Archive for the ‘C. H. Dodd’ Tag
Above: The Resurrection of the Dead
Image in the Public Domain
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READING LUKE-ACTS, PART XLIV
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Luke 17:11-19
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Apocalyptic expectations permeate the four canonical Gospels. The texts, written in final form in the late first century C.E., preserve unfulfilled expectations of the imminence of the Second Coming of Jesus from an earlier period. The texts also wrestle with the meaning of those unfulfilled expectations, without giving up hope.
In the New Testament, the Kingdom of God is simultaneously in the present and future tenses. It is (or seems to be) partially realized already, as in the life of Jesus, with the promise of more of the Kingdom of God to come. Yet I recall C. H. Dodd‘s explanation of Realized Eschatology: The Kingdom of God does not come; it is. Certain events–such as the Incarnation–make the Kingdom of God seem more evident that it used to seem.
I read 17:22-37 and wonder how much comes from Jesus, addressing concerns circa 29 C.E., and much comes from St. Luke, addressing concerns circa 85 C.E. Anyhow, as we continue to wait, our duty is to live the life of Christ–to do the will of God. In concrete terms, examples of how to do this include forgiving people, serving each other humbly, and leading them to God.
Keep the narrative context in mind, O reader. The Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem begins in Luke 19:28. We have Jesus as a role model–the ultimate role model–of doing the will of God. And look at where it got him!
Think about that.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 26, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS TIMOTHY, TITUS, AND SILAS, C0-WORKERS OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE
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Above: The Celestial City and the River of Bliss, by John Martin
Image in the Public Domain
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READING REVELATION, PART XV
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Revelation 21:1-22:5
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God’s creative destruction finally complete, the fully-realized Kingdom of God may arrive. The language of the Kingdom of God in the New Testament is simultaneously present tense and future tense. The partially-realized Kingdom of God is here and has been here for a long time. Yet much remains to come.
In Revelation 21:1-22:5, finite language speaks of infinite grace and a new world order. Death, grief, pain, chaos, and other causes of suffering are no more. The New Jerusalem is a new, renewed creation. It is paradise restored, after Genesis 3. Mythological language, best suited to describe the fully-realized Kingdom of God.
Presbyterian minister Ernest Lee Stoffel, writing in The Dragon Bound: The Revelation Speaks to Our Time (1981), proposed:
The re-creating power of Christ’s suffering love is time-less. The reign of Christ’s suffering love is time-less. The re-creating power of suffering love can happen “in time” and “beyond time.”
–103
He was, I suppose, channeling C. H. Dodd’s Realized Eschatology–the Kingdom of God does not come; it is. God is time-less. Our perspectives are time-bound, however. Therefore, certain events make the reality of the Kingdom of God more evident than before.
I recognize much of merit in the case Dodd made. Maybe the temporal perspective of this student of the past is too strong for Realized Eschatology to satisfy me fully. Nevertheless, I admit that my point of view is limited.
Stoffel’s case makes much sense. In Genesis 1:1, God began to create. God continues to create. God continues to re-create.
That satisfies me fully.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 20, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF PHILIP SCHAFF AND JOHN WILLIAMSON NEVIN, U.S. GERMAN REFORMED HISTORIANS, THEOLOGIANS, AND LITURGISTS
THE FEAST OF FRIEDRICH FUNCKE, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, COMPOSER, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JAMES W. C. PENNINGTON, AFRICAN-AMERICAN CONGREGATIONALIST AND PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, EDUCATOR, AND ABOLITIONIONIST
THE FEAST OF JOHN HARRIS BURT, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF OHIO, AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST
THE FEAST OF MARY A. LATHBURY, U.S. METHODIST HYMN WRITER
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Above: Ezekiel
Image in the Public Domain
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READING EZEKIEL, PART VI
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Ezekiel 8:1-11:23
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Ezekiel 8:1-11:13, the product of more than one person, contains some unusual editorial choices and odd shifts of attention. I mention that matter to get it out of the way, so that nobody can legitimately claim that I do not know it. Now that I have gotten that matter out of the way, I focus on themes, details, and the application thereof.
The figurer who looked like a man (or fire, depending on translation) in 8:2 is the divine Presence, Ezekiel’s guide. This figure recurs in 40:3f.
The date of the vision in 8:1-11:13 is September 592 B.C.E.
Idolatry recurs as a sin of the people of Judah.
We read that, contrary to what many people think, God has not abandoned Judah–yet–and does see what people are doing (9:9).
Above: Ezekiel’s Vision, by William Blake
Image in the Public Domain
Chapter 10 reads like a redux of Chapter 1, with some differences.
God departs Judah in Chapter 11.
We read of the divine promise of restoration and cleansing of exiles already in the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire. We read that those still in Judah are doomed (11:41-21). We read that God has moved to the exiles in Babylon (11:23).
Ezekiel 11:21 cautions that divine renewal of the exiles is not automatic; it requires human vigilance. Grace is free, not cheap.
Ezekiel 11:17-21 is thematically similar to Jeremiah 31:33-34; Jeremiah 32:39; Ezekiel 18:31; Ezekiel 36:26. We read that, in an ideal future, by divine action, disobedience to God will cease to be an option.
In Hebrew prophetic literature, as well as in the Revelation to John, divine faithfulness is never in doubt, from the author’s perspective. Also, divine judgment and mercy remain in balance. Creative destruction by God makes way for the establishment for the new, divine order. In Christian terms, God must destroy the old, corrupt order before the fully-realized Kingdom of God can become visible on the Earth, from a human perspective. As C. H. Dodd reminds me from the printed page and his grave, the Kingdom of God is; it does not come. Yet, from a human point of view, certain events make its presence more palpable than it used to be.
Another idea, frequently repeated in the Bible–especially Hebrew prophetic books–is that human sins have consequences. We human beings condemn ourselves. We leave God. We are the faithless ones. We are arrogant; we do not stand in awe of God. We read what he have sown.
Yet grace remains. As the great Southern Baptist theologian Will Campbell said:
We’re all bastards, but God loves us anyway.
And our only hope is in God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 24, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST
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Above: Healing of the Paralytic
Image in the Public Domain
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For the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, Year 2
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Lectionary from A Book of Worship for Free Churches (The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, 1948)
Collect from The Book of Worship (Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1947)
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O Almighty and most Merciful God, of thy bountiful goodness keep us,
we beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us;
that we, being ready, both in body and soul,
may cheerfully accomplish those things that thou wouldst have done;
through Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 220
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1 Kings 19:1-18
Psalm 29
Acts 21:39-22:21
Matthew 9:1-8
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“Son of Man” is an apocalyptic title. The self-application of it by Jesus in Matthew 9:6 indicates the presence of the partially realized Kingdom of God. To be more precise, this application indicates the heightened presence of the partially realized Kingdom of God in the life and ministry of Jesus. If one accepts Realized Eschatology, one affirms, as C. H. Dodd argued, that the Kingdom of God does not come, but is. If one accepts Realized Eschatology, one affirms that certain events make the presence of the Kingdom of God more oblivious, from a human perspective.
Heaven is breaking out on the Earth. That is a recurring theme in the Bible, from Jacob’s Ladder (Ramp, actually) to apocalyptic literature. That theme exists also in 1 Kings 19 and Psalm 29. Yet one may ask about religious persecution, as in the case of St. Paul the Apostle. Persecution, also a theme in apocalyptic literature, is not inconsistent with Heaven breaking out on the Earth.
Heaven is breaking out on the Earth, despite appearances to the contrary. Can I see it each day? Can you see it, O reader? News can be depressing. I try to avoid it as much as possible. More Hell than Heaven seems to be breaking out on the Earth. Yet some faith–even a little–proves helpful. A key theme of apocalyptic literature encourages: Keep the faith; God will win in the end.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 25, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE
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Above: The Vision of the Four Beasts
Image in the Public Domain
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READING DANIEL
PART VII
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Daniel 7:1-28
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The section of apocalyptic visions (Chapters 7-12) in the Book of Daniel begins here.
I remind you, O reader, what I have written in previous posts. The last Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian monarch was Nabonidus (reigned 556-539 B.C.E.). His son, Crown Prince Belshazzar, served as viceroy and regent (553-543 B.C.E.) while Nabonidus was on the Arabian peninsula for a decade. Belshazzar was never a king.
Daniel 7 has much in common with Chapter 2. Two competing lists of the four kingdoms mentioned in the two chapters exist. One list is:
- the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire;
- the Median Empire of “Darius the Mede;”
- the Persian Empire; and
- the Macedonian Empire of Alexander III “the Great.”
According to this list, the blasphemous horn is the notorious King Antiochus IV Epiphanes (reigned 175-164 B.C.E.). This identification makes sense to me, for it provides a clue regarding the period of composition.
The competing list is:
- the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire;
- the Persian Empire;
- the Macedonian Empire of Alexander III “the Great;” and
- the Roman Empire.
According to this list, the blasphemous horn is the antichrist.
The vision concludes with the descent of
one like a human being,
or, literally,
one like a son of man.
This was originally a reference to St. Michael the Archangel.
Son of man
has more than one meaning in the Hebrew Bible. Usually, it means a human being, as in Ezekiel 2:1 and Job 25:6. The term also means angel, as in Daniel 8:17, a reference to St. Gabriel the Archangel. The term clearly refers to a heavenly figure in Daniel 7:13. Christian tradition identifies the heavenly figure as Jesus.
Son of Man,
in relation to Jesus, is an apocalyptic label in the New Testament. This association of the label with a future messianic figure also exists in 1 Enoch 46:1 and 48:10, as well as in 2 Esdras/4 Ezra 13.
The establishment of the Kingdom of God in its fullness on Earth at the end of the visions of Daniel 2 and 7 expresses hope for a just world. This is the concept of the Kingdom of Heaven in the Gospel of Matthew. (See Jonathan Pennington.) This is the dream that remains unfulfilled thousands of years later.
I have read what many Biblical scholars have written about the Kingdom of God. I can, for example, quote C. H. Dodd (1884-1973) on Realized Eschatology at the drop of a hat. As logical as I find his case in The Founder of Christianity (1970) to be, I conclude that it feels like cold comfort on certain days. On those days, I agree and sympathize with Alfred Loisy, an excommunicated Roman Catholic theologian who complained,
Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God and what came was the Church.
As Bishop N. T. Wright wrote in Jesus and the Victory of God (1996), the response of many of the faithful to the Kingdom of God not arriving at the expected times has been to continue to hope for it. Hope persists.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 19, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS OF HUNGARY, AND HUMANITARIAN
THE FEAST OF JOHANN CHRISTIAN TILL, U.S. MORAVIAN ORGANIST, COMPOSER, AND PIANO BUILDER; AND HIS SON, JACOB CHRISTIAN TILL, U.S. MORAVIAN PIANO BUILDER
THE FEAST OF JOHANN HERMANN SCHEIN, GERMAN LUTHERAN COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL JOHN STONE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
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Above: Halstead & Company, Beef & Pork Packers, Lard Refiners & Co.
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-pga-01454
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For the Second Sunday after Pentecost, Year 1, according to the U.S. Presbyterian lectionary of 1966-1970
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Startle us, O God, with thy truth, and open our minds to thy Spirit,
that this day we may receive thee humbly and find hope fulfilled in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Common Worship–Provisional Services (1966), 124
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Isaiah 64:1-9
Ephesians 1:3-14
Mark 7:14-23
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The end of the Babylonian Exile, according to a portion of prophecy, was supposed to bring about paradise on Earth for returning exiles. It did not. Third Isaiah, after recounting some mighty acts of God in Isaiah 63, immediately asked where God was and why such mighty acts were absent. The recorded divine response (in Isaiah 65) cataloged national sins and insisted that the divine promise remained.
God, ever an active agent, dispenses both judgment and mercy. Divine judgment terrifies and divine mercy amazes. The centrality of Christ, certainly a figure of mercy, also functions as a defining agent of the terms of judgment. On one hand we have the atonement and unity in Christ. On the other hand, however, we have those who refuse to participate in that unity, with all its moral requirements, both individual and collective. As C. H. Dodd wrote, the Incarnation, good news, made more apparent what was already true, and those who rejected Christ were worse off for having done so.
The author of the Gospel of Mark (let us call him “Mark,” for the sake of convenience) included an aside to the reader or hearer of Chapter 7; he wrote that Jesus pronounced all foods clean. The dating of the Markan Gospel (either shortly before or after 70 C.E., most likely) aside, that news flash about food laws did not reach many early Jewish Christians. It also countermanded the condemnation of those who ate pork in Isaiah 64. Moral impurity was an internal matter, Jesus said.
That principle applies both individually and collectively. Human nature is what it is, for both good and ill. That simple statement does not constitute an excuse for any bad behavior and improper inaction, of course. Besides, grace is available to help us become better people, societies, families, et cetera. We are imperfect, but we need not be shamelessly sinful and degraded.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 2, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FIRST DAY OF ADVENT: THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, EPISCOPAL MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CHINA AND JAPAN
THE FEAST OF ALICE FREEMAN PALMER, U.S. EDUCATOR AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT BRIOC, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT TUDWAL, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT OSMUND OF SALISBURY, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
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Above: Ministry of the Apostles
Image in the Public Domain
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For the Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Year 1, according to the U.S. Presbyterian lectionary of 1966-1970
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Almighty and everlasting 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 Common Worship–Provisional Services (1966), 119
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Ezekiel 34:25-31
Romans 14:1-9
Mark 1:14-22
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The time has arrived; the kingdom of God is upon you. Repent, and believe the gospel.
–Jesus, in Mark 1:14, The Revised English Bible (1989)
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The concept of the Kingdom of God is multifaceted. In the New Testament it carries shades of meaning. In at least one instance it refers to Heaven. However, it usually indicates the earthly reign or realm of God. Sometimes the operative Greek word indicates more of a reign than a realm, but a reign seems to imply a realm, does it not? So, where is the Kingdom of God? It seems rather difficult to locate, given history and current events.
More than one answer proves helpful, at least to me. I read C. H. Dodd and learn of his perspective, Realized Eschatology. The Kingdom of God is not nearer at one point than at another; it just seems that way from our human points of view. Other scholars prefer to emphasize the sense in which the Kingdom of God is already present, yet not fully realized. The Kingdom of God, at least from our human, temporal perspectives, is both present and future.
The unconditional love of God for us is free yet not cheap grace; it imposes responsibilities upon us. We have orders to look out for each other. Certainly the Kingdom of God, even if only partially realized, is present in such actions.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 28, 2018 COMMON ERA
PROPER 25: THE TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF SAINTS SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS
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Above: Christ Pantocrator
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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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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Daniel 1:1-17
Psalm 9:1-8
Revelation 1:9-18
Luke 17:20-21
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This is my father’s world!
O let me ne’er forget
that though the wrong
seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
–Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1858-1901)
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In the reading from the Book of Revelation the imagery used to describe Jesus is similar to that usually reserved for the Roman Emperor. Thus the Apocalypse of John fits the bill of subversive literature from the beginning. Revelation 1:9-18 is therefore an appropriate lesson to read on Christ the King Sunday.
British Congregationalist minister Charles Harold (C. H.) Dodd proposed Realized Eschatology. The Kingdom of God, he wrote, has always been present. It has, however, been more evident at some times than on others. Dodd must have been thinking about the assigned Gospel reading as he formulated that idea. Psalm 9 might also have been on his mind.
If Dodd was correct, what about exploitative powers, such as the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire (in Daniel) and the Roman Empire (in Revelation), among other oppressive regimes? The question of, if God exists, why evil does also, has vexed many people over the ages. But why would the existence of God nullify human free will and prevent abuses of it?
As the Mennonites tell us, we are living in the age of God’s patience. This indicates a future age of divine impatience, with good news for many and catastrophic news for many others. Judgment is in the purview of God, not mere mortals. May we mere mortals understand that reality and embrace it. May we also trust in God, who, despite appearances, is the ruler yet.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 21, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, JESUIT
THE FEAST OF CARL BERNHARD GARVE, GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN JONES AND JOHN RIGBY, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2017/06/21/devotion-for-proper-29-ackerman/
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This is post #1700 of BLOGA THEOLOGICA.
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Above: David Entrusts a Letter to Uriah
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
O God, we thank you for your Son,
who chose the path of suffering for the sake of the world.
Humble us by his example,
point us to the path of obedience,
and give us strength to follow your commands,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 46
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The Assigned Readings:
2 Samuel 11:2-26 (Monday)
2 Samuel 11:27b-12:15 (Tuesday)
Psalm 17 (Both Days)
Revelation 3:1-6 (Monday)
Revelation 3:7-13 (Tuesday)
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Hear my just cause, O Lord; consider my complaint;
listen to my prayer, which comes not from lying lips.
Let my vindication come forth from your presence;
let your eyes behold what is right.
Weigh my heart, examine me by night,
refine me, and you will find no impurity in me.
My mouth does not trespass for earthly rewards;
I have heeded the words of your lips.
My footsteps hold fast in the ways of your commandments;
my feet have not stumbled in your paths.
–Psalm 17:1-5, Common Worship (2000)
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Those words, in the context of the story of David and Bathsheba, have the hollow ring of irony. They also belie the reputation of the Church at Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6) and fit the Church at Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13). With that introduction I announce that this post focuses on the theme of two kingdoms–one of human origin and exploitative, the other of divine origin and just. The Book of Revelation/Apocalypse of John is about, among other topics, God destroying the corrupt and exploitative status quo ante then establishing in its fullness the Kingdom of God.
Charles Harold (C. H.) Dodd wrote in his short book, The Founder of Christianity (1970), that, since God exists beyond time, the Kingdom of God is really never closer to or further away from us at any point in time than another. He wrote, however, that, since we mere mortals experience time as we do, the Kingdom of God seems closer or further away at some times than at others. And, he continued, certain events make the Kingdom of God more apparent than it was previously. Among these was the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity as Jesus of Nazareth.
Other reading I have done has brought to my attention the concept of the Kingdom of God as being apparent in the person of Jesus and in his ministry yet not unveiled fully yet. The Kingdom of God, it seems, has been unveiling for a long time, at least from a human perspective.
The Kingdom of God functions in the New Testament as, among other things, a scathing critique of the Roman Empire. The Emperor Augustus, who had restored order out of the chaos of the demise of the Roman Republic, was, according to propaganda, the savior of the (Roman) world. Coinage proclaimed him the “Son of God” (in Latin, of course). Therefore claims that Jesus was the “Son of God” and the savior of the world attracted official Roman attention of the dangerous variety. The foundations of the Roman Empire included violence, economic exploitation, and slavery. In contrast, the foundations of the Kingdom of God are quite unlike those of the Roman Empire or any other tyrannical state of the past, present, or future.
This brings me to the Kingdom of Israel. One does well to reread 1 Samuel 8:10-18, the text of which from the Revised English Bible (1989) follows:
Samuel reported to the people who were asking him for a king all that the LORD had said to him. “This will be the sort of king who will rule over you,” he said. “He will take your sons and make them serve in his chariots and with his cavalry, and they will run before his chariot. Some he will appoint officers over units of a thousand and units of fifty. Others will plough his fields and reap his harvest; others again will make weapons of war and equipment for chariots. He will take your daughters for perfumers, cooks, and bakers. He will seize the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his courtiers. He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage to give to his eunuchs and courtiers. Your slaves, both men and women, and the best of your cattle and your donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. There will come a day when you will cry out against the king whom you have chosen; but the LORD will not answer you on that day.”
And he will have the power to take your wives and arrange for you to die merely because you have become inconvenient.
God is a much better king.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 20, 2014 COMMON ERA
PROPER 11: THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL HANSON COX, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND ABOLITIONIST; AND HIS SON, ARTHUR CLEVELAND COXE, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF WESTERN NEW YORK, HYMN WRITER, AND TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANSEGIUS OF FONTANELLE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, AND HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN, WITNESSES TO CIVIL RIGHTS FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS AND WOMEN
THE FEAST OF SAINTS FLAVIAN II OF ANTIOCH AND ELIAS OF JERUSALEM, ROMAN CATHOLIC PATRIARCHS
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Adapted from This Post:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2014/07/20/devotion-for-monday-and-tuesday-after-proper-17-year-a-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: The Last Judgment
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Faithful God, most merciful judge,
you care for your children with firmness and compassion.
By your Spirit nurture us who live in your kingdom,
that we may be rooted in the way of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 43
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The Assigned Readings:
Nahum 1:1-13 (Monday)
Zephaniah 3:1-3 (Tuesday)
Daniel 12:1-13 (Wednesday)
Psalm 75 (All Days)
Revelation 14 (Monday)
Galatians 4:21-5:1 (Tuesday)
Matthew 12:15-21 (Wednesday)
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“I will appoint a time,” says God;
“I will judge with equity.
Though the earth and all its inhabitants are quaking,
I will make its pillars fast.
I will say to the boasters, ‘Boast no more,’
and to the wicked, ‘Do not toss your horns;
Do not toss your horns so high,
nor speak with a proud neck.’”
For judgment is neither from the east nor from the west,
nor yet from the wilderness or the mountains.
–Psalm 75:2-6, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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The readings for these three days speak of freedom, judgment, and mercy. In Nahum 1 mercy for the Israelites was judgment upon the Assyrians. Judgment upon Jerusalem came in Zephaniah 3. The authors of Daniel 12 and Revelation 14 wrote of an eschatological judgment, something one reads about (sort of) in Matthew 12. Condemnation resulted from the abuse of freedom.
The late C. H. Dodd summarized a vital lesson in these readings better than my ability to paraphrase. The Kingdom of God, Dodd wrote, is nearer to or further away only from a human, temporal perspective.
There are particular moments in the lives of men and in the history of mankind when what is permanently true (if largely unrecognized) becomes manifestly and effectively true. Such a moment is reflected in the gospels….But when a person (or a society) has been presented with such a challenge and declines it is not just where he was before. His position is the worse for the encounter. It is this that gives point to the tremendous warnings that Jesus is reported to have uttered about the consequences of rejection….Whatever possibility of disaster may lurk within the choice which is offered, the facing of the choice, in the freedom which the Creator allows to his creatures, in itself raises life to greater intensity. The coming of the kingdom meant the open possibility of enhancement of life; it also meant the heightening of moral responsibility.
–The Founder of Christianity (New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1970), pages 57-58
May we exercise our freedom to become better people, build up our neighborhoods and society, lift each other up, seek the common good, and glorify God. May our love for God and each other be active and contagious. And may our words, even if they are impressive in the service of God, be far less eloquent than our actions in the same cause. May all of this prove to be true because righteousness is good and we seek that which is good. And may we succeed by grace and be among God’s faithful servants.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 13, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTONY OF PADUA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
THE FEAST OF G. K. (GILBERT KEITH) CHESTERTON, AUTHOR
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Adapted from This Post:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2014/06/13/devotion-for-monday-tuesday-and-wednesday-after-proper-11-year-a-elca-daily-lectionary/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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