Archive for the ‘Christ the King’ Tag
Above: Icon of Christ Pantocrator
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Faithful Community
NOVEMBER 20, 2022
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalm 100
Hebrews 13:1-16, 20-21
John 17:1-26
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
How can people live in faith community? Certain details vary according to when and where a given faith community lives, as well as who comprises it. However, Hebrews 13 provides essential guidance for how to live the John 17,
that they will all be one,
just as Jesus and YHWH are one. I choose not to copy or paraphrase all of Hebrews 13:1-16, 20-21. I encourage you, O reader, to study that text instead.
I do have some comments, though. The instructions are representative, not comprehensive. They boil down to this summary: Honor the image of God in one another. This is the essence of compassion, which begins by getting outside of oneself.
The Church has a bad name in many quarters. A certain bumper sticker reads,
JESUS, SAVE ME FROM YOUR FOLLOWERS.
Many non-Christians think of Christians as being non-judgmental. To be honest, many Christians associate Christianity with right-wing politics, Nativism, xenophobia, fascism, nationalism, and discredited conspiracy theories. To be honest, many self-identifying Christians embrace at least one of the following: right-wing politics, Nativism, xenophobia, fascism, nationalism, and discredited conspiracy theories. One may even think of Falangism, which is Christian fascism, as in Francisco Franco’s Spain. The contemporary fascist movement in the United States of America does come wrapped in the American flag and the Christian cross. Many of the Church’s wounds are self-inflicted injuries. The proper Christian response to these criticisms is to avoid defensiveness and to live the faith as Jesus taught it.
We of the Church can learn much from our critics. Some of them may know the ethics and morals of Jesus better than many of us do. The Holy Spirit may be speaking to the Church through some of the Church’s critics.
Christ is the King of the Universe. Many of his subjects on Earth are not in the Church. Likewise, many of the members of the Church are not Christ’s subjects. The Gospel of Mark teaches that many who think they are insiders are really outsiders, and vice versa. That lesson functions simultaneously as warning and comfort.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 3, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANSKAR AND RIMBERT, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOPS OF HAMBURG-BREMEN
THE FEAST OF ADELAIDE ANNE PROCTER, ENGLISH POET AND FEMINIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALFRED DELP, GERMAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1945
THE FEAST OF JEMIMA THOMPSON LUKE, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST HYMN WRITER; AND JAMES EDMESTON, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL DAVIES, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2021/02/03/faithful-community-part-vii/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Tribute Money, by Titian
Image in the Public Domain
Images of Gods
NOVEMBER 21, 2021
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Psalm 100
Colossians 1:11-20
Luke 20:20-26
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The application of imagery reserved for YHWH in the Hebrew Bible to Jesus in the New Testament makes sense, given Trinitarian theology. Psalm 100 lauds God (YHWH), the Good Shepherd. YJWH is the Good Shepherd in Jeremiah 23:1-6. Jesus is the self-identified Good Shepherd in John 10, not one of today’s assigned readings. Jesus, like YHWH in various Psalms, has primacy in creation, according to Colossians 1:15.
I will turn to the Gospel reading next.
This reading, set early in Holy Week, is one in which Jesus evades a trap:
Is it permissible for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?
–Luke 20:23b, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
“Yes” and “no” were dangerous answers. If Jesus had replied, “no,” he would have made himself a target for Romans, who were swarming in Jerusalem that week. On the other hand, if Jesus had responded, “yes,” he would have offended those who interpreted the Law of Moses to read that paying such taxes was illegal.
Jesus evaded the trap and ensnared those trying to ensnare him. Why did the spies carry Roman denarii into the Temple complex? A denarius, an idol, technically. That year, the image on the coin was that of Emperor Tiberius. The English translation of the Latin inscription was,
Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus, Augustus.
Jesus asked a seemingly obvious question with a straight-forward answer.
Show me a denarius. Whose head and name are on it?
–Luke 20:25, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
The answer was obvious. Our Lord and Savior’s answer was one for the ages:
Well then, give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar–and to God what belongs to God.
–Luke 20:25, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
The coin bore the image of Tiberius Caesar. He was welcome to have it back.
Each of us bears the image of God. Each of us belongs to God. Each of us has a mandate to be faithful to God in all matters. All areas of human life fall under divine authority. Human, temporal authority is limited, though.
One of the features of segments of Christianity in the United States of America that disturbs me is the near-worship (sometimes worship) of the nation-state. I refer not exclusively to any given administration and/or nation-state. Administrations come and go. Nation-states rise and fall. The principle of which I write remains constant. In my North American context, the Americanization of the Gospel in the service of a political program and/or potentate dilutes and distorts the Gospel. The purposes of the Gospel include confronting authority, not following it blindly. True Judeo-Christian religion has a sharp prophetic edge that informs potentates how far they fall short of God’s ideals and that no nation-state is the Kingdom of God.
We have only one king anyway. That monarch is YHWH, as N. T. Wright correctly insists in Jesus and the Victory of God (1996). Jesus defies human definitions of monarchy. This is a prominent theme in the Gospel of John. Yet the theme of Christ the King Sunday is timeless. Despite appearances to the contrary, God remains sovereign.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 2, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALEXANDER OF ALEXANDRIA, PATRIARCH; AND SAINT ATHANASIUS OF ALEXANDRIA, PATRIARCH AND “FATHER OF ORTHODOXY”
THE FEAST OF CHARLES SILVESTER HORNE, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF CHARLES FRIEDRICH HASSE, GERMAN-BRITISH MORAVIAN COMPOSER AND EDUCATOR
THE FEAST OF JULIA BULKLEY CADY CORY, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT SIGISMUND OF BURGUNDY, KING; SAINT CLOTILDA, FRANKISH QUEEN; AND SAINT CLODOALD, FRANKISH PRINCE AND ABBOT
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2020/05/02/images-of-gods/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Icon of Christ Pantocrator
Image in the Public Domain
God is the Ruler Yet
NOVEMBER 24, 2024
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2 Samuel 23:1-7
Psalm 100
Revelation 1:4b-8
Mark 15:16-20
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The mockery of Jesus by the soldiers in Mark 15:16-20 is gut-wrenching to read. It also contrasts with the depiction of Jesus in Revelation 1:4b-8. Not all the earth hails God and acknowledges the Son of David. Yet Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega.
The Festival of Christ the King is about a century old. Originally set by Pope Pius XI on what Lutherans and Presbyterians called Reformation Sunday, Christ the King Sunday occupies the Last Sunday after Pentecost, five Sundays before December 25. It occupies this place in the Western Christian calendar because of the revision of the Roman Catholic calendar in 1969 and the subsequent revisions of Anglican and Protestant calendars.
The theology of Christ the King Sunday is sound. As Presbyterian minister Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1858-1901) wrote after one of his nature hikes, in a poem published posthumously and transformed into the hymn, “This is My Father’s World,”
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
May we never forget this truth.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 27, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF BROOKE FOSS WESTCOTT, ANGLICAN SCHOLAR, BIBLE TRANSLATOR, AND BISHOP OF DURHAM; AND FENTON JOHN ANTHONY HORT, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN HENRY BATEMAN, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHAN NORDAHL BRUN, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN BISHOP, AUTHOR, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND RENEWER OF THE CHURCH; AND HIS GRANDSON, WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, U.S. ARCHITECT AND QUAKER PEACE ACTIVIST
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2019/07/27/god-is-the-ruler-yet-iii/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Icon of Christ Pantocrator
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Christ the King
NOVEMBER 26, 2023
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Psalm 100
Ephesians 1:15-23
Matthew 25:31-46
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Christ the King Sunday, originally established in the Roman Catholic Church opposite Reformation Sunday, was the creation of Pope Pius XI in 1925. The rise of fascism and other forms of dictatorship in Europe between World Wars I and II was the context for the creation of this feast. The feast, in full,
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe,
has been the Sunday preceding Advent since Holy Mother Church revised its calendar in 1969. The feast became part of many Lutheran and Anglican calendars during the 1970s, as part of liturgical revision. In much of U.S. Methodism Christ the King Sunday used to fall on the last Sunday in August, at the end of the Season after Pentecost and leading into Kingdomtide. Christ the King Sunday, set immediately prior to Advent, has become ubiquitous in Western Christianity.
The term “Christ the King” works well for me, for Jesus was male. I have seen the alternative term “Reign of Christ,” an example of unnecessary linguistic neutering. I have also wondered about the use of the language of monarchy in a world with few monarchs than before, and about how many citizens of republics might relate to such terminology. I have also noted that “Reign of Christ” does not allay any concerns related to the language of monarchy.
God is the king in Psalm 100, and Jesus is the king in Ephesians 1 and Matthew 25. We read of negligent Hebrew kings in Ezekiel 34. There we also read of the promised Messianic sovereign. In Matthew 25 we read that the Son of Man (an apocalyptic term for, in this case, Jesus) expects us to take care of each other and will mete out both judgment and mercy.
If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
–John 14:15, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
Most of the readings for this Sunday are apocalyptic in tone. Matthew 25:31-46 belongs to an apocalyptic section (set immediately prior to the crucifixion of Jesus) in that Gospel. Ephesians (whoever wrote it) is probably from the 90s C.E., about the time of the composition of the Apocalypse of John (Revelation). The promise of the Second Coming of Christ hangs over Ephesians 1:15-23. The promise of a Messianic king in Ezekiel 34 is apocalyptic on its face. The readings also fit well at the end of the Season after Pentecost and before Advent, when many of the readings are apocalyptic.
Apocalyptic literature is inherently hopeful, for it affirms that God will end the current, sinful, exploitative age and usher in a new age of justice–of heaven on Earth. If one studies the Bible carefully, one recognizes the pattern of pushing dashed apocalyptic hopes forward in time–from the end of the Babylonian Exile to the time after Alexander the Great to the time of Jesus to the end of the first century C.E. One, studying history, might also find this pattern since the end of the New Testament. The list of times Jesus was allegedly supposed to have returned, according to a series of false prophets, is lengthy.
Nevertheless, Christ remains the King of the Universe, despite all appearances to the contrary. God remains faithful to divine promises, and the apocalyptic hope for God to set the world right remains.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF DAG HAMMARSKJÖLD, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS
THE FEAST OF EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, ANGLICAN PRIEST
THE FEAST OF HENRY LASCALLES JENNER, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND
THE FEAST OF JOHN CAMPBELL SHAIRP, SCOTTISH POET AND EDUCATOR
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/09/18/christ-the-king-part-iii/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Icon of Christ Pantocrator
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Christ the King
NOVEMBER 26, 2023
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Obadiah 1-21
Psalms 87 and 117
John 12:17-19, 37-50
1 Corinthians 15:27-34 (35-38) 39-41 (42-58)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The resurrection of Jesus overlaps with Christ the King Sunday in Year D. I like that liturgical year.
The power of God, in whom we need to rely, is a theme present in the assigned readings. This power is evident in Jesus; that is no surprise. Furthermore, all temporal substitutes for God–geography, international alliances, et cetera–are woefully inadequate.
The fear of certain Pharisees in John 12:19b is
Look, the world has gone after him!
—The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
If only that were true! I am not oblivious to reality; I do not mistake superficial observance for discipleship. I also know that, overall, the rate of discipleship in the Western world is declining. An accurate reading of U.S. history reveals the fact that a substantial proportion of the population has always been non-observant. Nevertheless, the current situation is not a return to historical patterns. One can make similar generalizations about other parts of the Western world. Nevertheless, I am optimistic; God is in charge and no human resistance or indifference can halt the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 21, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FIFTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT THOMAS THE APOSTLE, MARTYR
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/12/21/christ-the-king-2/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Icon of the Apocalypse of John
Image in the Public Domain
God is the Ruler Yet
NOVEMBER 21-23, 2022
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
O God, our true life, to serve you is freedom, and to know you is unending joy.
We worship you, we glorify you, we give thanks to you for your great glory.
Abide with us, reign in us, and make this world into a fit habitation for your divine majesty,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 53
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Jeremiah 46:18-28 (Monday)
Isaiah 33:17-22 (Tuesday)
Isaiah 60:8-16 (Wednesday)
Psalm 24 (All Days)
Revelation 21:5-27 (Monday)
Revelation 22:8-21 (Tuesday)
Luke 1:1-4 (Wednesday)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Lift up your heads, O gates;
lift them high, O everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.
“Who is this King of glory?”
“The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle.”
Lift up your heads, O gates;
lift them high, O everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.
“Who is this King of glory?”
“The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory.”
–Psalm 24:7-10, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here are some thoughts for the time between Proper 29 (Christ the King Sunday) and the First Sunday of Advent.
God wins in the end. Conquerors fall to other conquerors, who fall to other conquerors. The faithful who persevere will receive their reward. Some of them will live long enough to witness the triumph of God in the flesh. The story of Jesus of Nazareth, attested to by eyewitnesses, contains suffering, death, and resurrection. The victory of God in that case is one of love and power, not the smiting of enemies, for whom Christ interceded (Luke 23:34).
The Book of Revelation tells of divine creative destruction from Chapters 4 to 20. Then, in Revelation 21 and 22, God inaugurates the new order. There is smiting of enemies here, for the deliverance of the oppressed is frequently bad news for unrepentant oppressors. The new, divine world order, however, contains no oppression.
That divine order has not become reality yet, of course. Nevertheless, as the Reverend Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1858-1901) wrote:
This is my Father’s world,
O let my ne’er forget
That though the wrong
Seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world:
The battle is not done;
Jesus who died
Shall be satisfied,
And earth and heaven be one.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 7, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF FREDERICK LUCIAN HOSMER, U.S. UNITARIAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTHONY MARY GIANELLI, FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARIES OF SAINT ALPHONSUS LIGUORI AND THE SISTERS OF MARY DELL’ORTO
THE FEAST OF CHARLES AUGUSTUS BRIGGS, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN PASTOR THEN EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINT ROBERT OF NEWMINSTER, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND PRIEST
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/06/07/god-is-the-ruler-yet/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Christ Pantocrator
Image in the Public Domain
The Kingdom of the World
NOVEMBER 22-24, 2021
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
Almighty and ever-living God,
you anointed your beloved Son to be priest and sovereign forever.
Grant that all the people of the earth,
now divided by the power of sin,
may be united by the glorious and gentle rule of Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 53
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Daniel 7:19-27 (Monday)
Ezekiel 29:1-12 (Tuesday)
Ezekiel 30:20-26 (Wednesday)
Psalm 76 (All Days)
Revelation 11:1-14 (Monday)
Revelation 11:15-19 (Tuesday)
John 16:25-33 (Wednesday)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You gave sentence from heaven:
the earth in terror was still,
when God arose to give judgment:
to save all that are oppressed upon earth.
–Psalm 76:8-9, A New Zealand Prayer Book (1989)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The readings from Daniel and Ezekiel condemn arrogant monarchs–Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the Seleucid Empire and a Pharaoh of Egypt who claimed the Nile River as his own. People might seem to be in charge, but God is still sovereign, the lessons remind us. In Revelation 11 God vindicates the prophetic witness of the Church. Earthly rulers still have the ability of earthly rulers to have faithful people killed, but God vindicates the martyrs. And, in John 16, Jesus, about to endure torture and execution, tells his twelve Apostles,
I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!
–Verse 33, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
In Revelation 11, prior to divine victory over forces of evil, loud voices in Heaven sing,
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of his Messiah,
and he will reign forever and ever.
–Verse 15, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
The two passages I have quoted might seem counterintuitive. How could Jesus have conquered the world before his crucifixion by forces of the Roman Empire? And, if forces of evil remain powerful, how could the final coming of the Kingdom of God in its fullness have occurred? The best answer I can muster is to repeat the theme of Christ the King Sunday: God remains sovereign, despite all appearances to the contrary.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 10, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN SCHEFFLER, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF GEORG NEUMARK, GERMAN LUTHERAN POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHN HINES, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/07/10/the-kingdom-of-the-world/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Christ in Majesty
Image in the Public Domain
The Dawning Kingdom of God
NOVEMBER 18 and 19, 2021
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
Almighty and ever-living God,
you anointed your beloved Son to be priest and sovereign forever.
Grant that all the people of the earth,
now divided by the power of sin,
may be united by the glorious and gentle rule of Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 53
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Ezekiel 28:1-10 (Thursday)
Ezekiel 28:20-26 (Friday)
Psalm 93 (Both Days)
Acts 7:54-8:1a (Thursday)
1 Corinthians 15:20-28 (Friday)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You, O LORD, are Sovereign;
you have put on splendid apparel;
you, O LORD, have put on your apparel
and girded yourself with strength.
You have made the whole world so sure
that it cannot be moved;
ever since the world began, your throne has been established;
you are from everlasting.
The waters have lifted up, O LORD,
the waters have lifted up their voice;
the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
Mightier than the sound of many waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea,
mightier is the LORD who dwells on high.
Your testimonies are very sure,
and holiness adorns your house, O LORD,
forever and forevermore.
–Psalm 93, Book of Common Worship (1993)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The journey toward Christ the King Sunday (evident in the selection of the Psalm) continues. The sovereignty of God is a major theme in Ezekiel 28, where we read announcements that the prideful King of Tyre will die and that the hostile countries around Judah will fall. The restoration of Judah will follow, thus people will know that Yahweh is the God of the Hebrews.
Death is a punishment in Ezekiel 28 and the penalty for St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr and one of the first Christian deacons. In Acts 7-8, where we read of the martyrdom of St. Stephen, the accusation was blasphemy, although anger and defensiveness were the actual causes. Whatever those who executed the saint thought regarding theology, their violence in the name of God belied their protests of righteousness. St. Stephen was forgiving, however. One will know a tree by its fruits.
Death is the last enemy to face defeat in 1 Corinthians 15. The agent of victory over death is the crucified and resurrected Christ. As verses 17-19 say,
If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
—The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
The Pauline case continues the assertion that God has put everything under subjection to Christ, in God.
The theme of Christ the King Sunday is that, despite appearances to the contrary, God is in charge. Pope Pius XI created the feast in the 1920s, when dictators dominated Europe and fascism was on the rise. The message of Christ the King Sunday remains relevant today, for human nature and divine faithfulness are constants. The Kingdom of God has been present among us for a long time, for it was “at hand” nearly 2000 years ago, when Jesus of Nazareth walked the face of the Earth. Alas, the Kingdom of God has not become fully realized, for it is simultaneously present and en route. Human cruelty constitutes evidence of the partial realization of the Kingdom of God, so we hope and pray for the completion of the promise.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 10, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN SCHEFFLER, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF GEORG NEUMARK, GERMAN LUTHERAN POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHN HINES, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/07/10/the-dawning-kingdom-of-god/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Ahasuerus and Haman at Esther’s Feast, by Rembrandt van Rijn
Image in the Public Domain
Two Kings
NOVEMBER 27, 2023
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
God of power and might, your Son shows us the way of service,
and in him we inherit the riches of your grace.
Give us the wisdom to know what is right and
the strength to serve the world you have made,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 53
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Esther 2:1-18
Psalm 7
2 Timothy 2:8-13
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I will bear witness that the LORD is righteous;
I will praise the Name of the LORD Most High.
–Psalm 7:18, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is a devotion for the day after Christ the King Sunday. Pope Pius XI created that festival in 1925, when dictators governed much of Europe, interwar tensions were rising, and the Holy Father perceived the need to issue a reminder that God is in control, despite appearances. The original date was the last Sunday in October, opposite Reformation Sunday in many Protestant churches, but the Roman Catholic Church moved the date to the Sunday before Advent in 1969. In the middle of the twentieth century many U.S. Protestants observed Christ the King Sunday on the last Sunday in August. I have found evidence of this in the official materials of the reunited Methodist Church (1939-1968). Today observance of Christ the King Sunday (on the Sunday before Advent) is common in many non-Roman Catholic communions. I have detected in the Revised Common Lectionary and the Common Lectionary before that, as well as in official materials of Anglican/Episcopal, Methodist, Moravian, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Disciples of Christ, United Church of Christ, Cooperative Baptist, Evangelical Covenant, and other denominations.
In contrast to Christ the King we have the fictional Ahasuerus, a pompous figure whose courtiers manipulate him. He and others figure in the Book of Esther, which the germane notes in The Jewish Study Bible (2004) refer to as a low comedy with burlesque elements, as well as a serious side. (Comedy has a serious side much of the time.) The Book of Esther pokes fun at authority figures, one of the oldest pastimes. Ahasuerus, humiliated when Queen Vashti refuses his summons, decides angrily to replace her. Before he can reverse that decision, his advisers intervene. This opens the narrative door for Esther to become the secretly Jewish Queen of Persia just in time for Haman to plot to kill the Jews. Esther might have been a tool of schemers initially, but she becomes an instrument of God.
St. Paul the Apostle might not have written 2 Timothy, but the letter is of the Pauline tradition. Certainly the Apostle did suffer hardship due to his obedience to God and agreed, as the text says:
If we have died with [Christ Jesus], we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful–
for he cannot deny himself.
–2:11b-13, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
Regardless of the situations of our daily life and how they became our reality, may we obey God and do the right thing. This might prove to be quite dangerous, leading even to death, but so did the path of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SHEPHERD KNAPP, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN DUCKETT AND RALPH CORBY, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND MARTYRS IN ENGLAND
THE FEAST OF NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, HYMN WRITER
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Two Kings
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Shame, Transformed Into Victory and Glory
The Sunday Closest to November 23
Last Sunday After Pentecost: Christ the King Sunday
NOVEMBER 20, 2022
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Jeremiah 23:1-6 and Canticle 16 (Luke 1:68-79) or Psalm 46
then
Colossians 1:11-20
Luke 23:33-43
The Collect:
Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Some Related Posts:
Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/prayer-of-praise-and-adorationfor-the-last-sunday-after-pentecost-christ-the-king/
Prayer of Confession:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/17/christ-the-king-prayer-of-confession/
Prayer of Dedication:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/prayer-of-dedication-for-the-last-sunday-after-pentecost-christ-the-king/
Hope of the World:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/hope-of-the-world/
This is My Father’s World:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/this-is-my-fathers-world/
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/alleluia-sing-to-jesus/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and for ever. Amen.
—A New Zealand Prayer Book (1989), page 181
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Colossians 1:13-20 describes Jesus well–better than I can–so I defer to it as a superior expression of Christology. Please meditate on it, O reader.
Jesus of Nazareth, to whom Zechariah referred in Luke 1:68-79, died on a cross and under a mocking sign calling him
THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Crucifixion was the way the Roman Empire executed those of whom its leaders wanted to make a public and humiliating example. Usually nobody even buried the corpses, left for nature to consume. Thus crucifixion, carrying great stigma, extinguished a person in society most of the time.
But it did not extinguish Jesus. So a symbol of shame became a symbol of triumph. Symbols mean what people agree they signify; therefore a symbol of state-sponsored terror–judicial murder–has become a symbol of perfect love.
Christ the King Sunday exists to remind people that, as the Reverend Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1858-1901) wrote in a hymn which his widow had published:
This is my Father’s world:
O let me ne’er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world:
the battle is not done;
Jesus, who died, shall be satisfied,
and earth and heaven be one.
That promise is true, although the culmination of it remains in the future tense. But may we who claim the name “Christian” never abandon hope.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 5, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ROBERT FRANCIS KENNEDY, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL AND SENATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT BONIFACE OF MAINZ, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/shame-transformed-into-victory-and-glory/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
You must be logged in to post a comment.