Archive for the ‘Abram’ Tag
Above: Icon of the Magnificat
Image in the Public Domain
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READING LUKE-ACTS, PART III
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Luke 1:5-46
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Consensus among scholars of the New Testament holds that the first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke are the that work in miniature. Luke 1 and 2 introduce themes the rest of that Gospel develops.
Luke 1:5 grounds the audience in time and place. We read the name of the Roman client king: Herod (the Great).
Herod the Great (r. 37-48 B.C.E.) married into the Hasmonean Dynasty and founded his own. The Herodian Dynasty held power (under the Roman aegis) until 70 C.E. Herod the Great, the Governor of Galilee (47-37 B.C.E.), became the King of the Jews in 37 B.C.E. He had authority in Judea and Galilee.
Consider calendars, O reader. Judaism had its calendar. The Romans had their calendar, which started with the founding of Rome–on the B.C.E./B.C.-C.E./A/D. scale, 753 B.C.E./B.C. The B.C.E./B.C.-C.E./A.D. scale dates to what we call the 500s C.E./A.D., when St. Dionysius Exiguus introduced it. I notice that he miscalculated, for St. Dionysius attempted to place the birth of Jesus one week before the beginning of the year 1 Anno Domini (In the Year of Our Lord). Yet Herod the Great died in 4 B.C.E. Consider the account of the Massacre of the Innocents (Matthew 2:16-18). I contend that a tyrant who had been dead for three years could not have ordered that slaughter. I conclude, therefore, that St. Dionysius miscalculated.
I use “Before the Common Era” (B.C.E.) because I refuse to refer to the birth of Jesus as having occurred “Before Christ.”
Much happens, on the surface and beneath it, in these verses. Some of these are:
- We read the identification of St. John the Baptist with Elijah (verse 17), indicating eschatological expectations regarding Jesus.
- St. Elizabeth is reminiscent of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1.
- The Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2) is the model for the Magnificat.
- We read that St. John the Baptist will go before “him” (verse 17), indicating YHWH, not Jesus.
- We are also supposed to think of Abram/Abraham and Sarai/Sarah (Genesis 15 and 17).
- Being disturbed or afraid when encountering an angel is a Biblical motif.
- The Holy Spirit is a major theme in Luke-Acts. It makes its Lucan debut in 1:35.
- In Hebrew angelology, there are seven archangels. 1 Enoch 19:1-20:8 names them: Gabriel, Suru’el, Raphael (who features in the Book of Tobit), Raguel, Michael, Uriel (who features in 2 Esdras/4 Ezra), and Sarafa’el. An alternative text of 1 Enoch mentions another name, Remiel. Seven, being the number of perfection, may be symbolic. Or Remiel may be an alternative name for one of the archangels.
- The Lucan theme of reversal of fortune is prominent in the Magnificat.
- I recommend consulting Raymond E. Brown, The Birth of the Messiah--Updated Edition (1993), 358-360, for a detailed, line-by-line breakdown of the Magnificat, with citations from the Hebrew Bible, 2 Esdras/4 Ezra, Sirach/Ecclesiasticus, and the Psalms of Solomon.
- Childlessness was, in the culture, always the woman’s fault, regardless of biology.
- St. John the Baptist was certainly just kicking (1:41). Unborn children kick.
- Verses 5-56 are about what God did and how people responded.
Underneath it all is a celebration of God. God has taken the initiative–God the Lord, the saviour, the Powerful One, the Holy One, the Merciful One, the Faithful One. God is the ultimate reason to celebrate.
–N. T. Wright, Advent for Everyone: Luke–A Daily Devotional (2018), 89
I agree.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 21, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FOURTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT THOMAS THE APOSTLE, MARTYR
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Above: Annunciation of the Angel to Saint Zechariah, by Domenico Ghirlandaio
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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Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalm 25
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Luke 1:1-25
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As Karl Barth pointed out, God, not human beings, properly occupies the center of Christian theology. The overabundance of human-centered language in hymnals and in lyrics to music in church is never a good sign.
God is at the center in the readings for this Sunday. God occupies the center of Jeremiah 33, with its prophecy of a restored Davidic monarchy and levitical priesthood. God occupies the center in the prediction of redemption while all around looks dire. God guides people spiritually and forgives sins. God helps us empathize and rejoice with each other as we serve God. God offers good news that seems unbelievable.
A Southern Baptist collegiate ministry sends people to stand in the quadrangle at the Oconee Campus of the University of North Georgia a few times each semester. Sometimes someone stops me to ask me a few questions. One of those questions is,
Do you believe in God?
My answer is always the same:
What do you mean?
I ask because my answer depends on the intent of the questioner. A common understanding of belief in God is intellectual acceptance of the existence of God. In the creeds and in many Biblical passages, though, belief in God indicates trust in God. I always affirm the existence of God, whom I usually trust.
Trust is of the essence of in Luke 1:1-25. In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, the lack of trust is a problem for Zechariah. I do not condemn, though, for my response would also be in so many words,
Yeah, right.
We readers, if we know the Bible well, should think immediately of Abram/Abraham and Sarai/Sarah (Genesis 15:1-20 and 17:1f). We ought also to remember Genesis 16, the beginning of the story of Hagar and Ishmael, as well as the faithlessness of Abram and Sarai.
Returning to Luke 1:1-25, if we continue reading that chapter, we find next week’s Gospel reading, which I mention here only in passing. The contrast between Zechariah and Mary is multifaceted. Trust (or lack thereof) in God is one of those facets.
I do not condemn Zechariah caution and skepticism. I also rejoice that God does not asks us to cease to transform into gullible people. Furthermore, divine grace continues to shower upon those who respond to seemingly unbelievable truths with
Yeah, right.
My favorite Biblical character is St. Thomas the Apostle; I affirm honest doubt. It keeps one from falling for scams and joining cults.
Yeah, right
is frequently the correct reply.
When, however, the seemingly unbelievable is true and of God, we can turn to God and admit that our initial skepticism was wrong, even if it was understandable. Sometimes we need hindsight to see more clearly. And grace continues to abound.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 8, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF EDWARD KING, BISHOP OF LINCOLN
THE FEAST OF FRED B. CRADDOCK, U.S. DISCIPLES OF CHRIST MINISTER, BIBLICAL SCHOLAR, AND RENOWNED PREACHER
THE FEAST OF GEOFFREY STUDDERT KENNEDY, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHN HAMPDEN GURNEY, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN OF GOD, FOUNDER OF THE BROTHERS HOSPITALLERS OF SAINT JOHN OF GOD
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/03/08/devotion-for-the-first-sunday-of-advent-year-c-humes/
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Above: Leslie Catherine Taylor (2014-2015), January 1, 2015
Photographer = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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For the Second Sunday of Advent, Year 2, according to the U.S. Presbyterian lectionary of 1966-1970
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O God, who didst prepare of old the minds and hearts of men for the coming of thy Son,
and whose Spirit ever worketh to illumine our darkened lives with the light of his gospel:
prepare now our minds and hearts, we beseech thee, that Christ may dwell within us,
and ever reign in our thoughts and affections as the King of love and the very Prince of peace.
Grant this, we pray thee, for his sake. Amen.
—The Book of Common Worship–Provisional Services (1966), 117
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Genesis 15:1-15
Romans 9:1-8
John 3:1-17
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New life is both literal and spiritual.
- It was literal in the cases of the offspring of Abraham and their descendants.
- It is spiritual in so far as we who are Christians are, in a sense, descendants of Abraham.
- It was spiritual for St. Paul the Apostle, formerly Saul of Tarsus.
- It was eventually spiritual for Nicodemus.
- It is spiritual for those of us born from above, though water and the Holy Spirit.
Not all of us can identify moments of dramatic conversion, but, if we live in God, we produce spiritual fruits. Those are tangible. They also benefit others as well as ourselves.
Sometimes the tangible in spiritual in ways a person not familiar with circumstances would expect. My experience confirms this truth.
In 2014, while my father, suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease, was dying in the opposite corner of Georgia, a stray kitten (Leslie Catherine Taylor) moved in and adopted me. She insisted on doing so. Leslie, who had the upper paw in the relationship, was an energetic animal who was into everything. The fur ball of energy comforted me with her new life as my father’s life faded away. She helped me to cope. Eventually she disappeared and presumably died, however. But, while she shared my life, Leslie was a great blessing to me.
Advent is about, among other things, new life–new life in daily experiences, new life in Christ, new life in the fully realized Kingdom of God, and a baby unlike any other.
Happy Advent!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 6, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF FRANKLIN CLARK FRY, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA AND THE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA
THE FEAST OF SAINT CLAUDE OF BESANÇON, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, ABBOT, MONK, AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF HENRY JAMES BUCKOLL, AUTHOR AND TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM KETHE, PRESBYTERIAN HYMN WRITER
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Above: Magnificat
Image in the Public Domain
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For the First Sunday of Advent, Year 2, according to the U.S. Presbyterian lectionary of 1966-1970
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O God, whose throne is set eternal in the heavens:
make ready for thy gracious rule the kingdoms of this world, and come with haste, and save us;
that violence and crying may be no more, and righteousness and peace may less thy children;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with thee and the Holy Spirit, ever one God. Amen.
—The Book of Common Worship–Provisional Services (1966), 117
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Genesis 12:1-9
Hebrews 11:8-16
Luke 1:26-33
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We read of two journeys of faith today.
Abram (not yet Abraham) had no idea where he and his family were going. They departed from their home and traveled to a new one, to destiny.
St. Mary (later of Nazareth) embarked on a great adventure, too. She whom God had chosen, had a destiny she would never have expected.
The dangers were real for Abraham and his family, as they were for St. Mary. Yet they remained faithful to God.
We who stand on the proverbial shoulders of faith of Abraham and St. Mary also have a destiny. Will we step out on faith and take the necessary risks?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 5, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT DOROTHEUS OF TYRE, BISHOP OF TYRE, AND MARTYR
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POST XLI 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 105 comes from the time after the end of the Babylonian Exile. The author of the first fifteen verses (which also appear in 1 Chronicles 16:8-22) begins with Abraham and traces the covenant and the faithfulness of God through the time of Moses.
Concluding the psalm in the wilderness of the Sinai was an interesting choice. It was consistent with the state of the Jews in Judea shortly after the end of the exile. Life in the ancestral homeland during the early Persian period did not match the predictions of life in Heaven on earth. Returned exiles, who lived in a wilderness of a sort, needed encouragement.
The sense of disappointment is a frequent human reality. At such times considering what God has done is a proper practice.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 18, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ERDMANN NEUMEISTER, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, EPISCOPAL THEOLOGIAN
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Above: Abraham and Melchizedek
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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Genesis 14:18-20
Psalm 110:1-4
Hebrews 7:1-3, 11-19
John 5:30-47
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The LORD has sworn and he will not recant:
“You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
–Psalm 110:4, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Melchizedek, a Canaanite priest-king whose name means “Zedek is my king,” appears briefly and mysteriously in Genesis 14. (Zedek was a Canaanite deity.) The name “Melchizedek” recurs in Psalm 110, which identifies the monarch as a priest. The Letter to the Hebrews associates Melchizedek with Jesus.
Jesus is a powerful figure in all of the canonical Gospels. That power is more evident in deeds than in words in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Gospel of John Jesus is considerably more verbose. His plethora of words accompanies mighty signs. Jesus accepts no glory from people (John 5:41), seeking to glorify God the Father instead, just as Abraham gives all glory to YHWH in Genesis 14.
This Sunday is traditionally the Sunday of the Transfiguration. In the chronology of the Synoptic Gospels the Transfiguration occurs en route to Jerusalem the last time; Jesus is going to the city not to seek his own glory, but to obey and glorify God. And, in the Gospel of John, the glorification of Jesus by God is his crucifixion.
Regardless of the ambiguous details of Melchizedek, most of which I have not written about because they are irrelevant to my main point in this post, the principle that we mere mortals should seek to glorify God, not ourselves, remains. It is a counter-cultural message, for quite often we tend to praise those who seek their own glory. That glory is fleeting, but God’s glory is everlasting.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 3, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIE-LEONIE PARADIS, FOUNDER OF THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE HOLY FAMILY
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM WHITING, HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2017/05/03/devotion-for-the-last-sunday-after-the-epiphany-ackerman/
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Above: Abraham and Lot Divided the Land
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 13:1-18 or 2 Samuel 7:18-29
Psalm 38
John 7:40-52
Galatians 3:1-22 (23-29) or James 3:1-18
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Abram and Lot had to separate their families and herds. Abram (God’s covenant with whom is a topic in Galatians 3, Genesis 15, and Genesis 17) was generous in giving Lot the first choice of land. It might have seemed like a good choice at the moment, but it was a selfish and short-sighted decision that placed him in the proximity of bad company and set up unfortunate events in Genesis 19.
David’s character flaws had begun to become obvious by the time of 2 Samuel 7. Nevertheless, there was much good about him. God’s covenant with him was a matter of pure grace, for not even the best of us has ever been worthy of such favor. David became a great historical figure and, in the minds of many throughout subsequent centuries, a legendary figure. Our Lord and Savior’s descent from him was a messianic credential.
Among David’s better qualities was a sense of honesty regarding his character, at least some of the time (2 Samuel 11 and 12). He was a mere mortal, complete with moral blind spots and the tendency to sin. Psalm 38, attributed to David, typifies this honesty at a time of distress. This is a situation with which many people have identified.
Liberation in Christ is a theme of the Letter to the Galatians. This is freedom to enjoy and glorify God. This is freedom to build up others. This is freedom to become the people we ought to be. According to mythology God spoke the world into existence. With our words, whether spoken or written, we have the power to bless people or to inflict harm upon them. We have the power to build them up or to libel and/or slander them. We have the power to help them become the people they ought to be or to commit character assassination. We have the power to inform accurately or to mislead. We have the power to heal or to soothe feelings or to hurt them. We have the power to act out of consideration or out of a lack thereof. We have the power to be defenders or bullies. We have the power to create peace or conflict. We have the power to work for justice or injustice.
The peace shown by peacemakers brings a harvest of justice.
–James 3:18, The New Jerusalem Bible (1989)
May we approach God humbly, avoid making selfish decisions, build up others, and generally function as vehicles of grace. May our thoughts, words, and deeds glorify God and create a world better than the one we found. May we recognize that pursuing selfish gain hurts us as well as others. We might gain in the short term, but we hurt ourselves in the long term. Our best and highest interest is that which builds up community, nation, and world.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 9, 2016 COMMON ERA
PROPER 21: THE TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF SAINT DENIS, BISHOP OF PARIS, AND HIS COMPANIONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF SAINT LUIS BERTRAN, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY PRIEST
THE FEAST OF ROBERT GROSSETESTE, SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF WILHELM WEXELS, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR; HIS NIECE, MARIE WEXELSEN, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN NOVELIST AND HYMN WRITER; LUDWIG LINDEMAN, NORWEGIAN ORGANIST AND MUSICOLOGIST; AND MAGNUS LANDSTAD, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, FOLKLORIST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMNAL EDITOR
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2016/10/09/devotion-for-the-third-sunday-in-lent-year-d/
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Above: The Parable of the Sower
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Eternal God, you draw near to us in Christ, and you make yourself our guest.
Amid the cares of our lives, make us attentive to your presence,
that we may treasure your word above all else,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 43
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 12:10-20 (Thursday)
Genesis 13:1-18 (Friday)
Genesis 14:1-16 (Saturday)
Psalm 15 (All Days)
Hebrews 5:1-6 (Thursday)
Ephesians 3:14-21 (Friday)
Luke 8:4-10 (Saturday)
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Yahweh, who can find a home in your tent,
who can dwell on your holy mountain?
Whoever lives blamelessly,
who acts uprightly,
who speaks the truth from the heart,
who keeps the tongue under control,
who does not wrong a comrade,
who casts no discredit on a neighbour,
who looks with scorn on the vile,
but honours those who fear Yahweh,
who stands by an oath at any cost,
who asks no interest on loans,
who takes no bribe to harm the innocent.
No one who so acts can ever be shaken.
–Psalm 15, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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Abram (later Abraham) was a fascinating, contradictory, and frequently puzzling figure, for he was a human being. In Genesis 12-14 alone he pretended that Sarai (his wife) was his sister, lied to the Pharaoh (who, unlike Abram, suffered because of the lie), prospered (in large part due to that lie), remained in Canaan and engaged in warfare while Lot, his nephew, moved to Sodom. At the end of Chapter 14 Abram encountered Melchizedek, hence one reason for the reading from Hebrews 5, I suppose.
The traditional name of the reading from Luke 8 is the Parable of the Sower. Nevertheless, the emphasis in the story is the soils, so, as some commentators I have read have argued, we should refer to the Parable of the Four Soils. Each of us is, under the best circumstances, good soil, albeit not entirely so. That is a fact of human nature. Abram/Abraham and Sarai/Sarah had serious defects of character, as did St. Paul the Apostle. Likewise, you, O reader, and I have character flaws. Nevertheless, may the lovely prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21 be others’ prayer for us and our prayer for others.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 16, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ADALBALD OF OSTEVANT, RICTRUDIS OF MARCHIENNES, AND THEIR RELATIONS
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ABRAHAM KIDUNAIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT, AND MARY OF EDESSA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ANCHORESS
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2016/03/16/devotion-for-thursday-friday-and-saturday-before-proper-11-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Abraham and Lot Separate
Image in the Public Domain
Legalism and Fidelity
FEBRUARY 18 and 19, 2016
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The Collect:
God of the covenant, in the mystery of the cross
you promise everlasting life to the world.
Gather all peoples into your arms, and shelter us with your mercy,
that we may rejoice in the life we share in your Son,
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 27
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 13:1-7, 14-18 (Thursday)
Genesis 14:17-24 (Friday)
Psalm 27 (Both Days)
Philippians 3:2-12 (Thursday)
Philippians 3:17-20 (Friday)
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The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom then shall I fear?
the LORD is the strength of my life;
of whom then shall I be afraid?
–Psalm 27:1, Book of Common Worship (1993)
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Sometimes the portrayal of Abram/Abraham in the Bible puzzles me. In Hebrews 10:8-22 the patriarch is a pillar of fidelity to God. Yet he hedges his bets and lies in Genesis 12, and the only people who suffer are the Pharaoh of Egypt and members of the royal household. Abram exiles his firstborn son, Ishmael, in Genesis 21:8-21. The patriarch intercedes on behalf of strangers in Genesis 19 yet not for his second son, Isaac, three chapters later. Abram, who is wealthy, refuses even to appear to have enriched himself by means of the King of Sodom in Genesis 14. In so doing the patriarch, who has just paid a tithe of war booty to Melchizedek, King of Salem (Jerusalem) and priest of El Elyon, a Canaanite sky deity, invokes YHWH, not El Elyon. I do not know what to make of Abram/Abraham.
Circumcision is a major issue in Philippians 3. St. Paul the Apostle refers to rival missionaries who favor the circumcision of Gentile male converts to Christianity. He calls these Judaizers “dogs,” a strong insult many Jews reserved for Gentiles. One can find the mandate for circumcision of males (including some Gentiles) in Genesis 17:9-14, where it is a sign of the Abrahamic Covenant. It has been, for Jews, a physical sign of the covenant for millennia. It has become an emotional issue for people who favor it as a religious obligation and a mark of identity as well as for those who consider it cruel.
In Philippians 3 circumcision is, for St. Paul the Apostle, a physical sign of righteousness based on law, not on active faith in God. The line between legalism and righteousness can be difficult to locate sometimes. One should obey certain commandments out of fidelity and love and respect for God. One loves and honors God, so one keeps the commandments of God.
If you love me you will obey my commands…,
John 14:15 (The Revised English Bible, 1989) quotes Jesus as saying. But when does keeping commandments turn into a fetish of legalism? And when does the maintenance of one’s identity transform into exclusion of others? Where is that metaphorical line many people cross?
One sure way of knowing if one has crossed that line is catching that person obsessing over minute details while overlooking pillars of morality such as compassion. If one, for example, complains not because Jesus has healed someone but because he has done this on the Sabbath, one is a legalist. If one becomes uptight about personal peccadilloes yet remains unconcerned about institutionalized injustice (such as that of the sexist, racial, and economic varieties), one is a legalist. If one’s spiritual identity entails labeling most other people as unclean or damned, one is a legalist. If one thinks that moral living is merely a matter of following a spiritual checklist, one is a legalist. If one becomes fixated on culturally specific examples of timeless principles at the expense of those principles, one is a legalist.
May we who claim to follow and love God eschew legalism. May we also care for our close friends and relatives at least as much as we do suffering strangers for which we harbor concern.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 14, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHN AMOS COMENIUS, FATHER OF MODERN EDUCATION
THE FEAST OF THE CONSECRATION OF SAMUEL SEABURY, FIRST EPISCOPAL BISHOP
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM ROMANIS, ANGLICAN BISHOP AND HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2015/11/14/devotion-for-thursday-and-friday-before-the-second-sunday-in-lent-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Icon of Christ in Majesty
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Eternal light, shine in our hearts.
Eternal wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance.
Eternal compassion, have mercy on us.
Turn us to seek your face, and enable us to reflect your goodness,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 51
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The Assigned Readings:
Jeremiah 23:9-16 (Thursday)
Jeremiah 26:12-24 (Friday)
Jeremiah 29:24-32 (Saturday)
Psalm 126 (All Days)
Hebrews 7:1-10 (Thursday)
Hebrews 7:11-22 (Friday)
Mark 8:22-26 (Saturday)
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When the Lord turned again the fortunes of Zion:
then we were like men restored to life.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter:
and our tongue with singing.
Then said they among the heathen:
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
Truly the Lord has done great things for us:
and therefore we rejoiced.
Turn again our fortunes, O Lord:
as the streams return to the dry south.
Those that sow in tears:
shall reap with songs of joy.
He who goes out weeping bearing the seed:
shall come again in gladness, bringing his sheaves with him.
–Psalm 126, Alternative Prayer Book 1984
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The prophet Jeremiah labored faithfully for and argued with God during especially dangerous times. The Kingdom of Judah was a vassal state, false prophets were numerous, and true prophets were targets of the theocratic royal regime. The process of exiling populations had begun, and the full-scale Babylonian Exile had not started yet. False prophets predicted a glorious future and condemned faithful prophets. Yet even Jeremiah, who predicted doom and gloom, stated that divine deliverance and restoration would come in time.
The appearance of Melchizedek in Genesis 14:17-21 linked Abram/Abraham to the Davidic Dynasty, for Melchizedek was the King of Salem (Jerusalem). Hebrews 7 linked Melchizedek to Jesus (“resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever”–verse 3b, The New Revised Standard Version). At the end of the line of faithful Hebrew prophets (ending with St. John the Baptist) stands Jesus, greater than all of them. He is, as Hebrews 7:22 states,
the guarantee of a better covenant.
—The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
Jesus, permanently a priest (7:24), is the Messiah (“Christ” in Greek) unbounded by time. Now he exists beyond human capacity to harm him, but he did die via crucifixion. There was a resurrection, fortunately.
Often we mortals desire to hear words which confirm our prejudices and belie hard truths. Perhaps we know sometimes that what we want to hear is inaccurate, but we accept it anyway because doing so is bearable. Or perhaps we are so deluded that we cannot distinguish between true and false prophecy, prophecy often having more to do with the present day and the near future than the more distant future. Yet, even when we seek to distinguish between true and false prophecy, our ignorance can prove to be a major obstacle. I know of no easy way out of this conundrum. No, the best advice I can offer is to seek to live according to affirming human dignity and loving others as one loves oneself. Following the Golden Rule is sound advice. One might err in the execution of it, but I propose that God will not condemn one for loving one’s neighbors. As for the details of prophecy, they will unfold according to course.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 4, 2015 COMMON ERA
INDEPENDENCE DAY (U.S.A.)
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2015/07/04/devotion-for-thursday-friday-and-saturday-before-proper-25-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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