Archive for the ‘Golden Rule’ Tag
Above: Saint Matthias
Image in the Public Domain
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Acts 1:15-26
Psalm 47 (LBW) or Psalm 133 (LW)
1 John 4:13-21
John 17:11b-19
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Almighty and eternal God,
your Son our Savior is with you in eternal glory.
Give us faith to see that, true to his promise,
he is among us still, and will be with us to the end of time;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
OR
God, our creator and redeemer,
your Son Jesus prayed that his followers might be one.
Make all Christians one with him as he is with you,
so that in peace and concord
we may carry to the world the message of your love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 23
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O King of glory, Lord of hosts,
uplifted in triumph above all heavens,
we pray, leave us not without consolation,
but send us the Spirit of truth,
whom you promised from the Father;
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 57
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Consecrate them in the truth;
your word is truth.
–John 17:17, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
Truth, in the Johannine sense, means “activated integrity.” Truth is also that which is reliable, according to The Anchor Bible Dictionary. This makes sense. How can anything be true if it is unreliable?
May we–you, O reader, and I–consider “activated integrity.” We read of it in the selection for a replacement for Judas Iscariot in Acts 1. We read about the perfect love that casts our fear in 1 John 4. The type of fear that perfect love expels belies activated integrity. We read of an example of the praise of God, who embodies activated integrity, in Psalm 47. And the restoration of wholeness after the breaking of it (Psalm 133; Acts 1) is an expression of activated integrity.
Divine love, we read in 1 John 4, casts out the fear that has to do with punishment. Some fear is healthy and encourages safety. For example, I fear touching hot surfaces. And when I walk at night, I carry a flashlight and watch where I step. I fear stepping into a hole, an anthill, et cetera. Acting based on some fears is a reasonable safety precaution. In contrast, the fear in 1 John 4 holds people and groups back from their spiritual potential. These fears often stand between someone and practicing the Golden Rule. Politicians and media outlets frequently encourage such fear and exaggerate dangers for their own cynical, opportunistic, and nefarious purposes–winning elections based on distortions and damn lies, boosting ratings, perpetuating policies contrary to the Golden Rule, et cetera. Often they do so while citing God and/or family values.
Jesus taught us to love one another, not to live in fear and distrust of each other. He taught us to take up our crosses and to follow him, not to scapegoat and victimize people. So, may divine, perfect love cast out the unreasonable fear in you, O reader. May it also expel such fear from me. May such love fill the void the expelled fear leaves behind. May divine love overflow in you and in me.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 24, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT OSCAR ROMERO, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF SAN SALVADOR; AND THE MARTYRS OF EL SALVADOR, 1980-1992
THE FEAST OF SAINT DIDACUS JOSEPH OF CADIZ, CAPUCHIN FRIAR
THE FEAST OF GEORGE RAWSON, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF GEORGE RUNDLE PRYNNE, ANGLICAN PRIEST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF PAUL COUTURIER, APOSTLE OF CHRISTIAN UNITY
THE FEAST OF THOMAS ATTWOOD, “FATHER OF MODERN CHURCH MUSIC”
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Adapted from this post
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Above: A Vineyard
Image in the Public Domain
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Acts 8:26-40
Psalm 22:24-30 (LBW) or Psalm 22:25-31 (LW)
1 John 3:18-24
John 15:1-8
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O God, form the minds of your faithful people into a single will.
Make us love what you command and desire what you promise,
that, amid, all the changes of this world,
our hearts may be fixed where true joy is found;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 22
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O God, you make the minds of your faithful to be of one will;
therefore grant to your people that they may love what you command
and desire what you promise,
that among the manifold changes of this age our hearts
may ever be fixed where true joys are to be found;
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), 53
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A common thread running through the readings for this Sunday is asking and receiving. For example:
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
–1 John 3:21-23, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)
In other words, if we want what God desires, and if we pray for that, we will receive it. That makes sense. This message contradicts Prosperity Theology, an old heresy popular in certain quarters these days. If I, for example, need reliable transportation, praying for that is morally and spiritually acceptable. And I may receive a Chevrolet, not a Cadillac. I will, however, get from Point A to Point B safely and reliably. On a related note, the good life, in terms of the Book of Psalms, includes having enough for each day, not necessarily being wealthy.
Elsewhere in the New Testament, one can read about having the mind of Christ. That concept applies to the material for today. We have Jesus as, among other things, our role model. We, as Christians, must follow his example. We must love as he loved. When we consider that Christ’s love led to his execution, we realize that this mandate is serious business, not a mere slogan. The Right Reverend Robert C. Wright, the Episcopal Bishop of Atlanta, says to
love like Jesus.
Bishop Wright understands that this is serious business, not a mere slogan.
Think, O reader, what may happen to you if you were to love like Jesus in your context and to pray for causes consistent with the will of God? How would that change you? How would it change your community, your nation-state, and the world? What repercussions might you face for loving like Jesus? How many professing Christians would oppose you?
During my research for my M.A. thesis, I found a case in point. J. Robert Harris was the pastor of the Fort Gaines Baptist Church, Fort Gaines, Georgia, in the early and middle 1950s. He left that position under a cloud between August and November 1955. The chatty local newspaper never mentioned his departure, which followed either his firing or his forced resignation. (I read two versions of the story.) Harris had publicly supported the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and involved an African-American youth in his church’s vacation Bible school. Harris became the pastor of the Plains Baptist Church, Plains, Georgia, which he served until his resignation in the late 1960s. Failing health was the official cause of the resignation. However, the pastor’s recent sermon in favor of civil rights had been unpopular with his congregation. Harris had once preached a sermon in which he had asked his flock, in so many words:
If being Christian were a crime, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
In the case of J. Robert Harris, the answer was affirmative. He loved like Jesus and ran afoul of other professing Christians entrenched in racist social norms.
Loving like Jesus makes one a radical in a world with upside-down standards. Loving like Jesus entails living the Golden Rule. Loving like Jesus entails living both versions of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5 and Luke 6). Loving like Jesus entails bearing much fruit (John 15:8).
Psalm 22 speaks of God acting. In Hebrew thought, the actions of God reveal the divine character. Likewise, my actions reveal my character. And your actions, O reader, reveal your character. Is it a godly character?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 22, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FIFTH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT DEOGRATIAS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF CARTHAGE
THE FEAST OF EMMANUEL MOURNIER, FRENCH PERSONALIST PHILOSOPHER
THE FEAST OF JAMES DE KOVEN, EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF THOMAS HUGHES, BRITISH SOCIAL REFORMER AND MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM EDWARD HICKSON, ENGLISH MUSIC EDUCATOR AND SOCIAL REFORMER
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Pentecost, by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld
Image in the Public Domain
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Acts 3:13-15, 17-26
Psalm 148
1 John 5:1-6
John 20:19-31
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Almighty God, we have celebrated with joy
the festival of our Lord’s resurrection.
Graciously help us to show the power of the resurrection
in all that we say and do;
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), 21
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Grant, almighty God,
that we who have celebrated the mystery of the Lord’s resurrection
may by the help of your grace bring forth
the fruits thereof in our life and conduct;
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), 50
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Biblical authors did not always define certain words the same way. For example, “sin” meant a moral failing in Matthew 18:18 yet a theological failing in John 20:22-23. In the Johannine theological context, sin was the failure to recognize the revelation of God in Jesus. Hence, a Christian did not sin, in Johannine theological terms (1 John 3:6). Also, forgiving sins was a task for the faith community empowered by the Holy Spirit. This faith community, empowered by the Holy Spirit, continued the work of Jesus.
The First Epistle of John tells us that the love of God entails keeping divine commandments, which are not burdensome. The Gospel of John has Jesus say that those who love him will keep his commandments (14:23). The most basic commandment of Jesus is the Golden Rule. That should not be burdensome, should it?
God forgives sins, whichever definition one uses. So should the communities of the people of God. Repentance must precede forgiveness, especially if one defines sins as moral failings. Forgiveness without prior repentance is cheap grace–something meaningless and not transformative.
Just as repentance must precede forgiveness for forgiveness to mean anything, truth must precede reconciliation, something else Jesus brings and God grants. In the Johannine lexicon, truth means “activated integrity.” It is not a philosophical abstraction; no truth is something lived. The hard work of being honest must precede the graces of reconciliation and forgiveness. This is a lesson which many people–including certain politicians and many of their supporters–prefer to ignore. They seek to brush difficulties of the collective and/or individual past under the proverbial rug. They seek the cheap graces of painless forgiveness and faux reconciliation without prior repentance and the acknowledgment of reality. And they often do so in the name of Jesus, unfortunately. They, therefore, mock God, truth, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 20, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-SECOND DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SEBASTIAN CASTELLIO, PROPHET OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
THE FEAST OF CHRISTOPHER WORDSWORTH, HYMN WRITER AND ANGLICAN BISHOP OF LINCOLN
THE FEAST OF ELLEN GATES STARR, U.S. EPISCOPAL THEN ROMAN CATHOLIC SOCIAL ACTIVIST AND REFORMER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA JOSEFA SANCHO DE GUERRA, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE SERVANTS OF THE POOR
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL RODIGAST, GERMAN LUTHERAN ACADEMIC AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SIMON WILLIAM GABRIEL BRUTÉ DE RÉMUR, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF VINCENNES
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Moses with the Ten Commandments, by Rembrandt van Rijn
Image in the Public Domain
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Exodus 20:1-17
Psalm 19:7-14
1 Corinthians 1:22-25
John 2:13-22
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Eternal Lord, your kingdom has broken into our troubled world
through the life, death, and resurrection of your Son.
Help us to hear your Word and obey it,
so that we become instruments of your redeeming love;
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
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Almighty God, because you know
that we of ourselves have no strength,
keep us both outwardly and inwardly that we may be defended
from all adversities that may happen to the body
and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul;
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), 36
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Anti-intellectualism, rife in segments of the Christian tradition, is unfortunate and destructive. I, as an intellectual, recall being int the presence of professing Christians who have spoken dismissively of education and of having a faith allegedly superior to those of educated people. I also recall hearing to my face that I will go to Hell for asking too many questions and thinking too much. I bristle whenever I sense that anyone is even getting close to this attitude.
Willful ignorance is not a saving work. Neither is it a theological virtue.
The wisdom in 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 is speculative, philosophical wisdom of the Greek variety. As much as I value the Greek philosophical foundations of Western civilization, I do not mistake them for anything salvific. In context in 1 Corinthians, the message of St. Paul the Apostle is that salvation via Christ violates expectations, whether from Jewish tradition or Greek philosophy. In other words, God refuses to fit into our theological and philosophical boxes.
Instead of speculative wisdom, we have a covenant with God. We have a covenant into which God invites us–Jesus and Gentiles alike. Actually, the Jews have the older covenant. The Gentiles have a separate covenant. Both covenants lead to the same result. Both covenants impose moral demands upon those in covenant relationship with God. Those moral demands pertain to how we treat each other, both individually and collectively. Those moral demands boil down to the Golden Rule.
So, Jews and Gentile Christians alike can say, with equal conviction:
The LORD’s teaching is perfect,
restoring to life.
The LORD’s pact is steadfast,
it makes the fool wise.
The LORD’s precepts are upright;
delighting the heart.
–Psalm 19:8-9a, Robert Alter
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 16, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTIETH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT ADALBALD OF OSTEVANT, SAINT RICTRUDIS OF MARCHIENNES, AND THEIR RELATIONS
THE FEAST OF SAINT ABRAHAM KIDUNAIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT; AND SAINT MARY OF EDESSA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ANCHORESS
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN CACCIAFRONTE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, BISHOP, AND MARTYR, 1183
THE FEAST OF SAINT MEGINGAUD OF WURZBURG, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF THOMAS WYATT TURNER, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC SCIENTIST, EDUCATOR, AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST; FOUNDER OF FEDERATED COLORED CATHOLICS
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM HENRY MONK, ANGLICAN ORGANIST, HYMN TUNE COMPOSER, AND MUSIC EDUCATOR
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Archaia Korinthos, Greece
Image Source = Google Earth
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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1 Samuel 3:1-10
Psalm 67
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
John 1:43-51
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Lord God, you showed your glory and
led many to faith by the works of your Son.
As he brought gladness and healing to his people,
grant us these same gifts and lead us also to perfect faith in him,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 15
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Almighty and eternal God,
Governor of all things in heaven and on earth,
mercifully hear the prayers of your people,
and grant us your peace in our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 22
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Nathanael said to [Jesus], “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
–John 1:48, The New American Bible–Revised Edition
I begin with the proverbial low-hanging fruit: What was amazing about Jesus seeing St. Nathanael sitting under a fig tree? Father Raymond E. Brown, in the first volume of his two-volume commentary on the Gospel of John, lists one interpretation after another in a long endnote. Then he concludes:
We are far from exhausting the suggestions, all of which are pure speculation.
I do not presume to know more about the Gospel of John than Father Raymond E. Brown did.
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We all belong to God. We all need to serve God. Some of us may be so fortunate as (a) to know how to do that in circumstances, and (b) to be able to do that. If one continues to read after 1 Samuel 3:10, one finds that God sometimes tells us uncomfortable truths. Speaking these truths–even in love and tact–may be awkward.
The reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians requires context. Pagan temple prostitution did occur in ancient Corinth. And, given Platonic philosophy regarding the body and the soul, some Corinthian Christians may have excused sexual immorality (as with pagan temple prostitutes) as being justifiable. If the body was only a hindrance to the soul, why not?
Yet what if the body is not a hindrance to the soul? In Hebrew thought, continued in Pauline epistles, the Greek philosophical separation of body and soul does not exist. Rather, “soul” means “essential self,” one with the body. Furthermore, in Pauline theology, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). The body, then, deserves great respect.
Without falling into the trap of fun-damn-mentalism and the excesses of Pietism and Puritanism, I affirm this timeless principle. We, who are in the flesh, serve God with our bodies and how we use them properly. How we treat others, in the flesh, is of great spiritual and moral importance. Whatever good we do to others in the flesh, we do to Jesus. Whatever good we do not to others in the flesh, we do not do to Jesus. Whatever evil we commit to others in the flesh, we do to Jesus.
I do not understand John 1:48, but I grasp this point well. It troubles me, for sins of omission are as real as sins of commission. Pray we me:
God of all mercy,
we confess that we have sinned against you,
opposing your will in our lives.
We have opposed your goodness in each other,
in ourselves, and in the world you have created.
We repent of the evil that enslaves us,
the evil we have done,
and the evil done on our behalf.
Forgive, restore, and strengthen us
through our Savior Jesus Christ;
that we may abide in your love
and serve only your will. Amen.
—Enriching Our Worship (1998), 19
The line about “the evil done on our behalf” indicts me every time. What response does that line elicit from you, O reader?
John 1:51 echoes Genesis 28:12 and reminds us that a better world is possible. Heaven and Earth can be one by divine action. In the meantime, may we, by grace, act both collectively and individually to leave the Earth better and made more just than we found it. The Golden Rule requires that of us.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 9, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE FOURTEENTH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF HARRIET TUBMAN, U.S. ABOLITIONIST
THE FEAST OF EMANUEL CRONENWETT, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCES OF ROME, FOUNDER OF THE COLLATINES
THE FEAST OF JOHANN PACHELBEL, GERMAN LUTHERN ORGANIST AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF SAINT PACIAN OF BARCELONA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF BARCELONA
THE FEAST OF SAINT SOPHRONIUS OF JERUSALEM, ROMAN CATHOLIC PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM
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Adapted from this post
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READING THE BOOK OF PSALMS
PART LIX
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Psalms 85 and 86
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Psalm 85 flows from a deep spring of communal ennui from either the Babylonian Exile or the period immediately following it. Either timeframe of origin is plausible. The text assumes that divine forgiveness of collective sins (understood as the main cause of the Babylonian Exile in Deuteronomistic theology) is requisite for the divine restoration of the Jewish people and their ancestral homeland.
Truth must precede reconciliation. Remorse for sins must precede amendment of life. These statements apply in both communal and individual cases.
Psalm 86 follows a familiar formula for a personal lament, which may reflect communal, postexilic concerns. An observant reader of the Book of Psalms may identify certain motifs readily, These include a plea for deliverance, an expression of confidence in divine mercy, an assertion of divine sovereignty, and a sense that God is not listening. Why else would the psalmists try to attract divine attention?
Walter Brueggemann notes the “unusual nature of uses of the second person pronouns” in Psalm 86. The scholar concludes:
This repeated use makes an appeal that presents the situation of trouble as squarely Yahweh’s problem…. This psalm is concerned for God’s will or intentionality, and so it engages in persuasion.
—The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary (1984), 62
The interpretation of Psalm 86 as reflecting communal concerns in the wake of the Babylonian Exile makes sense to me, given the content of Third Isaiah (Isaiah 24-27 and 56-66), as well as the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah. This is hardly a unanimous scholarly opinion. For example, Father Mitchell J. Dahood, S.J.’s notes indicate that he thought Psalm 86 was a prayer for an Israelite king. And other exegetes interpret the text as an individual lament, but not a lament of a monarch. The citing of Exodus 32-34 (in which God forgave a disobedient people) in Psalm 86 bolsters the communal interpretation.
Imagine the situation, O reader; try a thought experiment. Imagine being a Jewish exile at the end of the Babylonian Exile. Perhaps you are elderly and recall your homeland from half a century prior. Or maybe you, born in the Chaldean Empire, have no memories of the ancestral homeland. Imagine feeling excited about the prospect of ceasing to live in exile. You have high hopes of what that land will be like. Imagine the disappointment you felt upon settling in that homeland and not finding the verdant paradise prophets had predicted. Imagine the frustration over having to struggle with politics over issues as basic as rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem as well as the Temple. Imagine the communal ennui.
Individual faith is an appropriate focus much of the time. Indeed, this is a prominent topic in the Bible. So is communal faith, a topic to which my individualistic culture gives short shrift. The faith of a people or of a congregation is a matter entire books of the Bible address.
Imagine the collective malaise in the wake of the Babylonian Exile. Then notice that, despite concerns that God may not be listening, Psalm 86 indicates hope that God will listen then act consistent with hesed–steadfast love.
The longer I live, the less confident I become regarding alleged certainties I learned in childhood. This is fine; an adult should have a mature faith, not an immature one. The longer I live, the more comfortable I become with uncertainty. Trusting in God can be difficult, even when God does not seem to be remote. Yet this move is essential; the quest for certainty is idolatrous when God requires faith.
Now, O reader, apply these themes to communal faith. Perhaps a congregation has been struggling faithfully for years or decades. Maybe hardships have been a group’s reality for decades or centuries. God may have seemed remote for a long time. Why has God not delivered these groups? And to whom can these groups turn for help?
Faithfulness to God–communal or individual–does not guarantee success as “the world” measures it. Consider the case of St. Gregory Thaumaturgus (213-268) and his flock, O reader.
St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, whom Origen had converted to Christianity, was a lawyer in Neocaesarea, Pontus, Asia Minor, Roman Empire (now Turkey). The church in Neocaesarea consisted of seventeen people when it elected him Bishop of Neocaesarea. St. Gregory served dutifully for decades, during which he shephereded his flock through plagues, natural disasters, the Gothic invasion, and the Decian Persecution. When St. Gregory died, his flock still numbered seventeen.
May we, as groups, live into our best possible character in God. May we discern what God calls us to do and to be. May we disregard prejudices which we may have learned yet which violate the Golden Rule. And may we always trust in God, even when doing so is difficult.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 2, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE
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READING THE BOOK OF PSALMS
PART XLVI
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Psalms 63 and 73
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Psalms 63 and 73 are similar to each other; they express faith in God, come from circumstances of affliction, and insist that the wicked will reap what they have sown.
The dubious superscription of Psalm 63 links the text to a time when David was hiding in the wilderness of Judah and people were trying to kill him. This may refer to a portion of the reign of King Saul. Alternatively, Absalom’s rebellion works as a context for the superscription. Yet the psalm is a general lament from someone in mortal danger from human beings. And who is the king in the last verse? Is the king God or a mortal? Is this verse original to Psalm 63? Your guesses are as good as mine, O reader.
The superscription of Psalm 73 attributes the text to Asaph, a Levite and the choir director at the Temple in Jerusalem. I do know if this attribution is historically accurate. That question may be irrelevant anyway. For your information, O reader, the Asaph psalms are numbers 50, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, and 83.
The psalmist–perhaps Asaph–notices how many wicked people flourish. He reports having doubted the purpose of remaining faithful until he visited the Temple. The psalmist concludes that God will remain faithful to the pious and that the wicked will go to destruction. This is mostly repetitive from other psalms, so I need not delve into that territory again, in this post.
Instead, I focus on the positive influence of religious institutions and congregations. Rugged individualism is not a spiritual virtue. We all rely upon God and each other. We need faith community to teach and support us in paths of God. This is why toxic faith and abusive and hateful religious institutions are so harmful; they drive people away from God and damage those whom they deceive. Many people project their bigotry and spiritual blindness onto God. In so doing, they create a mockery of religion that violates the Golden Rule. Yet positive, loving faith community embraces the Golden Rule.
If God has created us in his image, we have returned him the favor.
–François-Marie Arouet, a.k.a. Voltaire (1694-1778)
I, as an Anglican-Lutheran-Catholic Episcopalian with liberal tendencies in South Georgia, U.S.A., belong to a visible minority. I may belong to the one congregation in my county where I can speak my mind theologically without prompting either (a) concerns that I may be a damned heretic, or (b) certainty of that opinion, with (c) suspicions that I am too Catholic, tacked onto either (a) or (b). The growing influence of Eastern Orthodox spirituality within me places me more out of step with most of my neighbors and renders me more alien to the spirituality of the majority of nearby congregations. Certainly, I belong to the one congregation in my county I can feel comfortable joining. If I were a Low Church Protestant with liberal tendencies, I could choose from a handful of congregations. So, given my spiritual and religious reality, I understand the importance of faith community. My congregation, which helps to keep me grounded spiritually, is precious to me.
We human beings are social creatures. Even I, an introvert, am a social being. My personality type does not exempt me from evolutionary psychology. Faith is simultaneously individual and communal. Individual faith exists within the framework of a community. The two forms of faith interact. So, a solo person who claims to be “spiritual but not religious” pursues a nebulous path to nowhere.
May we, by grace, understand how much we rely on God and each other. Then may we act accordingly.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 20, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT FABIAN, BISHOP OF ROME, AND MARTYR, 250
THE FEAST OF SAINTS EUTHYMIUS THE GREAT AND THEOCTISTUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOTS
THE FEAST OF GREVILLE PHILLIMORE, ENGLISH PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF HAROLD A. BOSLEY, UNITED METHODIST MINISTER AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF HARRIET AUBER, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF RICHARD ROLLE, ENGLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC SPIRITUAL WRITER
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READING THE BOOK OF PSALMS
PART XXXVIII
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Psalm 50
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The Law of Moses commands certain rituals and sacrifices. Hebrew prophetic literature, which condemns violations of the Law of Moses, never teaches that people should ignore the mandated rites and sacrifices. Neither does Psalm 50. No, these texts condemn violating the moral aspect of the Law of Moses then cynically keeping the rituals and making sacrifices. Sacred rites and not talismans.
God’s covenant is a covenant, not a contract; it is not a quid pro quo arrangement. And God in not a vending machine either. Yet divine covenant does impose certain obligations on the people. The social portion of these duties is, in one word, mutuality. We are all responsible to and for each other. Exploitation is always wrong. The Golden Rule must be normative. In modern terms, attempting to cover up flagrant violations of the moral code by keeping sacred rituals and making mandated sacrifices is like sitting on the front row of pews in church, so as to be visible, despite exploiting vulnerable people. God’s covenant calls for true piety, not a façade.
I recall one of my favorite movies, The Night of the Hunter (1955). The antagonist is “preacher” Harry Powell, a Great-Depression-era confidence man and serial killer. He knows the right words to say. Harry sings Gospel hymns with gusto. So, he fools many people into thinking that he is something he is not. His opposite is Miss Cooper, a morally upright elderly woman who takes in orphans. She recognizes a wolf in sheep’s clothing when she sees one. Regardless of how often Harry sings “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” he never says “Jesus” in the movie. But Miss Cooper does.
Sacred rituals are beautiful. I, a happily ritualistic Episcopalian, affirm them. They create the environment for proper worship. Yet they are in vain if one mocks God by hiding perfidy behind them.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 12, 2023 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 CAESARIUS OF ARLES, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF ARLES; AND HIS SISTER, SAINT CAESARIA OF ARLES, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBESS
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTHONY MARY PUCCI, ITALIAN 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, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME
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READING THE BOOK OF PSALMS
PART XXIV
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Psalm 31
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People steeped in scripture speak and, if they are literate, write in scriptural terms. I know this from experience. Perhaps you, O reader, do, too. And, not surprisingly, the Bible contains texts from people steeped in scripture. Therefore, some parts of the Bible echo other portions of the Bible. Psalm 31 is a fine text for a study of this pattern. Psalm 31 quotes the prophet Jeremiah, alludes to Jonah, and echoes other psalms.
The psalmist had been seriously ill for a long time. He, feeling abandoned by friends and besieged by enemies, turned to God. The psalmist also acknowledged his sinfulness and confessed his sins. He was also honest about his anger:
Let the wicked be humiliated,
hurled into Sheol!
–Verse 18b, Mitchell J. Dahood
I understand that resentment-fueled anger. I recall easily praying along similar lines, minus Sheol.
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires are known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Chrit our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), 355
God knows us better than we know ourselves. So, misguided piety which tells us not to tell God x, y, and z does not conceal x, y, and z from God. May we be honest with God and ourselves. If that honesty leads to seemingly impious prayers, so be it. We can take everything to God, who already knows everything about us. Those parts of our spiritual lives that are not all sunshine and kittens can transform, by grace. But we need to be honest. We cannot move forward in the right direction until we (a) admit where we are, and(b) trust God and lead us along the proper path forever.
The paths of God may not be identical for any two people. The paths will vary according to circumstances. Yet the paths of God terminate at the same destination and have the same moral-spiritual definition. They are paths of love for God, other people, ourselves, and all of creation. They are paths of mutuality and the Golden Rule. They are paths of honesty with God and ourselves. Many of these paths intersect, and overlap, so some of us may walk together for a while. May we support each other as we do so.
One of the most difficult conditions about which to be honest is brokenness. Admitting that one is spiritually and/or emotionally broken may violate a cultural norm or a social more. Doing so may also threaten one’s ego. Admitting one’s brokenness to God leads to accepting one’s complete dependence upon God. So much for rugged individualism!
I admit frankly and readily that I am not spiritually and emotionally whole. I carry a heavy load of grief from which, I expect, I will never recover fully. Trauma persists. I tell you nothing that I have not admitted to God. I know that spiritual self-sufficiency is a delusion.
“How happy those who know their need for God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs!
“How happy are those who know what sorrow means, for they will be given courage and comfort.”
–Matthew 5:3-4, J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English–Revised Edition (1972)
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 29, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF ANTONIO CALDARA, ROMAN CATHOLIC COMPOSER AND MUSICIAN
THE FEAST OF JOHN BURNETT MORRIS, SR., EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND WITNESS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
THE FEAST OF PHILIPP HEINRICH MOLTHER, GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER, BISHOP, COMPOSER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT THOMAS BECKET, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, AND MARTYR, 1170
THE FEAST OF THOMAS COTTERILL, ENGLISH PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND LITURGIST
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Above: The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, by Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow (1788-1862)
Image in the Public Domain
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Amos 5:18-24
Psalm 63:1-8 (LBW) or Psalm 84:1-7 (LW)
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (15-18)
Matthew 25:1-13 (LBW, LW) or Matthew 23:37-39 (LW)
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Lord, when the day of wrath comes
we have no hope except in your grace.
Make us so to watch for the last days
that the consumation of our hope may be
the joy of the marriage feast of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 29
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O Lord, we pray that the visitation of your grace
may so cleanse our thoughts and minds
that your Son Jesus, when he shall come,
may find us a fit dwelling place;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 89
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We have, in the church calendar, turned toward Advent. The tone in readings has shifted toward the Day of the Lord (Old Testament) and the Second Coming of Jesus (New Testament). In Matthew, both options, set in the days leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus, have taken a dark turn.
The Psalms are the most upbeat readings.
Amos 5:18-24 issues a collective warning. Putting on airs of piety while perpetuating and/or excusing social injustice–especially economic injustice, given the rest of the Book of Amos–does not impress God. It angers God, in fact. Sacred rituals–part of the Law of Moses–are not properly talismans.
Matthew 23:37-39 includes a denunciation of supposedly pious people executing messengers God has sent. We readers know that Jesus was about to meet the same fate. We also read Jesus likening himself to a mother hen–being willing to sacrifice himself for the metaphorical chicks.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) teaches individual spiritual responsibility. This is consistent with the collective spiritual authority in Amos 5 and Mattthew 23. Despite the reality of collective spiritual authority, there are some tasks to which one must attend.
My position on how much of the Church–Evangelicalism and fundamentalism, especially–approaches the Second Coming of Jesus and teaches regarding that matter is on record at this weblog. Evangelicalism and fundamentalism get eschatology wrong. The rapture is a nineteenth-century invention and a heresy. Dispensationalism is bunk. The books of Daniel and Revelation no more predict the future than a bald man needs a comb.
I affirm that the Second Coming will occur eventually. In the meantime, we need to be busy living the Golden Rule collectively and individually. In the meantime, we need to increase social justice and decrease social injustice–especially of the economic variety–collectively and individually. In the meantime, we need to work–collectively and individually–at leaving the world better than we found it. We can do that much, by grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 23, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS MARTIN DE PORRES AND JUAN MACIAS, HUMANITARIANS AND DOMINICAN LAY BROTHERS; SAINT ROSE OF LIMA, HUMANITARIAN AND DOMINICAN SISTER; AND SAINT TURIBIUS OF MOGREVEJO, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF LIMA
THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCISZEK DACHTERA, POLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1944
THE FEAST OF THEODORE O. WEDEL, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR; AND HIS WIFE, CYNTHIA CLARK WEDEL, U.S. PSYCHOLOGIST AND EPISCOPAL ECUMENIST
THE FEAST OF THOMAS AUGUSTINE JUDGE, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST; FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARY SERVANTS OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY, THE MISSIONARY SERVANTS OF THE MOST BLESSED TRINITY, AND THE MISSIONARY CENACLE APOSTOLATE
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Adapted from this post
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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