Archive for the ‘Romans 5’ Category
Above: Jacob’s Ladder, by William Blake
Image in the Public Domain
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Genesis 28:10-17 (18-22)
Psalm 115:1, 9-18 (LBW) or Psalm 142 (LW)
Romans 5:1-11
Mark 8:31-38
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Heavenly Father, it is your glory always to have mercy.
Bring back all who have erred and strayed from your ways;
lead them again to embrace in faith
the truth of your Word and hold it fast;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
or
God our Father, your Son welcomed
an outcast woman because of her faith.
Give us faith like hers,
that we also may trust only in our Love for us
and may accept one another as we have been accepted by you;
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
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
O God, whose glory is always to have mercy,
be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways,
and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith
to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word;
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), 34
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
People reach out to God in the assigned psalms. God, however, reaches out to people in the other readings. The assigned psalms also acknowledge that God has reached out. Reaching extends in both directions.
Divine reaching out is grace. Grace, by definition, is unmerited, free, and not cheap. It costs God much. We can read the canonical Passion narratives and learn what it cost Jesus. And grace imposes demands upon its recipients. Sometimes the cross one bears may be close to literal, not metaphorical. The long line of martyrs attests to a variety of crosses those who have died for the faith have carried.
Regardless of what grace demands of one, it transforms its recipients. Priorities change, for example. Even just that matter leads to consequences, which may be unpleasant or worse. This is a truth which many members of the original audiences of the canonical Gospels understood. One may reasonably imagine such people nodding their heads knowingly at stories of Jesus speaking of suffering for the sake of righteousness and of enduring rejection from relatives.
Those of us fortunate enough not to suffer any of those consequences can still attest that grace has transformed us. Grace has been transforming me for as long as I can remember–since early childhood. It has been transforming me since before I can remember, actually. Grace is a divine initiative; God is the lead actor, so to speak.
If grace should do nothing else, it should make one more gracious. Perhaps you, O reader, know of or know someone who became more difficult and perhaps intolerable following his or her conversion experience. If a conversion experience makes a person obnoxious, something has gone wrong.
Grace transformed Jacob from a trickster into a patriarch and confirmed the covenantal promise applied to him.
How might grace transform you, O reader?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 15, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE NINETEENTH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZACHARY OF ROME, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JAN ADALBERT BALICKI AND LADISLAUS FINDYSZ, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS IN POLAND
THE FEAST OF JEAN BAPTISTE CALKIN, ANGLICAN ORGANIST AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF OZORA STEARNS DAVIS, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF VETHAPPPAN SOLOMON, APOSTLE TO THE SOLOMON ISLANDS
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Jeremiah
Image in the Public Domain
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jeremiah 20:7-13
Psalm 69:1-20 (LBW) or Psalm 91 (LW)
Romans 5:12-15
Matthew 10:24-33
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
O God our defender,
storms rage about us and cause us to be afraid.
Rescue your people from despair,
deliver your sons and daughters from fear,
and preserve us all from unbelief;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 25
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
O Lord, whose gracious presence never fails to guide
and govern those whom you have nurtured
in your steadfast love and worship,
make us ever revere and adore your holy name;
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), 66
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Following God is frequently a guarantee that one will experience rejection, often from devout people. The Golden Rule exists in most of the world’s religions. Yet, O reader, practice the Golden Rule and notice how much criticism you receive from some adherents to some of these religions, including your own.
Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.
Faith has the power to transform people. Religion often reinforces positive and negative tendencies people have. God or a deity frequently functions as a justification for what one wants to do anyway. People often create God in their image.
Jeremiah did not create God in his image. The Weeping Prophet struggled with God, complaining while obeying. The authors of the assigned texts from the Hebrew Bible wrote of divine protection. Divine protection kept Jeremiah alive yet did not prevent his involuntary exile in Egypt. And Jesus died horribly via crucifixion.
Martyrs populate Christian calendars of saints. This is consistent with various sayings of Jesus from the canonical Gospels. Commandments to deny oneself, take up one’s cross, and follow Jesus dovetail with Matthew 10:24:
No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master.
—The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
Yet, in sovereignty, God makes unjust suffering work for a positive end. Persecutions and martyrdoms water the church. Redemption comes via the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Often, social injustice prompts a backlash in favor of social justice. The New Testament depicts the violent, oppressive Roman Empire as an involuntary tool of God. God works with what is available.
As much as I enjoy forces of evil functioning involuntarily as agents of God, I assert that being a voluntary agent of God is superior. I try to be one of these voluntary agents of God. To the extent I succeed, I do so by grace. May you, O reader, succeed by grace, in that effort, too.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 4, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT CEFERINO JIMENEZ MALLA, SPANISH ROMANI MARTYR, 1936
THE FEAST OF ANGUS DUN, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF WASHINGTON, AND ECUMENIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT BASIL MARTYSZ, POLISH ORTHODOX PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1945
THE FEAST OF SAINT JEAN-MARTIN MOYË, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, AND FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE AND THE CHRISTIAN VIRGINS
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN HOUGHTON, ROBERT LAWRENCE, AUGUSTINE WEBSTER, HUMPHREY MIDDLEMORE, WILLIAM EXMEW, AND SEBASTIAN NEWDIGATE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1535
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Sheep
Image in the Public Domain
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Exodus 19:2-8a
Psalm 100
Romans 5:6-11
Matthew 9:35-10:8
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
God, our maker and redeemer,
you have made us a new company of priests
to bear witness to the Gospel.
Enable us to be faithful to our calling
to make known your promises to all the world;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 24
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Almighty and everlasting God,
give us an increase of faith, hope, and love;
and that we may obtain what you have promised,
make us love what you have commanded;
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), 65
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The mandate of the people of God–Jews and Gentiles alike–is to be, in the language of Exodus 19:6,
…a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
—TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985, 1999)
Individually and collectively agreeing to that is relatively easy. Following through on that commitment is relatively difficult, though. It is impossible without grace. We are sheep–prone to go astray with little or no prompting. We need reconciliation to God and one another, as well as to ourselves.
God has acted to effect reconciliation. That, then, leaves the human side of the relationship. Grace is free, not cheap; it imposes the obligation of faithful response to God. How we treat our fellow human beings is bound up with our response to God.
Do not imagine, O reader, that I have worked out all these details in my life. Do not think that I have achieved an advanced stage of spiritual development. I know myself too well to assert that I have done what I described in the first two sentences of this paragraph. No, I muddle through, accumulating a mixed record daily. Therefore, I write this post to myself as much as I write it to you.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 3, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CAROLINE CHISHOLM, ENGLISH HUMANITARIAN AND SOCIAL REFORMER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIE-LÉONIE PARADIS, FOUNDER OF THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE HOLY FAMILY
THE FEAST OF SAINTS MAURA AND TIMOTHY OF ANTINOE, MARTYRS, 286
THE FEAST OF SAINT TOMASSO ACERBIS, CAPUCHIN FRIAR
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Judas Iscariot, by James Tissot
Image in the Public Domain
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 70:1-2 4-6 (LBW) or Psalm 18:21-30 (LW)
Romans 5:6-11
Matthew 26:14-25
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Almighty God, your Son our Savior suffered at the hands of men
and endured the shame of the cross.
Grant that we may walk in the way of his cross
and find it the way of life and peace;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 20
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Merciful and everlasting God the Father,
who did not spare your only Son
but delivered him up for us all that he might bear our sins on the cross;
grant that our hearts may be so fixed with steadfast faith in our Savior
that we may not fear the power of any adversaries;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 43
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In context, Isaiah 50:4-9a is an odd lection to read on this Sunday. The speaker–the prophet/servant (Second Isaiah)–is pious yet merely human, therefore, sinful. He believes that the suffering of the exiles during the Babylonian Exile has been justified. Yet he also anticipates the divine vindication of that exiled population, for the glory of God. Applying this reading to sinless Jesus (who suffered an unjust execution as an innocent man) requires astounding theological gymnastics.
Judas Iscariot played an essential role in a divine plan. The writers of the four canonical Gospels portrayed him negatively, for one major obvious reason. The Gospel of John added that Judas was an embezzler (John 12:6). Despite all this, Judas was not outside the mercy of God. And he had not committed the unpardonable sin–blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:32; Mark 3:28; Luke 12:10). Judas may have thought that he knew what he was doing, but he did not. Recall Luke 23:24, O reader:
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
—The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
I do not pretend to know the ultimate fate of Judas Iscariot. I am not God. I do, however, repeat my position that the only people in Hell are those who have condemned themselves. God sends nobody to Hell. Divine mercy and judgment exist in a balance I cannot grasp, for I am not God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 12, 2022 COMMON ERA
HOLY TUESDAY
THE FEAST OF HENRY SLOANE COFFIN, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR; AND HIS NEPHEW, WILLIAM SLOANE COFFIN, JR., U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND SOCIAL ACTIVIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT DAVID URIBE-VELASCO, MEXICAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1927
THE FEAST OF SAINT JULIUS I, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZENO OF VERONA, BISHOP
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Garden of Eden, by Thomas Cole
Image in the Public Domain
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Genesis 2:7-9, 15-17; 3:1-7
Psalm 130
Romans 5:12 (13-16) 17-19
Matthew 4:1-11
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
O Lord God, you led your ancient people through the wilderness
and brought them to the promised land.
Guide now the people of your Church, that, following our Savior,
we may walk through the wilderness of this world
toward the glory of the world to come;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
or
Lord God, our strength,
the battle of good and evil rages within and around us,
and our ancient foe tempts us with his deceits and empty promises.
Keep us steadfast in your Word, and,
when we fall, raise us again and restore us
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), 17-18
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
O almighty and eternal God, we implore you
to direct, sanctify, and govern our hearts and bodies
in the ways of your laws and the works of your laws
and the works of your commandments
that through your mighty protection, both now and ever,
we may be preserved in body and soul;
through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 33
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I have been composing lectionary-based devotions for more than a decade. I have, therefore, covered the temptation of Jesus already.
I make one comment about it, though: one function of the story is to help Christians know how to resist temptation.
This combination of readings–about temptation, confession of sin, and repentance–works well as a unit. The First Reading provides my main point: we must resist the temptation to misquote God, as Eve did in the myth. Read that text again, O reader, and realize that God did not forbid touching the fruit of the knowledge of good and bad. Misquoting God gave the mythical snake his opening.
The Talmud teaches:
He who adds [to God’s words] subtracts [from them].
–Quoted in The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition (2014), 15
The words of God are what God has said and says. Scripture, channeled through human lenses and experiences, provide many of God’s words. The Reformed tradition within Christianity speaks of God’s second book, nature. The mystical tradition within Christianity recognizes another method by which God speaks. I report some experiences I cannot explain rationally. I do know if I I listened to God, a guardian angel, or intuition. Yet I know that I listened and acted, to my benefit in practical, automotive matters.
I am an intellectual. I reject the inerrancy and infallibility of scripture, based on having studied the Bible closely and seriously. And I take the Bible seriously. I try to understand first what a given text says, in original context. Then I extrapolate to today. I try not to misquote or misinterpret any text of scripture. Neither do I shut down the parts of my mind that respect history and science. Good theology, good history, and good science are in harmony. As Galileo Galilei said:
The Bible tells us now to go to Heaven, not how the heavens go.
O reader, what is God saying to you today? Do mis misquote it. No, listen carefully.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 2, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Icon of the Holy Trinity, by Andrei Rublev
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Psalm 29
Romans 5:1-5
John 14:23-27
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I have written many devotions for Trinity Sunday over more than a decade. Not repeating myself has become impossible,
Here it goes, then.
Many people think of the doctrine of the Trinity as theological prose. They are mistaken; it is theological poetry. I do not presume to claim to understand the mechanics of the Trinity. No human brain can grasp those details. And, if one consults a history of Christian theology, one will read that Trinitarian heresies originated with attempts to explain it.
Love God and enjoy the theological poetry, O reader.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 12, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BENEDICT BISCOP, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT OF WEARMOUTH
THE FEAST OF SAINT AELRED OF HEXHAM, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT OF RIEVAULX
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTHONY MARY PUCCI, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF HENRY ALFORD, ANGLICAN PRIEST, BIBLICAL SCHOLAR, LITERARY TRANSLATOR, HYMN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND BIBLE TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARGUERITE BOURGEOYS, FOUNDRESS OF THE SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2021/01/12/devotion-for-trinity-sunday-year-d-humes/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: King Josiah of Judah
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
For the First Sunday Before Lent, Year 2
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
O Lord, who hast taught us that all our doings without love are nothing worth;
send thy Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love,
the very bond of peace and of all virtues,
without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee.
Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 141
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2 Kings 22:8-20
Psalms 15 and 16
Romans 5:13-25
Luke 7:1-16
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
God calls Jews. God calls Gentiles, too. God also cares deeply about how we humans treat each other. Orthopraxy is the practical side of orthodoxy. Deeds reveal creeds. Faith without works is dead.
I grew up around an evangelical subculture in small towns and communities in rural Georgia, mostly in the southern part of the state. The cultural milieu was primarily racist, provincial, conservative, conformist, homophobic, anti-intellectual, anti-scientific, and anti-Roman Catholic. I grew up United Methodist in a subculture the Southern Baptist Convention defined. My latent Roman Catholic tendencies ceased to be latent after a while. My intellectualism and acceptance of science added to my marginalization. My rebelliousness in the face of continuous pressures to conform increased. Fortunately, my parents raised me to think for myself. They also raised me to oppose racism.
So, O reader, know that I am a churchy person with a sometimes jaundiced view of the institutional church. I recall examples of life-long church members protesting they were not racists as they opposed funding a denominational scholarship fund for African-American college students. I know the pressures to fit into an ecclesiastical subculture in violation of my personality type. I know the feeling of having people indicate that my preference for contemplative prayer over oral, extemporaneous prayer (which they preferred) is inherently defective. A difference is not necessarily a defect. I know that the church has shot many of its own, so to speak. It has shot me, so to speak.
Deeds reveal creeds. Works reveal active faith. God has created an astounding variety of personalities. Each of us has received spiritual gifts. All of them are essential. So are all the personalities.
Deeds reveal creeds. Do we believe that diversity is crucial in the church? Do we believe that there are no outsiders and marginal characters in Christ? Some of us do. Others do not, based on their deeds.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 13, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
THE FIFTEENTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL JOHNSON, “THE GREAT MORALIST”
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN FURCHTEGOTT GELLERT, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, EDUCATOR, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF ELLA J. BAKER, WITNESS FOR CIVIIL RIGHTS
THE FEAST OF PAUL SPERATUS, GERMAN LUTHERAN BISHOP, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF PIERSON PARKER, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Grief of Hannah
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1 Samuel 1:1-20 or Jeremiah 14:1-22
Psalm 101
Romans 5:12-21
Luke 11:27-36
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Your love and justice will I sing,
to you, Yahweh, will I chant,
I will rhapsodize about your dominion complete.
When will you come to me?
–Psalm 101:1b-2a, Mitchell J. Dahood (1970)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Psalter in The Book of Common Prayer (1979) renders the third line quoted above as,
I will strive to follow a blameless course…
The germane notes in Dahood’s third (of three) volumes on the Book of Psalms for The Anchor Bible series cite Hebrew words and linguistic nuances to justify his choice of translation. Part of the pleasure of reading Dahood on the Psalms is studying, after a fashion, under a master of his field–in his case, ancient Semitic languages. I recommend purchasing his three volumes on the Psalms if one seeks to study the Book of Psalms deeply.
Part of the Hebrew text of Psalm 101 can legitimately read in English as,
I will strive to follow a blameless course,
and as,
I will rhapsodize about your dominion complete.
Think about that, O reader. One rendering focuses on deeds; the other zeroes in on joyfulness and singing. No single English-translation can capture the richness of the Hebrew text.
The attitude of the Psalmist, like that of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:1-20, contrasts with that of the wicked people and generations in the other assigned readings.
- Human nature is flawed; that is obvious to me. Human depravity is not even an article of faith for me; I need no faith to accept that for which I have evidence.
- Sadly, false prophets (frequently supporting a political establishment) remain with us. One may read of the false prophets in the Book of Jeremiah and think readily of some of some of their contemporary counterparts.
- The quest for signs indicates faithlessness. Furthermore, human memories and attention spans can be fleeting. Consider, O reader, John 6. One reads of the Feeding of the Five Thousand in the first fifteen verses. One also reads in verse 30, set on the following day, “Then what sign will you do, that we may see, and believe you?”
May we, by grace, pay attention. May we mark, learn, and inwardly digest the law of of God. May we find that law written on our hearts. Then may we rejoice. May we rhapsodize consistently and strive to follow a blameless course. And may we succeed, by grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 19, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, AND MARTYR, 1012
THE FEAST OF DAVID BRAINERD, AMERICAN CONGREGATIONALIST THEN PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARY AND MINISTER
THE FEAST OF SAINT EMMA OF LESUM, BENEFACTOR
THE FEAST OF MARY C. COLLINS, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MISSIONARY AND MINISTER
THE FEAST OF OLAVUS PETRI, SWEDISH LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN, HISTORIAN, LITURGIST, MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND “FATHER OF SWEDISH LITERATURE;” AND HIS BROTHER, LAURENTIUS PETRI, SWEDISH LUTHERAN ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, BIBLE TRANSLATOR, AND “FATHER OF SWEDISH HYMNODY”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2020/04/19/devotion-for-proper-15-year-c-humes/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Christ Exorcising Demons
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
For the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year 1
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Almighty God, who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers,
that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot always stand upright,
grant to us such strength and protection as may support us in all dangers,
and carry us through all temptations;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 131
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Isaiah 51:1-12
Psalm 63
Romans 3:21-26; 5:18-21
Mark 1:29-45
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
When we despair, as we frequently have sound reasons to do, do we wallow in that emotion? Or do we look to God? We, as human beings, need to release our emotions. Crying out to God is a healthy way of doing so. We may, as the author of Psalm 63 did, pray that God will smite our enemies. We may also recall Romans 12:10-21, however. Yet we feel what we feel. If we give it to God, we let go of a great spiritual burden.
Grace is free, costly, and scandalous. If falls upon us, people like us, those unlike us, and our enemies. Grace ignores our socially-constructed categories and our psychological defense mechanisms. Grace makes us whole, if we permit it to do so. If we reject grace, we do not remain as we are. No, we became worse off.
The pity of Christ provides us with a model to follow. Do we pity others as often as we ought? Do we want them to be their best selves, physically, spiritually, et cetera? Assuming that we do, do we know how to act accordingly? Aye, there is the rub!
I live in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia. I frequently see panhandlers at or near busy intersections. One cannot walk through downtown Athens for long without encountering panhandlers. Signs in downtown Athens advise giving funds to certain organizations that help homeless people instead. This makes sense to me, for many panhandlers are capable of getting jobs and make much money, too. This breed of panhandlers cast a pall of judgment upon those actually in desperate straits.
Where is the border separating clear-eyed realism from uninformed judgment and bad tactics from good tactics? Finding that boundary can be difficult. Realism can resemble insensitivity. Good-hearted foolishness can look like the proper course of action. May we, by grace, be as innocent as doves and as shrewd as serpents as we seek to follow Christ and have pity for each other.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 17, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT PATRICK, APOSTLE OF IRELAND
THE FEAST OF EBENEZER ELLIOTT, “THE CORN LAW RHYMER”
THE FEAST OF HENRY SCOTT HOLLAND, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER AND PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINT JAN SARKANDER, SILESIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND “MARTYR OF THE CONFESSIONAL,” 1620
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA BARBARA MAIX, FOUNDRESS OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE SISTERS OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Calling of Peter and Andrew, by James Tissot
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
For the Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Year 1
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Almighty and Everliving God, mercifully look upon our infirmities,
and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth Thy right hand to help and defend us;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 129
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Numbers 24:10-17
Psalm 33:6-22
Romans 5:1-5
Mark 1:14-28
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Save us from weak resignation
To the evils we deplore;
Let the search for Thy salvation
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Serving Thee whom we adore,
Serving Thee whom we adore.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
God is sovereign, despite appearances to the contrary. Innocent and faithful people suffer. Many of them died unjustly. Yet, ultimately, that world order will pass away and the fully-realized Kingdom of God will replace it. The Gospel of Matthew, which uses “Kingdom of God” four times, calls the fully-realized Kingdom the Kingdom of Heaven. (See: Jonathan Pennington.)
Do we accept the sovereignty of God? Doing so is difficult much of the time, after all. “The sovereignty of God” becomes an empty platitude too easily and frequently. I understand why. Perhaps you, O reader, also understand this.
One challenge of faith is to move beyond what is and to hope for what can be. This requires imagination sufficient to act positively, therefore, to improve the world, if only slightly. This is one task of a covenant people–to cooperate with God, to leave the world better than we found it. We have no excuse for folding up our arms in resignation and despair when we should reach them out to others.
God will save the world. God is sovereign. Thanks be to God! May we not forget our duties, however.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 17, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT PATRICK, APOSTLE OF IRELAND
THE FEAST OF EBENEZER ELLIOTT, “THE CORN LAW RHYMER”
THE FEAST OF HENRY SCOTT HOLLAND, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER AND PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINT JAN SARKANDER, SILESIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND “MARTYR OF THE CONFESSIONAL,” 1620
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA BARBARA MAIX, FOUNDRESS OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE SISTERS OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
You must be logged in to post a comment.