Archive for the ‘Ephesians 6’ Tag
Above: Cyrus II
Image in the Public Domain
To Glorify and Enjoy God
JUNE 20, 2021
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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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2 Chronicles 36:11-23 or Joshua 24:1-7, 13-25
Psalm 83:1-5, 13-18
Ephesians 6:11-24
Luke 7:1-17
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One should serve God, of course. Not trying to do so is mainly unacceptable. Yet trying to do so does not guarantee succeeding in doing so; one can be sincerely wrong. The history of religion is replete with those who have committed evils while laboring under the impression they were serving God. So is the present state of religion.
We are morally responsible for and to each other. Saying and writing that sentence is easy. Understanding how it properly translates into attitudes and actions in various contexts can prove very challenging, though.
Praying is a good start, of course. Yet we must distinguish between a dialogue and an internal monologue if we are to know the difference between God and what we want to hear.
God’s choice of human instruments may surprise us, as may the number of “others” who are among the faithful. We humans tend to prefer neat, orderly categories, such as “insiders” and “outsiders.” But what if we, who think ourselves as insiders, are really outsiders? I tell people sometimes that the lists of people who are in Heaven and who are not there would astound and scandalize us if we could see them.
Grace is astounding, is it not? It is free yet not cheap. Likewise, judgment and mercy exist in context of each other; they are in balance God knows what that balance is. So be it.
May we, by grace, succeed is serving God, in glorifying and enjoying God in the moment and forever.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 22, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF SAINT DEOGRATIAS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF CARTHAGE
THE FEAST OF EMMANUEL MOURNIER, PERSONALIST PHILOSOPHER
THE FEAST OF JAMES DE KOVEN, EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF THOMAS HUGHES, BRITISH SOCIAL REFORMER AND MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM EDWARD HICKSON, ENGLISH MUSIC EDUCATOR AND SOCIAL REFORMER
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/03/22/devotion-for-the-ninth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-c-humes/
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2020/03/22/to-glorify-and-enjoy-god-ii/
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Above: King Josiah
Image in the Public Domain
Parts of One Body III
JUNE 13, 2021
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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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2 Chronicles 34 or Joshua 23 (portions)
Psalm 82
Ephesians 5:21-33
Luke 6:27-42
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The faithfulness of God calls for faithfulness to God. We humans, living in communities, have a moral obligation to obey the lofty principles in the Law of Moses, as in Leviticus 18:
- We are responsible to each other.
- We are responsible for each other.
- We depend entirely on God.
- We depend on each other.
- We have no right to exploit each other.
To act on these principles is to behave in a way consistent with righteousness/justice (the same word in the Bible).
We have some difficult readings this week. “Do I have to love my enemies?” “But I enjoy judging people without (much, if any) evidence!” These are responses with which all of us can identify. Hopefully, we have progressed in our spiritual pilgrimages in Christ. Ephesians 5 and 6 contain some really chair-squirming material regarding husbands, wives, masters, and slaves. I do not excuse that which I consider inexcusable. I reject all forms of slavery at all times and in all places. I also affirm gender equality. Furthermore, I contextualize those passages within the epistle.
Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
–Ephesians 5:21, The Revised English Bible (1989)
That verse exists within the context of Ephesians 4:25:
Then have done with falsehood and speak the truth to each other, for we belong to one another as parts of one body.
Regardless of one’s cultural context, if one treats others according to that context, one will do well. Likewise, a society with norms that encourage that principle has much to commend it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 21, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH, AND JOHANN CHRISTIAN BACH, COMPOSERS
THE FEAST OF JOHN S. STAMM, BISHOP OF THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH THEN THE EVANGELICAL UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH
THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF FLÜE AND HIS GRANDSON, SAINT CONRAD SCHEUBER, SWISS HERMITS
THE FEAST OF SAINT SERAPION OF THMUIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF UMPHREY LEE, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER AND MINISTER OF SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/03/21/devotion-for-the-eighth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-c-humes/
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2020/03/21/parts-of-one-body-iii/
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Above: Icon of Haggai
Image in the Public Domain
The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Part III
OCTOBER 1, 2023
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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
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The Assigned Readings:
Haggai 1:1-15a
Psalm 136
John 13:21-38
Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-9 (10-20) 21-24
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The thanksgiving for divine mercy in Psalm 136 and the teaching about domestic love and respect (including some awkward sexism and the lack of a condemnation of slavery) contrast with the predicted betrayal of Jesus in John 13. The gratitude to God in Psalm 136 also stands in contrast to the criticized attitude in Haggai 1. Some people, having departed Babylon for their ancestral home and settled there, have built new houses yet oppose rebuilding the Temple. God insists that not only has the time to rebuild the Temple come, but it has arrived already. The matter is one of respect.
If we respect God as we ought, we will want to behave in certain ways, including the care of houses of worship and the treatment of our fellow human beings. We will even oppose slavery and stand against the execution of the innocent.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 20, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FOURTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT DOMINIC OF SILOS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL TAIT, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
THE FEAST OF SAINT PETER CANISIUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM JOHN BLEW, ENGLISH PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/12/20/the-passion-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-part-iii/
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Above: World Map 1570
Image in the Public Domain
Nationality and Discipleship
OCTOBER 10-12, 2022
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The Collect:
Almighty and most merciful God, your bountiful goodness fills all creation.
Keep us safe from all that may hurt us,
that, whole and well in body and spirit,
we may with grateful hearts accomplish all that you would have us to do,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 50
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The Assigned Readings:
2 Kings 5:15-19a (Monday)
2 Kings 5:19b-27 (Tuesday)
2 Kings 15:1-7 (Wednesday)
Psalm 61 (All Days)
Acts 26:24-29 (Monday)
Ephesians 6:10-20 (Tuesday)
Matthew 10:5-15 (Wednesday)
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So I will always sing he praise of your Name,
and day by day I will fulfill your vows.
–Psalm 61:8, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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In the assigned readings for these three days we read of people accepting and recognizing God or doing the opposite. Jews and Gentiles alike accept and recognize God. Jews and Gentiles alike do the opposite. The standard of acceptability before God has nothing to do with national identity.
This principle occurs elsewhere in scripture. Off the top of my head, for example, I think of the Book of Ruth, in which a Moabite woman adopts the Hebrew faith and marries into a Hebrew family. I recall also that Matthew 1:5 lists Ruth as an ancestor of Jesus. That family tree also includes Rahab the prostitute (Joshua 2:1-21 and 6:22-25), who sheltered Hebrew spies in Jericho. I think also of St. Simon Peter, who, at the home of St. Cornelius the Centurion, said:
The truth I have now come to realize is that God does not have favorites, but that anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him.
–Acts 10:34-35, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
Nationalism is inherently morally neutral. What people do with it is not morally neutral, however. These applications can be positive or negative. Nationalism seems to be a human concern, not a divine one. As we seek to build up our communities and nations may we not label those who are merely different as dangerous because of those differences. Many of them might be people of God, after all. Others might become followers of God. Furthermore, many within our own ranks might not be devout.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 31, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF MARY TO ELIZABETH
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/05/31/nationality-and-discipleship/
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Above: The Flight with the Torah (1986), by Willy Gordon, outside the Great Synagogue, Stockholm, Sweden
Image in the Public Domain
Living in Community, Part II: Peace
AUGUST 23 and 24, 2021
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The Collect:
Holy God, your word feeds your people with life that is eternal.
Direct our choices and preserve us in your truth,
that, renouncing what is evil and false, we may live in you,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 45
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The Assigned Readings:
Nehemiah 9:1-15 (Monday)
Nehemiah 9:16-31 (Tuesday)
Psalm 119:97-104 (Both Days)
Ephesians 5:21-6:9 (Monday)
Ephesians 6:21-24 (Tuesday)
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How I love your law!
All day long I pore over it.
Psalm 119:97, Harry Mowvley, The Psalms Introduced and Newly Translated for Today’s Readers (1989)
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One reason for the public confession of sin in Nehemiah 9 was that, for a long time, the majority of the Hebrew people had not loved and pored over God’s law. One principle (with culturally specific examples) of the Law of Moses was that the people had no right to exploit each other. They were responsible to and for each other, dependent upon each other, and completely dependent upon God. The testimony of Hebrew prophets confirmed that exploitation and other violations of the Law of Moses occurred frequently.
Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
–Ephesians 5:21, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
It is a glorious passage, one which sets the context for 5:22-6:9. Unfortunately, the author of the Letter to the Ephesians (as did the Law of Moses) accepted patriarchy and slavery. Over time many people have cited the Law of Moses and parts of Ephesians 5:21-6:9, often quoting them selectively in the service of prooftexting, to justify the morally indefensible. To be fair, nothing in Ephesians 5:21-6:9 gives anyone carte blanche to abuse anyone. The opposite is true, actually. Yet the acceptance of slavery and sexism, although not unexpected, due to the cultural settings from which these writings emerged, contradicts the Golden Rule.
A community will be a peace when its members respect the dignity of each other, acknowledge how much they depend upon each other, and act accordingly.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 1, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL STENNETT, ENGLISH SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER; AND JOHN HOWARD, ENGLISH HUMANITARIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT JUSTIN MARTYR, APOLOGIST
THE FEAST OF SAINTS PAMPHILUS OF CAESAREA, BIBLE SCHOLAR AND TRANSLATOR; AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF SAINT SIMEON OF SYRACUSE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/06/02/living-in-community-part-ii/
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Above: King Solomon’s Court
Image in the Public Domain
The Kingdom of Solomon Versus the Kingdom of God
JULY 31, 2023
AUGUST 1 and 2, 2023
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The Collect:
Beloved and sovereign God,
through the death and resurrection of your Son
you bring us into your kingdom of justice and mercy.
By your Spirit, give us your wisdom,
that we may treasure the life that comes from
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 43
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Kings 3:16-28 (Monday)
1 Kings 4:29-34 (Tuesday)
Proverbs 1:1-7, 20-33 (Wednesday)
Psalm 119:121-128 (All Days)
James 3:13-18 (Monday)
Ephesians 6:10-18 (Tuesday)
Mark 4:30-34 (Wednesday)
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I am your servant; grant me understanding,
that I may know your decrees.
–Psalm 119:125, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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The Biblical authors, although usually honest about the faults of heroic or allegedly heroic figures, nevertheless created a tapestry of ancient texts which sometimes overplays the virtues of certain people. If David really was, for example, a man after God’s own heart, I have a major problem with the nature of God. And, although the narrative of 1 Kings turned against Solomon after Chapter 4, Chapter 2 contained troubling information about the methods by which the new monarch consolidated his power and eliminated his rivals. Thus the positive discussion of Solomon’s wisdom in Chapters 3 and 4 rings hollow for me. Nevertheless, the much vaunted wisdom won him such a reputation that tradition has credited him with writing Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, historically dubious claims.
Perhaps nostalgia from a time after the division of the united monarchy–a split due in large part to Solomon’s own domestic policies–accounted primarily for the minimization of the acknowledged faults of David and Solomon. I consider what the Bible tells me of those two kings and ponder Proverbs 1:7 (The New Revised Standard Version, 1989):
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Then I consider incidents from their lives and interpret the verse as a negative commentary on them. I arrive at the same conclusion regarding this passage:
The wisdom that comes from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, approachable, full of merciful thoughts and kindly actions, straight forward, with no hint of hypocrisy. And the peacemakers go on quietly sowing for a harvest of righteousness.
–James 3:17-18, J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English, Revised Edition, 1972
I think also of the large plant which grows from a mustard seed. (The mustard seed is not actually the smallest seed, but Jesus did not attend school to study horticulture. Besides, there is a rhetorical device called hyperbole, which we find in the Bible.) From that very small seed comes a large, pesky plant–a weed–to which the parable likens the Kingdom of God. The kingdom, like the mustard plant, provides shelter for a variety of creatures and goes where it will. One knows that not everyone in the Kingdom of God gets along well with each other, so this analogy is worth considering with regard to how we think of those who differ from us and are also of God.
David and Solomon presided over a kingdom built on force and compulsion, as political states are by nature. Their Kingdom of Israel also sat on a foundation composed partially of economic injustice, evident partly in artificial scarcity. In the weed-like Kingdom of God, however, there is no scarcity; everybody has enough. The Kingdom of God functioned partially as a negative commentary on political-religious-economic realities within the Roman Empire at the time of Jesus and the early Church, contributing to his crucifixion. The Kingdom of God continues to indict all forms of exploitation and injustice, including those which people have institutionalized.
The purpose of the Gospel, I have heard, is to comfort the afflict the comfortable and to comfort the afflicted. Are we among the comfortable or the afflicted?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 14, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BASIL THE GREAT, FATHER OF EASTERN MONASTICISM
THE FEAST OF DOROTHY FRANCES BLOMFIELD GURNEY, ENGLISH POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT METHODIUS I OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PATRIARCH
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The Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of God
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Above: Female Sign
Image in the Public Domain
2 Kings and Ephesians, Part III: Building Each Other Up
SEPTEMBER 6 AND 7, 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 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
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The Assigned Readings:
2 Kings 4:8-22, 32-37 (September 6)
2 Kings 4:38-5:8 (September 7)
Psalm 85 (Morning–September 6)
Psalm 61 (Morning–September 7)
Psalms 25 and 40 (Evening–September 6)
Psalms 138 and 98 (Evening–September 7)
Ephesians 5:15-33 (September 6)
Ephesians 6:1-24 (September 7)
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Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
–Ephesians 5:21, Revised English Bible
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That is the verse upon which Ephesians 5:22-6:9 hangs. To read any portion thereof outside of the context of 5:21 is to distort the meaning of any of those verses. A common Christian expectation at the time was that Jesus might return next week or next month or next year, so a revolution in social structure or economic realities was not on the table; preparing for the Second Coming took precedence. Since Jesus has not returned by January 4, 2013, when I type these words, I propose that those are matters worthy of moral and theological consideration. To do so is to honor the Golden Rule.
I have kept the Ephesians readings together. In so doing, however, I have divided the story of Naaman. So be it; I will deal with that story in the next post in this series. But I have been able to pair advice from Ephesians with miracle stories involving Elisha. Many of those tales echo Elijah miracle stories, by the way.
I did notice a common thread involving women. The Shunammite woman needed her son for her financial security in her patriarchal society. But the text from Ephesians advises the mutual submission of wives and husbands to each other and both of them to Christ. Wives and husbands have sacred obligations to each other; they belong to each other. This is a beautiful teaching, even if patriarchy does stain it.
The Letter to the Ephesians, as scholars have noted, displays great unity. The end follows nicely from what precedes it: Act for the common good; build each other up. That was what Elijah did for the Shunammite woman. That is what we are called to do for each other today, where we are. The only situational aspect of this ethic is what the details will be.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 4, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE ELEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF MIEP GIES, RIGHTEOUS GENTILE
THE FEAST OF SAINT DAVID I, KING OF SCOTLAND
THE FEAST OF GEORGE FOX, QUAKER FOUNDER
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAULINUS OF AQUILEIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC PATRIARCH
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/2-kings-and-ephesians-part-iii-building-each-other-up/
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Above: Frederick Douglass (1817-1895), U.S. Abolitionist and Former Slave
Slavery
OCTOBER 26 and 27, 2022
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Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), of The Episcopal Church, contains an adapted two-years weekday lectionary for the Epiphany and Ordinary Time seasons from the Anglican Church of Canada. I invite you to follow it with me.
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COMPOSITE FIRST READING
Ephesians 6:1-24 (Revised English Bible):
Children, obey your parents; for it is only right that you should. Honour your father and your mother is the first commandment to carry a promise with it:
that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.
Fathers, do not goad your children to resentment, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Slaves, give single-minded obedience to your earthly masters with fear and trembling, as if to Christ. Do it not merely to catch their eye or curry favour with them, but as slaves of Christ do the will of God wholeheartedly. Give cheerful service, as slaves of the Lord rather than of men. You know that whatever good anyone may do, slave or free, will be repaid by the Lord.
Masters, treat your slaves in the same spirit: give up using threats, and remember that you both have the same Master in heaven; there is no favouritism with him.
Finally, find your strength in the Lord, in his mighty power. Put on the full armour provided by God, so that you may be able to stand firm against the stratagems of the devil. For our struggle is not against human foes, but against cosmic powers, against the authorities and potentates of this dark age, against the superhuman forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, take up the armour of God; then you will be able to withstand them on the evil day and, after doing your utmost, to stand your ground. Stand fast, I say. Fasten on the belt of truth; for a breastplate put on integrity; let the shoes on your feet be the gospel of peace, to give you firm footing; and, with all these, take up the great shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the burning arrows of the evil one. Accept salvation as your helmet, and the sword which the Spirit gives you, the word of God. Constantly ask God’s help in prayer, and pray always in the power of the Spirit. To this end keep watch and persevere, always interceding for all God’s people. Pray also for me, that I may be granted the right words when I speak, and may boldly and freely make known the hidden purpose of the gospel, for which I am am ambassador–in chains. Pray that I may speak of it boldly, as is my duty.
You will want to know how I am and what I am doing; Tychicus will give you all the news. He is our dear brother and trustworthy helper in the Lord’s work. I am sending him to you on purpose to let you have news of us and put fresh heart into you.
Peace to the community and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with undying love.
RESPONSE FOR WEDNESDAY
Psalm 145:10-19 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
10 All your works praise you, O LORD,
and all your faithful servants bless you.
11 They make known the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your power;
12 That the peoples may know of your power
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom;
your dominion endures throughout all ages.
14 The LORD is faithful in all his words
and merciful in all his deeds.
15 The LORD upholds all those who fall;
he lifts up those who are bowed down.
16 The eyes of all wait upon you, O LORD,
and you give them their food in due season.
17 You open wide your hand
and satisfy the needs of every living creature.
18 The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and loving in all his works.
19 The LORD is near to those who call upon him,
to all who call upon him faithfully.
RESPONSE FOR THURSDAY
Psalm 144:1-10 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Blessed be the LORD my rock!
who trains my hands to fight and my fingers to battle;
2 My help and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield in whom I trust,
who subdues the peoples under me.
3 O LORD, what are we that you should care for us?
mere mortals that you should think of us?
4 We are like a puff of wind;
our days like a passing shadow.
5 Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down;
touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
6 Hurl the lightning and scatter them;
shoot out your arrows and rout them.
7 Stretch out your hand from on high;
rescue me and deliver me from the great waters,
from the hand of foreign peoples,
8 Whose mouths speak deceitfully
and whose right hand is raised in falsehood.
9 O God, I will sing to you a new song;
I will play to you on a ten-stringed lyre.
10 You give victory to kings
and have rescued David your servant.
COMPOSITE GOSPEL READING
Luke 13:22-35 (Revised English Bible):
He [Jesus] continued his journey through towns and villages, teaching as he made his way towards Jerusalem. Someone asked him,
Sir, are only a few saved?
His answer was:
Make every effort to enter through the narrow door; for I tell you that many will try to enter but will not succeed.
When once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may stand outside and knock and say, “Sir let us in!” but he will answer, “I do not know where you come from.” Then you will protest, “We used to eat and drink with you, and you taught in our streets.” But he will repeat, “I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Out of my sight, all of you, you and your wicked ways!” There will be wailing and grinding of teeth there, when you see prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves are driven away. From east and west, from north and south, people will come and take their places at the banquet in the kingdom of God. Yes, and some are now last who will be first, and some who are first will be last.
At that time a number of Pharisees came and warned him [Jesus],
Leave this place and be on your way; Herod wants to kill you.
He replied,
Go and tell that fox, “Listen: today and tomorrow I shall be driving out demons and working cures; However, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, because it is unthinkable for a prophet to meet his death anywhere but in Jerusalem.”
[He continued,]
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, city that murders the prophets and stones the messengers sent to her! How often have I longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings; but you would not let me. Look! There is your temple, forsaken by God. I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!”
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The Collect:
Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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Some Related Posts:
Week of Proper 25: Wednesday, Year 1:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/week-of-proper-25-wednesday-year-1/
Week of Proper 25: Thursday, Year 1:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/week-of-proper-25-thursday-year-1/
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Antebellum U.S. defenders of chattel slavery used Ephesians 6:5-9 (mostly 6:5-8, actually; 9 was sometimes inconvenient) to justify the Peculiar Institution. This interpretation was faulty for a few reasons. First, slavery in the Roman Empire was not chattel slavery. Beyond that, the Pauline assumption about the Second Coming of Jesus was that it was imminent, a matter of the very near future–the medium term if not the short term. So reforming society was not a priority; God, the assumption held, would take care of that part soon. Preparing oneself for the parousia was immediately important. Jesus had not returned by the 1800s, so social reform was legitimately on the table. The Abolitionists (many of them Evangelicals) understood the link between the Golden Rule and imperative to destroy slavery, and many White Southern Evangelicals did not. As I tell my students, look beyond stereotypes, in this case, Evangelicalism. It exists on a spectrum and defies easy definition.
The lack of a condemnation of slavery mars the Pauline tradition for me. Galatians 3:28 tells us that the labels free and slave lose their meaning in Christ, but Paul should have taken the matter to its logical and ethical conclusion: insistence on radical equality in society. Alas, egalitarianism upsets many a societal apple cart, for people seem to like privileges which come with rank.
Ephesians 6 continues with a description of metaphorical Christian armor for a battle against evil. This makes for tacky and cheap toys one can buy from certain Christian bookstores. And the less we say about Bibleman merchandise, the better. Kitsch does not become the Bible or religious retail; I suspect that it embarrasses Jesus. I imagine him now, in Heaven, shaking his head and saying,
I did not suffer and die so that children can play with cheap plastic shields of faith.
No, it is better to be serious about resisting evil in all its forms. I live slightly northwest of Atlanta, Georgia, one of the centers of human trafficking, i.e., slavery. Modern slavery assumes many forms and exists in many places. These days is most often economic and/or sexual. A foreign worker lured on false pretenses and held against her will is a slave. A woman forced to work as a prostitute is a slave. Slavery, unfortunately, is alive and well all over the world. This spiritual battle continues, and people of good will need to win it, with God’s help.
KRT
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2011/11/07/slavery/
Above: Christ Pantocrator
The Words of Eternal Life
The Sunday Closest to August 24
The Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost
AUGUST 22, 2021
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FIRST READING AND PSALM: OPTION #1
1 Kings 8:1, 6, 10-11, 22-30, 41-43 (New Revised Standard Version):
Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the ancestral houses of the Israelites, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands to heaven. He said,
O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart, the covenant that you kept for your servant my father David as you declared to him; you promised with your mouth and have this day fulfilled with your hand. Therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant my father David that which you promised him, saying, “There shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children look to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.” Therefore, O God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you promised to your servant my father David.
But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built! Regard your servant’s prayer and his plea, O LORD my God, heeding the cry and the prayer that your servant prays to you today; that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you said, “My name shall be there,” that you may heed the prayer that your servant prays toward this place. Hear the plea of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place; O hear in heaven your dwelling place; heed and forgive.
Likewise when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a distant land because of your name — for they shall hear of your great name, your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm– when a foreigner comes and prays toward this house, then hear in heaven your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and so that they may know that your name has been invoked on this house that I have built.
Psalm 84 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 How dear to me is your dwelling, O LORD of hosts!
My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.
2 The sparrow has found her a house
and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young;
by the side of your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.
3 Happy are they who dwell in your house!
they will always be praising you.
4 Happy are the people whose strength is in you!
whose hearts are set on the pilgrims’ way.
5 Those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of springs,
for the early rains have covered it with pools of water.
6 They will climb from height to height,
and the God of gods will reveal himself in Zion.
7 LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
hearken, O God of Jacob.
8 Behold our defender, O God;
and look upon the face of your Anointed.
9 For one day in your courts is better than a thousand in my own room,
and to stand in the threshold of the house of my God
than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.
10 For the LORD is both sun and shield;
he will give grace and glory;
11 No good thing will the LORD withhold
from those who walk with integrity.
12 O LORD of hosts,
happy are they who put their trust in you!
FIRST READING AND PSALM: OPTION #2
Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18 (New Revised Standard Version):
Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people,
Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel:
Now therefore revere the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.
Then the people answered,
Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; and the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.
Psalm 34:15-22 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to root out the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry, and the LORD hears them
and delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
will save those whose spirits are crushed.
19 Many are the troubles of the righteous,
but the LORD will deliver him out of them all.
20 He will keep all his bones;
not one of them shall be broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
22 The LORD ransoms the life of his servants,
and none will be punished who trust in him.
SECOND READING
Ephesians 6:10-20 (New Revised Standard Version):
Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.
GOSPEL READING
John 6:56-69 (New Revised Standard Version):
Jesus said,
Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.
He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.
When many of his disciples heard it, they said,
This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?
But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them,
Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do not believe.
For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. And he said,
For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.
Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve,
Do you also wish to go away?
Simon Peter answered him,
Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.
The Collect:
Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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Some Related Posts:
Proper 16, Year A:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/02/26/proper-16-year-a/
1 Kings 8:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/week-of-5-epiphany-monday-year-2/
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/week-of-5-epiphany-tuesday-year-2/
Joshua 24:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/week-of-proper-14-friday-year-1/
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/week-of-proper-14-saturday-year-1/
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/proper-27-year-a/
John 6:
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/twentieth-day-of-easter/
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/twenty-first-day-of-easter/
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The audacity of the claim of the Incarnation is that God, whom, as Solomon said, the Temple could not contain, did indeed dwell on earth, and that flesh and blood did what the Temple could not do. So it is that we have this Sunday’s reading–the last in a sequence–from John 6. The content of the discourse was scandalous to certain sensibilities, so Jesus lost followers.
Imagine the scene. Some disciples (not Apostles) have deserted Jesus. Dejected, our Lord looks at Simon Peter. Jesus asks,
Do you also wish to go away?
Simon Peter replies,
Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe that you are the Holy One of God.
As we read in Joshua 24:15,
…choose this day whom you will serve…but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.
I do not pretend to understand or agree with everything I read in the Bible. Perhaps I disagree more often because I misunderstand, or maybe the most frequent cause of my disagreement begins with correct understanding. However all these issues shake out, I take comfort that I will not have to pass a Heavenly canonical examination. I do try to follow Jesus; to whom else can I go? He has the words of eternal life, that is, life in God via Jesus. Eternal life is both present and future.
KRT
ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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