According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)

Above:  Moses with the Ten Commandments, by Rembrandt van Rijn

Image in the Public Domain

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Exodus 20:1-17

Psalm 19:7-14

1 Corinthians 1:22-25

John 2:13-22

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Eternal Lord, your kingdom has broken into our troubled world

through the life, death, and resurrection of your Son. 

Help us to hear your Word and obey it,

so that we become instruments of your redeeming love;

through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 18

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Almighty God, because you know

that we of ourselves have no strength,

keep us both outwardly and inwardly that we may be defended

from all adversities that may happen to the body

and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul;

through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

—Lutheran Worship (1982), 36

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Anti-intellectualism, rife in segments of the Christian tradition, is unfortunate and destructive.  I, as an intellectual, recall being int the presence of professing Christians who have spoken dismissively of education and of having a faith allegedly superior to those of educated people.  I also recall hearing to my face that I will go to Hell for asking too many questions and thinking too much.  I bristle whenever I sense that anyone is even getting close to this attitude.

Willful ignorance is not a saving work.  Neither is it a theological virtue.

The wisdom in 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 is speculative, philosophical wisdom of the Greek variety.  As much as I value the Greek philosophical foundations of Western civilization, I do not mistake them for anything salvific.  In context in 1 Corinthians, the message of St. Paul the Apostle is that salvation via Christ violates expectations, whether from Jewish tradition or Greek philosophy.  In other words, God refuses to fit into our theological and philosophical boxes.

Instead of speculative wisdom, we have a covenant with God.  We have a covenant into which God invites us–Jesus and Gentiles alike.  Actually, the Jews have the older covenant.  The Gentiles have a separate covenant.  Both covenants lead to the same result.  Both covenants impose moral demands upon those in covenant relationship with God.  Those moral demands pertain to how we treat each other, both individually and collectively.  Those moral demands boil down to the Golden Rule.

So, Jews and Gentile Christians alike can say, with equal conviction:

The LORD’s teaching is perfect,

restoring to life.

The LORD’s pact is steadfast,

it makes the fool wise.

The LORD’s precepts are upright;

delighting the heart.

–Psalm 19:8-9a, Robert Alter

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MARCH 16, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE TWENTIETH DAY OF LENT

THE FEAST OF SAINT ADALBALD OF OSTEVANT, SAINT RICTRUDIS OF MARCHIENNES, AND THEIR RELATIONS

THE FEAST OF SAINT ABRAHAM KIDUNAIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT; AND SAINT MARY OF EDESSA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ANCHORESS

THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN CACCIAFRONTE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, BISHOP, AND MARTYR, 1183

THE FEAST OF SAINT MEGINGAUD OF WURZBURG, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND BISHOP

THE FEAST OF THOMAS WYATT TURNER, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC SCIENTIST, EDUCATOR, AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST; FOUNDER OF FEDERATED COLORED CATHOLICS

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM HENRY MONK, ANGLICAN ORGANIST, HYMN TUNE COMPOSER, AND MUSIC EDUCATOR

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Adapted from this post

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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)

Above:  U.S. Highway 93, Near Ely, Nevada

Image Source = Google Earth

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Isaiah 40:1-10

Psalm 85 (LBW) or Psalm 19 (LW)

2 Peter 3:8-14

Mark 1:1-8

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Stir up in our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the way for your only Son. 

By his coming give us strength in our conflicts

and shed light on our path through the darkness of the world; 

through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.  Amen.

—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 13

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Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of your only-begotten Son

that at his second coming we may worship him in purity;

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.  Amen.

—Lutheran Worship (1982), 11

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The assigned readings for this week, taken together, are more positive in tone than last week’s readings.  God forgives us, both individually and collectively.  In Isaiah 40, the focus is on the impending end of the Babylonian Exile, followed by a second Exodus.  Yet none of this absolves us–individually and collectively–of our obligations to God and each other.  The seeming delay in divine actions is to our advantage, we read.  We–individually and collectively–need to use this gift of time well.  And, when God does act, the manner of that action may not be what we–individually and collectively–expect.  So, we may miss it if we are not properly attentive.

Expectations can be tricky.  They establish a standard of human satisfaction or disappointment.  This standard may be unfair.  We human beings are entitled to our informed opinions.  Alas, many expectations flow from uninformed opinions.  Therefore, we may unwittingly set ourselves–individually and collectively–up for disappointment.  Then we complain to God, as if God is responsible for our disappointment.

Arguing faithfully with God is my second favorite aspect of Judaism.  (Monotheism is my first.)  I, as a Christian, embrace arguing with God as part of my inheritance from Judaism.  Yet I grasp that arguing faithfully differs from merely arguing.  Merely arguing can function as a distraction from admitting how little I know.

Isaiah 40:8, in Robert Alter’s translation, reads:

Grass dries up, the flower fades,

but the word of our God stands forever.

The “word,” in this case, means what God says, not any particular canon of scripture.  The word of God, whom we can describe partially and never fully understand, stands forever.  In other words, God is faithful forever.  And God refuses to fit inside any theological box.

Does that disappoint us?  If so, it is our problem, not God’s.

I know an Episcopal priest who deals deftly with people who tell him they do not believe in God.  He asks these individuals to describe the God in whom they do not believe.  They invariably describe a deity in whom the priest does not believe either.

God created us in the divine image.  We have imagined God in our image.  Then we have become disappointed with this false image of God while mistaking it for God.  This is one of those forms of “unperceived guilt” (Psalm 19:13, TANAKH:  The Holy Scriptures) of which we need God to clear us.

By grace, may we perceive and frolic in the gracious surprises of God.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

FEBRUARY 28, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE SEVENTH DAY OF LENT

THE FEAST OF ANNA JULIA HAYWARD COOPER AND ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, AFRICAN-AMERICAN EDUCATORS

THE FEAST OF MARY LYON, U.S. CONGREGRATIONALIST FEMINIST AND EDUCATOR

THE FEAST OF JOSEPH BADGER, SR., U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST AND PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER; FIRST MISSIONARY TO THE WESTERN RESERVE

THE FEAST OF SAMUEL SIMON SCHMUCKER, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, AND SOCIAL REFORMER

THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN CASSIAN AND JOHN CLIMACUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONKS AND SPIRITUAL WRITERS (TRANSFERRED FROM FEBRUARY 29)

THE FEAST OF SAINT LUIS DE LEON, SPANISH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (TRANSFERRED FROM FEBRUARY 29)

THE FEAST OF PATRICK HAMILTON, FIRST SCOTTISH PROTESTANT MARTYR, 1528 (TRANSFERRED FROM FEBRUARY 29)

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Adapted from this post

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I covered 150 psalms in 82 posts.

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READING THE BOOK OF PSALMS

PART VIII

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Psalms 8, 19, and 104

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Psalms, 8, 19, and 104 share the theme of God in creation.  God, who provides for the creatures, has made human beings little lower than the elohim, literally.  And divine glory permeates the created order.  Human beings have received the responsibility of exercising stewardship of nature.

We have failed, obviously.  We have mistaken stewardship for ownership and the license for pollution and exploitation, usually in the name of short-term profits.

God delights in nature.  Psalm 104 speaks of

Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.

We should also delight in nature.

The created order depends entirely on God.  Human beings, as part of the created order, depend entirely upon God.  Many of us labor under the delusion of rugged independence, though.  Biblically, this is the essence of wickedness.  When we imagine that we must and can rely on ourselves, the ends may seem to justify the means.

Elohim is an interesting word.  It can mean “God” or “gods.”  Elohim is plural.  Yet, in Hebrew, it usually functions as singular.  Elohim is a linguistic fossil of Hebrew polytheism.  And, in Psalm 8, many translators render elohim as “the angels.”  TANAKH:  The Holy Scriptures translates elohim as “divine” in Psalm 8.  Mitchell J. Dahood’s translation is literal; people are

a little lower than the gods.

When we recall Genesis 1, we may remember that people bear the image of God.  Tselem is literally “idol,” not “image.”  In other words, we meet God in human beings.  We may also remember that God had pronounced human beings “very good” and other creations “good.”  So, we are little less than divine.

The myth of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) condemns the collective arrogance that results from forgetting our place–higher than other animals and lower that God.  We may vainly imagine ourselves to be all that and a bag of potato chips.  Yet God, poetically, still has to come down and squint to see the projects of which we are so proud.  Hubris goes before the fall.  And, historically, the myth is a way of dividing the Mesopotamian empires that had menaced Israel and Judah.

When we accept that we all stand together before God, we can better treasure nature and each other.  May we do so.  May we transform our planet and our societies for the better.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 15, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE NINETEENTH DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A

THE FEAST OF THOMAS BENSON POLLOCK, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF FRED D. GEALY, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER, MISSIONARY, MUSICIAN, AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR

THE FEAST OF HENRY FOTHERGILL CHORLEY, ENGLISH NOVELIST, PLAYWRIGHT, AND LITERARY AND MUSIC CRITIC

THE FEAST OF JOHN HORDEN, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF MOOSENEE

THE FEAST OF RALPH WARDLAW, SCOTTISH CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND LITURGIST

THE FEAST OF ROBERT MCDONALD, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND MISSIONARY

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Above:  Icon of St. Lydia of Thyatira

Image in the Public Domain

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For the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, Year 2

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Lectionary from A Book of Worship for Free Churches (The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, 1948)

Collect from The Book of Worship (Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1947)

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Keep, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy Church with thy perpetual mercy;

and because the frailty of men without thee cannot but fail,

keep us ever by thy help from all things hurtful,

and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

—The Book of Worship (1947), 210

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Proverbs 4:14-23

Psalm 19

Acts 16:1-18

Luke 17:11-19

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How grateful are we toward God–perhaps Jesus, in particular?

The reading from Luke 17 brings us to the familiar story of ten “lepers.”  Whatever medical condition they suffered from, it was not Hansen’s Disease.  It did, however, render the “lepers” ritually impure and separate them from their families and communities.  Their cleansing restored them to their families and communities.  Yet only one “leper” returned to express gratitude.

God, present in the Law of Moses and in the witness of the prophets, was also present in Jesus of Nazareth.  God was present, furthermore, in the witness of St. Paul the Apostle.  St. Lydia of Thyatira received the message of Jesus gratefully, then acted accordingly.

May we respond favorably to God every day.  “Thank you” is a good start.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JANUARY 21, 2021 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINTS MIROCLES OF MILAN AND EPIPHANIUS OF PAVIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS

THE FEAST OF SAINTS ALBAN ROE AND THOMAS REYNOLDS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND MARTYRS, 1642

THE FEAST OF EDGAR J. GOODSPEED, U.S. BAPTIST BIBLICAL SCHOLAR AND TRANSLATOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN YI YON-ON, ROMAN CATHOLIC CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN KOREA, 1867

THE FEAST OF W. SIBLEY TOWNER, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR

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Above:  The Miracle of the Catch of 153 Fish

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 15:1-11

Psalm 19

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

John 21:1-14

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Psalm 19 tells us that divine teaching is perfect and that it renews life and makes the simple wise.  Objectively, circumcision is part of the Law of Moses (Leviticus 12:3).  Objectively, circumcision is a Biblical practice since Genesis 17:9-14.  One need not think of of Judaizers at the time of earliest Christianity as evil people.

Yet consider the argument of St. Paul the Apostle in Acts 15:7b-12, O reader.  Why ignore the absence of any mention of circumcision in Deuteronomy?  Why overlook the references to “circumcision of the heart” in Deuteronomy 10:16 and 30:6?  And why value circumcision of the flesh more than “circumcision of the heart” (Jeremiah 9:25-36)?  Why overlook the lesser emphasis on physical circumcision before the Babylonian Exile relative to during and after the Babylonian Exile?

Circumcision was also a matter of identity.  It marked a man as belonging to the covenant.

One person’s mark of identity can be another person’s barrier, though.  This is where the reading from Acts 15 hits home for you, O reader, and for me.  Each of us has something that is a matter of spiritual identity.  That something is also an obstacle to someone else.  How can we remain faithful to God without throwing out the proverbial bathwater?  How can we know what we must retain at all costs?  I offer no easy answers to challenging questions.

The reading from 2 Thessalonians 2 refers to apostasy–turning away from God.  Returning to fishing in John 21 may not have constituted apostasy, but it was a bad idea.  The question of what to do next was challenging.  The old and familiar pattern had an appeal.  Continuing to follow Jesus was a better idea.

May we find our identity in following Jesus.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JANUARY 11, 2021 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT THEODOSIUS THE CENOBIARCH, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK

THE FEAST OF CHARLES WILLIAM EVEREST, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF MIEP GIES, RIGHTEOUS GENTILE

THE FEAST OF SAINT PAULINUS II OF AQUILEIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC PATRIARCH OF AQUILEIA

THE FEAST OF RICHARD FREDERICK LITTLEDALE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS

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Adapted from this post:

https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2021/01/11/devotion-for-the-third-sunday-of-easter-year-d-humes/

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READING 1-2 SAMUEL, 1 KINGS, 2 KINGS 1-21, 1 CHRONICLES, AND 2 CHRONICLES 1-33

Above: Hophni and Phinehas (Above), and Elkanah, Hannah, Samuel, and Eli (Below)

Image in the Public Domain

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PART III

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1 Samuel 2:12-36

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The law of the LORD is perfect and revives the soul;

the testimony of the LORD is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent.

The statutes of the LORD are just and rejoice the heart;

the commandment of the LORD is clear and gives light to the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is clean and endures for ever;

the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, more than much fine gold,

sweeter far than honey, than honey in the comb.

–Psalm 19:7-10, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)

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Hophni and Phinehas, sons of Eli, were scoundrels.  Claiming the choicest cuts of sacrificial meat (properly reserved for God) for themselves was just one of their sins.  They were the biological heirs of Eli.  They were unworthy.  The faithful priest (vs. 35-36) was Zadok (see 1 Kings 2:35), not Samuel (see 1 Samuel 8:1-3).

In a different family, Elkanah and Hannah had five more children.  And Samuel served God faithfully.

For I honor those who honor Me, and those who spurn Me shall be dishonored.

–1 Samuel 2:30c, TANAKH:  The Holy Scriptures (1985)

One can dishonor God via sins of commission and sins of omission.  By that standard, Eli had committed sons of omission when he permitted Hophni and Phinehas to get away with their bad behavior.  All these men received punishment for their sins, although Eli got off more lightly than his sons did.

Divine judgment and mercy exist in balance in both the Old and New Testaments.  Hellfire-and-damnation people err on one side.  The opposite error is also commonplace.  Standards exist.  Violating them carries consequences.  Yet divine judgment is never capricious, and mercy is ever-present.  People condemn themselves; chickens come home to roost.  That may be more terrifying than the judgment of God, as hellfire-and-damnation preachers proclaim it.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 14, 2020 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM CROFT, ANGLICAN ORGANIST AND COMPOSER

THE FEAST OF JOHN BAJUS, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN TRANSLATOR

THE FEAST OF JOHN HENRY HOPKINS, JR., EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND HYMNODIST; AND HIS NEPHEW, JOHN HENRY HOPKINS, III, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND MUSICIAN

THE FEAST OF SAINT MAXIMILIAN KOLBE, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1941; AND JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, EPISCOPAL SEMINARIAN AND MARTYR, 1965

THE FEAST OF SARAH FLOWER ADAMS, ENGLISH UNITARIAN HYMN WRITER; AND HER SISTER, ELIZA FLOWER, ENGLISH UNITARIAN COMPOSER

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Above:  Good Shepherd

Image in the Public Domain

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For the Third Sunday after Trinity, Year 1

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Lectionary from A Book of Worship for Free Churches (The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, 1948)

Collect from The Book of Worship (Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1947)

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O God, the Protector of all that trust in thee,

without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy:

increase and multiply upon us thy mercy;

that thou being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal,

that we finally lose not the things eternal;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

—The Book of Worship (1947), 188

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Joshua 24:14-27

Psalm 19

1 Peter 5:1-11

Matthew 5:1-6

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Joshua 24 and Psalm 19 remind us of the power and jawdropping, stunning awesomeness of the one deity, YHWH.  (“Fear of God” is a poor translation; “awe of God” is a good one.)  Joshua’s warning about idolatry remains germane.  The false gods may differ, however.  Human ego seems to be an evergreen idol, nevertheless.

The Good Shepherd is YHWH in the Hebrew Bible and Jesus in the New Testament.  The divine Good Shepherd has human good shepherds working under him in both Testaments.  As 1 Peter 5:1-11, set in the context of suffering, reminds us, good shepherds shepherd out of devotion, not compulsion.  They serve because they love.  They serve, not dominate to the detriment of the flock.

Blessed are the meek/gentle, we read in Matthew 5:4.  They will inherit the earth in the Kingdom of Heaven, the fully-realized Kingdom of God on earth.  They certainly will not inherit the earth in the dominant world order, in which the Golden Rule is to do unto others before they do unto you, or he who has the gold, makes the rules.

Indeed, blessed are the meek.  Blessed are the gentle.  Blessed are those who shepherd their flocks self-sacrificially and for the good of their flocks.  Blessed are they who take up their crosses and follow Christ.  Blessed are they who love like Jesus.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

APRIL 14, 2020 COMMON ERA

TUESDAY IN EASTER WEEK

THE FEAST OF EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY AND HENRY BEARD DELANY, EPISCOPAL SUFFRAGAN BISHOPS FOR COLORED WORK

THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANTHONY, JOHN, AND EUSTATHIUS OF VILNIUS, MARTYRS IN LITHUANIA, 1347

THE FEAST OF GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL, COMPOSER

THE FEAST OF SAINT WANDREGISILUS OF NORMANDY, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT LAMBERT OF LYONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND BISHOP

THE FEAST OF SAINT ZENAIDA OF TARSUS AND HER SISTER, SAINT PHILONELLA OF TARSUS; AND SAINT HERMIONE OF EPHESUS; UNMERCENARY PHYSICIANS

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Above:  Daniel in the Lions’ Den

Image in the Public Domain

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The Collect:

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:

Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,

that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,

which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ,  who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236

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The Assigned Readings:

Daniel 6:4-24

Psalm 19

2 Timothy 2:16-26

Mark 14:12-25

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As I wrote in the previous post in this lectionary series, Darius the Mede, supposed predecessor of Cyrus II after the Persian conquest of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire, was ahistorical and contradictory of other Biblical accounts.  Attempts to explain “Darius the Mede” away by claiming that “king” is a translation error have not convinced me, for the text of Daniel 6 states plainly that he was a predecessor of Cyrus II.  (The word translated “king” can also refer to another high-ranking government official; that is an accurate statement.  However, read Chapter 6 from beginning to end and place the end and the beginning of that chapter in context of each other.)  The author of Daniel 6 wrote theology, not history.

I stand with the facts.  While doing so, I ponder the theology of the story of Daniel in the lions’ den, relate the story to other readings, and create a devotional post that covers the four assigned lessons.

I do not wish to attempt to reduce the causes of the crucifixion of Jesus to just one, for I know better than that.  When I read Mark 14:12-25 beside Daniel 6, however, I detect a common thread–the jealousy of people of lesser character.  Psalm 19 extols the Law of God.  A servant of God seeks to be as blameless as possible.  That is consistent with the advice in 2 Timothy 2:16-26.

Both Daniel and Jesus became threats, because of who they were and how good they were, to people of lesser character.  In the fictional account of Daniel and the lions’ den, Daniel emerged unscathed.  Jesus of Nazareth died terribly, however.  Then he rose again a few days later, of course.

We mere mortals are imperfect; we all have proverbial skeletons in the closet.  The best of us is not proud of certain deeds he or she has committed, as well as certain sins of omission.  Perhaps we will not be at risk of murder or another form of killing, but character assassination can be a great peril.  This is especially true in the digital age; nothing really goes away on the Internet, and social media is frequently a cesspool.

When we recognize someone who is morally superior to us, we need to confess our sins and seek to become better people, not seek to destroy that person.  We have the Golden Rule to obey, after all.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JUNE 22, 2019 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT ALBAN, FIRST BRITISH MARTYR

THE FEAST OF DESIDERIUS ERASMUS, DUTCH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, BIBLICAL AND CLASSICAL SCHOLAR, AND CONTROVERSIALIST; SAINT JOHN FISHER, ENGLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC CLASSICAL SCHOLAR, BISHOP OF ROCHESTER, CARDINAL, AND MARTYR; AND SAINT THOMAS MORE, ENGLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC CLASSICAL SCHOLAR, JURIST, THEOLOGIAN, CONTROVERSIALIST, AND MARTYR

THE FEAST OF GERHARD GIESCHEN, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN TRANSLATOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT PAULINUS OF YORK, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF NOLA

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Adapted from this post:

https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2019/06/22/devotion-for-the-third-sunday-in-lent-year-b-humes/

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The light of Christ,

Above:  Icon of the Resurrection

Image Scanned by Kenneth Randolph Taylor

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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:

At least three of the following sets:

Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26

Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13 and Psalm 46

Genesis 22:1-18 and Psalm 16

Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 and Exodus 15:1b-13, 17-18

Isaiah 55:1-11 and Isaiah 12:2-6

Ezekiel 20:1-24 and Psalm 19

Ezekiel 36:24-28 and Psalms 42 and 43

Ezekiel 37:1-14 and Psalm 143

Zephaniah 3:14-20 and Psalm 98

Then:

Romans 6:3-11

Psalm 114

Matthew 28:1-10

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The history of the Great Vigil of Easter is interesting.  We do not know when the service began, but we do know that it was already well-established in the second century C.E.  We also know that the Great Vigil was originally a preparation for baptism.  Reading the history of the Easter Vigil reveals the elaboration of the rite during ensuing centuries, to the point that it lasted all night and was the Easter liturgy by the fourth century.  One can also read of the separation of the Easter Vigil and the Easter Sunday service in the sixth century.  As one continues to read, one learns of the vigil becoming a minor afternoon ritual in the Roman missal of 1570.  Then one learns of the revival of the Easter Vigil in Holy Mother Church in the 1950s then, in North America, in The Episcopal Church and mainline Lutheranism during the liturgical renewal of the 1960s and 1970s.  Furthermore, if one consults the U.S. Presbyterian Book of Common Worship (1993) and The United Methodist Book of Worship (1992), on finds the ritual for the Great Vigil of Easter in those volumes.

The early readings for the Easter Vigil trace the history of God’s salvific work, from creation to the end of the Babylonian Exile.  The two great Hebrew Biblical themes of exile and exodus are prominent.  Then the literal darkness ends, the lights come up, and the priest announces the resurrection of Jesus.  The eucharistic service continues and, if there are any candidates for baptism, that sacrament occurs.

One of the chants for the Easter Vigil is

to which the congregation chants in response,

Thanks be to God.

St. Paul the Apostle, writing in Romans, reminds us down the corridors of time that the light of Christ ought to shine in our lives.  May that light shine brightly through us, by grace, that we may glorify God every day we are on this side of Heaven.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MAY 29, 2018 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF PERCY DEARMER, ANGLICAN CANON AND TRANSLATOR AND AUTHOR OF HYMNS

THE FEAST OF SAINT BONA OF PISA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MYSTIC AND PILGRIM

THE FEAST OF JIRI TRANOVSKY, LUTHER OF THE SLAVS AND FOUNDER OF SLOVAK HYMNODY

THE FEAST OF JOACHIM NEANDER, GERMAN REFORMED MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER

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Adapted from this post:

https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2018/05/29/devotion-for-the-great-vigil-of-easter-years-a-b-c-and-d-humes/

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