Archive for the ‘Psalm 47’ Category
Above: Saint Matthias
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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Acts 1:15-26
Psalm 47 (LBW) or Psalm 133 (LW)
1 John 4:13-21
John 17:11b-19
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Almighty and eternal God,
your Son our Savior is with you in eternal glory.
Give us faith to see that, true to his promise,
he is among us still, and will be with us to the end of time;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
OR
God, our creator and redeemer,
your Son Jesus prayed that his followers might be one.
Make all Christians one with him as he is with you,
so that in peace and concord
we may carry to the world the message of your love;
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), 23
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O King of glory, Lord of hosts,
uplifted in triumph above all heavens,
we pray, leave us not without consolation,
but send us the Spirit of truth,
whom you promised from the Father;
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 57
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Consecrate them in the truth;
your word is truth.
–John 17:17, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
Truth, in the Johannine sense, means “activated integrity.” Truth is also that which is reliable, according to The Anchor Bible Dictionary. This makes sense. How can anything be true if it is unreliable?
May we–you, O reader, and I–consider “activated integrity.” We read of it in the selection for a replacement for Judas Iscariot in Acts 1. We read about the perfect love that casts our fear in 1 John 4. The type of fear that perfect love expels belies activated integrity. We read of an example of the praise of God, who embodies activated integrity, in Psalm 47. And the restoration of wholeness after the breaking of it (Psalm 133; Acts 1) is an expression of activated integrity.
Divine love, we read in 1 John 4, casts out the fear that has to do with punishment. Some fear is healthy and encourages safety. For example, I fear touching hot surfaces. And when I walk at night, I carry a flashlight and watch where I step. I fear stepping into a hole, an anthill, et cetera. Acting based on some fears is a reasonable safety precaution. In contrast, the fear in 1 John 4 holds people and groups back from their spiritual potential. These fears often stand between someone and practicing the Golden Rule. Politicians and media outlets frequently encourage such fear and exaggerate dangers for their own cynical, opportunistic, and nefarious purposes–winning elections based on distortions and damn lies, boosting ratings, perpetuating policies contrary to the Golden Rule, et cetera. Often they do so while citing God and/or family values.
Jesus taught us to love one another, not to live in fear and distrust of each other. He taught us to take up our crosses and to follow him, not to scapegoat and victimize people. So, may divine, perfect love cast out the unreasonable fear in you, O reader. May it also expel such fear from me. May such love fill the void the expelled fear leaves behind. May divine love overflow in you and in me.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 24, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT OSCAR ROMERO, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF SAN SALVADOR; AND THE MARTYRS OF EL SALVADOR, 1980-1992
THE FEAST OF SAINT DIDACUS JOSEPH OF CADIZ, CAPUCHIN FRIAR
THE FEAST OF GEORGE RAWSON, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF GEORGE RUNDLE PRYNNE, ANGLICAN PRIEST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF PAUL COUTURIER, APOSTLE OF CHRISTIAN UNITY
THE FEAST OF THOMAS ATTWOOD, “FATHER OF MODERN CHURCH MUSIC”
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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 XXXV
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Psalms 47, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, and 99
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Psalms 47, 93, and 95-99 are kingship psalms, for they refer to God as king.
God is sovereign over the created order, time, and all nations. God is the God of the covenant. YHWH is the sole deity; the false gods are “ungods.” The Jews are the Chosen People, yet YHWH is no mere tribal or national deity. Gentiles come into the fold, too.
The eschatological vision and high poetry of these psalms may prompt the same sigh of disappointment as do promises that the Kingdom of God is at hand in the New Testament. One may recall the lament of Alfred Loisy (1857-1940), from 1902:
Jesus came proclaiming the kingdom, and what arrived was the Church.
Yet Psalms 47, 93, and 95-99 hold up hope:
And the hope of these psalms is important, for without this powerful transformative symbol, the pitiful regimes of the present age claim to be, and seem, absolute and eternal. Thus, without this disruptive metaphor, oppressive regimes seem to be eternally guaranteed. It is not different on the American scene with our absolutizing of military capitalism. But we live in hope, because this metaphor keeps all present power arrangements provisional. They are all kept under scrutiny and judgment by this one who will finally govern.
–Walter Brueggemann, The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary (1984), 151-152
One function of eschatological vision is to provide a standard against which to measure the current world disorder. The eschatological standard reveals how far regimes, institutions, and societies fall short of the divine ideal. Therefore, one has a solid basis on which to confront these subpar regimes, institutions, and societies. One can say conclusively that we all answer to God, sovereign in everything and everyone.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 9, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS
THE FEAST OF EMILY GREENE BALCH, U.S. QUAKER SOCIOLOGIST, ECONOMIST, AND PEACE ACTIVIST
THE FEAST OF GENE M. TUCKER, UNITED METHODIST MINISTER AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF JOHANN JOSEF IGNAZ VON DÖLLINGER, DISSIDENT AND EXCOMMUNICATED GERMAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, THEOLOGIAN, AND HISTORIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT PHILIP II OF MOSCOW, METROPOLITAN OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA, AND MARTYR, 1569
THE FEAST OF THOMAS CURTIS CLARK, U.S. DISCIPLES OF CHRIST EVANGELIST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
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Above: Church Row, Louvale, Georgia
Image Source = Google Earth
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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 1:(1-7) 8-14
Psalm 47 (LBW) or Psalm 133 (LW)
1 Peter 4:12-17; 5:6-11
John 17:1-11
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Almighty and eternal God,
your Son our Savior is with you in eternal glory.
Give us faith to see that, true to his promise,
he is among us still, and will be with us to the end of time;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
OR
God, our creator and redeemer,
your Son Jesus prayed that his followers might be one.
Make all Christians one with him as he is with you,
so that in peace and concord
we may carry to the world the message of your love;
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), 23
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O King of glory, Lord of hosts,
uplifted in triumph above all heavens,
we pray, leave us not without consolation,
but send us the Spirit of truth,
whom you promised from the Father;
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 57
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My theme in this post is unity.
John 17:1-11 opens with the Johannine definition of eternal life (knowing God via Jesus) and concludes with another Johannine motif–spiritual indwelling.
Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are.
–John 17:11b, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus dwells in the Father. Christians dwell in Jesus, therefore, they dwell in the Father.
In John 17:11b, the prayer is that God will keep the disciples as a unity, not as units–that the unity of the faith community will mirror the unity of Jesus and the Father.
Spiritual unity and organic unity differ. One can exist in the absence of the other one. Denominations or congregations may cooperate harmoniously while bitter infighting divides a denomination or congregation. Organic unity may not always be desirable or feasible, but ecumenical cooperation may be effective.
Psalm 133 opens:
Oh, how good and pleasant it is when brethren live together in unity.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
One subtext to this may be hopes for the reunion of the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah. If so, we have an example of another dashed hope. One may also recall the argumentative house churches in Corinth, thanks to epistles from St. Paul the Apostle.
Spiritual unity is a noble goal. Yet I know from experience that it is frequently elusive on the small scale. Within my family, for example, I feel as if I exist on a parallel spiritual track, even to the other professing, practicing Christians to whom I am related. I own a tee-shirt that reads,
HERETIC.
I wear it with pride and defiance. I also belong to a congregation that suffered a schism in 2012, before I moved to town. And, as I write these words, my childhood denomination, The United Methodist Church, is proving that “Untied Methodist Church” is far more than a typographical error. This contemporary manifestation of Donatism grieves me.
Such is life. The ideal of spiritual unity persists. It beckons. How many of us are paying attention?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 24, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR C
GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE
THE FEAST OF SAINT EGBERT OF LINDISFARNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK; AND SAINT ADALBERT OF EGMONT, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT FIDELIS OF SIGMARINGEN, CAPUCHIN FRIAR AND MYSTIC, 1622
THE FEAST OF JAKOB BÖHME, GERMAN LUTHERAN MYSTIC
THE FEAST OF JOHANN WALTER, “FIRST CANTOR OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH”
THE FEAST OF SAINT MELLITUS, BISHOP OF LONDON, AND ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
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Adapted from this post
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Above: St. Bartholomew
Image in the Public Domain
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For the First Sunday after the Epiphany, Year 2
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Lectionary from A Book of Worship for Free Churches (The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, 1948)
Collect from The Book of Worship (Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1947)
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O Lord, we beseech thee mercifully to receive
the prayers of thy people who call upon thee;
and grant that they may both perceive and know
what things they ought to do,
and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 123
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Isaiah 61:1-3
Psalm 47
Romans 12:1-5
John 1:35-51
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We’re all bastards, but God loves us anyway.
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If we are to come out of this crisis less selfish than when we went in, we have to let ourselves be touched by others’ pain.
–Pope Francis, The New York Times, November 29, 2020
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Know, O reader, that I have been a serious student of the Bible for most of my life. (And I feel much younger than my chronological age.) Muck knowledge of the contents of the Bible has been academic and theoretical, not that there is anything wrong with that. I have long been an academic and an intellectual, after all. Living has added the visceral aspect of knowledge to that which has been purely academic and theoretical. Abstract sympathy for those who grieve has given way to empathy with them, especially during holidays, when families traditionally gather. Living through the COVID-19 pandemic has made the theme of a fresh start in Isaiah 61:1-3 and Romans 12:1-5 more potent in my mind than the many previous times I read those passages.
Scripture is what it is. How we mere mortals relate to it depends greatly on our experiences.
Some seemingly dry academic material is appropriate, however.
The speaker in Isaiah 61:1-3 was Third Isaiah. Exiles had returned to their ancestral homeland. They had learned that the reality on the ground fell far short of their high hopes. Much despair set in. Third Isaiah used language derived from Leviticus 25:10. There would be a fresh start, a new beginning.
“To proclaim a year of the LORD’s favor….”
–Isaiah 61:2, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
The Year of Jubilee was supposed to occur every 50 years. People who had become indentured servants were supposed to go free. Land lost since the previous Year of Jubilee was supposed to return to its proper owners. The only actual Year of Jubilee documented in the Bible occurred in Nehemiah 5, after the return from exile.
Romans 12 brings us to the theology of bodies in the thought of St. Paul the Apostle. We who carry assumptions born of Greek philosophy quickly assume that a body is a vessel for a soul. To apply this assumption to Pauline theology is to err.
St. Paul, like many other Jews, believed that a person is a body, not that a person has a body. This was a holistic understanding of the self. This holistic view applied to the body (individually) and to the body (as a group of people in faith community, as in Romans 12:5).
I have read commentaries as I have sought to understand what amazed St. Nathanael/Bartholomew in John 1:48f. I have read a series of educated guesses from brains better than mine. The author of the Gospel of John (“John,” whoever he was) kept the text vague in this passage. He made his point, though; Jesus astounded St. Nathanael/Bartholomew. Then St. Nathanael/Bartholomew followed him.
Psalm 47 reminds us that God is the king of all the Earth. Accepting that can be difficult at times. Nevertheless, not accepting it is not a feasible alternative for me. I must have hope, after all.
I must have a basis of hope that a fresh start is possible. Otherwise, I will collapse into despair. Otherwise, I will cease to have any spiritual grounding. In an age when “none” is the fastest growing religious affiliation, the lack of spiritual grounding is a sort of plague.
Then there is a literal plague, COVID-19. It has laid bare the best and the worst in human nature. Mainly, as far as I can tell, this coronavirus has confirmed that we humans are naturally selfish bastards who easily fall into delusions that kill us and each other.
Human nature is constant. So is divine nature. As Martin Luther advised, we need to rely on the faithfulness of God. We need a fresh start, a new beginning. God can provide one, fortunately.
To return to the beginning of this post, the Pope is correct. We human beings need to emerge from this pandemic less selfish than when we went into it. We need to allow the pain of others to touch us. The first step of compassion is to get beyond oneself.
I know better than to expect a change in human nature. The study of history and theology combines with experience to make me skeptical of excessive optimism. But, with regard to God, optimism is justifiable. God has been faithful. God is faithful. God will remain faithful.
May the aftermath of this pandemic be mostly positive, by grace. May the human species have a new beginning, a fresh start. May we accept this gracious offer from God. May we take better care of each other and the planet. May we awaken from our sinful slumber.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 5, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE SEVENTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, FATHER OF CHRISTIAN SCHOLARSHIP
THE FEAST OF SAINT CYRAN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF NELSON MANDELA, PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA, AND RENEWER OF SOCIETY
THE FEAST OF SAINT NICETIUS OF TRIER, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, AND BISHOP; AND SAINT AREDIUS OF LIMOGES, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
THE FEAST OF PETER MORTIMER, ANGLO-GERMAN MORAVIAN EDUCATOR, MUSICIAN, AND SCHOLAR; AND GOTTFRIED THEODOR ERXLEBEN, GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER AND MUSICOLOGIST
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Above: Ascension. Olivet With Clouds, Between 1934 and 1939
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-matpc-12383
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The Collect:
Almighty God, your only Son was taken up into heaven and in power intercedes for us.
May we also come into your presence and live forever in your glory;
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), 22
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The Assigned Readings:
Acts 1:1-11
Psalm 47
Ephesians 1:15-23
Luke 24:44-53
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The Feast of the Ascension celebrates the enthronement of Jesus as the King of Heaven. Ascension is an ancient commemoration, one nearly universal in the Church by the 300s. On some calendars it falls on a Thursday, on the fortieth day of Easter, to be precise. On other calendars it transfers to the following Sunday. On still other calendars Ascension is absent, thrown out with the proverbial bath water of Roman Catholic tradition.
For many the rejection of tradition has become a tradition.
The departure of Jesus from this realm placed a great responsibility on the surviving Apostles, whose number did not yet include St. Matthias. They were to have divine assistance, however. So they did. The Apostles’ responsibility to be witnesses of Jesus has passed to we Christians of today. Fortunately, God’s assistance in fulfilling this mission has never ceased.
People have different abilities and personality types. I, for example, am an introvert. People who knock on my door with the intention of converting me always fail. One reason is that I dislike that interruption when I am at home. Annoying me is a bad first step. Besides, I have always been uncomfortable while engaging in excessively extroverted activities for too long. I will not, therefore, knock on anyone’s door with the intention of evangelizing him or her, but I feel at ease sitting at a computer keyboard. What I do there can reach people I will never get to meet anyway. There are many useful roles for introverts in the Church.
Whatever God is calling you, O reader, to do, God also empower you to do. May you do it, for the glory of God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 1, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JUSTIN MARTYR, CHRISTIAN APOLOGIST AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAMPHILUS OF CAESAREA, BIBLE SCHOLAR AND TRANSLATOR; AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL STENNETT, ENGLISH SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST MINISTER AND HYMN-WRITER; AND JOHN HOWARD, ENGLISH HUMANITARIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT SIMEON OF SYRACUSE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2018/06/01/devotion-for-the-feast-of-the-ascension-years-a-b-c-and-d-humes/
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Above: The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Image in the Public Domain
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FOR THE EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ACCORDING TO A LECTIONARY FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP IN THE BOOK OF WORSHIP FOR CHURCH AND HOME (1965)
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Lord, you have taught us that all our doings without unconditional, sacrificial love are worth nothing.
Send your Holy Spirit, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love,
the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without whosoever lives is counted dead before you.
Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ. Amen.
–Modernized from The Book of Worship for Church and Home (1965), page 86
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Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18
Psalm 47
Ephesians 4:17-32
Luke 10:25-37
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God is the King, Psalm 47 reminds us. Furthermore, the text states, all nations should acknowledge this reality. Not only is this true, but so are the following statements:
- We depend on God for everything.
- We depend on each other.
- We are responsible for each other.
- We are responsible to each other.
- We are interdependent and dependent, not independent.
- We have no moral right to exploit one another.
- How we treat each other matters.
- Piety (or at least the appearance thereof) does not justify not helping each other.
Those statements, taken together, summarize the readings from Leviticus 19, Ephesians 4, and Luke 10 well. To that list of statements I add another: The identity of those who help us might prove so surprising as to be scandalous to many.
I notice the selective reading from Leviticus 19. I have no desire to insult the deaf or to place a stumbling block before the blind, for example, so verse 14 does not disturb me. Many other omitted verses also prompt me to respond with, “Of course that is a fine law.” Some of them are timeless principles, but others are culturally specific examples of such principles. The particulars of verses 9 and 10 might not apply at all times and in all places, but the commandment to provide for the poor remains. I note, however, that verses 20-22 allow for slavery. Furthermore, the wardrobe prohibition in verse 19 applies neither to priestly vestments (see Exodus 28:6 and 39:29) nor forbids mandatory fringes on Israelite clothing (see Numbers 15:37-40). The wording of certain passages of the Law of Moses, taken out of context, makes those passages seem more cut-and-dried than they really are.
Biblical interpretation is a frequently complicated and subtle enterprise. So as to avoid becoming lost in the proverbial forest and slipping into legalism, I side with the tradition of Rabbi Hillel:
That which is deplorable to you, do not do to your fellow; this is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary; go and learn it.
We read in Matthew 5:17-20 that Jesus came to fulfill, not to abolish, the law. The critique of scribes and Pharisees in the Gospel of Matthew is that they do not keep the law properly. We also read the following in Matthew 7:12:
In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
—The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
That is the Golden Rule. It means no slavery, does it not?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 4, 2017 COMMON ERA
LABOR DAY (U.S.A.)
THE FEAST OF PAUL JONES, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF UTAH AND PEACE ACTIVIST; AND HIS COLLEAGUE, JOHN NEVIN SAYRE, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND PEACE ACTIVIST
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Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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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
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Book One: Psalms 1-41
Book Two: Psalms 42-72
Book Three: Psalms 73-89
Book Four: Psalms 90-106
Book Five: Psalms 107-150
Also in the Greek: Psalm 151
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Posted August 23, 2017 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 151, 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
Above: Some of the Possessions of Charles Foster Kane after His Death, from Citizen Kane (1941)
A Screen Capture by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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POST XVIII OF LX
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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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God is in control. Do we affirm this? We (collectively and individually) ought to trust in God. Do we (collectively and individually) give more than lip service to this principle? Related to these points is another one. Since wealth and pleasure are temporary, we should not trust in them–make idols of them. Is this not a counter-cultural message in many, if not most, societies? Greed and hedonism are, after all, powerful temptations.
Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich,
when his household goods increase;
for when he dies he can take none of it along;
his goods cannot follow him down.
–Psalm 49:17-18, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
That passage reminds me of another one:
Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal, but store up treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust will destroy, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
–Matthew 6:19-21, The Revised English Bible (1989)
Shall we be honest with and about ourselves? Each of us clings to something that is temporary as if it were permanent. It might be tangible or intangible, but it is transitory. It is also an idol. The treasures, even if only psychological in nature, we lay up in this life distract us from acknowledging our complete dependence on God, in whom scripture tells us we should trust.
May we, by grace, cease this idolatry. There is nothing inherently wrong with wealth, which one can use for positive purposes. The issues are how one relates to it and how one utilizes it. Does one make an idol of it? If so, one has a spiritual problem. For many of us, though, the idolatrous attachments might be to family heirlooms or to other possessions of little value to anyone else. Our stuff (for lack of a more accurate word) weighs us down and distracts us from focusing on where our attention should be. May we, by grace, abandon this idolatry and place our sentimental stuff in proper perspective.
The History Channel series Life After People, although not religious and spiritual by design, is germane to this post. The series imagines the fate of the physical remains of human civilizations after the disappearance of the human race from the planet. Eventually, one learns, almost evidence of humans will cease to exist. The Pyramids of Giza and our plastic refuse (especially that great mass of it in the oceans) will last the longest. Most of that which we imagine to be permanent will return to nature, as it should. We are, in the long term, insignificant. While we are here, however, we can accomplish much good and glorify God. May we strive to do so. May we, by grace, succeed.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 10, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM WALSHAM HOW, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF WAKEFIELD AND HYMN WRITER; AND HIS SISTER, FRANCES JANE DOUGLAS(S), HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT LAURENCE OF ROME, ROMAN CATHOLIC DEACON AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SHERMAN BOOTH, ABOLITIONIST
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Above: Cloud Over a Mountain
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Gracious and glorious God, you have chosen us as your own,
and by the powerful name of Christ you protect us from evil.
By your Spirit transform us and your beloved world,
that we may find joy in your Son, Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with and
the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 35
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The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 24:15-18 (Friday)
Deuteronomy 34:1-7 (Saturday)
Psalm 47 (Both Days)
Revelation 1:9-18 (Friday)
John 16:4-11 (Saturday)
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God reigns over the nations;
God sits upon his holy throne.
The nobles of the peoples have gathered together
with the people of the God of Abraham.
The rulers of the earth belong to God,
and he is highly exalted.
–Psalm 47:8-10, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Once I read a summary of the differences between The Book of Common Prayer (1928) and The Book of Common Prayer (1979) of The Episcopal Church. The most basic difference, the author concluded, was theological, for God is transcendent in the 1928 Prayer Book yet imminent in the 1979 Prayer Book. We read of both divine transcendence and imminence in the pericopes for these two days.
God is transcendent in Exodus 24 and Deuteronomy 34. There Moses meets God in dramatic mountaintop settings. In Exodus 24 there us even cloud cover to add to the mystery. A sense of mystery remains in the symbolic language of Revelation 1:9-18, a report of a vision of the triumphant, cosmic Christ. By then the crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension were in the past, as was the most famous Pentecost from the New Testament.
Jesus is present in John 16, where the Holy Spirit is imminent. I like the spiritual reality of God being both present and imminent, as the Kingdom of God is both. It has become a reality partially, with its fullness reserved for the future. The unveiling of the Kingdom of God is incomplete, but we are far from bereft. That theology works better for me than does that of a remote, transcendent deity whose holiness is fatal to mere mortals.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 20, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FIRST DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF SAINT DOMINIC OF SILOS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF SAINT PETER CANISIUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF KATHARINA VON BORA LUTHER, WIFE OF MARTIN LUTHER
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Adapted from this post:
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2014/12/20/devotion-for-friday-and-saturday-before-the-seventh-sunday-of-easter-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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