Archive for the ‘Acts 20’ Tag
Above: Ruins of Ephesus
Image Source = Google Earth
Deeds and Creeds
JULY 10, 2022
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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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Genesis 3:1-19 or Acts 20:17-38
Psalm 123
Revelation 2:1-7
John 6:16-24
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Words have power. Libel and slander are threats. Some words build up. Other words tear down. Some words make truths plain. Other words confuse. Some words heal, but other words harm. And misquoting God is always a bad idea.
Consider Genesis 2:16-17, O reader:
The LORD God gave the man this order: You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden, except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. From it you shall not eat; when you eat from it you shall die.
—The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
Then, O reader, consider Genesis 3:2-3:
The woman answered the snake: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, “You shall not eat it or even touch it, or else you will die!”
—The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
God said nothing about touching the fruit in Genesis 2:16-17.
Misquoting God opens a door that should remain closed.
Nevertheless, I have this complaint to make; you have less love than you used to.
–Revelation 2:4, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
Concern for resisting heresy can come at a high cost, if a congregation, person, et cetera, goes about affirming orthodoxy the wrong way. That cost is too little love. This is also a moral in Morris West’s novel Lazarus (1990), about the fictional Pope Leo XIV, a harsh yet extremely orthodox man.
The late Presbyterian minister Ernest Lee Stoffel offered useful analysis of the message to the church at Ephesus:
This is to say that a church can lose its effectiveness if it has no love. As I think about the mission of the church, as I hear calls for “more evangelism” and a stronger application of the Gospel to the social issues of the day, I wonder if we can do either unless we can love first–love each other and love the world, for Christ’s sake.
—The Dragon Bound: The Revelation Speaks to Our Time (1981), 27
To quote St. Paul the Apostle:
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
–1 Corinthians 13:1-3, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)
Orthodoxy without love is devoid of value. May we who say we follow Jesus really follow him. May we love as he did–unconditionally and selflessly. May we–collectively and individually–love like Jesus. May our orthodoxy and our orthopraxy be like sides of one coin. May our deeds reveal our creeds and not belie our professions of faith.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 15, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER AND MARTYR, 1968
THE FEAST OF ABBY KELLEY FOSTER AND HER HUSBAND, STEPHEN SYMONDS FOSTER, U.S. QUAKER ABOLITIONISTS AND FEMINISTS
THE FEAST OF BERTHA PAULSSEN, GERMAN-AMERICAN SEMINARY PROFESSOR, PSYCHOLOGIST, AND SOCIOLOGIST
THE FEAST OF GENE M. TUCKER, UNITED METHODIST MINISTER AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF JOHN COSIN, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF COSIN
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2021/01/15/deeds-and-creeds-v/
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Above: Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes, by Francisco Herrera the Elder
Image in the Public Domain
Human Obliviousness and Disharmony with God
JULY 3, 2022
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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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Genesis 2:15-25 or Acts 20:1-12
Psalm 120
Revelation 1:9-10
John 6:1-15
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Genesis 2:15-25 presents, in the format of a myth, a portrait of life in harmony and innocence in the Garden of Eden. That is not the kind of life known during any documented epoch of the human past, or the of the present. Therefore, an encounter with God may seem frightening. Or it may seem intimate and comfortable. Or it may astound. Given the variety of encounters with God, both direct and indirect, as well as the range of people and circumstances, one cannot legitimately say that an encounter with God will definitely proceed in a given manner.
To ask that we have more than a very short-term memory of the encounter is reasonable, though. We read of the Feeding of the Five Thousand in John 6:1-15. If we keep reading, we reach the events of the next day, in the immediate area. We read in John 6:30-31:
So they said, “What sign will you yourself do, the sight of which will make us believe in you? What work will you do? Our fathers ate manna in the desert; as scriptures says, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
—The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
Jesus must have rolled his eyes and muttered an ancient equivalent of,
Oy vey!
The author of the Gospel of John did not record that reaction, of course.
Not being oblivious to God is one step toward living in harmony with God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 15, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER AND MARTYR, 1968
THE FEAST OF ABBY KELLEY FOSTER AND HER HUSBAND, STEPHEN SYMONDS FOSTER, U.S. QUAKER ABOLITIONISTS AND FEMINISTS
THE FEAST OF BERTHA PAULSSEN, GERMAN-AMERICAN SEMINARY PROFESSOR, PSYCHOLOGIST, AND SOCIOLOGIST
THE FEAST OF GENE M. TUCKER, UNITED METHODIST MINISTER AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF JOHN COSIN, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF COSIN
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2021/01/15/human-obliviousness-and-disharmony-with-god/
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Above: Samson in the Temple of Dagon, by Gustave Dore
Image in the Public Domain
New Life
AUGUST 6, 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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Judges 16:1-5, 16-31
Psalm 119:17-24
Acts 20:7-12
John 6:37-40
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Samson was a foolish, reckless man who paved the way to his downfall. His great accomplishment (deliverance for Israel) was also an act of revenge marked by a body count exceeding that to his life before then. He was quite different from the author of Psalm 119, who was pious.
Eutychus was also foolish, for he fell asleep in a third-story window. He suffered fatal injuries, but St. Paul the Apostle raised the young man from the dead.
New life is a theme in John 6:37-40, in which Jesus speaks of eternal and everlasting life. In the Gospel of John eternal life is knowing God via Christ (17:3). Everlasting life is simply the afterlife. In Johannine theology there is no eternal life apart from God in Christ. So may nobody commit the theological error of speaking or writing of eternity apart from God.
New life can be physical or spiritual, but it is also a gift from God. May we use it for the glory of God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 17, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF EDITH BOYLE MACALISTER, ENGLISH NOVELIST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT EMILY DE VIALAR, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF SAINT JOSEPH OF THE APPARITION
THE FEAST OF JANE CROSS BELL SIMPSON, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS TERESA AND MAFALDA OF PORTUGAL, PRINCESSES, QUEENS, AND NUNS; AND SANCHIA OF PORTUGAL, PRINCESS AND NUN
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2017/06/17/new-life/
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Above: Christ, the Good Shepherd
Image in the Public Domain
Sheep and Shepherds
JULY 19-21, 2021
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The Collect:
O God, powerful and compassionate,
you shepherd your people, faithfully feeding and protecting us.
Heal each of us, and make us a whole people,
that we may embody the justice and peace of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 42
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The Assigned Readings:
Jeremiah 50:1-7 (Monday)
Zechariah 9:14-10:2 (Tuesday)
2 Samuel 5:1-12 (Wednesday)
Psalm 100 (All Days)
Hebrews 13:17-25 (Monday)
Acts 20:17-38 (Tuesday)
Luke 15:1-7 (Wednesday)
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Shout joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
Know that the LORD is God,
he made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the flock he shepherds.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name;
good indeed is the LORD,
his faithfulness lasts through every generation.
–Psalm 100, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2010)
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All of the assigned readings for these three days speak of sheep and shepherds:
- God is the shepherd in Psalm 100.
- God is the shepherd-divine warrior who will end the Babylonian Exile in Jeremiah 50:1-7 and Zechariah 9:14-10:2.
- David, a troublesome character, is the shepherd-king in 2 Samuel 5:1-12.
- Jesus is the Good Shepherd in Luke 15:1-7.
- St. Paul the Apostle is the shepherd warning of “fierce wolves” in Acts 20:17-38.
- Faithful church leaders are the shepherds worthy of obedience in Hebrews 13:17-25.
Now I proceed to unpack some themes:
- The core of church doctrine, as in the question of the nature of Christ, developed over centuries, during which debates, arguments, and street brawls, and knife fights occurred in the name of sorting out proper theology. Much of what we Christians take for granted these days came about over five centuries, give or take a few years. Even the latest book in the New Testament did not exist until the end of the first century of the Common Era, and consensus regarding canonical status required more time to form. In that context obeying orthodox bishops made a great deal of sense, although the definition of orthodoxy shifted over time. Origen, for example, was orthodox in his day yet heterodox ex post facto.
- The parable from Luke 15:1-7 assumes a team of shepherds, so one shepherd could leave to seek a lost sheep without fear of losing more animals.
- That parable tells us that all people matter to Jesus. They should, therefore, matter to us also.
- One metaphor for kings in the Bible is shepherds. Some shepherds are good, but others are bad, unfortunately. Good kings do what is best for all the people, especially the vulnerable ones.
- God is the best shepherd, protecting the flock, seeking an unbroken and unforgotten covenant with it, and searching for the lost sheep. The flock can be bigger, and we can, by grace, function well as junior shepherds, subordinate to God, the senior shepherd.
I notice the community theme inherent in the metaphor of the flock. We depend upon God, the ultimate shepherd, and upon the other shepherds in the team. We also depend upon and bear responsibilities toward each other, for we follow the lead of others–often the lead of fellow sheep. Sometimes this is for better, but often it is for worse. Sticking together and following the proper leader is essential for group survival and for individual survival.
May we, by grace, recognize the voice of God, our ultimate shepherd, and follow it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 5, 2015 COMMON ERA
EASTER SUNDAY, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF MILNER BALL, PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, LAW PROFESSOR, WITNESS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS, AND HUMANITARIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT NOKTER BALBULUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/04/05/sheep-and-shepherds/
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Above: The Beheading of St. Paul, by Enrique Simonet
Image in the Public Domain
The Problem of Suffering
JUNE 17 and 18, 2021
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The Collect:
O God of creation, eternal majesty,
you preside over land and sea, sunshine and storm.
By your strength pilot us,
by your power preserve us,
by your wisdom instruct us,
and by your hand protect us,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 40
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The Assigned Readings:
Job 29:1-20 (Thursday)
Job 29:21-30:15 (Friday)
Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32 (Both Days)
Acts 20:1-16 (Thursday)
Acts 21:1-16 (Friday)
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Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
and his mercy endures for ever.
Let all those whom the LORD has redeemed proclaim
that he redeemed them from the hand of the foe.
–Psalm 107:1-2, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Placing that Psalm in the lectionary for these two days seems ironic, especially when considering the other two pericopes.
The titular character of the Book of Job suffered, but not because of any sin he committed. Compounding his plight was the fact that he had to endure alleged friends, who blamed him for his plight. They insisted that, since God does not punish the innocent, Job must have sinned, thus prompting his extreme suffering. They advised him to repent of his sins, therefore. Actually, the text tells us, God permitted the suffering as a test of loyalty. Job protested his innocence and lamented his fate. Anyone who speaks of the “patience of Job,” as if he had any, ought to pay better attention to the story.
Meanwhile, in the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul the Apostle was traveling to Jerusalem. He hoped to arrive in time for the first day of Pentecost. At Caesarea the Apostle learned that his journey would take him to a bad fate. He accepted the prophecy calmly, saying,
…I am ready not only to be bound but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.
–Acts 21:13c, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
He went on to die for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ at Rome “off-camera,” so to speak, after the end of the Acts of the Apostles.
The alleged friends of Job thought that suffering resulted necessarily from sins. Yet St. Paul the Apostle suffered for the sake for the sake of righteousness.
Nevertheless, the assumption that we suffer solely or primarily because of our wrongdoing persists. Also commonplace is a related assumption which says that, if we live righteously, we will prosper and be safe and well. This is the heresy of Prosperity Theology.
Tell that heresy to Jesus and to the Christian martyrs, if you dare,
I say. I conclude that false ideas live on because too many people pay little or no attention to the evidence around them. Perhaps these individuals are merely incurious. (Many people are not very inquisitive, intellectually or otherwise.) Or maybe they are distracted among the other details of life. Regardless of the reason(s), they need to pay better attention and respond to the situation that is, not the situation they imagine exists.
To claim that God never punishes the innocent or permits them to suffer is to make a pious comment–one which is false. What is the functional difference between permitting innocent people to suffer and punishing them? I recognize none. One is passive and the other is active, but the results are the same. The problem of suffering is complicated for we monotheists, for we lack the luxury of blaming an evil deity for misfortune while letting a good deity off the hook. Yes, how we live on this plane of reality affects the afterlife, but the rain still falls on the just and on the unjust in this life. Wicked people still prosper and righteous people still suffer on this side of Heaven. All of this can be difficult to reconcile with the idea of a loving and just God, hence bad theology in defense of God. I prefer an honest question to a false certainty, however.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 24, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THOMAS ATTWOOD, “FATHER OF MODERN CHURCH MUSIC”
THE FEAST OF SAINT DIDACUS JOSEPH OF CADIZ, CAPUCHIN FRIAR
THE FEAST OF OSCAR ROMERO, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF SAN SALVADOR; AND THE MARTYRS OF EL SALVADOR
THE FEAST OF PAUL COUTURIER, ECUMENTIST
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/03/25/the-problem-of-suffering/
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ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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