According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
One may use the word “mystery” in at least two ways. One may think of a situation in which gathering more information will eliminate confusion and enable arriving at a firm answer. The Holy Trinity is a mystery, but not in that way. Even if we mere mortals had all the information about the nature of God, we could not understand it. We can barely grasp what we do know, and what we know raises more questions than it resolves. So be it. The second meaning of “mystery” is an ancient definition: One can know something only by living into it. One can know God by faith, for example.
The Feast of the Holy Trinity is the only Christian feast of a doctrine. It is more than that, though. Lutheran minister and liturgist Philip H. Pfatteicher recommends thinking of Trinity Sunday as:
…the celebration of the richness of the being of God and the occasion of a thankful review of the now completed mystery of salvation, which is the work of the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit.
—Commentary on theLutheran Book of Worship: Lutheran Liturgy in Its Ecumenical Context (1990), 301
A doctrine–especially the Holy Trinity–can seem abstract. Some people (including moi) like abstractions. However, abstractions leave others cold and spiritually unmoved. Salvation is not abstract, however; it is tangible. And how it works is a mystery in at least the second meaning of the word.
Happy Trinity Sunday!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 27, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF GEORGE WASHINGTON DOANE, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF NEW JERSEY; AND HIS SON, WILLIAM CROSWELL DOANE, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF ALBANY; HYMN WRITERS
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANTONY AND THEODOSIUS OF KIEV, FOUNDERS OF RUSSIAN ORTHODOX MONASTICISM; SAINT BARLAAM OF KIEV, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ABBOT; AND SAINT STEPHEN OF KIEV, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ABBOT AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF CHRISTINA ROSSETTI, POET AND RELIGIOUS WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS REMACLUS OF MAASTRICHT, THEODORE OF MAASTRICHT, LAMBERT OF MAASTRICHT, HUBERT OF MAASTRICHT AND LIEGE, AND FLORIBERT OF LIEGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; SAINT LANDRADA OF MUNSTERBILSEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBESS; AND SAINTS OTGER OF UTRECHT, PLECHELM OF GUELDERLAND, AND WIRO, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARIES
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZITA OF TUSCANY, WORKER OF CHARITY
Trinity Sunday is the creation of Bishop Stephen of Liege (in office 903-920). The feast, universal in Roman Catholicism since 1334 by the order of Pope John XXII, is, according to the eminent Lutheran liturgist Philip H. Pfatteicher, author of the Commentary on the Lutheran Book of Worship (1990), not so much about a doctrine but
the now completed mystery of salvation, which is the work of the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit.
–page 301
Famously the word “Trinity” appears nowhere in the Bible, and no single verse or passage gives us that doctrine. The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is the result of much debate, some fistfights, ecumenical councils, Roman imperial politics, and the pondering of various passages of scripture. The conclusion of 2 Corinthians and Matthew are two of those passages. Perhaps the best summary of that process in the fourth chapter in Karen Armstrong‘s A History of God (1994).
I, being aware that a set of heresies has its origin in pious attempts to explain the Trinity, refrain from engaging in any of those heresies or creating a new one. No, I stand in awe of the mystery of God and affirm that the Trinity is as close to an explanation as we humans will have. We cannot understand the Trinity, and God, I assume, is more than that.
The great myth in Genesis 1:1-2:4a, itself a modified version of the Enuma Elish, affirms, among other key theological concepts, (1) the goodness of creation and (2) the image of God in human beings. We are not an afterthought. No, we are the pinnacle of the created order. These themes carry over into Psalm 8. The standard English-language translation of one verse (which one it is depends on the versification in the translation one reads) is that God has created us slightly lower than the angels. That is a mistranslation. TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985) renders the germane passage as
The Hebrew word is Elohim, originally a reference to the council of gods, and therefore a remnant of a time before Jews were monotheists. An alternative translation is English is
a little lower than God,
which is better than
a little lower than the angels.
Studies of religious history should teach one that Elohim eventually became a synonym for YHWH.
“Little less than divine” seems like an optimistic evaluation of human nature when I consider the past and the present, especially when I think about environmental destruction and human behavior. But what if Pfatteicher is correct? What if the work of salvation is complete? What if the image of God is a great portion of our nature than the actions of many of us might indicate?
In Christ we can have liberation to become the people we ought to be. In Christ we can achieve our spiritual potential–for the glory of God and the benefit of others.
May we, by grace, let the image of God run loose.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 13, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CLIFFORD BAX, POET, PLAYWRIGHT, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT EUGENIUS OF CARTHAGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF JOHANNES RENATUS VERBEEK, MORAVIAN MINISTER AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF PETER RICKSEEKER, U.S. MORAVIAN MINISTER, MISSIONARY, MUSICIAN, MUSIC EDUCATOR, AND COMPOSER; STUDENT OF JOHANN CHRISTIAN BECHLER, MORAVIAN MINISTER , MUSICIAN, MUSIC EDUCATOR, AND COMPOSER; FATHER OF JULIUS THEODORE BECHLER, U.S. MORAVIAN MINISTER, MUSICIAN, EDUCATOR, AND COMPOSER
Compassionate God, you have assured the human family of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Deliver us from the death of sin, and raise us to new life,
in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 39
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The Assigned Readings:
2 Samuel 14:1-11 (Thursday)
2 Samuel 14:12-24 (Friday)
2 Samuel 14:25-33 (Saturday)
Psalm 30 (All Days)
Acts 22:6-21 (Thursday)
Acts 26:1-11 (Friday)
Matthew 9:2-8 (Saturday)
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To you, Yahweh, I call,
to my God I cry for mercy.
–Psalm 30:8, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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We read of forgiveness in the lections from the New Testament. Saul of Tarsus receives forgiveness and a new mandate from God. (Grace is free yet not cheap.) Jesus forgives a man’s sins during a healing in Matthew 9. Critics who are present think that our Lord and Savior is committing blasphemy, for their orthodoxy makes no room for Jesus. The healed man becomes a former paralytic, but Christ’s critics suffer from spiritual paralysis.
The language of 2 Samuel 14 indicates that King David has not reconciled with his son Absalom, who had killed his (Absalom’s) half-brother, Amnon, who had raped his (Absalom’s) sister, Tamar, in the previous chapter before he (Absalom) had gone into exile. The entire incident of pseudo-reconciliation had been for the benefit of Joab. The false reconciliation proved to be as useless as false grace, for Absalom, back from exile, was plotting a rebellion, which he launched in the next chapter.
The juxtaposition of Saul of Tarsus/St. Paul the Apostle, the paralyzed man, and Absalom is interesting and helpful. Both Saul/Paul and Absalom had egos, but the former struggled with his self-image as he made a pilgrimage with Jesus. Absalom, in contrast, did not strive to contain his ego. No, he permitted it to control him. We know little about the paralyzed man, but we may assume safely that a runaway ego was not among his problems.
If we are to walk humbly with God, we must contextualize ourselves relative to God. We are, in comparison, but dust, and God is the proper grounding for human identity. Proper actions will flow from appropriate attitudes.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 4, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF PAUL CUFFEE, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARY TO THE SHINNECOCK NATION
THE FEAST OF SAINT CASIMIR OF POLAND, PRINCE
THE FEAST OF EMANUEL CRONENWETT, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINTS MARINUS OF CAESAREA, ROMAN SOLDIER AND CHRISTIAN MARTYR, AND ASTERIUS, ROMAN SENATOR AND CHRISTIAN MARTYR
All-powerful God, in Jesus Christ you turned death into life and defeat into victory.
Increase our faith and trust in him,
that we may triumph over all evil in the strength
of the same Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 39
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The Assigned Readings:
Isaiah 28:9-13 (Thursday)
Deuteronomy 1:34-40 (Friday)
Psalm 130 (Both Days)
1 Peter 4:7-19 (Thursday)
2 Corinthians 5:1-5 (Friday)
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Out of the depths have I called to you, O LORD
LORD, hear my voice;
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
If you, LORD, were to note what is done amiss,
O Lord, who could stand?
–Psalm 130:1-2, Book of Common Worship (1993)
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Who indeed?
We read of judgment, mercy, and affliction in the pericopes for these two days. Faithfulness to God, especially when the depiction of God is that of one with a short fuse, is especially dangerous. And even when texts depict God as having more patience, persistent faithlessness remains perilous. The readings from the New Testament add the element of enduring suffering for the sake of righteousness faithfully. Trust in God and rejoice, they advise.
I recognize that judgment and mercy exist in God. Sometimes the former precedes the latter, but, on other occasions, mercy for some entails judgment on others. I prefer a utopia in which all is peace, love, mutuality, faithfulness to God, and other virtues, but that is not this world. If, for example, the oppressors refuse to refrain from oppressing, is not the deliverance of the oppressed sometimes the doom of the oppressors? We human beings make our decisions and must live with the consequences of them. Nevertheless, I choose to emphasize the mercy of God, but not to the exclusion of judgment. (I am not a universalist.) The depiction of God in much of the Torah disturbs me, for the divine temper seems too quick. I prefer the God of Psalm 130.
Nevertheless, enduring suffering for the sake of righteousness patiently and with rejoicing is something I have not mastered. I am glad that my circumstances have not led to such suffering. Yet I have endured some suffering with great impatience, finding God to be present with me during the ideal. I have rejoiced in the spiritual growth I have experienced in real time and after the fact, with the benefit of hindsight. Divine mercy has been especially evident in difficult circumstances.
I conclude that trusting God to fulfill divine promises is wise, for God is faithful. None of my doubts have led to divine retribution, fortunately. God has never failed me, but I have failed God often. Reducing the number of instances of failure is among the spiritual goals I am pursuing via grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 17, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT PATRICK, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF ARMAGH
and your words of justice and mercy reshape the world.
Mold us into a people who welcome your word and serve one another,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 40
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Kings 21:1-16 (Monday)
1 Kings 21:17-29 (Tuesday)
Psalm 119:161-168 (Both Days)
1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 (Monday)
1 John 4:1-6 (Tuesday)
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Princes have persecuted me without a cause,
but my heart stands in awe of your word.
I am as glad of your word
as one who finds great spoils.
As for lies, I hate and abhor them,
but your law do I love.
–Psalm 119:161-163, Common Worship (2000)
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The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; with me you are but aliens and tenants.
–Leviticus 25:23, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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But we belong to God….
–1 John 4:6a, The Revised English Bible (1989)
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As for brotherly love, there is no need to write to you about that, since you have yourselves learnt from God to love another….
–1 Thessalonians 4:9, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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One of the great lessons of the Bible is that we belong to God, the world belongs to God, and we are only tenants and stewards responsible to God and each other. The Law of Moses, in Leviticus 25:23-28, addresses the issue of the ownership, sale, purchase, and redemption of land in the light of that ethic. God is watching us and we have no right to exploit or trample each other. If God is our parental figure metaphorically (usually Father yet sometimes Mother; both analogies have merit), we are siblings. Should we not treat each other kindly and seek to build each other up?
King Ahab and his Canaanite queen, Jezebel, abused their power and violated the ethic I just described. Neither one was of good character. Jezebel plotted perjury, false accusations, and the execution of an innocent man. Ahab consented to this plan. His responsibility flowed partially from his moral cowardice, for he could have prevented his wife’s plot from succeeding. And he, of course, could have been content with what he had already in the beginning of the story. The man was the monarch, after all.
Many of us seek after wealth or try to retain it while laboring under the misapprehension that it does or should belong to us. Actually, all of it belongs to God. Yes, there is a moral responsibility in all societies to provide a basic human standard of living for all people, given the ethic of mutuality and the fact that there is sufficient wealth for everyone to have enough to meet his or her needs. (I do not presume that there is one way all societies must follow to accomplish this goal.) And, if more of us thought of ourselves as stewards and tenants answerable to God, not as lords and masters, a greater number of our fellow citizens would be better off. That is a fine goal to which to strive en route to the final destination of a society based on mutuality.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 24, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF IDA SCUDDER, REFORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA MEDICAL MISSIONARY IN INDIA
THE FEAST OF EDWARD KENNEDY “DUKE” ELLINGTON, COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF JACKSON KEMPER, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF WISCONSIN
THE FEAST OF MOTHER EDITH, FOUNDER OF THE COMMUNITY OF THE SACRED NAME
As we have read elsewhere in Ecclesiastes, everybody will die. This has a negative connotation in that text, as if death is not a desirable life transition. For many people it is not one, but I have a different opinion. Yes, the manner of one’s exit can be unpleasant and fearsome. Consider the case of Jesus, en route to Jerusalem in John 11; he was a few days away from a crucifixion.
As for Lazarus, he had died. He was indisputably dead. Mary and Martha, his sisters, cared very much about his fact. Yet, as the rest of Chapter 11 tells us, it was not an irreversible state in his case. The man would die again, but not before his raising showed Christ’s power.
It is one thing to fear being dead and other to fear dying. I fear certain ways of dying yet have no fear of being dead. I have approached death’s door a few times. These experiences have liberated me from my fear of death itself and enabled me to embrace life itself. Life is far more than the opposite of death. To love life for what it is, not what it is not, is appropriate. And to do this is one way to express Christ’s power in us and to testify to it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 6, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS VINCENTIA GEROSA AND BARTHOLOMEA CAPITANIO, COFOUNDERS OF THE SISTERS OF CHARITY OF LOVERE
THE FEAST OF ISAIAH, BIBLICAL PROPHET
THE FEAST OF JAN HUS, PROTO-PROTESTANT MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT PALLADIUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
Remember the theme of my gospel: Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, born of David’s line. For preaching this I am exposed to hardship, even to the point of being fettered like a criminal; but the word of God is not fettered. All this I endure for the sake of God’s chosen ones, in the hope that they too may attain the glorious and eternal salvation which is in Christ Jesus.
Here is a saying you may trust:
If we have died with him, we shall live with him;
if we endure, we shall reign with him;
if we disown him, he will disown us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.
Keep on reminding people of this, and charge them solemnly before God to stop disputing about mere words; it does not good, and only ruins those who listen. Try hard to show yourself worthy of God’s approval, as a worker with no cause for shame; keep strictly to the true gospel….
Psalm 25:1-12 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
my God, I put my trust in you;
let me not be humiliated,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
2 Let none who look to you be put to shame;
let the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes.
3 Show me your ways, O LORD,
and teach me your paths.
4 Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
in you have I trusted all the day long.
5 Remember, O LORD, your compassion and love,
for they are from everlasting.
6 Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions;
remember me according to your love
and for the sake of your goodness, O LORD.
7 Gracious and upright is the LORD;
therefore he teaches sinners in his way.
8 He guides the humble in doing right
and teaches his way to the lowly.
9 All the paths of the LORD are love and faithfulness
to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
10 For your Name’s sake, O LORD,
forgive my sin, for it is great.
11 Who are they who fear the LORD?
he will teach them the way that they should choose.
12 They shall dwell in prosperity,
and their offspring shall inherit the land.
Mark 12:28-34 (Revised English Bible):
Then one of the scribes, who had been listening to these discussions and had observed how well Jesus answered, came forward and asked him,
Which is the first of all the commandments?
He answered,
The first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this: “You must love your neighbour as yourself.” No other commandment is greater than these.
The scribe said to him,
Well said, Teacher. You are right in saying that God is one and beside him there is no other. And to love him with all your heart, all your understanding, and all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself–that means far more than any whole-offerings and sacrifices.
When Jesus saw how thoughtfully he answered, he said to him,
You are not far from the kingdom of God.
After that nobody dared put any more questions to him.
O God, your never-failing providence sets in order all things both in heaven and earth: Put away from us, we entreat you, all hurtful things, and give us those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
This time I borrow the text of the devotion from myself, specifically the Year 1 counterpart to this post.
KRT
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THE SHEMA
Hear, Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD our one God; and you must love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments which I give you this day are to be remembered and taken to heart; repeat them to your children, and speak to them both indoors and out of doors, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and wear them as a pendant on your forehead; write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.
–Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (Revised English Bible)
The recent arc of the Markan narrative in the lectionary has been one of Jesus fielding insincere questions. But, at the end of this part of the story, a scribe asks an intelligent and sincere question: What is the greatest commandment. This man receives a reply unlike the one Jesus had for the Sadducees just a few verses ago: “You are so far from the truth!” In this case, Jesus quotes the Shema, a duly famous part of the Law of Moses, and amends it: We must love our neighbors as we love ourselves. The scribe agrees with the answer, and Jesus says that the man is near to the kingdom of God. Did the scribe complete the journey? The texts are silent on that point, but I hope the answer is affirmative.
Too often certain people and institutions who claim the Christian label become caught up in legalism and call this holiness. For example, the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) began in the 1800s as a Restorationist body claiming the Bible alone as its source of authority in matters of doctrine and practice. For a while men were not allowed to wear neckties to church; the denomination was that strict. The Anderson, Indiana, group liberalized by 1910-1911, when it permitted men to wear neckties to church. This was one issue that prompted the Church of God (Guthrie, Oklahoma) to break away; it opposed neckties. (My source =Encyclopedia of American Religions)
In the 1960s, in rural Kathleen, Georgia, parents began to offer a regular Saturday night chaperoned dance at the fellowship hall of Andrew Chapel Methodist Church. This was an event for local youth, so they would have something positive to do on the weekend. One night, the pastor of a local Baptist church made an unfortunate scene at one of these dances when he complained loudly about all the allegedly sinful dancing taking place indoors. Some of his parishioners were at that dance, and that pastor had to seek other employment shortly thereafter. (My source = the United Methodist minister who had served as pastor of Andrew Chapel in the 1960s)
These are just two examples of what has happened when people seeking to obey God become so lost in the trees that they lose sight of the forest. If we will focus on loving people as ourselves, for example, many details will fall into place. It is laudable to love the Bible, but not to seek permission for every minute detail (such as whether it is proper to wear a necktie) in its pages. And the denunciation of all dancing as sinful is an old saw, one that ought to die.
The scriptures say that God wants to be gracious to us. May we respond favorably to God and extend grace to others, as we have opportunity. Yesterday I had the chance to be extraordinarily kind to a student experiencing a medical situation. It will not derail her progress in my course; I will not permit it to do so. I mention this for one reason: Everything I have learned from my formative years tells me that my decision was the only proper one. So, when the opportunity to function as an agent of grace presented itself, I never considered doing anything else. Yes, I broke rules to do this, but God has broken rules in order to extend grace to many of us again and again. I have learned the meaning of the words of Jesus: “Go and do likewise.”
Here I share with everyone a proposed form of the Prayers of the People, for congregational use, for the Season After Pentecost. Anyone may modify this form to fit local needs and update it as people leave or enter office.
The congregational response to “We pray to you, O God” is “Hear our prayer.”
As God’s people, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, we ask that our lives may become prayer pleasing to you, and that all people and institutions which profess to follow our Lord, may express God’s love and grace to others.
We pray to you, O God,
Hear our prayer.
That
Barack, our President;
Nathan, our Governor;
Nancy, our Mayor;
And all other government officials and all influential persons
may exercise their power and authority wisely and for the common good, so that all people everywhere may be treated with dignity and respect, dwell in safety, and have everything they need,
we pray to you, O God,
Hear our prayer.
That we may love you with our whole heart and life and strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves,
we pray to you, O God,
Hear our prayer.
That we may be good stewards of Mother Earth,
we pray to you, O God,
Hear our prayer.
We intercede for
(first names here);
And our men and women in the armed forces, especially (names here);
And all people struggling with vocational and career issues.
I invite your prayers, silent or aloud.
(Pause)
We pray to you, O God,
Hear our prayer.
We thank you for
(names here), who celebrate their birthdays this week;
And (names here), who celebrate their wedding anniversaries this week.
I invite your thanksgivings, silent or aloud.
(Pause)
We pray to you, O God,
Hear our prayer.
That all who have passed from this life to the next will know the boundless joy and peace of eternal rest,
ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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