Archive for the ‘Psalm 118’ Category
Above: The Angel in the Tomb
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 25:6-9
Psalm 118:1-2, 15-24
1 Corinthians 15:19-28
John 20:1-9 (10-18) or Mark 16:1-8
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O God, you gave your only Son
to suffer death on the cross for our redemption,
and by his glorious resurrection
you delivered us from the power of death.
Make us die every day to sin,
so that we may live with him forever in the joy of the resurrection;
through 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), 20-21
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Almighty God the Father, through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ,
you have overcome death and opened the gate of everlasting life to us.
Grant that we,
who celebrate with joy the day of our Lord’s resurrection,
may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 47
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Isaiah 24-27, part of Third Isaiah, is a proto-apocalypse. Daniel contains a fully fully-developed apocalypse in chapters 7-12, which date to the Hasmonean period. Revelation (the Apocalypse of John) and some pseudepigraphal works are fully-developed apocalypses, too. Isaiah 24-27 contains many of the features of those later writings.
The apocalyptic genre is optimistic, for it proclaims that God will win in the end. The proto-apocalypse in Isaiah 24-27 is optimistic in so far as it speaks of the metaphorical resurrection of Judah while using the language of destroying death and reviving corpses.
The assigned readings, taken together, speak of an illness. A conquered people may move into a better future. And the resurrection of Jesus makes renewed individual and collective life in God possible.
As I write these words, I live in troubled, cynical times. Anti-democratic forces, competing in elections around the world, have much popular support. Sometimes they win elections. Many candidates who speak favorably of family values engage in political bullying and celebrate cruelty and insensitivity. Many such candidates frequently win elections, too. The great web of mutuality that protects members of society–the most vulnerable ones, especially–continues to fray under the assault by a selfish variety of individualism. The morally neutral act of remaining informed regarding current events becomes an occasion of inviting excessive stress into one’s life. Hope seems to be in short supply. Positive statements about the Kingdom of God may ring hollow. One may feel like the women at the empty tomb of Jesus–afraid. I do.
And, when we turn our attention to death itself, we may experience the depths of despair and the harsh reality of someone’s loss. The light may go out of our lives, as it did for Theodore Roosevelt on February 12, 1884, when his mother and first wife died.
I understand my grief well enough to know not to resort to platitudes. I comprehend that death stings. I know from the past and from current events that the world has long been and continues to be rife with delusion and injustice. I, as a student of history, grasp that history does not repeat itself, but that history rhymes. It rhymes because many people fail to learn the lessons of the past.
Yet the Christian hope teaches me that the Reverend Doctor Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1858-1901) was correct:
This is my Father’s world,
O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world:
The battle is not done,
Jesus who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and heaven be one.
–Quoted in The Hymnal (1933), #70
Happy Easter!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 18, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-SECOND DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT LEONIDES OF ALEXANDRIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR, 202; ORIGEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGIAN; SAINT DEMETRIUS OF ALEXANDRIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; AND SAINT ALEXANDER OF JERUSALEM, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN, AND LITURGIST
THE FEAST OF ELIZA SIBBALD ALDERSON, POET AND HYMN WRITER; AND JOHN BACCHUS DYKES, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAUL OF CYPRUS, EASTERN ORTHODOX MARTYR, 760
THE FEAST OF ROBERT WALMSLEY, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post
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I covered 150 psalms in 82 posts.
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Posted February 25, 2023 by neatnik2009 in Psalm 1, Psalm 10, Psalm 100, Psalm 101, Psalm 102, Psalm 103, Psalm 104, Psalm 105, Psalm 106, Psalm 107, Psalm 108, Psalm 109, Psalm 11, Psalm 110, Psalm 111, Psalm 112, Psalm 113, Psalm 114, Psalm 115, Psalm 116, Psalm 117, Psalm 118, Psalm 119, Psalm 12, Psalm 120, Psalm 121, Psalm 122, Psalm 123, Psalm 124, Psalm 125, Psalm 126, Psalm 127, Psalm 128, Psalm 129, Psalm 13, Psalm 130, Psalm 131, Psalm 132, Psalm 133, Psalm 134, Psalm 135, Psalm 136, Psalm 137, Psalm 138, Psalm 139, Psalm 14, Psalm 140, Psalm 141, Psalm 142, Psalm 143, Psalm 144, Psalm 145, Psalm 146, Psalm 147, Psalm 148, Psalm 149, Psalm 15, Psalm 150, Psalm 16, Psalm 17, Psalm 18, Psalm 19, Psalm 2, Psalm 20, Psalm 21, Psalm 22, Psalm 23, Psalm 24, Psalm 25, Psalm 26, Psalm 27, Psalm 28, Psalm 29, Psalm 3, Psalm 30, Psalm 31, Psalm 32, Psalm 33, Psalm 34, Psalm 35, Psalm 36, Psalm 37, Psalm 38, Psalm 39, Psalm 4, Psalm 40, Psalm 41, Psalm 42, Psalm 43, Psalm 44, Psalm 45, Psalm 46, Psalm 47, Psalm 48, Psalm 49, Psalm 5, Psalm 50, Psalm 51, Psalm 52, Psalm 53, Psalm 54, Psalm 55, Psalm 56, Psalm 57, Psalm 58, Psalm 59, Psalm 6, Psalm 60, Psalm 61, Psalm 62, Psalm 63, Psalm 64, Psalm 65, Psalm 66, Psalm 67, Psalm 68, Psalm 69, Psalm 7, Psalm 70, Psalm 71, Psalm 72, Psalm 73, Psalm 74, Psalm 75, Psalm 76, Psalm 77, Psalm 78, Psalm 79, Psalm 8, Psalm 80, Psalm 81, Psalm 82, Psalm 83, Psalm 84, Psalm 85, Psalm 86, Psalm 87, Psalm 88, Psalm 89, Psalm 9, Psalm 90, Psalm 91, Psalm 92, Psalm 93, Psalm 94, Psalm 95, Psalm 96, Psalm 97, Psalm 98, Psalm 99
READING THE BOOK OF PSALMS
PART XLII
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Psalms 56, 116, 117, and 118
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Psalms 56, 116, 117, and 118 are similar to each other.
The superscription of Psalm 56 has two interesting features. The first is:
on yonath elem rehokim.
The Hebrew text translates literally as:
The mute dove of distant places
or as:
The Dove of the Distant Gods
or as:
The Dove of the Far-Off Terebinths.
This is a musical term of uncertain meaning in 2023. One may reasonably assume, however, that the meaning of the term was clear in antiquity, when someone wrote the superscription.
The superscription may also link Psalm 56 to 1 Samuel 21:11-16,
when the Philistines seized [David] in Gath.
If so, Psalm 34 has that in common with Psalm 56. Alternatively, the superscription refers to a story about David not recorded in the canon of Hebrew scripture. I remain skeptical of many superscriptions in the Book of Psalms, though.
All four psalms praise God for hesed–steadfast love. Psalm 117, being brief (only two verses) is the only one of these four texts not to contextualize this praise of God in deliverance from peril–illness in Psalm 116, individual enemies in Psalm 56, and a battle in Psalm 118.
Famously, Psalm 118 contains a frequently quoted verse:
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
–Verse 22, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
Competing interpretations of the identity of the chief cornerstone exist. The Jewish Study Bible–Second Edition (2014) tells me that is a
metaphor of reversal of expectations
and that Israel is the cornerstone. That volume also points to the use of other architectural imagery (gates and gateway) in verses 19-20. Robert Alter identifies the cornerstone as the psalmist, standing in the temple and comparing himself
in his former abject state to a stone at first considered unfit by the builders but then made the chief cornerstone of a grand edifice.
And, of course, there is the traditional “Where’s Waldo?” interpretation that the chief cornerstone is Jesus. My skepticism of locating Jesus in every other nook and cranny of the Hebrew Bible is on the record in this series and elsewhere at this weblog.
Regardless of whether the chief cornerstone is Israel or the author of Psalm 118, this metaphor testifies to the hesed of God, present in all four psalms. God’s love is the cause of the reversal of fortune in Psalms 56, 116, and 118. This grace is not just for any particular person or persons. No, it is for the benefit of many people, if not all people. Blessings are for sharing, after all.
I will pay my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all His people,
in the courts of the house of the LORD,
in the midst of Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
–Psalm 116:18-19, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
Psalm 117 contains a universalist theme:
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
extol Him, all you peoples,
for great is His steadfast love toward us;
the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Hallelujah.
—TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
YHWH is no tribal deity. No, YHWH is the only deity. Divine grace falls where it will, all over the world. It falls upon Jews and Gentiles. Divine grace falls upon people like me and different from me. It falls upon people who think like you, O reader, and people who think differently than you. May all our songs of praise to God for grace and hesed merge into a chorus and benefit as many people as possible.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 16, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ROBERTO DE NOBOLI, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY IN INDIA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BERARD AND HIS COMPANIONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS IN MOROCCO, 1220
THE FEAST OF EDMUND HAMILTON SEARS, U.S. UNITARIAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF EDWARD BUNNETT, ANGLICAN ORGANIST AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF SAINT JUANA MARIA CONDESA LLUCH, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE HANDMAIDS OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, PROTECTRESS OF WORKERS
THE FEAST OF TIMOTHY RICHARD MATTHEWS, ANGLICAN PRIEST, ORGANIST, AND HYMN TUNE COMPOSER
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Above: A Vineyard
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 5:1-7
Psalm 80:7-14 (LBW) or Psalm 118:19-24 (LW)
Philippians 3:12-21
Matthew 21:33-43
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Our Lord Jesus, you have endured
the doubts and foolish questions of every generation.
Forgive us for trying to be judge over you,
and grant us the confident faith to acknowledge you as Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 28
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O God, whose almighty power is made known chiefly
in showing mercy and pity,
grant us the fullness of your grace
that we may be partakers of your heavenly treasures;
through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 84
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The Bible moves past preaching and immediately starts meddling. Good! It ought to do this.
The vineyard is an image of the people of God in the Bible. In Isaiah 5, the image of vineyard full of wild (literally, noxious) grapes condemns the population doomed to suffer exile and occupation. Psalm 80 likens the people of Israel to a vine and prays for the restoration of Israel in the midst of exile. The Parable of the Tenants condemns fruitless religious authority figures–a timeless warning.
That parable also quotes Psalm 119 when the Matthean text refers to the cornerstone the builders had rejected. The cornerstone is a messianic theme, as in Isaiah 8:14; 28:16; and Zechariah 3:9; 4:7. For other applications of the cornerstone to Jesus, read Acts 4:11; Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:4f; Ephesians 2:20; and 1 Corinthians 3:11.
Years ago, I had a discouraging conversation with a female student at the college where I taught. She told me before class one day that she did not care about what happened to and on the Earth, for her citizenship was in Heaven. I vainly attempted to persuade her to care. Her attitude contradicted the Law of Moses, the witness of the Hebrew prophets, the teachings of Jesus, and the epistles–Judaism and Christianity, in other words.
The Golden Rule requires us–collectively and individually–to care for and about each other and the planet. Judaism and Christianity teach that people are stewards–not owners–of the planet. (God is the owner.) The state of ecology indicates that we are terrible stewards, overall. The lack of mutuality during the COVID-19 pandemic proves that many people do not give a damn about others and the common good.
God remains God. God still cares. God cannot exist without caring. That should comfort many people and terrify many others. Divine judgment and mercy remain in balance.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 18, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ARTEMISIA BOWDEN, AFRICAN-AMERICAN EDUCATOR AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST
THE FEAST OF ERDMANN NEUMEISTER, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF FRANCIS JOHN MCCONNELL, U.S. METHODIST BISHOP AND SOCIAL REFORMER
THE FEAST OF JONATHAN FRIEDRICH BAHNMAIER, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF PETTER DASS, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Easter Celtic Cross
Image Scanned from a Church Bulletin
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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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Acts 10:34-43
Psalm 118:1-2, 15-24
Colossians 3:1-4
John 20:1-9 (10-18) or Matthew 28:1-10
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O God, you gave your only Son
to suffer death on the cross for our redemption,
and by his glorious resurrection
you delivered us from the power of death.
Make us die every day to sin,
so that we may live with him forever in the joy of the resurrection;
through 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), 20-21
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Almighty God the Father, through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ,
you have overcome death and opened the gate of everlasting life to us.
Grant that we,
who celebrate with joy the day of our Lord’s resurrection,
may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 47
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I have been writing lectionary-based devotions for more than a decade. In that time, I have exhausted what I can write for the main service of Easter Day.
So be it. Trying to explain the resurrection is pointless. (I have heard people debate the mechanics of it, pointlessly.) One may read an attempt by St. Clement I of Rome, circa 96 C.E., in his Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Clement). That attempt is pious yet inadequate. No explanation is adequate.
Therefore, O reader, I refer you to the assigned readings (especially from the New Testament) and wish you a happy Easter–all fifty days of it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 16, 2022 COMMON ERA
HOLY SATURDAY
THE FEAST OF SAINT BERNADETTE OF LOURDES, ROMAN CATHOLIC VISIONARY
THE FEAST OF CALVIN WEISS LAUFER, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMNODIST
THE FEAST OF ISABELLA GILMORE, ANGLICAN DEACONESS
THE FEAST OF MIKAEL SUMA, ALBANIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, FRIAR, AND MARTYR, 1950
THE FEAST OF PETER WILLIAMS CASSEY, AFRICAN-AMERICAN EPISCOPAL DEACON; AND HIS WIFE, ANNIE BESANT CASSEY, AFRICAN-AMERICAN EPISCOPAL EDUCATOR
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Icon of the Resurrection
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Acts 10:34-43 or Job 19:7-27c
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
1 Corinthians 15:35-50
John 20:1-18
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I am usually at a loss for many words at Easter. In this case, the readings are mostly self-explanatory. For my comments on Job 19:7-17c, however, read the germane posts at this weblog.
Whenever I hear someone go on and on about the crucifixion of Jesus, especially regarding the Atonement, I have a critique. That critique is to keep going. Do not stop at the death of Jesus. Dead Jesus cannot save anyone from anything. No, the Resurrection completed the Atonement.
Christ is alive! It’s true! It’s true!
Happy Easter! Enjoy all 50 days of the season.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 10, 2021
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN THE GOOD, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF MILAN
THE FEAST OF ALLEN WILLIAM CHATFIELD, ANGLICAN PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF IGNATIOUS SPENCER, ANGLICAN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND APOSTLE OF ECUMENICAL PRAYER; AND HIS PROTEGÉE, ELIZABETH PROUT, FOUNDRESS OF THE SISTERS OF THE CROSS AND PASSION
THE FEAST OF MARY LUNDIE DUNCAN, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM GAY BALLANTINE, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, EDUCATOR, SCHOLAR, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2021/01/10/devotion-for-easter-sunday-year-d-humes/
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Above: Ecce Homo, by Luca Giordano
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Procession of the Palms
John 12:12-16
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Liturgy of the Word
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:1-13
John 19:1-42
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I offer, O reader, a few thoughts I hope will prove useful to you. They, nevertheless, can never match the power of the assigned portions of scripture.
Inserting oneself into a Biblical story can be helpful. Ask yourself, O reader,
Who would I have been in this story? What would I have said or done?
The answer may be either pleasant or distressing.
We know from psychology and sociology, as well as from experience, that people will commit some actions and utter some words in a crowd they will not do alone. The group dynamic and the pressure to conform are powerful. Satirists, such as the Yes Men and Sacha Baron Cohen, know this. They use it to peal back the masks concealing the ugly, dark side of human nature, often to the displeasure of their subjects.
Ask yourself, O reader, how easily you, in a world, would have joined in the cry,
Crucify him!
Then ask yourself if you would, a few days earlier, in a different crowd, just as easily have shouted,
Hosanna!
What do your honest answers reveal about you?
Peer pressure has a relatively weak pull on me. I have spent my life resisting peer pressure. Some of my fellow students (my “peers”) bullied me for this reason when I was a youth in public schools in southern Georgia, U.S.A. Some people still criticize me for being rebellious in this way. That is their failing, not mine. “Conformity” is the most profane word in the English language.
Despite my rebellious ways regarding peer pressure, I am not immune to it. I cannot honestly tell you, O reader, that I know I would have resisted the peer pressure to shout,
Crucify him!
That disturbs me.
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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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2021/01/08/devotion-for-palm-passion-sunday-year-d-humes/
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Above: Nicodemus Coming to Jesus, by Henry Ossawa Turner
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 7:1-17 or Proverbs 8:1-21
Psalm 118:14-29
1 Timothy 5:1-16
John 3:1-21
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Divine judgment and mercy exist in balance in the Old and New Testaments. They find balance in Jesus in John 3. Those who reject the light condemn themselves to the darkness. God sends nobody to Hell. All who go there send themselves. We read of the impending doom of the northern Kingdom of Israel in Amos 7. In that passage, we also read that God is in judgment mode.
Proverbs 8 speaks of divine wisdom. That is the wisdom, the persistent, collective rejection which led to the pronouncement of divine judgment in Amos 7. The word of God that Amos proclaimed was treasonous, according to authorities in the Kingdom of Israel. That word of God condemned the leaders who labeled that truth as treason. The Assyrians arrived in force, right on schedule, though. The truth was not treason.
The reading from 1 Timothy 5 speaks to divinely-mandated ethics. The passage also contains some culturally-specific elements that may be irrelevant to your context, O reader. May we not become distracted by those culturally-specific details. The timeless principle is mutuality: We are res[pmsob;e to and for each other. In that timeless context, individual and collective responsibility also exist in balance.
I admit without apology that I am pedantic. My pedantry extends to theology. In the Gospel of John, eternal life is knowing God via Jesus (John 17:3). Within the Johannine context, as in John 3:16, therefore, there is no eternity apart from God–Jesus, to be precise. In other words, eternal life and the afterlife are not synonyms in Johannine theology. “Eternal” describes the quality of life, not the length thereof. I am a generally Johannine Christian, so I understand “eternal life” according to the definition in John 17:3. Nevertheless, outside of the Johannine tradition in the New Testament, the meaning of “eternal” is “everlasting.”
I am not shy about saying and writing openly what I really think: I remain unconvinced that my Jewish elder brothers and sisters in faith are doomed to go to Hell. No, I affirm that their covenant remains in effect. According to Covenantal Nomism, consistently and unrepentantly disregarding the ethical obligations of the Law of Moses causes one to drop out of the covenant. Salvation comes via grace, but damnation comes via works.
The more I age and move away from reflexively Reformation-influenced theology, the more comfortable I become embracing the relationship among faith, works, salvation, and damnation in both Testaments. God cares deeply about how people treat each other, the Bible tells us. We mere mortals may deceive ourselves and each other. We cannot, however, pull the proverbial wool over God’s equally proverbial eyes. Our creeds become evident in our deeds.
Nevertheless, may we avoid the trap of thinking that we deserve salvation. That remains a gift. All who receive it may experience a degree of shock when they realize who else has received it. So be it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 1, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE EIGHTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS
THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE
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Adapted from these posts:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2021/01/01/devotion-for-the-sixth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-d-humes/
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2021/01/01/devotion-for-proper-4-year-d-humes/
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Above: Christ Banishes Tradesmen from the Temple
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 6:1-7 or Proverbs 6:6-22
Psalm 118:1-14
1 Timothy 4:1-16
John 2:13-25
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These five readings, taken together, remind individuals, communities, and populations to obey God’s laws, keep its ethical mandate of mutuality under God, and not to be arrogant while idling in obliviousness to consequences of disobeying divine ethical standards. The Assyrians were on their way in Amos 6. False teachers were troublesome in 1 Timothy 4. Sacred rituals were not talismans in John 2.
Keeping the ethical mandates from God is not a talisman either. One who reads the Gospel of John should notice that Gospel’s placement of the “Temple Incident” (as scholars of the New Testament call it) at the beginning of Christ’s ministry. Such a reader also notices that, according to the Gospel of John, different groups tried for years to kill Jesus throughout the Fourth Gospel. If righteousness were a shield against negative consequences, Jesus would have been the safest person who ever lived.
Unfortunately, old, false ideas remain persistent. (Old, true ideas persisting is positive, of course.) The idea that one is suffering, therefore must have sinned, is false. So is the proposition that one is prosperous and secure, therefore must have done something right and righteous. How many times must one read the Gospel of John, ponder the life of Christ, and read accounts of martyrs before one understands this?
The rain falls on the just and the unjust. Many of the wicked prosper. Many of the righteous struggle and suffer. It is not fair. Life is not fair. Nevertheless, actions do have consequences in this life and in the afterlife. Sometimes we also suffer because of the actions of others. The problem of suffering is too complex for simple answers.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 31, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE SEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF SAINT GIUSEPPINA NICOLI, ITALIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN AND MINISTER TO THE POOR
NEW YEAR’S EVE
THE FEAST OF ROSSITER WORTHINGTON RAYMOND, U.S. NOVELIST, POET, HYMN WRITER, AND MINING ENGINEER
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZOTICUS OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PRIEST AND MARTYR, 351
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Adapted from these posts:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/12/31/devotion-for-the-fifth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-d-humes/
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2020/12/31/devotion-for-proper-3-year-d-humes/
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Above: Icon of the Resurrection
Image in the Public Domain
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For Easter Sunday, 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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Almighty God, who through the resurrection of thine only begotten Son Jesus Christ,
hast overcome death and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life;
assist and support us, we beseech thee, the aspirations of thy heavenly grace,
that dying unto sin always, and living unto righteousness,
we may at last triumph over death and the grave, in the full image of our risen Lord:
to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, world without end. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 163
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Isaiah 25:1-9
Psalm 118:14-29
1 Corinthians 15:12-28
John 20:1-10
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If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
–1 Corinthians 15:19-20, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)
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I am, to a great extent, a product of the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment. I make no apologies for this; I value science, evidence, objective reality, liberty of conscience, constitutional government, human reason, the separation of powers, and the freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and dissent. Call me a radical, if you wish, O reader. I call myself an Episcopalian. I get to believe in Jesus and accept fossil records, rock layers, geological time, dinosaurs, and evolution. I am a modernist in both the Enlightenment and late nineteenth-century meanings of that word.
I do not pretend, however, that my intellectual categories are sufficient for all circumstances. My scientific, Enlightenment, and historical categories prove helpful most of the time. As I age, however, I find, much to my surprise, that mysticism is becoming a more prominent component of my spirituality.
I also understand the difference between faith and proof. I need no faith to accept that which I can prove. I can also disprove many subjective claims by citing objective evidence. Faith his how believes that which is true yet one can neither prove nor disprove.
I know that human nature is corrupted (despite what certain Enlightenment philosophers argued) because I study the past and have something of a grasp of current events. I have as much of a grasp of current events as I can without crossing the line into my spiritual and psychological detriment. I have as much of a grasp of current events as possible without risking turning into General George Patton’s ideal man–one who can swear profanely for three minutes consistently without repeating any word. Human depravity is a certainty–a fact–for me; it is not an article of faith for me. On the other hand, I accept the existence of God on faith. In fact the I reject the possibility of proving the existence of God logically.
Likewise, I believe (trust, literally) in the resurrection of Jesus. I do so by faith. I do not know that the resurrection is true; I believe (trust) that it is. I stake everything on it being true. I know that Jesus was a historical figure, but I believe that he was the incarnate Son of God, crucified and resurrected.
The resurrection of Jesus is one of the relatively few Christian doctrines one must accept to be a Christian. The Virgin Birth is an optional doctrine, for example, but the Incarnation is not. One may also choose to accept or reject the Immaculate Conception of St. Mary of Nazareth and be a Christian either way. (Yes, I understand the difference between the Immaculate Conception and the Virgin Birth. The first sets the stage for the second.) As I was writing, the resurrection of Jesus, like the Incarnation, is mandatory for inclusion in the Christian faith. Without the resurrection, we have a dead Jesus, who cannot save anyone from any sins and their consequences. The resurrection completes the atonement, according to the Classic Theory of the Atonement, or Christus Victor.
The resurrection also contradicts and violates most of my intellectual categories. So be it.
Happy Easter!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 4, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BENEDICT THE AFRICAN, FRANCISCAN FRIAR AND HERMIT
THE FEAST OF ALFRED C. MARBLE, JR., EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF MISSISSIPPI THEN ASSISTING BISHOP OF NORTH CAROLINA
THE FEAST OF ERNEST W. SHURTLEFF, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., U.S. CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER, AND MARTYR, 1968
THE FEAST OF SIDNEY LOVETT, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND CHAPLAIN OF YALE UNIVERSITY
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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