Above: Icon of St. Paul the Apostle
Image in the Public Domain
Revere God and Observe His Commandments
NOVEMBER 19, 2023
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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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Ecclesiastes 12
Psalm 144:1-8
Acts 27:39-28:10
John 12:44-50
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The sum of the matter, when all is said and done: Revere God and observe His commandments! For this applies to all mankind: that God will call every creature to account for everything unknown, be it good or bad.
–Ecclesiastes 12:13-14a, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
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God is everlasting; we are not. God’s purpose will become reality, regardless of whether we cooperate with them. We do have a responsibility to be servants, not enemies, of God, or even to be disinterested parties. We are inconsequential relative to God, but what we do and do not do matters.
Divine judgment is a theme in the reading from Ecclesiastes. The other half of the equation, of course, is mercy–in the Christian context, via Jesus. One context in which to read scripture is other scripture. We read of the coming of the Holy Spirit, in its role as the Advocate–literally, defense attorney–in John 14:15. God is on our side. Are we on God’s side?
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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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2017/06/21/revere-god-and-observe-his-commandments/
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