Archive for the ‘Proverbs 1’ Category
Above: Saint Bartholomew, by Antonio Veneziano
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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Amos 5:6-15 or Proverbs 1:20-33
Psalm 115:12-18
1 Timothy 2:1-15
John 1:43-51
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Without getting lost on a side trip through cultural context in 1 Timothy 2, I focus on the core, unifying theme this week: We reap what we sow.
Now they must eat the fruit of their own way,
and with their own devices be glutted.
For the self-will of the simple kills them,
the smugness of fools destroys them.
But he who obeys me dwells in security,
in peace, without fear of harm.
–Proverbs 1:33, The New American Bible (1991)
The crucifixion of Jesus, the blood of the martyrs, and the suffering of the righteous contradicts the last two lines. O, well. The Book of Proverbs is excessively optimistic sometimes. The Book of Ecclesiastes corrects that excessive optimism.
Righteousness is no guarantee against suffering in this life. Nevertheless, we will reap what we sow. Some of the reaping must wait until the afterlife, though.
The New Testament readings point to Jesus, as they should. 1 Timothy gets into some cultural details that do not reflect the reality of Athens, Georgia, in December 2020. I denounce the male chauvinism evident in 1 Timothy 1:9-15. That sexism is of its time and place. I focus instead on God desiring that people find salvation. They do not, of course. Many of them are like the disobedient people in Amos 5 and Proverbs 1.
The divine mandate of economic justice present in Amos 5 remains relevant. It is a mandate consistent with the teachings of Jesus and the ethos of Second Temple Judaism. That divine mandate, built into the Law of Moses, is crucial in Covenantal Nomism. According to Covenantal Nomism, salvation is via grace–birth into the covenant. One drops out of the covenant by consistently and willfully neglecting the ethical demands of the covenant.
In other words, damnation is via works and salvation is via grace.
The reading from John 1 requires some attempt at an explanation. The parts of John 1:35-43 that need to be clear are clear. But, after consulting learned commentaries, I still have no idea what amazed St. Bartholomew/Nathanael the Apostle about Jesus seeing him under a fig tree. I recall having read very educated guesses, though. The crucial aspect of that story is the call to follow Jesus. Also, John 1:43 links Jacob’s Ladder/Staircase/Ramp (Genesis 28:10-17) to the crucifixion (“lifting up”) of Jesus. The Johannine theme of the exaltation of Christ being his crucifixion occurs in Chapter 1, too. The crucifixion of Jesus was the gate of Heaven, according to John 1:43.
That gate is sufficiently narrow to exclude those who exclude themselves. Those who carry with them the luggage of bribery cannot enter. Those who haul along the bags of exploitation of the poor cannot pass. No, those who exclude themselves have done injustice to God and Jesus while exploiting “the least of these.” Those who have excluded themselves must eat the fruit of their own way.
C. S. Lewis wrote that the doors to Hell are locked from the inside.
Think about that, O reader.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 29, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF THE HOLY INNOCENTS (TRANSFERRED)
THE FEAST OF JOHN BURNETT MORRIS, SR., EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND WITNESS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
THE FEAST OF PHILIPP HEINRICH MOLTHER, GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER, BISHOP, COMPOSER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT THOMAS BECKET, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, AND MARTYR, 1170
THE FEAST OF THOMAS COTTERRILL ENGLISH PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND LITURGIST
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/12/29/devotion-for-the-third-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-d-humes/
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Above: Icon of Amos
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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Amos 3:1-8 or Proverbs 1:1-19
Psalm 115:1-11
1 Timothy 1:1-2, 12-17
John 1:35-42
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The Humes lectionary provides two options for the First Reading. I will write about both of them.
Amos 3:1-8 includes a variation on the old saying that great responsibility accompanies great privilege. Grace is free, not cheap. One can never purchase it, but accepting it entails taking on duties. To tie Proverbs 1:1-19 into that principle, one has a duty to show love for God by doing love to one’s fellow human beings. Elsewhere in Amos, we read of greedy, exploitative people, as we do in Proverbs 1:8-19.
These men lie in wait for their own blood,
they set a trap for their own lives.
This is the fate of everyone greedy of loot:
unlawful gain takes away the life of him who acquires it.
–Proverbs 1:18-19, The New American Bible (1991)
Whatever we do to others, we do also to ourselves.
The audience in Amos 3 is collective; it is the people of Israel. To be precise, it is the people of Israel during the reigns of King Azariah (Uzziah) of Judah (785-733 B.C.E.) and King Jeroboam II of Israel (788-747 B.C.E.). The Deuteronomic theology of the Book of Amos teaches that actions have consequences. Obey the Law of Moses, please God, and reap the benefits. Alternatively, disobey the Law of Moses, displease God, and reap the negative consequences. Many of those commandments pertain to social justice, especially economic justice.
Our Western culture, with its pervasive individualism, easily overlooks collective responsibility. Politically, the Right Wing emphasizes individual responsibility. Meanwhile, the Left Wing stresses collective responsibility. Both sides err in so far as they give short shrift to or ignore either type of responsibility. Just as divine judgment and mercy exist in balance, so do individual and collective responsibility. Mutuality holds them in balance.
Psalm 115 condemns idolatry. The real idols are ideas, not objects. A statue of a god, for example, can be a work of art to display in a museum. Idolatry is about misplaced, disordered love, to go Augustinian on you, O reader. In the case of the greedy people in Proverbs 1, their idol was attachment to wealth.
The reading from 1 Timothy 1 reminds us that God embraces repentance. Remorse is an emotion that enables repentance, a series of actions.
Regardless of who wrote or dictated the First Letter to Timothy (probably not St. Paul the Apostle), St. Paul seemed unlikely to have become what he became in God. Saul of Tarsus certainly did not expect it. And, to turn to John 1:35-42, calling St. Simon “Peter,” or “Rock,” may have seemed ironic at first. But Jesus recognized potential in him. St. Simon Peter eventually grew into that potential. St. Paul the Apostle grew into his potential, as well.
If we are to grew into our potential individually, we need the help of God and other people. St. Paul had Ananias. St. Simon Peter had Jesus. Who do you have, O reader?
Likewise, if we are to grow into our potential collectively, we need the help of God and other groups of people. We live in a web of mutuality. We know this, do we not? Globalization, at least, should have taught us that the communities and nation-states can affect the fates of our communities and nation-states.
Will we work for the common good? Or will we persist in delusions of amoral rugged individualism and isolationism?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 28, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST (TRANSFERRED)
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/12/28/devotion-for-the-second-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-d-humes/
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Above: Odd Fellows Widows’ and Orphans’ Home, Corsicana, Texas, 1910
J149681 U.S. Copyright Office
Copyright deposit; Jno. J. Johnson; 1910
Copyright claimant’s address: Ennis, Tex.
Photographer = John J. Johnson
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-USZ62-133853
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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:
Proverbs 1:1-7
Psalm 119:145-176
Mark 12:35-37 or Luke 20:41-47
1 John 2:3-29
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The term “fear of God” should be “awe of God,” for the latter translation conveys the concept accurately. Certain distractions can draw our attention away from God and the awe thereof. Among these are suffering (not necessarily a distraction, per Psalm 119, yet a distraction for many), worldly appetites (also not necessarily distractions inherently, but distractions for many), and false teaching (always a distraction). The issue is idolatry. An idol is an object, teaching, philosophy, or practice that draws attention and awe away from God. Many idols for many people are not idols for many other people. If someone treats something as an idol, it is an idol for that person.
One can seem to be holy and free of idols yet be disingenuous. In the parallel readings from mark (extended) and Luke Jesus condemns those who put on airs of righteousness yet crave public respectability and devour the property of widows, in violation of the Law of Moses. The spiritual successors of the scribes Jesus condemned are numerous, unfortunately. Some of them even have their own television programs.
Public respectability is not a virtue in the Gospel of Luke:
Alas for you when the world speaks well of you! This was the way their ancestors treated the false prophets.
–Luke 6:26, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
That saying’s companion is:
Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, then your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the prophets.
–Luke 6:23, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
This is a devotion for the Feast of the Ascension. The selection of these lections seems odd, I admit, but one can make the connection. After the Ascension Jesus was no longer physically present with his Apostles. Afterward, however, the Holy Spirit descended upon them and empowered them to do much to spread the word of Jesus and to glorify God. Of the original Apostles (including St. Matthias, who replaced Judas Iscariot) only two did not die as martyrs. St. John the Evangelist suffered much for God and died of natural causes. Those Apostles (minus Judas Iscariot) did not crave and did not receive public respectability. They did, however, glorify God and change the world for the better.
May we resist the idol of public respectability and, by grace, live so as to glorify God and benefit our fellow human beings.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 12, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARTIN DOBER, MORAVIAN BISHOP AND HYMN WRITER; JOHANN LEONHARD DOBER, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND BISHOP; AND ANNA SCHINDLER DOBER, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF EDITH CAVELL, NURSE AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT KENNETH OF SCOTLAND, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT NECTARIUS OF CONSTANTINOPLE, ARCHBISHOP
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2016/10/12/devotion-for-the-feast-of-the-ascension-year-d/
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Above: Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Almighty God, you gave us your only Son
to take on our human nature and to illumine the world with your light.
By your grace adopt us as your children and enlighten us with your Spirit,
through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 20
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The Assigned Readings:
Proverbs 1:-17
Psalm 147:12-20
James 3:13-18
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Great is our God and mighty in power;
his wisdom is beyond all telling.
The Lord lifts up the poor,
but casts down the wicked to the ground.
–Psalm 147:5-6, The Book of Common Prayer (2004)
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The two main pericopes for this day contrast divine wisdom and human contrast divine wisdom and human folly and maliciousness. Divine wisdom builds up communities and societies. It is
first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full to mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.
–James 3:17, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
The alleged wisdom of the world, however, is actually folly and maliciousness. It builds up those who practice it, but at the expense of others. And it harms those who practice it, for whatever we do to others, we do to ourselves. “No man is an island,” as John Donne wrote.
I have noticed for years the dismaying practice of engaging in Social Darwinism that would make Herbert Spencer blush and dressing it up as godly. This has been especially egregious in U.S. politics. Often being mean-spirited is better for one’s poll numbers than being compassionate and gentle. Sadly, the condemnations of human folly and maliciousness in Proverbs 1 and James 3 remain relevant, for speaking favorably of programs of social uplift can lead to unjustified allegations from mean-spirited people, many of whom claim allegiance to Jesus.
This is a devotion for the second day of the year. May the new year be a time for increased levels of compassion and gentleness, of love for one’s neighbors (we are all neighbors, according to Jesus), and respect for the inherent dignity of our fellow human beings during all stages of life. Being compassionate and gentle builds up communities and societies. It is good for individuals, none of whom are proverbial islands. It is strength, not weakness, and virtue, not something to mock.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 24, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BARTHOLOMEW, APOSTLE AND MARTYR
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2015/08/24/devotion-for-january-2-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Tobias Saying Good-Bye to His Father, by William-Adolphe Bouguereau
Image in the Public Domain
Tobit had suffered for acting faithfully and compassionately. His son took great risks to help him in the Book of Tobit.
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The Collect:
Almighty and ever-living God, you revealed the incarnation of your Son by the brilliant shining of a star.
Shine the light of your justice always in our hearts and over all lands,
and accept our lives as the treasure we offer in your praise and for your service,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 21
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The Assigned Readings:
Proverbs 1:20-33 (January 3)
Proverbs 3:1-12 (January 4)
Psalm 110 (Both Days)
James 4:1-10 (January 3)
James 4:11-17 (January 4)
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The king at your right hand, O Lord,
shall smite down kings in the day of his wrath.
In all his majesty, he shall judge the nations,
smiting heads over all the wide earth.
–Psalm 110:5-6, Common Worship (2000)
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The assigned readings for these two days include generous amounts of divine judgment and mercy. Obey God’s instructions, they say, and life will be better in the short, medium, and long terms than if one disregards them. Some of the content in Proverbs leans in the direction of Prosperity Theology, unfortunately. Nevertheless, as other passages of scripture indicate, those who suffer for the sake of righteousness do so in the company of God.
James 4, along with the rest of that epistle, focuses on human actions and their spiritual importance. In the Letter of James faith is intellectual, hence the epistle’s theology of justification by works. This does not contradict the Pauline theology of justification by faith, for faith, in Pauline theology, is inherently active. These two parts of the New Testament depart from different places and arrive at the same destination. Recognizing the image of God in others then treating them accordingly is a loving thing to do. It is a faithful thing to do. It is also a frequently dangerous thing to do.
This is a devotion for two days leading up to the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6), the commemoration of the Magi, who put their lives on hold for years and took many risks. The Epiphany is also a feast about the Gospel of Jesus going out to the Gentiles, of which I am one. Part of the significance of the Feast of the Epiphany in my life is the reality that people (especially those different from me) are more than they appear; they are bearers of the divine image. As such, they have inherent dignity and potential. Sometimes I recognize this reality easily in others, but I have a certain difficulty sometimes in recognizing it in those who have wronged me. That is a spiritual issue which James 4:11-12 tells me to address. Grace is available for that, fortunately.
Each of us has spiritual failings to address. May you, O reader, deal with yours successfully, by grace. May you obey God’s commandments and live compassionately, regardless of the costs.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 9, 2014 COMMON ERA
PROPER 27: THE TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF MARTIN CHEMNITZ, GERMAN LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF BARTON STONE, COFOUNDER OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST)
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Adapted from this post:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2014/11/09/devotion-for-january-3-and-4-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Malachi House, St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Dunwoody, Georgia, November 19, 2013
Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
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The Collect:
All-powerful and unseen God, the coming of your light
into our world has brightened weary hearts with peace.
Call us out of darkness, and empower us to proclaim the birth of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 20
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The Assigned Readings:
Proverbs 1:1-7
Psalm 148
James 3:13-18
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Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the world;
Young men and women,
old and young together;
let them praise the name of the Lord.
–Psalm 148:11-12, Common Worship (2000)
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The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and discipline.
–Proverbs 1:7, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
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Peace is the seed-bed of righteousness, and the peacemakers will reap its harvest.
–James 3:18, Revised English Bible (1989)
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The main two readings for today summarize nicely material I have been covering during the last few posts in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America daily lectionary for Year B. Therefore this post seems like an appropriate place to take stock and pull threads together, for the lectionary will look toward the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6) starting with the readings for January 3. Since December 26 we have covered the following material:
- Violent authority figures and suffering innocents,
- Peril for young Jesus,
- Peril for other faithful people,
- The divine commandment to live compassionately,
- Mutual responsibility in societies,
- The divine commandment to lead disciplined lives, and
- Economic exploitation.
To that list James adds putting away jealousy, rivalry, and their evil offspring, some of which the list enumerates.
As I have written many times, fear brings out the worst in people often. We humans tend to justify violence toward and exploitation of others in the name of taking care of ourselves and those near us and similar to us. For the same reason we also tend to justify denying others basic civil rights and liberties. When we do so we hurt ourselves, for we rely on others as much as we bear responsibility for them. Each of us in our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper. That which we do others we do to ourselves, but often we do not recognize that reality.
May the new year be a time to focus on compassionate living, which requires one to get outside of oneself and think about the best interests of others.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 9, 2014 COMMON ERA
PROPER 27: THE TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF MARTIN CHEMNITZ, GERMAN LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF BARTON STONE, COFOUNDER OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST)
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Adapted from this post:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2014/11/09/devotion-for-january-2-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: King Solomon’s Court
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Beloved and sovereign God,
through the death and resurrection of your Son
you bring us into your kingdom of justice and mercy.
By your Spirit, give us your wisdom,
that we may treasure the life that comes from
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 43
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Kings 3:16-28 (Monday)
1 Kings 4:29-34 (Tuesday)
Proverbs 1:1-7, 20-33 (Wednesday)
Psalm 119:121-128 (All Days)
James 3:13-18 (Monday)
Ephesians 6:10-18 (Tuesday)
Mark 4:30-34 (Wednesday)
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I am your servant; grant me understanding,
that I may know your decrees.
–Psalm 119:125, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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The Biblical authors, although usually honest about the faults of heroic or allegedly heroic figures, nevertheless created a tapestry of ancient texts which sometimes overplays the virtues of certain people. If David really was, for example, a man after God’s own heart, I have a major problem with the nature of God. And, although the narrative of 1 Kings turned against Solomon after Chapter 4, Chapter 2 contained troubling information about the methods by which the new monarch consolidated his power and eliminated his rivals. Thus the positive discussion of Solomon’s wisdom in Chapters 3 and 4 rings hollow for me. Nevertheless, the much vaunted wisdom won him such a reputation that tradition has credited him with writing Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, historically dubious claims.
Perhaps nostalgia from a time after the division of the united monarchy–a split due in large part to Solomon’s own domestic policies–accounted primarily for the minimization of the acknowledged faults of David and Solomon. I consider what the Bible tells me of those two kings and ponder Proverbs 1:7 (The New Revised Standard Version, 1989):
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Then I consider incidents from their lives and interpret the verse as a negative commentary on them. I arrive at the same conclusion regarding this passage:
The wisdom that comes from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, approachable, full of merciful thoughts and kindly actions, straight forward, with no hint of hypocrisy. And the peacemakers go on quietly sowing for a harvest of righteousness.
–James 3:17-18, J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English, Revised Edition, 1972
I think also of the large plant which grows from a mustard seed. (The mustard seed is not actually the smallest seed, but Jesus did not attend school to study horticulture. Besides, there is a rhetorical device called hyperbole, which we find in the Bible.) From that very small seed comes a large, pesky plant–a weed–to which the parable likens the Kingdom of God. The kingdom, like the mustard plant, provides shelter for a variety of creatures and goes where it will. One knows that not everyone in the Kingdom of God gets along well with each other, so this analogy is worth considering with regard to how we think of those who differ from us and are also of God.
David and Solomon presided over a kingdom built on force and compulsion, as political states are by nature. Their Kingdom of Israel also sat on a foundation composed partially of economic injustice, evident partly in artificial scarcity. In the weed-like Kingdom of God, however, there is no scarcity; everybody has enough. The Kingdom of God functioned partially as a negative commentary on political-religious-economic realities within the Roman Empire at the time of Jesus and the early Church, contributing to his crucifixion. The Kingdom of God continues to indict all forms of exploitation and injustice, including those which people have institutionalized.
The purpose of the Gospel, I have heard, is to comfort the afflict the comfortable and to comfort the afflicted. Are we among the comfortable or the afflicted?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 14, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BASIL THE GREAT, FATHER OF EASTERN MONASTICISM
THE FEAST OF DOROTHY FRANCES BLOMFIELD GURNEY, ENGLISH POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT METHODIUS I OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PATRIARCH
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Adapted from This Post:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/devotion-for-monday-tuesday-and-wednesday-after-proper-12-year-a-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: The Resurrection of Lazarus, by Vincent Van Gogh
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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 everlasting 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:
Proverbs 1:8-33 (June 5)
Proverbs 3:5-24 (June 6)
Psalm 65 (Morning–June 5)
Psalm 143 (Morning–June 6)
Psalms 125 and 91 (Evening–June 5)
Psalms 81 and 116 (Evening–June 6)
John 11:17-37 (June 5)
John 11:38-57 (June 6)
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Some Related Posts:
John 11:
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/fifth-sunday-in-lent-year-a/
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/thirty-fourth-day-of-lent/
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The readings from Proverbs offer useful advice, including counsel not to join a violent gang. Yet Proverbs 3 is overly optimistic; following divine wisdom does not always lead to safety. Consider John 11, for example; Jesus was in real peril, and he would die violently a few days later.
Varying perspectives within the Bible constitute old news. The Torah emphasizes divine revelation yet Proverbs places great trust in human reason. Ecclesiastes contradicts the optimistic tone of much of Proverbs. And Ecclesiastes disagrees with itself as to whether a woman is, for a man, a legitimate source of pleasure or a gateway to sin. None of this troubles me, for I know that the Bible comes from a variety of voices and sources. The inspiration of Scripture does not indicate internal and universal consistency, for it is an anthology with a strong human element.
Yet the Gospels override when an inconsistency occurs. The example of Jesus overrules the optimism of Proverbs 3. I am a Christian–a follower of Jesus Christ, after all. What else am I supposed to affirm?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 8, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF BETTY FORD, U.S. FIRST LADY AND ADVOCATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
THE FEAST OF ALBERT RHETT STUART, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF GEORGIA
THE FEAST OF BROOKE FOSS WESTCOTT, ANGLICAN BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT GRIMWALD, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
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Adapted from this post:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/devotion-for-june-5-and-6-in-ordinary-time-lcms-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Christ Pantocrator
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FIRST READING AND PSALM: OPTION #1
Proverbs 1:20-33 (New Revised Standard Version):
Wisdom cries out in the street;
in the squares she raises her voice.
At the busiest corner she cries out;
at the entrance of the city she speaks;
How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
Give heed to my reproof;
I will pour out my thoughts to you;
I will make my words known to you.
Because I have called you and you refused,
have stretched out my hand and no one heeded,
and because you have ignored all my counsel
and would have none of my reproof,
I also laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when panic strikes you,
when panic strikes you like a storm,
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
They will not call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently, but will not find me.
Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the LORD,
would have none of my counsel,
and despised all my reproof,
therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way
and be sated with their devices.
For waywardness kills the simple,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
but those who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.
Psalm 19 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament shows his handiwork.
2 One day tells its tale to another,
and one night imparts knowledge to another.
3 Although they have no words or language,
and their voices are not heard,
4 Their sound has gone out into all lands,
and their message to the ends of the world.
5 In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun;
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
it rejoices like a champion to run its course.
6 It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
and runs about to the end of it again;
nothing is hidden from its burning heat.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect and revives the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent.
8 The statutes of the LORD are just and rejoice the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is clear and gives light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean and endures for ever,
the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold more than much fine gold,
sweeter far than honey, than honey in the comb.
11 By them also is your servant enlightened,
and in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can tell how often he offends?
cleanse me from my secret faults?
13 Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
let them not get dominion over me;
then shall I be whole and sound,
and innocent of a great offense.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,
O LORD, my strength and my redeemer.
or
Wisdom of Solomon 7:26-8:1 (Revised English Bible):
She [Wisdom] is the radiance that streams from everlasting light, the flawless mirror of the active power of God, and the image of his goodness. She is but one, yet can do all things; herself unchanging, she makes all things new; age after age she enters into holy souls, and makes them friends of God and prophets, for nothing is acceptable to God but the person who makes his home with wisdom. She is more beautiful than the sun, and surpasses every constellation. Compared with the light of day, she is found to excel, for day gives place to night, but against wisdom no evil can prevail. She spans the world in power from end to end, and gently orders all things.
FIRST READING AND PSALM: OPTION #2
Isaiah 50:4-9a (New Revised Standard Version):
The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher,
that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.
Morning by morning he wakens–
wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.
The Lord GOD has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious,
I did not turn backward.
I gave my back to those who struck me,
and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;
I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.
The Lord GOD helps me;
therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
he who vindicates me is near.
Who will contend with me?
Let us stand up together.
Who are my adversaries?
Let them confront me.
It is the Lord GOD who helps me;
who will declare me guilty?
Psalm 116:1-8 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 I love the LORD, because he has heard the voice of my supplication,
because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him.
2 The cords of death entangled me;
the grip of the grave took hold of me;
O came to grief and sorrow.
3 Then I called upon the Name of the LORD;
“O LORD, I pray you, save my life.”
4 Gracious is the LORD and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
5 The LORD watches over the innocent;
I was brought very low, and he helped me.
6 Turn again to your rest, O my soul,
for the LORD has treated you well.
7 For you have rescued my life from death,
my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.
8 I will walk in the presence of the LORD
in the land of the living.
SECOND READING
James 3:1-12 (Revised English Bible):
My friends, not many of you should become teachers, for you may be certain that we who teach will ourselves face severer judgement. All of us go wrong again and again; a man who never says anything wrong is perfect and is capable of controlling every part of his body. When we put a bit into a horse’s mouth to make it obey our will, we can direct the whole animal. Or think of a ship: large though it may be and driven by gales, it can be steered by a very small rudder on whatever course the helmsman chooses. So with the tongue; it is small, but its pretensions are great.
What a vast amount of timber can be set ablaze by the tiniest spark! And the tongue is a fire, representing in our body the whole wicked world. It pollutes our whole being, it sets the whole course of our existence alight, and its flames are fed by hell. Beasts and birds of every kind, creatures that crawl on the ground or swim in the sea, can be subdued and have been subdued by man; but no one can subdue the tongue. It is an evil thing, restless and charged with deadly venom. We use it to praise our Lord and Father; then we use it to praise our Lord and Father; then we use it to invoke curses on our fellow-men, though they are made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and curses. This should not be so, my friends. Does a fountain flow with both fresh and brackish water from the same outlet? My friends, can a fig tree produce olives, or a grape vine produce figs? No more can salt water produce fresh?
GOSPEL READING
Mark 8:27-38 (Revised English Bible):
Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi, and on the way he asked his disciples,
Who do people say that I am?
They answered,
Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, others one of the prophets.
He asked,
And you, who do you say that I am?
Peter replied,
You are the Messiah.
Then he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him; and he began to teach them that the Son of Man had to endure great suffering, and to be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes; to be put to death, and to rise again three days afterwards. He spoke about it plainly. At this Peter took hold of him and began to rebuke him. But Jesus, turning and looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter.
Out of my sight, Satan!
he said.
You think as men think, not as God thinks.
Then he called the people to him, as well as his disciples, and said to them,
Anyone who wants to be a follower of mine must renounce self; he must take up his cross and follow me. Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel’s will save it. What does anyone gain by winning the whole world at the cost of his life? What can he give to buy his life back? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this wicked and godless age, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
The Collect:
O God, because without you we are not able to please you mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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Some Related Posts:
Feast of the Confession of Saint Peter the Apostle (January 18):
http://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2010/06/11/feast-of-the-confession-of-st-peter-the-apostle-january-18/
Isaiah 50:
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/thirty-seventh-day-of-lent-wednesday-in-holy-week/
Wisdom of Solomon 7-8:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/05/20/week-of-proper-27-thursday-year-1/
James 3:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/week-of-6-epiphany-saturday-year-2/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/week-of-proper-1-saturday-year-2/
Mark 8:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/11/13/week-of-proper-1-thursday-year-1/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/11/13/week-of-proper-1-friday-year-1/
Matthew 16 (Parallel to Mark 8):
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/week-of-proper-13-thursday-year-1/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/week-of-proper-13-friday-year-1/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/week-of-proper-13-thursday-year-1/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/week-of-proper-13-friday-year-1/
Luke 9 (Parallel to Mark 8):
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/week-of-proper-20-friday-year-1/
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/second-day-of-lent/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/week-of-proper-20-friday-year-1/
Thou Art the Way:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/thou-art-the-way/
Be Thou My Vision:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/08/03/be-thou-my-vision/
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The lessons from Proverbs and the Wisdom of Solomon personify divine wisdom as a woman. The Greek word for wisdom gives us a female name, Sophia. As one who admires (yet does not understand) womankind, I find the idea of wisdom as feminine (while sheer might is masculine) sensible. These are metaphors, of course, so we ought to look through them to the truth behind them. God exists beyond our notions of sexuality and gender, but we do not.
Anyhow, the theology of Sophia did influence that of the Logos, which the Johannine Gospel identifies with Jesus. That is a summary of part of the history of Christian thought. Just making objectively lineage does not interest me, however. The implications of the Sophia-Logos connection do fascinate me, but I leave those for another day. The existence of that connection does provide me with a beginning point for theological rumination.
If people knew what was good for them and acted accordingly, they obeyed the words of divine wisdom, a figure which the Wisdom of Solomon describes as
a reflection of eternal light,
a spotless mirror of the working of God,
and an image of his goodness.
–7:26, New Revised Standard Version
Thus we read, for example, of the afflictions of the suffering servant in Isaiah 50, the dangers of the wrong uses of the tongue in James 3, and the impending suffering and execution of Jesus in Mark 8. If more people knew what is good for them and were to act accordingly, they would heed the words and example of Jesus, the Logos of God. If more historical figures, long since dead, had known what was good for them and acted accordingly, they would not have crucified Jesus or consented to his execution. There would have been less suffering. The suffering servant did not have to suffer, but the combination of his fidelity and the perfidy of others caused that suffering.
I like to study the lives of the saints, canonized and/or beatified or not. In my tradition, Anglicanism, history makes saints. And, as the keeper of my own Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, I do not depend on even my own ecclesiastical authorities to define who is a saint worthy of recognition. So, as I research church history, I read about many people I have come to admire. A vast number of them are martyrs and many others have suffered greatly due to their Christian faith. Often the persecutors have belonged to other religions or have been Atheists, but sometimes professing Christians have oppressed and even killed each other. I wonder how I would have acted had I been in the places of the saints I admire. The honest answer in my conscience troubles me; I would most likely have used my tongue to curse, not bless. I have done done so in less trying situations.
I have much yet to learn from divine wisdom and the Logos. In this I am far from alone. So, setting aside all recrimination, especially self-condemnation, may we, aware that we are in the same boat, support each other in our journeys toward lives of increased wisdom.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 20, 2011 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHN HARRIS BURT, EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF BERTILLA BOSCARDIN, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN AND NURSE
THE FEAST OF TARORE OF WAHAORA, ANGLICAN MARTYR IN AOTEAROA/NEW ZEALAND
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Published originally at ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS BY KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR on October 20, 2011
Adapted from this post:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/proper-19-year-b/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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