Archive for the ‘Idolatry’ Tag
Above: Icon of Amos
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 5:6-7, 10-15
Psalm 90:12-17 (LBW) or Psalm 119:73-80 (LW)
Hebrews 3:1-6
Mark 10:17-27 (28-30)
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Almighty God, source of every blessing,
your generous goodness comes to us anew every day.
By the work of your Spirit,
lead us to acknowledge your goodness,
give thanks for your benefits,
and serve you in willing obedience;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 28
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Enlighten our minds, we pray, O God,
by the Spirit who proceeds from you,
that, as your Son has promised,
we may be led into all truth;
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,
who lives and reigns and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 85
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The prophet Amos channeled the Law of Moses when he condemned economic injustice. The cheating of people and the exploitation of the poor and vulnerable stirred up the prophet’s righteous anger. The original context was the northern Kingdom of Israel about half a century prior to its demise in 722 B.C.E. Sadly, Amos 5:6-15 has never ceased to apply somewhere, at least in spirit.
If Amos were alive today, many people–including many conventionally pious folk–would dismiss him as a “Social Justice Warrior” and as “woke.” So be it. Cynics and defenders of social injustice are always present, as is the divine judgment upon them.
The selections from the Book of Psalms attest to dedication to living so as to obey and honor God. This attitude is a good start–a better start than disregard for those purposes. Yet a good start does not always result in a good conclusion. As the lection from Mark 10 indicates, wealth can stand in the way by blinding one to total dependence on God. Wealth is, by itself, morally and spiritually neutral. And a review of Christ’s spiritual counsel in the reveals that he tailored advice to fit its recipients, in their circumstances. Regarding wealth, as we read elsewhere in the New Testament, the love of money is the root of all evil–the delusion that we can and must rely on ourselves, not God.
The most succinct summary of the Epistle to the Hebrews I have heard is:
There is x, then there is Jesus.
In Hebrews 3:1-6, for example, we read that Jesus is greater than Moses. God is the builder of the household of God, Moses was a faithful member of that household, Christ is faithful as a son over his household, and the people of God are the household of God. There is a caveat, though:
…And we are his household, as long as we maintain his boldness and the boast of hope.
–Hebrews 3:6, The Revised New Jerusalem Bible
In other words, we are the household of God as long as we do not drop out of it. Apostasy is a theme in the Epistle to the Hebrews, set against the backdrop of persecution.
What distracts us from God? What are our idols? For some, wealth is an idol. Yet money and property are not idols for all wealthy people. Fear of persecution is another popular idol. Insensitivity to human suffering is yet another frequent idol. The list is long.
May God reveal our idols to us. Then may we repent and follow God, to the benefit of others and ourselves, as well as to the glory of God, regardless of the cost to us.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 28, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTIETH DAY OF EASTER
THE FEAST OF JAROSLAV VAJDA, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOZEF CEBULA, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1941
THE FEAST OF SAINT LOUIS DE MONTFORT, FOUNDER OF THE COMPANY OF MARY (THE MONTFORT MISSIONARIES) AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF WISDOM; AND SAINT MARIE-LOUISE TRICHET, CO-FOUNDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF WISDOM
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAMPHILIUS OF SULMONA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP AND ALMSGIVER
THE FEAST OF SAINT PETER CHANEL, PROTOMARTYR OF OCEANIA, 1841
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Adapted from this post
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Above: A Container of Salt, April 21, 2023
Photographer = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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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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Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29
Psalm 135:1-7, 13-14
James 4:7-12 (13-5:6)
Mark 9:38-50
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God of love, you know our frailties and failings.
Give us your grace to overcome them;
keep us from those things that harm us;
and guide us in the way of salvation;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 28
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O God, the Strength of all who put their trust in you;
mercifully accept our prayer,
and because through the weakness of our mortal nature
we can do no good thing without your aid,
grant us the help of your grace that,
keeping your commandments,
we may please you in both will and deed;
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), 83
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The Epistle of James properly condemns the idol of self-reliance. This is one of the more popular idols in my culture, committed to the lie of rugged individualism and suspicious of many collectivist tendencies. Yet the Bible repeatedly teaches mutuality, in which we depend entirely on God, and, in that that context, upon each other. We also have responsibilities to each other in community. Interdependency within mutuality is the human, tangible side of total dependence on God. We read in Numbers 11 that Moses, who understood that he relied upon God, learned that he needed to share his responsibilities with seventy elders.
Recognizing complete dependence upon God and affirming mutuality can liberate one. Assuming more responsibility than one–or a group–can shoulder and perform well is unnecessary and unrealistic. Doing so constitutes choosing an unduly heavy burden–one which God does not impose. The opposite error is rejecting one’s proper role within mutuality–being a slacker. Also, understanding one’s role within community in mutuality may prove difficult, of course. Yet sometimes members of the community reveal that role as it changes over time.
In my experience, the following statements have been true:
- I have perceived that I should assume a responsibility in my parish, sought that responsibility, received it, and performed it ably.
- I have received other responsibilities within my parish via conscription. Then I have performed them well.
- Admitting that I have moral responsibilities to others has not necessarily entailed understanding what those responsibilities are, in concrete terms, and how to fulfill them.
May we, with the help of God, perceive the divine call on our collective and individual lives, and faithfully play our parts and fulfill our responsibilities.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 26, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE EIGHTEENTH DAY OF EASTER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM COWPER, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT ABELARD OF CORBIE, FRANKISH ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND ABBOT; AND HIS PROTÉGÉ, SAINT PASCHASIUS RADBERTUS, FRANKISH ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, AND THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF ROBERT HUNT, FIRST ANGLICAN CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA
THE FEAST OF RUTH BYLLESBY, EPISCOPAL DEACONESS IN GEORGIA
THE FEAST OF SAINT STANISLAW KUBISTA, POLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1940; AND SAINT WLADISLAW GORAL, POLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP AND MARTYR, 1945
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM STRINGFELLOW, EPISCOPAL ATTORNEY, THEOLOGIAN, AND SOCIAL ACTIVIST
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Marriage Cross
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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Joshua 24:1-2, 14-18
Psalm 34:15-22
Ephesians 5:21-31
John 6:60-69
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God of all creation,
you reach out to call people of all nations to your kingdom.
As you gather disciples from near and far,
count us also among those
who boldly confess your Son Jesus Christ as Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 27
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O almighty God, whom to know is everlasting life,
grant us without doubt to know your Son Jesus Christ
to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life
that, following his steps,
we may steadfastly walk in the say that leads to eternal life;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 77
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Cultural context is crucial. Consider that assertion, O reader, as we ponder Ephesians 5:21-31.
- Patriarchy was ubiquitous. The text did not question it. We may justly question patriarchy, though.
- A household was like a small fortress with bolted outer gates and inner doors. These security measures were necessary because the society lacked domestic police forces.
- Wives were frequently much younger than their husbands.
- So, the theme of reciprocal service and protection within marriage was relatively progressive. The husband had the duty to sacrifice himself to protect his wife, if necessary.
David Bentley Hart translates 5:21 to read:
Being stationed under one another in reverence for the Anointed, ….
The Revised New Jerusalem Bible offers a variation on the standard English-language translation:
Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
J. B. Phillips‘s final translation (1972) of the New Testament provides a different and thought-provoking version of this verse:
And “fit in with” each other, because of your common reverence for Christ.
Clarence Jordan‘s version of this epistle, the Letter to the Christians in Birmingham, renders this verse as follows:
Put yourselves under one another with Christ-like respect.
I, without justifying ancient social norms I find objectionable, do try to understand them in context. I also recognize that a text says what it says, not what (a) I wish it ways, and (b) what it may superficially seem to say. So, within the context of ancient Roman society, we have a text about reciprocal service and protection within marriage. The text makes clear that there is no room for exploitation in marriage. The model for the husband is Jesus, who laid down his life.
Speaking of Jesus, he lost some followers in John 6:66. Yet may we say with St. Simon Peter:
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we know that you are the Holy One of God.
—The Revised New Jerusalem Bible
The theme of the importance of following God exists in Joshua 24, a book edited together from various sources after the Babylonian Exile. The Book of Joshua benefits from centuries of hindsight. Other portions of the Hebrew Bible tell us which choice–polytheism–adherents of the Hebrew folk religion made for centuries. Yet the authorial voice in the sources of the Hebrew Bible is that of the priestly religion. This is appropriate.
Serve God and God alone, that authorial voice repeats. Avoid idolatry and practical atheism, it tells us again and again. This is a message for the community first and the individual second. Western rugged individualism is alien to the Bible.
If we apply the advice to be subject to one another/fit in with each other/be stationed under one another/put ourselves under one another out of reverence for Christ–or God, if you, O reader, prefer–to our communities, congregations, and mature (as opposed to casual or immature) relationships, we will have stronger communities, congregations, and mature relationships. To value other people because of who they are–not what they can do for us–is to orientate relationships in a mutually healthy direction. Everyone benefits, regardless of the cultural context, with its societal norms. This approach, if it becomes normative, will transform those societal norms for the common good.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 14, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE SIXTH DAY OF EASTER
THE FEAST OF EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY AND HENRY BEARD DELANY, EPISCOPAL SUFFRAGAN BISHIPS FOR COLORED WORK
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANTHONY, JOHN, AND EUSTATHIUS OF VILNIUS, MARTYRS IN LITHUANIA, 1347
THE FEAST OF GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL, COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF SAINT LUCIEN BOTOVASOA, MALAGASY ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR, 1947
THE FEAST OF SAINT WANDREGISILUS OF NORMANDY, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT LAMBERT OF LYONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZENAIDA OF TARSUS AND HER SISTER, SAINT PHILONELLA OF TARSUS; AND SAINT HERMIONE OF EPHESUS; UNMERCENARY PHYSICIANS
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Elijah in the Wilderness, by Washington Allston
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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1 Kings 19:4-8
Psalm 34:1-8
Ephesians 4:30-5:2
John 6:41-51
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Almighty and everlasting God,
you are always more ready to hear than we are to pray,
and to give us more than we either desire or deserve.
Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy,
forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid,
and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask,
except through the merit of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 26
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Almighty and everlasting God,
always more ready to hear than we to pray
and always ready to give more than we either desire or deserve,
pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy,
forgiving us the good things we are not worthy to ask
but through the merits and mediation
of 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), 74
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Just as the Kingdom of God is simultaneously present and future in the Synoptic Gospels, eternal life is present for those who follow Jesus. “Eternal” carries a range of meanings in the Bible, depending upon the author one reads. In the Johannine tradition, it means “of God,” and eternal life is knowing God via Jesus. This definition differs from the Pauline tradition of eternal life–a blessed afterlife. Yet consider, O reader, that the present tense of eternal life in the Gospel of John is consistent with the Realized Eschatology of the Johannine Gospel.
Amen, Amen, I say to you,
one who believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
–John 6:47-48, The Revised New Jerusalem Bible
Ephesians 5:1 tells us–collectively, in context–to “become imitators of God.” The textual context, flowing from chapter 4, is mutuality under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Forgiveness is a key feature of this model of communal life (4:32). This is bold living. In the historical context of the Epistle to the Ephesians, this is bold living amid a hostile culture. So, amid hostility and persecution, the faith community could pray, in the words of Psalm 34:3:
In the LORD do I glory.
Let the lowly hear and rejoice.
–Robert Alter
Boldness had defined Elijah’s actions as recently as 1 Kings 18. Yet, not surprisingly, Elijah’s massacre of the prophets of Baal Peor had displeased Queen Jezebel of Israel. So, Elijah had abandoned all boldness, started hiding out in the wilderness, and commenced a pity party. The prophet forgot about the one hundred prophets of YHWH safely hidden and supplied with food and drink in two caves (1 Kings 18:4). If Queen Jezebel had succeeded in having Elijah killed, one hundred prophets of YHWH would have carried on his work.
Fear and ego may blind us to a key fact: Although each of us has work from God, that work will continue via other people (agents of God) if we move away, chicken out, et cetera. God’s work does not depend solely on you, O reader, or on me. Nevertheless, you and I have an obligation to God to fulfill faithfully the work God has assigned us.
I lived in Athens, Georgia, for sixteen years and two months. While there, I became so active in St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church that I became part of the woodwork, so to speak. Immediately before I left, I had been teaching a lectionary discussion class, serving as the parish librarian, and scheduling the lectors and the money counters for a few years. The COVID-19 pandemic had abruptly terminated the sixth year of my parish movie series in March 2020. The film series had not resumed when I left Athens in October 2021. Before I left, more than one person asked me how the work I did in the parish would continue. I reassured them that the work would continue. After I left, four people replaced me within short order. Then a fifth person started a new movie series.
God is central. Also, in faith community, each person is important, yet nobody is irreplaceable. God grants spiritual gifts as necessary. So, lest we forget this, we may need to get over ourselves. Eternal life is her; may we–as faith communities and as individuals–frolic in it and in so doing, become imitators of God, like beloved children. May we not grieve the Holy Spirit.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 12, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE FOURTH DAY OF EASTER
THE FEAST OF HENRY SLOANE COFFIN, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR; AND HIS NEPHEW, WILLIAM SLOANE COFFIN, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND SOCIAL ACTIVIST
THE FEAST OF CARL F. PRICE, U.S. METHODIST HYMNOLOGIST AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF SAINT DAVID URIBE-VELASCO, MEXICAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1927
THE FEAST OF SAINT JULIUS I, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF SAINT TERESA OF JESUS OF THE ANDES, CHILEAN ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZENO OF VERONA, BISHOP
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Adapted from this post
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READING THE BOOK OF PSALMS
PART LXIX
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Psalms 114 and 115
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Psalms 114 and 115 are one psalm in the Septuagint.
Before I address the content these texts, I note that the Latin text of the opening line of Psalm 115 is
Non nobis, Domine.
This calls to mind Patrick Doyle’s superb track of that title from his soundtrack to Henry V (1989).
Walter Brueggemann tells us that exile and exodus are the two major themes of the Hebrew Bible. Both themes feature prominently in Psalm 114, which fixates on water. The text opens with the Exodus from Egypt, continues with the crossing of the River Jordan, and concludes (out of chronological order) with the supplying of water in the Sinai Desert. Psalm 114 celebrates the Exodus from Egypt as
an event through which all nature came to see the power of power of God. The exodus is a cosmic theophany that alters the course of nature.
—The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition (2014), 1397
Internal evidence may support composition following the death of King Solomon (928 B.C.E.) and prior to the Fall of Samaria (722 B.C.E.); verse 2 mentions Israel and Judah side-by-side. Yet the germane note in The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition (2014) posits a different hypothesis:
The language suggest that this is a late psalm and is commemorating the return from the Babylonian exile.
–1397
Regardless of the temporal origin of Psalm 114, the merger of that text with Psalm 115 in the Septuagint makes sense. The second seems to flow from the first.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to Your name give glory
for Your kindness and Your steadfast truth.
–Psalm 115:1, Robert Alter
Psalm 115 contrasts YHWH with the false gods of the nations. The text–like other Biblical texts which condemn idolatry–overlooks an important distinction, though. We must, if we are to understand this matter accurately, realize that the ancients regarded objects–such as statues–as items their deities briefly inhabited, and through which the worshipers encountered their gods. The Letter of Jeremiah, a.k.a. the sixth chapter of Baruch, for example, likewise fails to make this distinction; it is too caught up in invective and polemic to use nuanced language.
Psalm 115 addresses the faith community of YHWH, defined by YHWH. Exegetes disagree wither the reference to “You who fear the LORD” includes Gentiles who worshiped YHWH. We do know, however, that Gentiles who worshiped YHWH became part of Israel in the Hebrew Bible. Yet, if the hypothesis that Psalm 115 dates to the period following the Babylonian Exile is accurate, an anti-Gentile attitude may exist in this text. Psalm 115, despite declaring that YHWH is the sole deity and that the heavens belong to YHWH, does not emphasize universalist tendencies.
Psalm 115 also indicates a belief in Sheol:
The dead do not praise the LORD
nor all who go down into silence.
–Verse 17, Robert Alter
This theological position places Psalm 115 no later than a particular phase of the postexilic period, given the historical development of Jewish doctrines of the afterlife. Psalm 115:17 indisputably precedes the Apocalypse of John, in which the dead in Heaven praise God.
Psalm 115, which speaks of the divine blessings of prosperity and children, envisions a three-tiered cosmos. God lives in the heavens, the earth is the domain of human beings, and the dead reside in the underworld. This is also the assumption in the New Testament, hence Christ’s descent into Hades and his Ascension into Heaven.
Another prominent theme in Psalm 115 is the call to trust in YHWH. Why not? Witness Psalm 114, for example, O reader.
Idols abound. They need not be false deities. An idol is anything which or anyone who functions as an idol for a person. The definition of an idol depends on function. An idol for one person may not be an idol for another person. And an idol may be either tangible or intangible. For example, a sports team or an idea may be an idol for Person A yet not for Person B. An idol distracts someone from God. One cannot trust in God if one is distracted from God.
So, O reader, what are your idols? We all have our collections of idols. If we are wise, we will acknowledge this fact and ask God to reveal them to us. And, just as individuals have collections of idols, so do groups of people. Psalm 115 speaks of and to nations, not individuals.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 12, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF ABSALOM JONES, RICHARD ALLEN, AND JARENA LEE, EVANGELISTS AND SOCIAL ACTIVISTS
THE FEAST OF BENJAMIN SCHMOLCK, GERMAN LUTHERAN PASTOR AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, ANGLICAN PRIEST
THE FEAST OF JULIA WILLIAMS GARNET, AFRICAN-AMERICAN ABOLITIONIST AND EDUCATOR; HER HUSBAND, HENRY HIGHLAND GARNET, AFRICAN-AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND ABOLITIONIST; HIS SECOND WIFE, SARAH J. SMITH TOMPKINS GARNET, AFRICAN-AMERICAN SUFFRAGETTE AND EDUCATOR; HER SISTER, SUSAN MARIA SITH MCKINNEY STEWARD, AFRICAN-AMERICAN PHYSICIAN; AND HER SECOND HUSBAND, THEOPHILUS GOULD STEWARD, U.S. AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL MINISTER, ARMY CHAPLAIN, AND PROFESSOR
THE FEAST OF MICHAEL WEISSE, GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER AND TRANSLATOR; AND JAN ROH, BOHEMIAN MORAVIAN BISHOP AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF ORANGE SCOTT, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER, ABOLITIONIST, AND FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE WESLEYAN METHODIST CONNECTION
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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 XLIX
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Psalm 68
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Psalm 68 is either the most difficult entry in the Psalter or one of the most difficult psalms, depending on the Biblical scholar with whom one agrees. The disjointed text contains 15 words found nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible, plus many words rare in that canon. Psalm 68, which reads like a series of first lines of psalms, describes the divine victory over God’s foes and affirms Jerusalem’s status as the place of divine dominion.
Psalm 68 does have a coherent message, though:
The reign of God is never fully manifested; it is always opposed. The people of Israel and Jerusalem were regularly assaulted; Jesus was crucified. Or, to put it in slightly different terms, the proclamation of God’s reign is always polemical. For the psalmist, to say that Yahweh is sovereign means that Baal is not. For first-century Christians, to say that Jesus is Lord meant that Caesar is not. For contemporary Christians, to say that God rules the world, and that Jesus is Lord is to deny ultimacy and ultimate allegiance to a host of other claims–national security, political parties, economic systems, ethnic heritage, job, family, self. Indeed, the underlying temptation represented by Baalism is perhaps more prevalent than ever–that is, to conclude that human beings can manipulate the deity and thus ensure security by our own efforts.
–J. Clinton McCann, Jr., in The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 4 (1996), 947
The illusion of control may be near the top of the list of most common idols. This illusion feeds our egos and creates and exacerbates a plethora of unnecessary problems. Indeed, to accept the sovereignty of God entails surrendering other sources of identity. In some contexts, to accept to accept the sovereignty of God may make on a traitor, as in the case of Christians for centuries during the Roman imperial period. In the context of the Roman imperial cult:
Christianity was, quite unambiguously, a cosmic sedition.
–David Bentley Hart, Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and Its Fashionable Enemies (2009), 124
And the Book of Revelation, which denounces the Roman Empire as being Satanic, constitutes treason against the Roman Empire. The Apocalypse of John is not a go-along, get-along text.
Our identities as people of God are properly rooted in God. God properly and fully defines us. Our accomplishments do not properly and fully define us. Neither do our socio-economic status, our careers, our partisan affiliations, our cultures, our skin colors, our genders, or anything else. And we depend on God. Can we handle these truths?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 23, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN THE ALMSGIVER, PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA
THE FEAST OF CHARLES KINGSLEY, ANGLICAN PRIEST, NOVELIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF EDWARD GRUBB, ENGLISH QUAKER AUTHOR, SOCIAL REFORMER, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF GEORGE A. BUTTRICK, ANGLO-AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR; AND HIS SON, DAVID G. BUTTRICK, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN THEN UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, AND LITURGIST
THE FEAST OF JAMES D. SMART, CANADIAN PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF PHILLIPS BROOKS, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF MASSACHUSETTS, AND HYMN WRITER
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READING THE BOOK OF PSALMS
PART XXXVII
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Psalm 49
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The aspect of Psalm 49 that grips me is the principle of
You can’t take it with you.
This is always an important message, but especially so in a materialistic, consumer society.
My maternal grandmother died in August 2019. My girlfriend died two months later, to the day. I did much to clean out both apartments. Those two experiences pushed me further away from materialism. I had already been moving away from it, but I accelerated the pace of my march closer to minimalism.
We accumulate possessions during our lifetimes. Then, after we died, others must decide what to do with that which we left. The New Testament is correct; life does not consist of the abundance of possessions. The greatest aspects of life are intangible.
So, to apply St. Augustine of Hippo’s definition of sin as disordered love to materialism, objects can become idols if we love them more than we should. At a minimum, if our possessions–many of which we store away and live well without using or visiting, and seldom ponder–make us feel better psychologically, we create and maintain burdens for those who must clean out after us. This may not constitute a major moral or theological matter, but it is real. I recall a story about two daughters cleaning out their mother’s house. One daughter found a box labeled
Strings Too Short to Use.
Money and possessions are common idols, for many people trust in them. People should trust in God instead. Having what we need and use is fine but make an idol of it is sinful.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 11, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT THEODOSIUS THE CENOBIARCH, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
THE FEAST OF CHARLES WILLIAM EVEREST, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF IGNATIUS SPENCER, ANGLICAN THEN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND APOSTLE OF ECUMENICAL PRAYER; AND HIS PROTÉGÉ, ELIZABETH PROUT, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF THE CROSS AND PASSION
THE FEAST OF MIEP GIES, RIGHTEOUS GENTILE
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAULINUS II OF AQUILEIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC PATRIARCH OF AQUILEIA
THE FEAST OF RICHARD FREDERICK LITTLEDALE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS
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READING THE BOOK OF PSALMS
PART XII
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Psalms 13 and 22
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Psalms 13 and 22 share a theme, which becomes obvious as one reads them. Each text opens with a cry of desolation and a sense of abandonment by God. Each text also concludes with an affirmation of trust in God. Psalm 22, of course, carries an association with Good Friday for Christians. That makes sense, given the account of Jesus quoting the beginning of that text from his cross. Yet I read that, originally, Psalm 22 refers to the author’s serious illness and related problems. A psalm can carry more than one meaning, depending on the circumstances.
I am an Episcopalian. My adopted tradition affirms the validity of doubt in spiritual life. So does the Bible. Consider the Book of Job, O reader. Recall Psalm 13 and 22, O reader. And think about the doubts of the despairing St. John the Baptist, a political prisoner of Herod Antipas (Matthew 11:2-11). I do not understand how anyone who has read the Bible seriously and paid proper attention to details and patterns therein can denounce doubt as being antithetical to faith. Yet some denominations, congregations, and individuals take up that position.
Certainty has a firm grasp on many people. I do not oppose certainty in all cases. I, as one trained in historical methodology, seek certainty in objective matters: x happened at a given place and time, and z said such and such then and there. To quote Walter Cronkite,
And that’s the way it is.
Objective reality is not up for debate, despite the preference many people have for “alternative acts.” However, objective reality is up for interpretation, as it is in the historical profession. In fact, interpretation defines the historical profession.
Yet not all matters fall into the neat box labeled “objective reality,” complete with a clear perception thereof. So, doubts abound. In theological terms, the quest for misplaced certainty constitutes idolatry when God calls us to trust instead. Trusting God can be more difficult than seeking and finding certainty, though.
I affirm that God exists. Yet I reject any attempt to prove by the application of human reason the existence of God. Proposed proofs for the existence of God apply logic to an issue for which it is ill-suited. Besides, the quest to prove that God exists reminds me of the idolatrous quest for certainty.
Whenever people ask me if I believe in God, I ask,
What do you mean?
My question is sincere. Those who ask that question usually refer to affirming the existence of God. Yet, in the Biblical and the creedal sense, trust in God is belief in God. Therefore, in the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed, belief in God is trust in God. I always affirm the existence of God. I trust in God most of the time. Doubt is part of my spiritual life.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 24, 2022 COMMON ERA
CHRISTMAS EVE: THE LAST DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A
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READING THE BOOK OF JOB
PART VIII
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Job 20:1-21:34
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Cognitive dissonance results when reality conflicts with one’s preconceived ideas. How does one resolve this dissonance? If one is wise, one proceeds based on reality. If one is like Zophar the Naamathite, one falls back on preconceived ideas.
Zophar’s concept of God does not make allowances for God permitting Job to suffer unjustly. Zophar’s theology belies reality in the Book of Job. Zophar–along with the other so-called friends–puts God into a box.
Job is correct:
So, what sense is there in your empty consolation?
What nonsense are your answers!
–Job 21:34, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
The world is not fair; Job understands this. Many wicked people flourish while many pious people struggle. Yet,
Together now they lie in the dust
with worms for covering.
–Job 21:26, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
I reject easy answers to difficult questions, such as those in Zophar’s second speech. These easy answers may affirm one’s imagined theological orthodoxy. They may bolster one’s ego, too. But these easy answers will not help one to accept reality. They are idols, for they stand between one and God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 29, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE THIRD DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A
THE DAY OF INTERCESSION AND THANKSGIVING FOR THE MISSIONARY WORK OF THE CHURCH
THE FEAST OF FREDERICK COOK ATKINSON, ANGLICAN CHURCH ORGANIST AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF JENNETTE THRELFALL, ENGLISH HYMN WRITER
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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