Archive for the ‘Psalm 93’ Category
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: Dedicating the Temple
Image in the Public Domain
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READING 1-2 SAMUEL, 1 KINGS, 2 KINGS 1-21, 1 CHRONICLES, AND 2 CHRONICLES 1-33
PART LIX
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1 Kings 8:1-66
2 Chronicles 5:1-7:22
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The LORD is King;
he has put on splendid apparrel;
the LORD has put on his apparel
and girded himself with strength.
He has made the world so sure
that it cannot be moved.
From since the world began, your throne has been established,
you are from everlasting.
The waters have lifted up, O LORD,
the waters have lifted up their voice;
the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
Mightier than the sound of many waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea,
mightier is the LORD who dwells on high.
Your testimonies are very sure,
and holiness adorns your house, O LORD,
for ever and for evermore.
–Psalm 93, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Many ancient historians wrote long speeches they attributed to various people, most of them dead already. These historians knew they were not writing transcripts. The best ancient historians, however, summarized what those figures had said.
The prayer of King Solomon at the dedication of the First Temple probably contains material from the actual prayer, about 500 years after the Exodus. However, the prayer, in its final form, contains material from as late as the postexilic period. The petitions for divine pardon certainly fit the postexilic period.
The First Temple existed, religiously, to house the Ark of the Covenant (the throne of God on the Earth) and to function as the site of ritual sacrifices. Politically, the First Temple helped to legitimize the Davidic Dynasty. The First Temple, not a figurative box for God to fit into, nevertheless became a political site, as the Second Temple did. There was no separation of religion and state in ancient Israel, Judah, and Judea.
Our readings for this post refer to the mystery of God, manifest in a cloud that filled the Temple. The imagery of the divine cloud went back to the period immediately following the Exodus from Egypt. God remained other yet nearby. God remained dangerous to get too close to yet nearby. The Holy of Holies was always dimly lit, for seeing the Ark of the Covenant was supposedly perilous.
That understanding of God is foreign to my theology. I, as a Christian, affirm the Incarnation. I state without a doubt that Jesus, the incarnate form of the Second Person of the Trinity (however that worked) ate meals with people. Jesus dining in a home is an image that undercuts the lethal holiness of God in 1 Kings. God, I affirm, is untamable. God refuses to fit into our theological boxes, which serve primarily to reinforce our psyches. And God is approachable. God seeks us. God pursues us not to condemn us but to embrace us.
Do we want to embrace God in return? The choice is ours many times daily.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 21, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF GEORGE MCGOVERN, U.S. SENATOR AND STATESMAN; AND HIS WIFE, ELEANOR MCGOVERN, HUMANITARIAN
THE FEAST OF DAVID MORITZ MICHAEL, GERMAN-AMERICAN MORAVIAN MUSICIAN AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF JAMES W. C. PENNINGTON, AFRICAN-AMERICAN CONGREGATIONALIST AND PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, EDUCATOR, AND ABOLITIONIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT LAURA OF SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA, FOUNDRESS OF THE WORKS OF THE INDIANS AND THE CONGREGATION OF MISSIONARY SISTERS OF IMMACULATE MARY AND OF SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA
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Above: Icon of the Good Samaritan
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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Judges 16:17-31 or Jeremiah 11:1-14
Psalm 93
Romans 4:1-12
Luke 10:35-37
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Deeds reveal creeds. Deeds also reveal one’s character, for good and ill.
Consider the Good Samaritan, O reader.
The term “Good Samaritan” seemed like an oxymoron. Jews and Samaritans tended to be mutually hostile. The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) stood in contrast to the hostile Samaritans in Luke 9:51-56, as well as to the priest and the Levite from the parable. The ambiguity of the parable vis-à-vis their motivation for passing by on the other side has long invited readers and listeners to examine their motivations for not helping people in need. Fear for one’s safety was well-founded in the context of that road. Or did at least one passer-by not care about the man beaten, robbed, and left for dead? The Good Samaritan revealed his goodness in his deeds.
Our character, individually and collectively, is manifest in our deeds. Many, like Samson, have little or no impulse control and can resist anything except temptation. We read part of Jeremiah’s critique of his society. If we are the people and cultures we ought to be, we praise God in words and deeds; we act faithfully and build up the poor and the vulnerable in the name of God.
May we do so, by grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 17, 2020 COMMON ERA
FRIDAY IN EASTER WEEK
THE FEAST OF DANIEL SYLVESTER TUTTLE, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
THE FEAST OF EMILY COOPER, EPISCOPAL DEACONESS
THE FEAST OF LUCY LARCOM, U.S. ACADEMIC, JOURNALIST, POET, EDITOR, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MAX JOSEF METZGER, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1944
THE FEAST OF WILBUR KENNETH HOWARD, MODERATOR OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2020/04/17/devotion-for-proper-13-year-c-humes/
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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
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POST XXXVI 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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Psalm 93, adapted from a Canaanite myth (a common literary and theological device in the Bible), depicts YHWH as the King of the Earth and as one triumphant over the primordial forces of chaos. Human forces of chaos–those who, out of delusion think that God does not see or care, target the widows, strangers, and orphans for violence–come in for divine smiting in Psalm 94. (See my comments about God caring in the posts for Psalms 14 and 53.) Deliverance of the oppressed is very bad news for the oppressors.
I also notice the difference between divine smiting and discipline in Psalm 94. Smiting leads to destruction, but discipline provides spiritual instruction. In human terms a responsible parent disciplines his or her children, for their own good and that of society. Discipline does not cross the line into abuse, for which no moral justification exists, and remain discipline. Although discipline is frequently unpleasant, is preferable to the more unpleasant consequences of greater offenses than one has committed. God is, metaphorically, of course, a parental figure to us. Why should we not expect discipline from God?
Defenses of God by human beings interest me. On occasion I offer some myself. At other times I back off and cite the insufficiency of human defenses of God. I admit freely to inconsistency on this point. At this time I restrict my defense of God to one point: discipline is not abuse. We ought not to imagine otherwise. Abuse tears people down; it does not build them up. The existence of discipline by God indicates that God has not, in the words of Psalm 94, forsaken.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 17, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL JOHNSON, CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, ANGLICAN PRIEST, PRESIDENT OF KING’S COLLEGE, “FATHER OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN CONNECTICUT,” AND “FATHER OF AMERICAN LIBRARY CLASSIFICATION;” TIMOTHY CUTLER, CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, ANGLICAN PRIEST, AND RECTOR OF YALE COLLEGE; DANIEL BROWNE, EDUCATOR, CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, AND ANGLICAN PRIEST; AND JAMES WETMORE, CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND ANGLICAN PRIEST
THE FEAST OF JONATHAN FRIEDRICH BAHNMAIER, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
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Above: Anna at the Presentation of Jesus, by Giotto
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Beautiful God, you gather your people into your realm,
and you promise us food from your tree of life.
Nourish us with your word, that empowered by your Spirit
we may love one another and the world you have made,
through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 34
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The Assigned Readings:
2 Chronicles 34:20-33
Psalm 93
Luke 2:25-38
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The LORD is King;
he has put on splendid apparel;
the LORD has put on his apparel
and girded himself with strength.
He has made the whole world so sure
that it cannot be moved;
Ever since the world began, your throne has been established;
you are from everlasting.
The waters have lifted up, O LORD,
the waters have lifted up their voice;
the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
Mightier than the sound of many waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea,
mightier is the LORD who dwells on high.
Your testimonies are very sure,
and holiness adorns your house, O LORD,
for ever and for evermore.
–Psalm 93, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Humility before God, whose testimonies are sure, is a virtue. In the main two readings for this day we encounter five people who were humble before God:
- King Josiah of Judah (reigned 640-609 B.C.E.), who instigated religious reforms consistent with the Book of Deuteronomy,
- Saints Mary and Joseph of Nazareth, who raised Jesus in an observant Jewish home, and
- Saints Simeon and Anna the Prophetess, who testified regarding the infant Jesus.
As Father Raymond E. Brown pointed out in The Birth of the Messiah (Updated Edition, 1993), the law and the prophets framed birth and infancy of Jesus. The Lukan language alluded to Isaiah 40:1 and 66:12-13, with their references to the consolation (paraklesis in Greek and parakalein in Hebrew, sounding like paraclete) of Israel. Sts. Joseph and Mary obeyed legal customs. Two prophets attested to our Lord and Savior’s bona fides, but only one prophet affirmed St. John the Baptist in Luke 1:67-79. St. Anna the Prophetess looked for the redemption of Jerusalem, echoing Isaiah 52:9 (The Revised English Bible, 1989):
Break forth together into shouts of joy,
you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the LORD has comforted his people,
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The author of the Gospel of Luke understood the life of Jesus as fitting neatly into a much longer narrative of consolation and redemption. His subtle word choices helped to establish connections with subsequent texts, such as John 14:15f, in which Jesus promised that God the Father would send another Paraclete–Comforter, Counselor, and Advocate–the Holy Spirit, simply put.
Consolation is among the most frequent reasons many people seek God. This makes sense to me. The quest for comfort recurs throughout the Bible, especially in the Book of Psalms, because of the ubiquity of distress. Turning to God might not end one’s distress, but it does provide one with a means of coping with it. If we love God, we will obey divine commandments. This might lead to suffering (John 15:18-27), but at least the Holy Spirit will be present with us during our ordeals. There is much consolation in that.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 5, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF CHARLES JUDSON CHILD, JR., EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF ATLANTA
THE FEAST OF LESLIE WEATHERHEAD, BRITISH METHODIST THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF MARGARET MACKAY, SCOTTISH HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2016/01/05/devotion-for-wednesday-after-the-sixth-sunday-of-easter-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: The New Jerusalem and the River of Life
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Beautiful God, you gather your people into your realm,
and you promise us food from your tree of life.
Nourish us with your word, that empowered by your Spirit
we may love one another and the world you have made,
through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 34
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Chronicles 12:16-22 (Monday)
2 Chronicles 15:1-15 (Tuesday)
Psalm 93 (Both Days)
Revelation 21:5-14 (Monday)
Revelation 21:15-22 (Tuesday)
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The LORD is King;
he has put on splendid apparel;
the LORD has put on his apparel
and girded himself with strength.
He has made the whole world so sure
that it cannot be moved;
Ever since the world began, your throne has been established;
you are from everlasting.
The waters have lifted up, O LORD,
the waters have lifted up their voice;
the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
Mightier than the sound of many waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea,
mightier is the LORD who dwells on high.
Your testimonies are very sure,
and holiness adorns your house, O LORD,
for ever and for evermore.
–Psalm 93, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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King David, one Biblical tradition tells us, was a man after God’s heart. That sounds like dynastic propaganda, given the injustices of his reign, as certain Biblical authors recorded them. The author of 1 Chronicles 11 and 12 was so pro-David that he, unlike 2 Samuel 1-4, omitted the civil war between the House of David and the House of Saul:
The war between the house of Saul and the house of David was long drawn out, David growing steadily stronger while the house of Saul became weaker.
–2 Samuel 3:1, The Revised English Bible (1989)
1 Chronicles omits seven and a half years (2 Samuel 5:5) of history of the Kingdom of Israel.
David’s successors were of varying quality, from the excellent to the abysmal. King Asa (reigned 908-867 B.C.E.) found favor with the author of 2 Chronicles 15 yet lost that approval in the following chapter.
The age of monarchy became an object of nostalgia for centuries. The “good old days” were never as good as they seemed through the nostalgic lens, of course, but many Jews living in exile or in their homeland yet under occupation derived much comfort from that distorted understanding as they hoped for better times.
We humans still hope for better times, do we not? We also wax nostalgic for times gone by–times that were not as good as we think they were. By fixating on an imagined golden age we neglect to pay proper attention to what God is doing in our midst. Yes, the world is troubled, but God is still sovereign. The divine throne remains established.
The Kingdom of God, partially present among us, awaits its full realization. We read part of a vision of that realization in Revelation 21. We are wise to hope for that glorious day, but we ought never to be so foolish as to neglect our Christian duties to leave the world better than we found it. God will save the world, but we have obligations in the here and now. May we, by grace, perceive them and act accordingly, for the glory of God and for the common good. May we be people after God’s heart.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 5, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF CHARLES JUDSON CHILD, JR., EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF ATLANTA
THE FEAST OF LESLIE WEATHERHEAD, BRITISH METHODIST THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF MARGARET MACKAY, SCOTTISH HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2016/01/05/devotion-for-monday-and-tuesday-after-the-sixth-sunday-of-easter-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Map of the Seleucid Empire
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Almighty and ever-living God,
you anointed your beloved Son to be priest and sovereign forever.
Grant that all the people of the earth,
now divided by the power of sin,
may be united by the glorious and gentle rule of Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 53
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The Assigned Readings:
Daniel 7:1-8, 15-18
Psalm 93
John 3:31-36
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You, O LORD, are Sovereign;
you have put on splendid apparel;
you, O LORD, have put on your apparel
and girded yourself with strength.
You have made the whole world so sure
that it cannot be moved;
ever since the world began, your throne has been established;
you are from everlasting.
The waters have lifted up, O LORD,
the waters have lifted up their voice;
the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
Mightier than the sound of many waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea,
mightier is the LORD who dwells on high.
Your testimonies are very sure,
and holiness adorns your house, O LORD,
forever and forevermore.
–Psalm 93, Book of Common Worship (1993)
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Sometimes our expectations exceed reality as events unfold.
The expectations in Daniel 7:1-8 and 15-18 was that, after the fall of the Seleucid Empire (extant 312-64 B.C.E.),
holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess the kingdom forever–forever and ever.
–Daniel 7:18, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
The Seleucid Empire fell for several reasons, including weak leadership, pressures from the Armenians, and the expansion of the Roman Republic, soon to become the Roman Empire. The fully realized Kingdom of God on Earth did not come to pass in 64 B.C.E. or at any time between then and the day I am writing these words.
St. John the Baptist had apocalyptic expectations regarding Jesus (Luke 3). The clearly labeled voice of the forerunner said in John 3:30 (The New Revised Standard Version, 1989),
He must increase, but I must decrease.
But who is speaking in John 3:31-36? My reading has revealed three possibilities:
- St. John the Baptist, for the text indicates no change of speaker;
- Jesus, perhaps cut and pasted from the conversation with Nicodemus earlier in the chapter; or
- the author of the Fourth Gospel, making one of his occasional explanatory comments to the readers.
Either way, the pericope’s comment about the fidelity of God is what interest me. Jesus did not fulfill the apocalyptic expectations of St. John the Baptist, but that fact did nothing to belie the fidelity of God. The apocalyptic expectations of Daniel 7:1-8 and 15-18 proved baseless, but that fact has not disproved the fidelity of God. Sometimes we human beings hope for events which never happen, at least as we anticipate. Some of these dashed expectations have passed into the canon of scripture. Nevertheless, the hope that one day God will abolish the world order built on violence and artificial scarcity and replace it with justice remains a valid promise. God will keep it faithfully in divine time, if not according to human expectations.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 10, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN SCHEFFLER, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF GEORG NEUMARK, GERMAN LUTHERAN POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHN HINES, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2015/07/10/devotion-for-saturday-before-proper-29-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Christ in Majesty
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Almighty and ever-living God,
you anointed your beloved Son to be priest and sovereign forever.
Grant that all the people of the earth,
now divided by the power of sin,
may be united by the glorious and gentle rule of Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 53
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The Assigned Readings:
Ezekiel 28:1-10 (Thursday)
Ezekiel 28:20-26 (Friday)
Psalm 93 (Both Days)
Acts 7:54-8:1a (Thursday)
1 Corinthians 15:20-28 (Friday)
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You, O LORD, are Sovereign;
you have put on splendid apparel;
you, O LORD, have put on your apparel
and girded yourself with strength.
You have made the whole world so sure
that it cannot be moved;
ever since the world began, your throne has been established;
you are from everlasting.
The waters have lifted up, O LORD,
the waters have lifted up their voice;
the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
Mightier than the sound of many waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea,
mightier is the LORD who dwells on high.
Your testimonies are very sure,
and holiness adorns your house, O LORD,
forever and forevermore.
–Psalm 93, Book of Common Worship (1993)
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The journey toward Christ the King Sunday (evident in the selection of the Psalm) continues. The sovereignty of God is a major theme in Ezekiel 28, where we read announcements that the prideful King of Tyre will die and that the hostile countries around Judah will fall. The restoration of Judah will follow, thus people will know that Yahweh is the God of the Hebrews.
Death is a punishment in Ezekiel 28 and the penalty for St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr and one of the first Christian deacons. In Acts 7-8, where we read of the martyrdom of St. Stephen, the accusation was blasphemy, although anger and defensiveness were the actual causes. Whatever those who executed the saint thought regarding theology, their violence in the name of God belied their protests of righteousness. St. Stephen was forgiving, however. One will know a tree by its fruits.
Death is the last enemy to face defeat in 1 Corinthians 15. The agent of victory over death is the crucified and resurrected Christ. As verses 17-19 say,
If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
—The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
The Pauline case continues the assertion that God has put everything under subjection to Christ, in God.
The theme of Christ the King Sunday is that, despite appearances to the contrary, God is in charge. Pope Pius XI created the feast in the 1920s, when dictators dominated Europe and fascism was on the rise. The message of Christ the King Sunday remains relevant today, for human nature and divine faithfulness are constants. The Kingdom of God has been present among us for a long time, for it was “at hand” nearly 2000 years ago, when Jesus of Nazareth walked the face of the Earth. Alas, the Kingdom of God has not become fully realized, for it is simultaneously present and en route. Human cruelty constitutes evidence of the partial realization of the Kingdom of God, so we hope and pray for the completion of the promise.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 10, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN SCHEFFLER, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF GEORG NEUMARK, GERMAN LUTHERAN POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHN HINES, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2015/07/10/devotion-for-thursday-and-friday-before-proper-29-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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