Archive for the ‘John 17’ Tag
Above: Icon of Christ Pantocrator
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Faithful Community
NOVEMBER 20, 2022
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalm 100
Hebrews 13:1-16, 20-21
John 17:1-26
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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
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2021/02/03/faithful-community-part-vii/
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Above: Nicodemus Coming to Jesus, by Henry Ossawa Turner
Image in the Public Domain
Salvation and Damnation
JUNE 3, 2018
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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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Amos 7:1-17 or Proverbs 8:1-21
Psalm 118:14-29
1 Timothy 5:1-16
John 3:1-21
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Divine judgment and mercy exist in balance in the Old and New Testaments. They find balance in Jesus in John 3. Those who reject the light condemn themselves to the darkness. God sends nobody to Hell. All who go there send themselves. We read of the impending doom of the northern Kingdom of Israel in Amos 7. In that passage, we also read that God is in judgment mode.
Proverbs 8 speaks of divine wisdom. That is the wisdom, the persistent, collective rejection which led to the pronouncement of divine judgment in Amos 7. The word of God that Amos proclaimed was treasonous, according to authorities in the Kingdom of Israel. That word of God condemned the leaders who labeled that truth as treason. The Assyrians arrived in force, right on schedule, though. The truth was not treason.
The reading from 1 Timothy 5 speaks to divinely-mandated ethics. The passage also contains some culturally-specific elements that may be irrelevant to your context, O reader. May we not become distracted by those culturally-specific details. The timeless principle is mutuality: We are res[pmsob;e to and for each other. In that timeless context, individual and collective responsibility also exist in balance.
I admit without apology that I am pedantic. My pedantry extends to theology. In the Gospel of John, eternal life is knowing God via Jesus (John 17:3). Within the Johannine context, as in John 3:16, therefore, there is no eternity apart from God–Jesus, to be precise. In other words, eternal life and the afterlife are not synonyms in Johannine theology. “Eternal” describes the quality of life, not the length thereof. I am a generally Johannine Christian, so I understand “eternal life” according to the definition in John 17:3. Nevertheless, outside of the Johannine tradition in the New Testament, the meaning of “eternal” is “everlasting.”
I am not shy about saying and writing openly what I really think: I remain unconvinced that my Jewish elder brothers and sisters in faith are doomed to go to Hell. No, I affirm that their covenant remains in effect. According to Covenantal Nomism, consistently and unrepentantly disregarding the ethical obligations of the Law of Moses causes one to drop out of the covenant. Salvation comes via grace, but damnation comes via works.
The more I age and move away from reflexively Reformation-influenced theology, the more comfortable I become embracing the relationship among faith, works, salvation, and damnation in both Testaments. God cares deeply about how people treat each other, the Bible tells us. We mere mortals may deceive ourselves and each other. We cannot, however, pull the proverbial wool over God’s equally proverbial eyes. Our creeds become evident in our deeds.
Nevertheless, may we avoid the trap of thinking that we deserve salvation. That remains a gift. All who receive it may experience a degree of shock when they realize who else has received it. So be it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 1, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE EIGHTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS
THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE
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https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2021/01/01/devotion-for-the-sixth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-d-humes/
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2021/01/01/salvation-and-damnation-part-iii/
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Above: Samson in the Temple of Dagon, by Gustave Dore
Image in the Public Domain
New Life
AUGUST 6, 2023
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Judges 16:1-5, 16-31
Psalm 119:17-24
Acts 20:7-12
John 6:37-40
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Samson was a foolish, reckless man who paved the way to his downfall. His great accomplishment (deliverance for Israel) was also an act of revenge marked by a body count exceeding that to his life before then. He was quite different from the author of Psalm 119, who was pious.
Eutychus was also foolish, for he fell asleep in a third-story window. He suffered fatal injuries, but St. Paul the Apostle raised the young man from the dead.
New life is a theme in John 6:37-40, in which Jesus speaks of eternal and everlasting life. In the Gospel of John eternal life is knowing God via Christ (17:3). Everlasting life is simply the afterlife. In Johannine theology there is no eternal life apart from God in Christ. So may nobody commit the theological error of speaking or writing of eternity apart from God.
New life can be physical or spiritual, but it is also a gift from God. May we use it for the glory of God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 17, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF EDITH BOYLE MACALISTER, ENGLISH NOVELIST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT EMILY DE VIALAR, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF SAINT JOSEPH OF THE APPARITION
THE FEAST OF JANE CROSS BELL SIMPSON, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS TERESA AND MAFALDA OF PORTUGAL, PRINCESSES, QUEENS, AND NUNS; AND SANCHIA OF PORTUGAL, PRINCESS AND NUN
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2017/06/17/new-life/
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Above: Paul Writing His Epistles, by Valentin de Boulogne
Image in the Public Domain
Propagating the Gospel
OCTOBER 2-4, 2023
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The Collect:
God of love, giver of life, you know our frailties and failings.
Give us your grace to overcome them,
keep us from those things that harm us,
and guide us in the way of salvation,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 48
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The Assigned Readings:
Judges 14:1-20 (Monday)
Judges 16:1-22 (Tuesday)
Judges 16:23-31 (Wednesday)
Psalm 28 (All Days)
Philippians 1:3-14 (Monday)
Philippians 1:15-21 (Tuesday)
Mathew 9:2-8 (Wednesday)
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A thoroughly unoriginal statement tells us that great responsibility accompanies great blessings. Grace, although free, is not cheap. It cost Jesus his life. It led to multiple imprisonments of St. Paul the Apostle and finally his execution by beheading. Jesus healed people, proclaimed the good news, and aroused much opposition. Paul preached Christ crucified and got into much trouble also. Through them and many others the Gospel has prospered, however.
The story of Samson is a cautionary tale. He was intellectually dense and prone to revenge. Samson also had poor judgment, especially regarding women. His actions and bad judgment created needless and difficult circumstances, such as the one in which he died. And his last act, not quite triumphant, was one of revenge. Samson ruined his life.
How one spends life matters. May we spend it creating a legacy of love, kindness, and reconciliation. (This is possible only via grace, of course.) May we succeed in that which is eternal–of God (per John 17:2)–and help the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. May we abet this propagation of the Gospel as a matter of goal and consequence, not, as many have, in spite of themselves, while attempting to suppress it. The fact that those who oppose the Gospel wind up becoming vehicles of its spread comforts me, but is not seeking to propagate it then succeeding better?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 21, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF GEORGIA HARKNESS, UNITED METHODIST THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT KENNETH OF WALES, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
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Propagating the Gospel
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Above: First Phonograph
Image Source = Library of Congress
Proverbs and John, Part VII: Like a Broken Record
JUNE 18-20, 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:
Proverbs 20:5-25 (June 18)
Proverbs 22:1-21 (June 19)
Proverbs 22:22-23:12 (June 20)
Psalm 42 (Morning–June 18)
Psalm 89:1-18 (Morning–June 19)
Psalm 97 (Morning–June 20)
Psalms 102 and 133 (Evening–June 18)
Psalms 1 and 33 (Evening–June 19)
Psalms 16 and 62 (Evening–June 20)
John 17:1-26 (June 18)
John 18:1-14 (June 19)
John 18:15-40 (June 20)
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I am tiring rapidly of the Book of Proverbs. Of course I have dipped into it over the years. And, years ago, I read it from beginning to end as part of a project to read all 78 books of the Slavonic Bible. Yet the Slavonic Bible project was in the 1990s. Now, as a daily lectionary takes me through Proverbs again, this time in conjunction with the Gospel of John, I find myself agreeing with the Fourth Gospel and arguing with Proverbs quite often. Proverbs tends to flit about from topic to topic, saying things like
Put your trust in the LORD and he will deliver you.
–20:22b, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
I reply,
Tell that to Jesus.
The next verse in Proverbs is true, however:
False weights are an abomination to the LORD;
Dishonest scales are not right.
–20:23, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
Today I find myself repeating myself yet again: Proverbs is excessively optimistic and the Gospel of John subverts certain traditional notions of sin, suffering, and shame, including many in Proverbs.
I will be glad when the lectionary leaves Proverbs behind. Maybe I will sound less like a broken record…record…record…record…record….record…record…..
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 16, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF RUFUS JONES, QUAKER THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN FRANCIS REGIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF JOSEPH BUTLER, ANGLICAN BISHOP
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/proverbs-and-john-part-vii-like-a-broken-record/
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ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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