF SAINT GIOVANNI MARIA BOCCARDO, FOUNDER OF THE POOR SISTERS OF SAINT CAJETAN/GAETANO; AND HIS BROTHER, SAINT LUIGI BOCCARDO, APOSTLE OF MERCIFUL LOFE
THE FEAST OF JOSE DE ANCHIETA, APOSTLE OF BRAZIL AND FATHER OF BRAZILIAN NATIONAL LITERATURE
THE FEAST OF THOMAS JOSEPH POTTER, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
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Above: St. Joseph, by William Dyce
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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Isaiah 7:10-17
Isaiah 12 (at least verses 2-6)
Romans 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-24
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Ahaz, King of Judah (reigned 743/735-727/715 B.C.E.) was hardly a pious monotheist. In fact, he practiced idolatry openly. 2 Kings 16 and 2 Chronicles 28 gave him scathing reviews. Ahaz, confronted with an alliance of Israel and Aram against him, chose to rely on Assyria, not God. That was a really bad decision. Nevertheless, God sent a sign of deliverance; a young woman of the royal court would have a baby boy. God would not only protect Judah but judge it also.
Surely God is our salvation, but how often do we take the easy way out and not trust in God? When God arrives in the form of a helpless infant, as in Matthew 1, one might not recognize the divine presence. What we expect to see might prevent us from seeing what is in front of us for what it is. God approaches us in many guises, many of them unexpected.
At first reading Romans 1:4 might seem surprising, perhaps even similar to the Adoptionist heresy.
…and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord….
—The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
One might think of John 1:1-18, which declares that the Son is co-eternal with the Father. One might also ponder the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:32-34) as well as the preceding testimony of St. John the Baptist in each Gospel. One might even recall the Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-8; Matthew 17:1-13; Luke 9:28-36).
The proclamation mentioned in Romans 1:4 need not contradict those other proclamations. No, one should interpret it as a subsequent proclamation that Jesus was the Son of God. One should notice the theological context in Romans 1: Easter as the beginning and foretaste of the prophesied age of divine rule on Earth.
“Kingdom of God” has more than one meaning in the New Testament. Usually, though, it indicates divine rule on Earth. This kingdom is evident in the ministry of Jesus in the Gospels, written after the death of St. Paul the Apostle. The Kingdom of God is both present and future; it is here, yet not fully.
As we, being intellectually honest readers of scripture, acknowledge the existence of certain disagreements regarding the dawning of the age of God, according to St. Paul and the authors of the canonical Gospels, may we also never cease to trust in God, regardless of how much evil runs rampant and how much time has elapsed since the times of Jesus and St. Paul. God keeps a schedule we do not see.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 15, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZACHARY OF ROME, POPE
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JAN ADALBERT BALICKI AND LADISLAUS FINDYSZ, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS IN POLAND
THE FEAST OF OZORA STEARNS DAVIS, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF VETHAPPAN SOLOMON, APOSTLE TO THE NICOBAR ISLANDS
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2018/03/15/devotion-for-the-fourth-sunday-of-advent-year-a-humes/
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Above: Scenic View of Desert in Spring
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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Isaiah 35:1-10
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
James 5:7-10
Matthew 1:1-17
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In Isaiah 34 we read of God turning the territory of the enemies of Judah into a desert. In Chapter 35, however, we read of God transforming a desert–making waters burst forth in it–so that exiles from Judah may return to their ancestral homeland in a second Exodus on a highway God has put in place for them. Judgment for some is an occasion of mercy for others. The restoration prayed for in Psalm 80 becomes a reality.
Building up the common good was a theme in the readings for the Second Sunday of Advent. That theme, consistent with the lesson from James 5, has never ceased to be germane. When has habitual grumbling built up the common good or been even selfishly beneficial? It certainly did not improve the lot of those God had liberated from Egypt. The admonition to avoid grumbling has never meant not to pursue justice–not to oppose repressive regimes and exploitative systems. Certainly opposing such evils has always fallen under the heading of building up the common good.
I do find one aspect of James 5:7-11 puzzling, however. That text mentions the endurance of Job, a figure who complained bitterly at great length, and justifiably so. Juxtaposing an admonition against grumbling with a reference to Job’s endurance seems as odd as referring to the alleged patience of the very impatient Job.
The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:1-17 is theological, not literal. The recurrence of 14, the numerical value of the Hebrew letters forming David’s name, is a clue to the theological agenda. The family tree, with surprisingly few named women in it (We know that women were involved in all that begetting.), includes monarchs, Gentiles, and three women with questionable sexual reputations. That is quite a pedigree! That genealogy also makes the point that Jesus was human. This might seem like an obvious point, but one would do well to consider the other alleged sons of deities who supposedly atoned for human sins in competing religions with followers in that part of the world at that time. We know that not one of these figures, such as Mithras, ever existed. The physicality of Jesus of Nazareth, proving that he was no figment of imaginations, is a great truth.
We also know that the Roman Empire remained firmly in power long after the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. The promised reign of God on Earth persists as a hope reserved for the future. In the meantime, we retain the mandate to work for the common good. God will save the world, but we can–and must–leave it better than we found it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 14, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF FANNIE LOU HAMER, PROPHET OF FREEDOM
THE FEAST OF ALFRED LISTER PEACE, ORGANIST IN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND
THE FEAST OF HARRIET KING OSGOOD MUNGER, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF NEHEMIAH GOREH, INDIAN ANGLICAN PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2018/03/14/devotion-for-the-third-sunday-of-advent-year-a-humes/
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Above: The Virgin in Prayer, by Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato
Image in the Public Domain
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FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT, ACCORDING TO A LECTIONARY FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP IN THE BOOK OF WORSHIP FOR CHURCH AND HOME (1965)
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Almighty and everlasting God, you are brightness of faithful souls and the desire of all nations.
So fill the world with your glory and show yourself by the radiance of your light
that all the peoples of the earth may be subject to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
–Modernized from The Book of Worship for Church and Home (1965)
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Isaiah 7:10-14
Psalm 31
Titus 2:11-3:7
Matthew 1:18-25
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The Gospel of Matthew appropriates and reinterprets a story from Isaiah 7. The assigned reading from that story is too short; it should be 7:1-17, at least.
Ahaz (reigned 743/735-727/715 B.C.E.) was the King of Judah. He was one of the many monarchs who received a negative review in the Bible. Jerusalem, Ahaz’s capital city, was under threat from allied forces of Israel (the northern kingdom) and Aram (Syria). God, via the prophet Isaiah, sent a reassuring message to Ahaz; the effort of the two allied kings,
those two smoking stubs of firebrands
–Isaiah 7:4, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
would fail. Ahaz, when prompted to ask for a sign of divine deliverance, pretended to be pious and refused to request a sigh. He received one anyway. A young woman (literally, a maiden) would give birth to a son. The sign of divine deliverance from imminent destruction was new, vulnerable life.
One might be like the author of Psalm 31 and seek refuge in God when under threat. Alternatively, one might be like Ahaz and not seek it yet receive it anyway.
The reading from Titus is disturbing. The author, writing in the name of St. Paul the Apostle, writes a leader of the church on the island of Crete. The assigned portion of this epistle follows directly from verses that indicate that slaves must be thoroughly under the control of their masters and never talk back to them or steal from them. The purpose of slaves behaving “properly” will be
to adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every way.
–Verse 10b, The New American Bible
The pericope indicates a concern for orderliness and obedience to authority, as opposed to lawlessness. We read that we used to be slaves to a range of pleasures of desires. Being that kind of slave is negative in Titus, but being a literal slave is permissible. Huh? Actually, legalized slavery and other forms of institutionalized injustice are worse than lawlessness, for opposition to such injustice is a virtue.
The Letter to Titus indicates the degree to which certain elements of early Christianity accommodated themselves to societal and legal norms of the Roman Empire. I do not advise reflexive contrariness regarding societal and legal norms, but I do state unequivocably that we who claim to follow God–in Christ, in particular–have a moral duty to march to the beat of a different drummer. Whenever law and society are correct, that is wonderful. But whenever law and society are wrong, we have an obligation to say so and to act accordingly. After all, as Titus 2:12 tells us, we should live justly, devoutly, and temperately. And, to delve into an earlier portion of Titus 2, sound teaching is vital.
Slavery is contrary to sound teaching. Here I stand; I will not do otherwise. This is one point on which I differ from the author of the epistle. Another is the affirmation of the slur against Cretans in 1:12-13.
As we await the celebration of the birth of Jesus–certainly new, vulnerable life, may we recommit ourselves in his name–the name of one executed unjustly and legally by the Roman Empire–to a new birth of justice for all in the world.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 28, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS AMBROSE OF MILAN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; MONICA OF HIPPO, MOTHER OF SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO; AND AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP OF HIPPO REGIUS
THE FEAST OF DENIS WORTMAN, U.S. DUTCH REFORMED MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF LAURA S. COPERHAVER, U.S. LUTHERAN HYMN WRITER AND MISSIONARY LEADER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MOSES THE BLACK, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, AND MARTYR
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Above: Jethro and Moses, by James Tissot
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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Exodus 18:13-24
Psalm 69:30-36
1 Timothy 3:1-13
Matthew 1:1-17
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The Gospel of Jesus Christ is one of inclusion–inclusion of all the faithful regardless of gender, ethnicity, national origin, et cetera. In Matthew 1, for example, the author mentions four women (although we know there were more females than that involved in all that begetting), one of whom was a foreigner and three of whom had dubious sexual reputations. Even the aliens and the objects of gossip have vital roles to play in the unfolding of divine purposes. Furthermore, nobody can do everything (as Moses learned), but the division of labor and the faithful attendance to duty can enable the faith community to function as well as possible.
The author of Psalm 69 hates his enemies (who hate him) and asks God to smite them. We tend to omit such angry portions of the Psalms, do we not? They frequently make us squirm in our seats as we identify with those passages and feel less than holy as a result. We prefer to read the other passages–such as the assigned portion of Psalm 69–as we ignore the anger and frustration elsewhere in the same poem.
We cannot become the new creations in Christ we ought to be and fulfill our divine vocations as long as we embrace the desire for revenge. I write from experience. We need to acknowledge that anger and vengeance then give it over to God. We must detach from them if we are to grow fully in Christ, who prayed for the forgiveness of those who crucified him and consented to that execution.
This Sunday falls in the vicinity of New Year’s Day. Therefore I offer a proposed resolution: may we abandon revenge and the desire for it in the new year.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 30, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF JAMES MONTGOMERY, HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHN ROSS MACDUFF AND GEORGE MATHESON, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN MINISTERS AND AUTHORS
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2017/04/30/devotion-for-the-first-sunday-after-christmas-ackerman/
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Above: A Candle
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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Joshua 23:1-16
Psalm 81:(1) 2-9 (10-16) or Psalm 95
Luke 3:23-38 or Matthew 1:1-17
Hebrews 4:1-11 (12-16)
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In distress you called, and I rescued you;
I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
–Psalm 81:7, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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Do not harden your hears, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
when your ancestors tested me,
and put me to the proof though they had seen my work.
–Psalm 95:8-9, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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The Deuteronomistic account of the farewell speech of Joshua son of Nun contains reminders to be faithful to God and not to emulate the pagan neighboring ethnic groups. One may assume safely that at least part of the text is a subsequent invention meant to teach then-contemporary Jews to obey the Law of Moses, unlike many of their ancestors, including many who lived and died after the time of Joshua. The theme of fidelity to God recurs in Hebrews 4, which reminds us that God sees everything we do.
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and magnify your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
–The Collect for Purity, in The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 355
The two options for Gospel readings are mutually inconsistent genealogies of Jesus. Matthew 1, following Jewish practice, divides the past into periods of 14–in this case, 14 generations–14 being the numerical value of “David” in Hebrew. This version of the family tree begins with Abraham and ends with Jesus, thereby setting his story in the context of God’s acts in history and culminating with the Incarnation. This genealogy lists only four women, two of whom were foreigners and three of whom were the subjects of gossip regarding their sex lives. These facts establish an inclusive tone in the text.
The genealogy in Luke 3 starts with Jesus and works backward to the mythical Adam. The fact that the family tree according to the Gospel of Luke goes back past Abraham (the limits of Judaism, which are porous in the genealogy in Matthew 1) makes the Lukan version more inclusive than its counterpart in Matthew. Jesus has kinship with all people–Jews and Gentiles–it teaches. That is consistent with the fact that the initial audience for the Gospel of Luke was Gentile.
The universality of God is a recurring theme in the Bible. The light of God is for all people, although many will reject it at any given time. The neglect that light is a grave error, one which carries with it many negative consequences, both temporal and otherwise. To write off people and populations is another error. Salvation is of the Jews. From them the light of Christ shines upon we Gentiles. Thanks be to God!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 21, 2016 COMMON ERA
PROPER 16: THE FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF JOHN ATHELSTAN LAURIE RILEY, ANGLICAN ECUMENIST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2016/08/21/devotion-for-the-third-sunday-of-advent-year-d/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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