Archive for the ‘Colossians 1’ Tag
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: Fig Tree Cleaving a Rock, Transjordan, Circa 1930-1933
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-matpc-14982
Prelude to the Passion, Part II
AUGUST 27, 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:
Genesis 3:1-7 (8-15) 16-24 or Jeremiah 8:4-13 or Jeremiah 24:1-10 or Habakkuk 3:1-19
Psalm 140
Matthew 21:12-22 or Mark 11:12-25 (26)
Colossians 1:29-2:5 (16-19) 20-23
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
God is the only proper source of confidence, human philosophies and accomplishments are puny and transitory at best and deceptive at worst. They are also seductive. Consequences of giving into them in the assigned readings include exile, pestilence, famine, and destruction.
The readings from Matthew and Mark, despite their slight chronological discrepancy, are mostly consistent with each other. In the narrative they follow the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem immediately. We read that Jesus takes great offense to people profiting by converting Roman currency (technically idols, given the image of the Emperor, described as the “Son of God”) into money theologically suitable for purchasing sacrificial animals. He also curses and kills a fig tree for not bearing figs. We who read these accounts are supposed to ask ourselves if we are fruitful or fruitless fig trees. One will, after all, know a tree by its fruits.
Are we the kind of people who would have followed Jesus all the way to Golgotha or are we the variety of people who would have plotted or ordered his execution or at least denied knowing him or would have shouted “Crucify him!”?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 17, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FIRST DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON, ABOLITIONIST AND FEMINIST; AND MARIA STEWART, ABOLITIONIST, FEMINIST, AND EDUCATOR
THE FEAST OF EGLANTYNE JEBB AND DOROTHY BUXTON, FOUNDERS OF SAVE THE CHILDREN
THE FEAST OF FRANK MASON NORTH, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER
THE FEAST OF MARY CORNELIA BISHOP GATES, U.S. DUTCH REFORMED HYMN WRITER
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/12/17/prelude-to-the-passion-part-ii/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Jethro’s Visit, by Gerard Jollain
Image in the Public Domain
Humility Before God
JULY 18, 2022
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
Eternal God, you draw near to us in Christ, and you make yourself our guest.
Amid the cares of our lives, make us attentive to your presence,
that we may treasure your word above all else,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 43
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 18:1-12
Psalm 119:97-104
Colossians 1:27-2:7
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From your precepts I learn wisdom,
so I hate all deceptive ways.
–Psalm 119:104, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The liberation of the Israelites from Egypt had occurred in Exodus 14. (The departure of Abram and Sarai from Egypt in Genesis 12 had foreshadowed that event.) In Exodus 18 Moses reunited with his father-in-law (Jethro), and his wife (Zipporah), his two sons (Gershom and Eliezer), who left Midian to meet him. Jethro acknowledged the superiority of YHWH to other deities. He did not, however, become a monotheist.
This was not unusual. As the notes in The Jewish Study Bible–Second Edition (2014) inform me,
The Torah does not expect Gentiles to become monotheists (see Deut. 4.19), only to recognize the LORD’s superiority when he asserts it, as in the case of Egypt. The idea of universal monotheism first appears in the later classical prophets (Jer. 16.19-20; Zech. 14.9). Neither the prophets nor Jewish tradition call for Gentiles, even monotheistic ones, to convert to Judaism, though later Jewish tradition–characteristically reading the Bible through the prism of the prophets–believed that Jethro did abandon idolatry (Exod. Rab. 1.32) and, going even further, became a Jew (Tg. Ps.-J. Exod. 18.6, 27; Tanh. Buber Yitro, 5).
–Page 135
St. Paul the Apostle, himself a Jew, expected that Gentile converts to Christianity (A) need not become Jews first, and (B) renounce any allegiances to deities other than God (YHWH). He recognized no compatibility of Christianity (then a small and young Jewish sect) and idolatry.
Psalm 119 speaks of the Law of Moses, something which did not exist at the time of Exodus 18. (The Law of Moses began Chapter 20.) Nevertheless, the timeless principles of the Law of Moses existed prior to that code. Among these principles was acknowledging the greatness of YHWH then acting accordingly, that is, humbly before God. That is possible via grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 16, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ADALBALD OF OSTEVANT, RICTRUDIS OF MARCHIENNES, AND THEIR RELATIONS
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ABRAHAM KIDUNAIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT, AND MARY OF EDESSA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ANCHORESS
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/03/16/humility-before-god-3/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Prophet Elisha
Image in the Public Domain
The Will of God and Morality
JULY 22-24, 2021
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
Gracious God, you have placed within the hearts of all your children
a longing for your word and a hunger for your truth.
Grant that we may know your Son to be the true bread of heaven
and share this bread with all the world,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 43
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
1 Kings 19:19-21 (Thursday)
2 Kings 3:4-20 (Friday)
2 Kings 4:38-41 (Saturday)
Psalm 145:10-18 (All Days)
Colossians 1:9-14 (Thursday)
Colossians 3:12-17 (Friday)
John 4:31-38 (Saturday)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
All you have made will confess you, LORD,
those devoted to you will give you thanks.
They will speak of your royal glory
and tell of your mighty deeds,
Making known to all mankind your mighty deeds,
your majestic royal glory.
–Psalm 145:10-12, Harry Mowvley, The Psalms Introduced and Newly Translated for Today’s Readers (1989)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Certain stories of Elisha resemble those of his mentor, Elijah, as an observant reader of the Books of Kings knows. And, as an observant reader of the Gospels and the Books of Kings knows, some of the miracle stories of Jesus echo certain accounts of incidents from the lives of Elijah and Elisha. Examples of these include raising people from the dead and feeding a multitude with a small amount of food. Those stories indicate, among other things, that the heroes were close to God and were able to meet the needs of people.
The Elisha stories for these days have him leave home, participate in helping his kingdom win a war against Moab, and render dangerous food safe. They portray him as an agent of the will of God.
The “will of God” is a phrase many people use improperly, even callously. I, as a student of history, know that various individuals have utilized it to justify the murder of priests of Baal (by the order of Elijah, in 1 Kings 18:40), blame innocent victims of natural disasters exasperated by human shortsightedness (such as God allegedly sending Hurricane Katrina to New Orleans or a devastating earthquake to Haiti, supposedly to smite evildoers in those places), et cetera. These misuses of the concept of the will of God offend my morality and make God seem like a thug at best.
We ought to exercise great caution using the phrase “the will of God,” for we might speak or write falsely of God and drive or keep people away from a Christian pilgrimage. This is a topic to approach seriously, not lightly. Among the most thoughtful treatments is Leslie D. Weatherhead’s The Will of God (1944), which speaks of three wills of God: intentional, circumstantial, and ultimate. That is deeper than some professing Christians want to delve into the issue, however.
I do not pretend to be an expert on the will of God, but I do attempt to be an intellectually honest Christian. I, as a Christian, claim to follow Jesus. To ask what he would do or would not do, therefore, is a relevant question when pondering issues of morality and the will of God. The four canonical Gospels are useful for these and other purposes. I conclude, therefore, that Jesus would not have ordered the deaths of priests of Baal or resorted to homophobia to explain the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. And I cannot conceive of Jesus agreeing with George Zimmerman that the death of Trayvon Martin was part of God’s plan and that wishing that Martin were alive is almost blasphemous. Zimmerman is a bad theologian.
Living according to compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, and love, per Colossians 3:12-14, is the best way to proceed. Doing so increases the probability that one will live as an agent of the will of God, whose love we see epitomized in Jesus. It is better to live rightly than to seek to be right in one’s opinion of oneself.
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/04/05/the-will-of-god-and-morality/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: St. Paul Preaching in Athens, by Raphael
Image in the Public Domain
Divine Love, Pursuing Us
JULY 15 and 16, 2021
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Jeremiah 10:1-16 (Thursday)
Jeremiah 10:17-25 (Friday)
Psalm 23 (Both Days)
Colossians 1:15-23 (Thursday)
Acts 17:16-31 (Friday)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The LORD is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.
In green pastures he makes me lie down;
to still waters he leads me;
he restores my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for the sake of his name.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff comfort me.
You set a table before me
in front of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Indeed, goodness and mercy will pursue me
all the days of my life;
I will dwell in the house of the LORD
for endless days.
–Psalm 23, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2010)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Among my favorite quotes is one from Theophrastus (circa 371-circa 287 Before the Common Era), a Greek philosopher:
Superstition is cowardice in face of the divine.
The interlocking pericopes for these two days combine to encourage us to avoid superstition and idolatry. The readings tell us to follow God, who is faithful to divine promises, who chastises us for the purpose of correction, and who pursues us to bless us. Divine goodness and mercy do not merely follow us in Psalm 23. No, they chase after us with the intention of overtaking us.
Perhaps my favorite passage from Colossians is the one assigned for one of these two days. The crucified and resurrected Christ is the reconciling agent in the created order. That is a profound theological statement, one which requires more than one blog post to unpack. Much of that theology exists in the realm of mystery, defying rational statements and related apologetics. That is fine with me, for I enjoy a divine mystery. I have spent years with that mystery from Colossians, pondering it and permitting it to seep into my being. I hope to spend more years on that project. Certainly the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity as Jesus of Nazareth (however the mechanics of that worked) was an example of goodness and mercy pursuing humankind. The chase continues, fortunately.
May you, O reader, embrace God, whose goodness and mercy pursue you to bless you, and continue in a healthy spiritual pilgrimage.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 4, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE EVE OF EASTER, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF BENJAMIN HALL KENNEDY, GREEK AND LATIN SCHOLAR, BIBLE TRANSLATOR, AND ANGLICAN PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINT GEORGE THE YOUNGER, GREEK ORTHODOX BISHOP OF MITYLENE
THE FEAST OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/divine-love-pursuing-us/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Tree Roots
Photographed by Samuel Herman Gottscho (1875-1971) on August 22, 1932
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-USZC2-4270
2 Chronicles and Colossians, Part II: Gratitude to God
SEPTEMBER 14, 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 everlasting 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:
2 Chronicles 33:1-25
Psalm 104 (Morning)
Psalms 118 and 111 (Evening)
Colossians 1:23-2:7
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you love me you will keep my commandments.
–John 14:15, The New Jerusalem Bible
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The theme of keeping divine commandments unites this day’s readings. The psalms (104, 111, and 118) and the lesson from Colossians speak of gratitude in various contexts. One way of expressing gratitude is doing that which pleases the one to whom one is grateful. The opposite pattern fills the verses of the lection from 2 Chronicles.
God has done so much for us that we can never repay the debt, not that God expects us to do that. But simple gratitude–lived gratitude–is proper and possible. We do not have to guess what pleases God, for we have a model–Jesus–to follow. The definition of discipleship in Christianity is following Jesus through good and bad times. May our love for God, by grace, glorify God, bring others to God, and demonstrate our gratitude to the One who has done more for us than we can repay. May we, rooted in Christ, be Christ to others.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 24, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF SAINT MATTHIAS THE APOSTLE, MARTYR
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/2-chronicles-and-colossians-part-ii-gratitude-to-god/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Maps of the World
Maps According to Herodotus, Strabo, Ptolemy, “the Ancients,” and Wind Charts of Aristotle and Vitruvius
From Johann G. Heck, Icongraphic Encyclopedia of Science, Literature, and Art (New York: Rudolph Garrigue, 1851)
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-USZ62-115363
2 Chronicles and Colossians, Part I: Tribalism in Religion
SEPTEMBER 13, 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 everlasting 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:
2 Chronicles 32:1-22
Psalm 51 (Morning)
Psalms 142 and 65 (Evening)
Colossians 1:1-23
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sometimes I read the assigned readings and find agreement. Then there are times such as this one, when I notice contrasts. The major discrepancy is one between the lessons from Colossians and 2 Chronicles. The God of 2 Chronicles is a tribal deity who defends the chosen people and smites the others. But the God of Colossians is a universal deity who seeks reconciliation of peoples. This the same God concept one finds in Psalm 65.
Tribalism in religion is an unhealthy mindset. No, God does not help one team win or cause the other to win. No, God does not love the people of one land more than those of others. We are all children of God, so God loves all of us dearly. But how much do we love God?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 24, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF SAINT MATTHIAS THE APOSTLE, MARTYR
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/2-chronicles-and-colossians-part-i-tribalism-in-religion/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Convent at Mamre Near Hebron, Palestine (Abraham’s Oak), 1944
Image Source = Library of Congress
Divine Promises
The Sunday Closest to July 20
Sixth Sunday After Pentecost
JULY 17, 2022
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Amos 8:1-12 and Psalm 52
or
Genesis 18:1-10a and Psalm 15
then
Colossians 1:15-28
Luke 10:38-42
The Collect:
O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Some Related Posts:
Prayer of Praise and Adoration:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/prayer-of-praise-and-adoration-for-the-ninth-sunday-after-pentecost/
Prayer of Confession:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/prayer-of-confession-for-the-ninth-sunday-after-pentecost/
Prayer of Dedication:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/prayer-of-dedication-for-the-ninth-sunday-after-pentecost/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Divine promises turn our worlds upside-down and defy expectations.
Reconciliation, in Colossians 1, is related to justification, a legal concept. So God is the judge, each of us is the accused, and Jesus is the defense attorney. These are inexact metaphors, for
- Elsewhere in the New Testament the Holy Spirit is the defense attorney, and
- The judge is in cahoots with the defense attorney.
But there is more. In Christ our estrangement from God ends. And we have an avenue via Christ to end our estrangements from one another. Why not? If we love God, whom we cannot see, how then ought we to think about our fellow human beings, whom we can see? This is a noble and high vocation, one attainable by grace. And, if we strive yet fall short, God knows that we are but dust.
Such divine generosity requires an affirmative response. St. Mary of Bethany understood this, as did Abraham and Sarah (although the latter needed a little time to grasp it) before her. And one cannot respond affirmatively to God while exploiting people economically. Although Colossians 1 contains a promise of deliverance from sins via God, Amos 8 tells us of doom because of the sin of economic exploitation. The Law of Moses condemned such practices and mandated ways of helping the poor, yet some people manipulated it to make their exploitative deeds seem respectable and proper.
The Bible says more about money, greed, and economic exploitation than about sexual activities, yet many professing Christians are quicker to condemn aspects of the latter than of the former. I have also noticed that condemnations of the latter tend to be more vocal and visible than those of the former. If we who call ourselves Christians are to avoid rank hypocrisy, we ought to realize that many of us are invested in economic realities which place many others at an undue disadvantage. We ought to ask God to help us see or blind spots. We ought to be willing to confront the social structures which grant us advantages at the expense of others. And we ought not to settle for condemning just (or primarily) the low-hanging fruit. Then we will hear what God tells us because we will listen closely. And something unexpected will be born to us via divine power and bring us closer to God, the main agent of bringing about this reconciliation and justification.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 11, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT GREGORY THAUMATURGUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF NEOCAESAREA; AND SAINT ALEXANDER OF COMANA “THE CHARCOAL BURNER,” ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR AND BISHOP OF COMANA, PONTUS
THE FEAST OF SAINT CLARE OF ASSISI, FOUNDER OF THE POOR CLARES
THE FEAST OF JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, CARDINAL
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/divine-promises/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Good Samaritan’s Inn
Image Source = Library of Congress
Compassion and Scandal
The Sunday Closest to July 13
Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
JULY 10, 2022
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Amos 7:7-14 and Psalm 82
or
Deuteronomy 20:9-14 and Psalm 25:1-9
then
Colossians 1:1-14
Luke 10:25-37
The Collect:
O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Some Related Posts:
Prayer of Praise and Adoration:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/prayer-of-praise-and-adoration-for-the-eighth-sunday-after-pentecost/
Prayer of Confession:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/prayer-of-confession-for-the-eighth-sunday-after-pentecost/
Prayer of Dedication:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/prayer-of-dedication-for-the-eighth-sunday-after-pentecost/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was notoriously difficult due to its geography and the reality that robbers used it as site of frequent crimes. Did only fools travel it alone? If so, everyone except the inn keeper in the Parable of the Good Samaritan was foolish. Those who passed by the crime victim probably did so for more than one reason. Safety was a concern, for sometimes bandits preyed on compassionate responses. Other reasons for moving along included apathy and a concern for maintaining ritual purity. But the unlikely hero was a Samaritan–a heretic, a half-breed, and a marginalized person.
The scandal of the Parable of the Good Samaritan has at least two layers. Even the possibility of a Good Samaritan proved scandalous to many people originally. Unfortunately, the parable has become hackneyed for many modern Christians, so I propose pondering who our “Samaritans ” are then paraphrasing the story to restore its fully scandalous nature. The “Samaritan” should always be the most “other ” person one can name. So, for one hates Gypsies, the Samaritan might be a Gypsy. For a xenophobe the Samaritan might be an immigrant. For an ultra-orthodox person the Samaritan might be a the most relatively heretical individual. For someone with an especially strong political point of view the Samaritan might be a person from the opposite end of the spectrum. For a homophobe the Samaritan might be a homosexual. For a homosexual the Samaritan might be a homophobe. For an Orangeman the Samaritan might be a Roman Catholic. The more provocative the paraphrase, the more accurate it is.
Another layer of scandal in the parable is the lesson that sometimes respectable religious concerns and practices obstruct active compassion. I am convinced that most religious people seek to obey the divine will as they understand it. But too often many of us do not love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Too often we make excuses for those who exploit the weak and the vulnerable, including widows, orphans, and the poor. Too often we seek God’s ways and follow other paths. Too often we therefore sow the seeds not only of the destruction of others but also of ourselves. Yet, as Deuteronomy 30:9-14 reminds us, the law of God is very near us–inside us, in fact. Too often we look for this law in the wrong places.
This law is as simple and difficult as following our Lord and Savior’s instruction:
Go, and do the same yourself.
–Luke 10:37b, The New Jerusalem Bible
In 2001 or 2002 I listened one evening to a public radio program about Hanukkah. My memory of one story from that program is partial, but the summary of that tale remains with me. In ancient times there was a rabbi who lacked most of what he needed to observe Hanukkah properly. He was an especially pious yet closed-minded man at the beginning of the story. At the end, however, he was pious and open-minded, for a succession of especially unlikely outsiders provided all that he needed. A Greek wrestler even gave the necessary oil. That tale, a wonderful piece of Jewish wisdom, is consistent with the readings for this Sunday. The “other” might be a means of grace, and neighborliness crosses a variety of human-created barriers.
Go, and do the same yourself.
Indeed.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 27, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, EPISCOPAL PRIEST
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/compassion-and-scandal/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
You must be logged in to post a comment.