Above: The Flight with the Torah (1986), by Willy Gordon, outside the Great Synagogue, Stockholm, Sweden
Image in the Public Domain
Living in Community, Part II: Peace
AUGUST 23 and 24, 2021
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The Collect:
Holy God, your word feeds your people with life that is eternal.
Direct our choices and preserve us in your truth,
that, renouncing what is evil and false, we may live in you,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 45
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The Assigned Readings:
Nehemiah 9:1-15 (Monday)
Nehemiah 9:16-31 (Tuesday)
Psalm 119:97-104 (Both Days)
Ephesians 5:21-6:9 (Monday)
Ephesians 6:21-24 (Tuesday)
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How I love your law!
All day long I pore over it.
Psalm 119:97, Harry Mowvley, The Psalms Introduced and Newly Translated for Today’s Readers (1989)
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One reason for the public confession of sin in Nehemiah 9 was that, for a long time, the majority of the Hebrew people had not loved and pored over God’s law. One principle (with culturally specific examples) of the Law of Moses was that the people had no right to exploit each other. They were responsible to and for each other, dependent upon each other, and completely dependent upon God. The testimony of Hebrew prophets confirmed that exploitation and other violations of the Law of Moses occurred frequently.
Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
–Ephesians 5:21, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
It is a glorious passage, one which sets the context for 5:22-6:9. Unfortunately, the author of the Letter to the Ephesians (as did the Law of Moses) accepted patriarchy and slavery. Over time many people have cited the Law of Moses and parts of Ephesians 5:21-6:9, often quoting them selectively in the service of prooftexting, to justify the morally indefensible. To be fair, nothing in Ephesians 5:21-6:9 gives anyone carte blanche to abuse anyone. The opposite is true, actually. Yet the acceptance of slavery and sexism, although not unexpected, due to the cultural settings from which these writings emerged, contradicts the Golden Rule.
A community will be a peace when its members respect the dignity of each other, acknowledge how much they depend upon each other, and act accordingly.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 1, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL STENNETT, ENGLISH SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER; AND JOHN HOWARD, ENGLISH HUMANITARIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT JUSTIN MARTYR, APOLOGIST
THE FEAST OF SAINTS PAMPHILUS OF CAESAREA, BIBLE SCHOLAR AND TRANSLATOR; AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF SAINT SIMEON OF SYRACUSE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/06/02/living-in-community-part-ii/
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ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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