According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
God (YHWH, Elohim, or whichever other name one prefers to use; a Christian term is God the Father) is one. God is sovereign. God is just. These characteristics come from the assigned readings from the Hebrew Bible, before I turn to Romans 8 and John 3.
The readings from Romans 8 and John 3 add Jesus and the Holy Spirit to the mix. Thus, we have all the ingredients for the formula of the Trinity. The word “Trinity” never appears in the New Testament. The ingredients of it do, however. The current, orthodox form of that doctrine is the result of successive councils and rebuttals against heresies during the first few centuries of Christianity.
I have read enough books and portions of books to know that every Trinitarian heresy began as a well-meaning attempt to explain the Trinity. So, I choose not to play that game. No, I embrace the mystery and focus on its meanings. One meaning is that, although God is one, God is complex, not simple.
In Christian terms, spiritual birth via the Holy Spirit is essential. This may be quiet or dramatic. Itay include an event one can mark as the time of spiritual renewal or it may sneak up on someone. I belong the company of people who have, within their active memory, always known God via Jesus. The dates I can mark on a timeline are mostly sacramental. They include one baptism, one confirmation, and three reaffirmations, with each of the last four occurring in the presence of a bishop in Apostolic Succession.
Lutheran minister and liturgist Philip H. Pfatteicher tells us that Trinity Sunday is:
not the feast of a doctrine but…the celebration of the richness of the being of God and the occasion of a thankful review of the now-completed mystery of salvation, which is the work of the Father thorugh the Holy Spirit.
—Commentary on the Lutheran Book of Worship: Lutheran Liturgy in Its Ecumenical Context (1990), 301
So, on Trinity Sunday, as well as all other days, may we thank God for the
now-completed mystery of salvation.
And, with the author of Psalm 96, may we ascribe glory and might to God. May our words, thoughts, and actions glorify God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 27, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-NINTH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF CHARLES HENRY BRENT, EPISCOPAL MISSIONARY BISHOP OF THE PHILIPPINES, BISHOP OF WESTERN NEW YORK, AND ECUMENIST
THE FEAST OF SAINTS NICHOLAS OWEN, THOMAS GARNET, MARK BARKWORTH, EDWARD OLDCORNE, AND RALPH ASHLEY, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1601-1608
THE FEAST OF PETER LUTKIN, EPISCOPAL COMPOSER, LITURGIST, AND MUSIC EDUCATOR
THE FEAST OF ROBERT HALL BAYNES, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF MADAGASCAR
THE FEAST OF SAINT RUPERT OF SALZBURG, APOSTLE OF BAVARIA AND AUSTRIA
THE FEAST OF STANLEY ROTHER, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, MISSIONARY, AND MARTYR IN GUATEMALA, 1981
Psalms 146-150 constitute the concluding doxology of the Hebrew Psalter. Pulling these texts together, a partial list of statements about God emerges:
God heals, restores, and delivers individuals and communities.
God, the Creator, is evident in nature and history.
Nature itself praises God.
God is universal and sovereign.
God, who grants military victory, punishes the wicked.
These themes recur in the Hebrew Psalter, from Psalm 1 to Psalm 145. Rather than repeat many comments from previous posts in this series, I prefer to focus on a point that has become prominent in my theology and prayers. This is also a point about which I have written in this series. Some repetition is inevitable in this series.
I grew up learning about sin. It seemed abstract to me for a long time. The sins about which I learned were mostly personal peccadilloes; collective, institutional sins received less attention. As I aged and read more deeply, I began to focus less on personal peccadilloes (without ignoring them) and to focus more on collective, institutional sins. My inner Reinhold Niebuhr asserted itself. Later, I incorporated sin and repentance into my concept of “God’s best.” I came to think of congregations, communities, et cetera enjoying God’s best for them, and to pray that God’s best for them would be their reality. So, repentance and amendment of life are not mostly about angering or grieving God, lest punishment ensue. No, repentance and amendment of life are mostly about responding faithfully to God in love, awe, and loyalty, and growing into full potential in God. “God’s best” is shalom–complete well-being.
Thank you, O reader, for joining me on this journey through the Book of Psalms. As we take leave of each other, I wish you shalom. May you and yours grow into your full potential in God. May God’s best for you–both individually and in community–become your reality.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 25, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE FOURTH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS THE ELDER, SAINT NONNA, AND THEIR CHILDREN: SAINTS GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS THE YOUNGER, CAESARIUS OF NAZIANZUS, AND GORGONIA OF NAZIANZUS
THE FEAST OF BERNHARDT SEVERIN INGEMANN, DANISH LUTHERAN AUTHOR AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT FELIX VARELA, CUBAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND PATRIOT
THE FEAST OF JOHN ROBERTS, EPISCOPAL MISSIONARY TO THE SHOSHONE AND ARAPAHOE
THE FEAST OF KARL FRIEDRICH LOCHNER, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF THEODOR FLIENDER, RENEWER OF THE FEMALE DIACONATE; AND ELIZABETH FEDDE, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN DEACONESS
The glory of God is a major topic in the Bible. Many of the Psalms deal with that subject. Prophecies of the Day of the Lord/Parousia in both Testaments employ poetic imagery to describe the world order once the fully-realized Kingdom of God becomes reality on the planet. Regardless of the full reality at which human poetry can only hint and imagination can never fully grasp, such descriptions do have an immediate function. They cast the world as it is in a negative light, exposing how far short societies, institutions, norms, and governments fall, relative to divine standards. The apocalyptic imagination is a moral and ethical imagination.
The Gospels contain two accounts of Christ’s rejection at Nazareth. They are plainly two very similar yet slightly different versions of the same event. The key difference from one account to the other is when the audience turns against Jesus. In Matthew 13:54-58, it happens when Jesus speaks wisdom. In that account, people respond by asking,
Where does he get this wisdom from, and these miraculous powers? Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? And are not all his sisters here with us? Where then has he got all this from?
–Matthew 13:54-56, The New English Bible (1970)
In Luke 4:16-24, however, the turn toward hostility comes later, after verses 25-27. Those verses are about God having mercy on Gentiles, including Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-27) and the widow at Zarephath (1 Kings 17:9-24). Given that the original audience for the Gospel of Luke was Gentile, telling the story of the rejection of Jesus in his hometown this way makes sense.
The Lukan version of the rejection at Nazareth also challenges us to confront our provincialism. I am a Gentile, so I like reading about divine graciousness to Gentiles. Nevertheless, to be uncomfortably honest, I must admit that the reminder of divine generosity to certain people and populations can and sometimes does offend me. You may resemble that remark, O reader. If you do, you are not unusual.
All of us need reminders of how far short of divine standards we fall. We may tell ourselves how kind and loving we are. We may even be kind and loving. Nevertheless, all of us can be kinder and more loving. When God shows us how far short of that divine standard we fall, do we reject the message? Or do we confess our sin, repent, and strive, by grace, to do better?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 3, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF CAROLINE CHISHOLM, ENGLISH HUMANITARIAN AND SOCIAL REFORMER
THE FEAST OF ELIAS BOUDINOT, IV, U.S. STATESMAN, PHILANTHROPIST, AND WITNESS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIE-LÉONIE PARADIS, FOUNDRESS OF THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE HOLY FAMILY
THE FEAST OF SAINTS MAURA AND TIMOTHY OF ANTINOE, MARTYRS, 286
THE FEAST OF SAINT TOMASSO ACERBIS, CAPUCHIN FRIAR
A saint, in terms of the New Testament, is a Christian. The concept of Biblical sainthood is that being holy, as YHWH is holy (Leviticus 19:2). Saints (in Daniel 7:18) will receive the Kingdom of God (yes, in the apocalyptic sense of the kingdom).
The backdrop of three of the four readings (except 149) is apocalypse, or rather, the expectation of the apocalypse–the Day of the Lord (in Hebrew Biblical terms) and the eventual (yet delayed) return of Christ in the New Testament lessons. One function of apocalyptic language is to contrast the world order with God’s order, the Kingdom of God. Luke 6:20-31 hits us over the head with this contrast.
The poor are blessed and will inherit the Kingdom of God. The rich, in contrast, are receiving their consolation. (I belong to monthly book group focused on the historical Jesus and the early church. According to what I have read, the correct translation is that the rich are receiving their consolation, not that they have received it.)
The hungry are blessed and will be full. Those who are full will be hungry.
Those who weep are blessed and will laugh. Those who laugh will mourn and weep.
Those who endure hatred and exclusion on account of the Son of Man (a call back to Daniel) are blessed and should rejoice. Those who enjoy respect share accolades with false prophets.
The Bible never says to hate enemies, despite the impressions one may get from certain angry texts, especially in the Book of Psalms. Nevertheless, love of enemies is a difficult commandment. It is possible only via grace.
The Golden Rule is a timeless principle present in most of the world’s religions. Working around the Golden Rule is as ubiquitous as the commandment, unfortunately.
Christian saints are those who, trusting in Christ crucified, resurrected, and sovereign, follow him. They bear the seal of the Holy Spirit and fight spiritual battles daily. And when Christian saints rest from their labors, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gathers them up.
Think about saints you have known, O reader. They probably infuriated you at times. They were human and imperfect, after all. (So are you, of course.) They struggled with forces and problems you may not have been able to grasp. And they struggled faithfully. These saints did the best they could with what they had, as best they knew to do. And they brought joy to your life and helped you spiritually. You probably miss them. I miss mine, too.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 30, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JAMES MONTGOMERY, ANGLICAN AND MORAVIAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF DIET EMAN; HER FIANCÉ, HEIN SIETSMA, MARTYR, 1945; AND HIS BROTHER, HENDRIK “HENK” SIETSMA; RIGHTEOUS AMONG THE NATIONS
THE FEAST OF JAMES RUSSELL MACDUFF AND GEORGE MATHESON, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN MINISTERS AND AUTHORS
THE FEAST OF SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, POET, AUTHOR, EDITOR, AND PROPHETIC WITNESS
Trinity Sunday is one of those feasts for which I dread writing, due to having rewritten the same post repeatedly.
I can, however, bring the readings from Ezekiel, Ephesians, and John together and weave the threads into a pattern. The pattern is one of divine love being consistent with divine judgment and mercy. Judgment need not occur; human repentance is one way to avoid it. Another way of preventing judgment is direct divine action, meant to, among other goals, invite people to repent. One may recall scenes of Jesus associating with notorious sinners in the Gospels, for example. Furthermore, there is the matter of the Atonement. Yet many continue to reject grace. They condemn themselves.
The Holy Trinity is a great mystery. The Church does not grasp this mystery, despite Ecumenical Councils and millennia of theological development. The Eastern and Western branches continue to disagree about the filioque clause of the Nicene Creed. Furthermore, Christological differences separate the Eastern Orthodox from the Oriental Orthodox.
The mystery will sort itself out. We can, however, acknowledge the mystery and listen for the Holy Spirit urging us along spiritual pathways.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 10, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARIE-JOSEPH LAGRANGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF SAINT AGRIPINNUS OF AUTUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; SAINT GERMANUS OF PARIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; AND SAINT DROCTOVEUS OF AUTUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF FOLLIOT SANDFORD PIERPOINT, ANGLICAN EDUCATOR, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN OGLIVIE, SCOTTISH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1615
THE FEAST OF SAINT MACARIUS OF JERUSALEM, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
The Episcopal Church has seven Principal Feasts: Easter Day, Ascension Day, the Day of Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, All Saints’ Day, Christmas Day, and the Epiphany.
The Feast of All Saints, with the date of November 1, seems to have originated in Ireland in the 700s, then spread to England, then to Europe proper. November 1 became the date of the feast throughout Western Europe in 835. There had been a competing date (May 13) in Rome starting in 609 or 610. Anglican tradition retained the date of November 1, starting with The Book of Common Prayer (1549). Many North American Lutherans first observed All Saints’ Day with the Common Service Book (1917). The feast was already present in The Lutheran Hymnary (Norwegian-American, 1913). The Lutheran Hymnal (Missouri Synod, et al, 1941) also included the feast. O the less formal front, prayers for All Saints’ Day were present in the U.S. Presbyterian Book of Common Worship (Revised) (1932), the U.S. Methodist Book of Worship for Church and Home (1945), and their successors.
The Feast of All Saints reminds us that we, as Christians, belong to a large family stretching back to the time of Christ. If one follows the Lutheran custom of commemorating certain key figures from the Hebrew Bible, the family faith lineage predates the conception of Jesus of Nazareth.
At Christ Episcopal Church, Valdosta, Georgia, where I was a member from 1993 to 1996, I participated in a lectionary discussion group during the Sunday School hour. Icons decorated the walls of the room in which we met. The teacher of the class called the saints depicted “the family.”
“The family” surrounds us. It is so numerous that it is “a great cloud of witnesses,” to quote Hebrews 12:1. May we who follow Jesus do so consistently, by grace, and eventually join that great cloud.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 13, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF PETER OF CHELCIC, BOHEMIAN HUSSITE REFORMER; AND GREGORY THE PATRIARCH, FOUNDER OF THE MORAVIAN CHURCH
THE FEAST OF GODFREY THRING, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JANE CREWDSON, ENGLISH QUAKER POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF NARAYAN SESHADRI OF JALNI, INDIAN PRESBYTERIAN EVANGELIST AND “APOSTLE TO THE MANGS”
The psalter of the Septuagint contains 151 psalms.
I have written based on all of them, in numerical order. I have retained the Hebrew numbering system, not that of the Septuagint.
Although I have no theological reticence to venture into textual territory that, according the United Methodism of my youth, is apocryphal, I do have limits. They reside in the realm of Orthodoxy, with its range of scriptural canons. Beyond that one finds the Pseudipigrapha. Psalm 151 concludes the Book of Psalms in The Orthodox Study Bible (2008); so be it.
The Hebrew psalter concludes with Psalm 150. In other psalters, however, the count is higher. In certain editions of the Septuagint, for example, Psalm 151 is an appendix to the Book of Psalms. In other editions of the Septuagint, however, Psalm 151 is an integrated part of the psalter. There is also the matter of the Syraic psalter, which goes as high as Psalm 155. I have no immediate plans to ponder Psalms 152-155, however. Neither do I plan to read and write about Psalms 156-160 any time soon, if ever.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 23, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS MARTIN DE PORRES AND JUAN MACIAS, HUMANITARIANS AND DOMINICAN LAY BROTHERS; SAINT ROSE OF LIMA, HUMANITARIAN AND DOMINICAN SISTER; AND SAINT TURIBIUS OF MOGROVEJO, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF LIMA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM JOHN COPELAND, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
The Book of Common Prayer (1979) includes a plan for reading the Book of Psalms in morning and evening installments for 30 days. I am therefore blogging through the Psalms in 60 posts.
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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 226
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Psalms 146-150 constitute the doxology of the Book of Psalms. Each of these five psalms begins and ends with the same word:
Hallelujah,
literally,
Praise God.
Psalm 147 comes from after the Babylonian Exile. The text praises God, upon whom the faithful depend entirely. God is the One who rebuilds Jerusalem, gathers in exiles, and heals their broken hearts and binds up their wounds. God, we read, values those who acknowledge their dependence on Him and stand in awe of Him; the strength of horses and swiftness of men do not impress Him. One might quote Psalm 146:3-4:
Put not your trust in the great,
in mortal man who cannot save.
His breath departs;
he returns to the dust;
on that day his plans come to nothing.
—TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
The theme of the created order praising the Creator explains the beautiful poetry of Psalm 148. Angels, inanimate objects, beasts, and human beings praise God.
People continue to praise God in Psalms 149 and 150. There is no person who should not praise God, we read. All people should extol God, we read. I am certain that the shackled kings and the nobles bound in iron chains under a divine decree of doom (149:8-9) are not praising God, however. These are people who should have confessed their sins and repented. We human beings do reap what we sow. However, when one reaps negatively, the rest of us need not goat. No, we should grieve.
One can never thank God for every blessing of which one is aware by name because the blessings are so numerous. Many of them are so commonplace that they become mundane, so we simply do not pay attention to a host of them. We miss them when they are absent, however. For example, I enjoy dependable electrical service. I do not think about that very much until a limb falls across a power line during a storm, thereby causing the temporary loss of electrical service. Also, I drive a reliable automobile. I do not thank God for this fact as often as I should.
One can never thank God for every blessing of which one is aware by name, but one can thank God for blessings throughout each day. One can also take some time each day to name a few blessings. The count adds up to great number quickly. The goal of these spiritual exercises is to nurture a mindset of gratitude to God, on whom all of us depend completely.
Hallelujah!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 23, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS MARTIN DE PORRES AND JUAN MACIAS, HUMANITARIANS AND DOMINICAN LAY BROTHERS; SAINT ROSE OF LIMA, HUMANITARIAN AND DOMINICAN SISTER; AND SAINT TURIBIUS OF MOGROVEJO, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF LIMA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM JOHN COPELAND, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
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:
Numbers 10:33-36
Deuteronomy 10:11-12:1
Judges 5:1-31
Song of Songs 4:9-5:16
Isaiah 26:1-21
Psalms 7; 17; 44; 57 or 108; 119:145-176; 149
Matthew 7:1-23
Luke 7:36-8:3
Matthew 27:62-66
1 Corinthians 15:27-34 (35-38) 39-41 (42-58)
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In Luke 7:38 the former Gerasene demoniac, recently healed by Jesus, seeks to follow Jesus physically. Our Lord and Savior has other plans, however. He sends the man away with these instructions:
Go back home and report all that God has done for you.
–Luke 7:39a, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
The text informs us that the man obeyed Jesus.
The theme of the Great Vigil of Easter, as evident in assigned readings, is salvation history. In Hebrew thought God is like what God has done–for groups as well as individuals. The responsibility of those whom God has blessed is to proclaim by words and deeds what God has done–to function as vehicles of grace and to glorify God. Salvation history is important to understand. So is knowing that salvation is an ongoing process.
Happy Easter!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 10, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN NITSCHMANN, SR., MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND BISHOP; DAVID NITSCHMANN, JR., THE SYNDIC, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY BISHOP; AND DAVID NITSCHMANN, THE MARTYR, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF CECIL FRANCES ALEXANDER, POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN LUDWIG BRAU, NORWEGIAN MORAVIAN TEACHER AND POET
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN LEONARDI, FOUNDER OF THE CLERKS REGULAR OF THE MOTHER OF GOD OF LUCCA; AND JOSEPH CALASANCTIUS, FOUNDER OF THE CLERKS REGULAR OF RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS
BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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