Archive for the ‘Matthew 7’ Tag
Above: Cross Out Slums, by the U.S. Office of War Information, 1943-1945
Image in the Public Domain
National Archives and Record Administration ID 513549
Judgment and Mercy
SEPTEMBER 15, 2024
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Isaiah 50:4-10
Psalm 116:1-8
James 2:1-5, 8-10, 14-18
Mark 8:27-35
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O God, you declare your almighty power
chiefly in showing mercy and pity.
Grant us the fullness of your grace,
that, pursuing what you have promised,
we may share your heavenly glory;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 27
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O God, without whose blessing we are not able to please you,
mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit
may in all things direct and govern our hearts;
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 80
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Deuteronomistic theology–ubiquitous in the Hebrew Bible–teaches that the Babylonian Exile was justified punishment for centuries collective and habitual disregard of the Law of Moses. This is the position of Second Isaiah shortly prior to the promised vindication of the exiles by God. Divine judgment and mercy remain in balance.
Many exiles did not expect the Babylonian Exile to end; they had become accustomed to the status quo and fallen into despair. This was psychologically predictable.
Likewise, St. Simon Peter, immediately following his confession of faith in Jesus, did not expect the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. And how many Christians have expected to suffer and perhaps to die for their faith? Yet many have taken up their crosses and followed Jesus to humiliation and/or martyrdom. St. (John) Mark, supposedly the author of the Gospel of Mark, died by dragging through the streets of Alexandria, Egypt.
The messages in the lection from James 2 may shock some people, too. The category of the “deserving poor” is old, even in traditionally Christian cultures. The opposite category, of course, is the “underserving poor.” So, allegedly, we may help the “deserving poor” and ignore the “undeserving poor” with a clear moral conscience, right? Wrong! The categories of the “deserving poor” and the “undeserving poor,” taken together, constitute a morally invalid and false dichotomy. God takes mistreating the poor seriously. All of the poor are the “deserving poor.”
Whoever acts without mercy will be judged without mercy, but mercy triumphs over judgment.
–James 2:13, The Revised New Jerusalem Bible
James 2:13 is consistent with the Sermon on the Mount:
Judge not, that you may not be judged; For by whatever verdict you pass judgment you shall be judged, and in whatever measure you measure it will be meted out to you.
–Matthew 7:1-2, David Bentley Hart, The New Testament: A Translation (2017)
Clarence Jordan‘s Cotton Patch Version of the Gospel of Matthew puts a Southern Low Church Protestant spin on these verses:
Don’t preach just to keep from getting preached to. For the same sermon you preach will be applied to you, and the stuff you dish out will be dished up to you.
Jordan’s rendering of James 2:13 also gets to the point:
For there is merciless judgment on a merciless man, and mercy is much more preferred than judgment.
Divine judgment and mercy remain in balance.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 20, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWELFTH DAY OF EASTER
THE FEAST OF JOHANNES BUGENHAGEN, GERMAN LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN, MINISTER, LITURGIST, AND “PASTOR OF THE REFORMATION”
THE FEAST OF SAINTS AMATOR OF AUXERRE AND SAINTS GERMANUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; SAINT MAMERTINUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT MARCIAN OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
THE FEAST OF SAINT CHIARA BOSATTA, CO-FOUNDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF SAINT MARY OF PROVIDENCE
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN X, KING OF DENMARK AND ICELAND; AND HIS BROTHER, HAAKON VII, KING OF NORWAY
THE FEAST OF MARION MACDONALD KELLARAN, EPISCOPAL SEMINARY PROFESSOR AND LAY READER
THE FEAST OF ROBERT SEYMOUR BRIDGES, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Figs
Image in the Public Domain
Mutuality in God
JUNE 11, 2023
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28
Psalm 31:1-5 (6-18), 19-24 (LBW) or Psalm 4 (LW)
Romans 3:21-25a, 27-28
Matthew 7:(15-20) 21-29
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Lord God of all nations,
you have revealed your will to your people
and promised your help to us all.
Help us to hear and to do what you command,
that the darkness may be overcome by the power of your light;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 24
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O God,
whose never-failing providence sets in order all things
both in heaven and on earth,
put away from us, we entreat you, all hurtful things;
and give us those things that are profitable for us;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 62
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Jewish Covenantal Nomism, present in Deuteronomy 11 and in the background of Romans 3, establishes the tone for this post. Salvation for Jews comes by grace; they are the Chosen People. Keeping the moral mandates of the Law of Moses habitually is essential to retaining that salvation.
Love, therefore, the LORD your God, and always keep His charge. His laws, His rules, and His commandments.
–Deuteronomy 11:1, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985,1999)
Perfection in these matters is impossible, of course. Therefore, repentance is crucial daily. In broader Biblical context, God knows that we mere mortals are “but dust.” Do we?
Grace is free, not cheap. Nobody can earn or purchase it, but grace does require much of its recipients. Thin, too, O reader, how much it cost Jesus.
Both options for the Psalm this Sunday contain the combination of trust in God and pleading with God. I know this feeling. Maybe you do, too, O reader.
St. Paul the Apostle’s critique of Judaism was simply that it was not Christianity. As E. P. Sanders wrote:
In short, this is what Paul finds wrong in Judaism: it is not Christianity.
—Paul and Palestinian Judaism: A Comparison of Patterns of Religion (1977), 552
For St. Paul, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus changed everything.
I, as a Christian, agree. However, I also affirm the continuation of the Jewish covenant. I trust that God is faithful to all Jews and Gentiles who fulfill their ends of the covenant and mourns those who drop out. Many of those who have dropped out may not know that they have done so.
The good fruit of God, boiled down to its essence and one word, is love. Recall the First Letter of John, O reader: Be in Christ. Walk in the way Jesus walked.
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.
–1 John 5:2-3a, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002), 203
And how could we forget 1 John 4:7-8?
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; God is love.
—Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)
This point brings me back to Psalm 31. In verse 6 or 7 (depending on versification), either God or the Psalmist hates or detests idolators. Translations disagree on who hates or detests the idolators. In context, the voice of Psalm 31 is that of a devout Jews falsely accused of idolatry; he protests against this charge and defends his piety and innocence. Human beings are capable of hating and detesting, of course. I reject the argument that God hates or detests anyone, though.
Salvation comes via grace. Damnation comes via works, however. God sends nobody to Hell. As C. S. Lewis wrote, the doors to Hell are locked from the inside.
The Right Reverend Robert C. Wright, the Episcopal Bishop of Atlanta, says to love like Jesus. Consider, O reader, that Christ’s love is self-sacrificial and unconditional. It beckons people to love in the same way. This divine love, flowing through mere mortals, can turn upside-down societies, systems, and institutions right side up.
However, anger, grudges, and hatred are alluring idols. Much of social media feeds off a steady diet of outrage. To be fair, some outrage is morally justifiable. If, for example, human trafficking does not outrage you, O reader, I do not want to know you. But too much outrage is spiritually and socially toxic. To borrow a line from Network (1976):
I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!
That kind of rage is a key ingredient in a recipe for a dysfunctional society.
We human beings all belong to God and each other. We are responsible to and for each other. May we think and act accordingly, by grace and for the common good. God commands it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 1, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF SAINTS PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Labor Day, by Samuel D. Ehrhart
Published in Puck Magazine, September 1, 1909
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-ppmsca-26406
Affirming the Dignity of Work in Words and Deeds
SEPTEMBER 4, 2023
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The Book of Common Prayer (1979) contains a collect and assigned readings for Labor Day.
Interdependence is a cardinal virtue in the Law of Moses. Interdependence is also obvious, or should be. Somehow, especially in the global West, the idea of rugged individualism persists. Yet, no matter how hard or well one works, one drives on roads other people built, relies on technology other people invented or maintain, and depends on many other people might guess at first thought. Anyone who can read this post with comprehension relies on hosts of educators, for example.
As I affirm that I depend on the work of others, just as others depend on my work, I also affirm the dignity of work. Therefore, I argue for certain propositions:
- Nobody should have to work in a death trap or a sweatshop;
- All wages should be living wages;
- People should work to live, not live to work;
- Union organizing and collective bargaining should be inviolable rights; and
- Access to affordable, quality health care is an inalienable right.
Nobody has a moral right to exploit anyone else. No institution has a moral right to exploit any person. After all, people should be more important than profits.
Furthermore, all work should benefit societies or communities. By this standard most jobs pass the test. We need plumbers and bus drivers, for example, but we also need actors, poets, and novelists. In a just world teachers, librarians, police officers, and fire fighters would be some of the best paid professionals, but that is not the world in which we live, unfortunately. It can be, however. A society is what its members make it. Sufficient force of public opinion, applied well, changes policies. The major obstacle to positive social change is resignation to the current reality.
Furthermore, the best kind of work is also indistinguishable from play. Work ought not only to provide financial support for one but also fulfill intangible needs. Work, at its best, is something one who performs it enjoys. Work should improve, not detract from, one’s quality of life.
Work does, of course, assume many forms, at home and out like the home. One should never forget that a stay-at-home parent is a working parent. One should never forget that one who leaves the labor force to become a caregiver for a relative is still working, just without wages. One should acknowledge that those who, for various reasons, cannot join the labor force, are valuable members of society, and that many of them can contribute greatly to society, if others will permit them to do so. Whenever a society holds back any of its members, it prevents itself from achieving its potential.
May we remember also that, as valuable as work is, rest and leisure are vital also. Ideally one will balance the three properly. We know that the brain requires a certain amount of sleep–especially REM sleep–to function properly. We know that the correct amount of rest is necessary for the body to function properly. We know that leisure makes for better employees.
Work, at its best, is a gift from God. It is a gift for divine glory and the meeting of human needs. Work, at its best, builds up (sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively) individuals, families, communities, societies, nation-states, and the world. One’s work, at its best, is a vocation from God; it occupies the intersection of one’s greatest joys and the world’s deepest needs.
May you, O reader, find your work fulfilling in every way.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 1, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA, DISCIPLE OF JESUS
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Almighty God, you have so linked our lives with one another
that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives:
So guide us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but for the common good;
and, as we seek a proper return for our own labor,
make us mindful of the rightful aspirations of other workers,
and arouse our concern for those who are out of work;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Ecclesiasticus/Wisdom of Sirach 38:27-32
Psalm 107:1-9 or 90:1-2, 16-17
1 Corinthians 3:10-14
Matthew 6:19-24
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), 261, 932
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We invoke thy grace and wisdom, O Lord, upon all men of good will
who employ and control the labor of men.
Amid the numberless irritations and anxieties of their position,
help them to keep a quite and patient temper,
and to rule firmly and wisely, without harshness and anger.
Since they hold power over the bread, the safety, and the hopes of the workers,
may they wield their power justly and with love,
as older brothers and leaders in the great fellowship of labor.
Suffer not the heavenly light of compassion for the weak and the old to be quenched in their hearts.
When they are tempted to sacrifice human health and life for profit,
do thou strengthen their will in the hour of need,
and bring to nought the counsels of the heartless.
May they not sin against thee by using the bodies and souls of men as mere tools to make things.
Raise up among us employers who shall be makers of men as well as of goods.
Give us men of faith who will look beyond the strife of the present,
and catch a vision of a nobler organization of our work,
when all shall still follow the leadership of the ablest,
no longer in fear, but by the glad will of all,
and when all shall stand side by side in a strong and righteous brotherhood of work;
according to thy will in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical and Reformed Church, Book of Worship (1947) 382-383
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Ecclesiasticus/Wisdom of Sirach 38:24-34 or Nehemiah 2:1-18
Psalms 124 and 125 or 147
2 Timothy 2:1-15 or Matthew 7:15-27
–General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, A Book of Worship for Free Churches (1948), 409
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Originally published at SUNDRY THOUGHTS
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Above: Esau Selling His Birthright, by Hendrick ter Brugghen
Image in the Public Domain
Vehicles of Grace
JULY 2, 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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Genesis 25:17-34 or Isaiah 1:1-20 (portions)
Psalm 11
1 Corinthians 1:1-18
Matthew 7:15-29
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Waiting on and trusting in God can be very difficult, but it is the thematic thread uniting these readings. Nevertheless, some of the figures from certain readings for today seem like unlikely exemplars of waiting on and trusting in God.
The narrative about Jacob portrays Israel in its earthiest and most scandalous appearance in Genesis. The narrative is not edifying in any conventional religious or moral sense. Indeed, if one comes to the narrative with such an agenda, the narrative is offensive. But for that very reason, the Jacob narrative is most lifelike. It presents Jacob in the crude mixture of motives. The grandson of the promise is a rascal compared to his faithful grandfather Abraham or his successful father Isaac. The affirmations of faith in this narrative are especially robust. The narrator knows that the purposes of God are tangled in a web of self-interest and self-seeking.
–Walter Brueggemann, Genesis (1982), page 204
Saul of Tarsus thought he was obeying God while oppressing Christians. After realizing his error, he became St. Paul the Apostle, a vital figure in the mission to the Gentiles.
Each of us is imperfect. All of us can do better. Each of us can be a vehicle of grace, by grace. Seeking to obey God is laudable, but how can we succeed? The judgments of our culture are not always helpful in this matter. Furthermore, if we think we are listening to God, we might be, but we might also be conducting on internal dialogue instead. As much as one might try to wait on and trust in God, one might miss the channel, so to speak.
I offer no easy answers because I have none. Besides, an easy answer to a difficult question is a wrong answer. I suggest, however, that one is less likely to go wrong by seeking the good of other people rather than by living selfishly. One might sin in how one seeks to build up others, but at least on is pointing in the right direction. Yet good intentions are the pavement stones in road to Hell, so one needs grace to make wise decisions daily. Good intentions are at least good, but they are insufficient.
Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.
That truth is a quote from the Westminster Larger Catechism. The sentence is a fine general statement of principle. The particulars vary according to the circumstances of life–who, where, and when one is. May we, by grace, bear good fruit for God, and therefore glorify him, and enjoy him fully forever.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 13, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CLIFFORD BAX, POET, PLAYWRIGHT, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT EUGENIUS OF CARTHAGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF JOHANNES RENATUS VERBEEK, MORAVIAN MINISTER AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF PETER RICKSEEKER, U.S. MORAVIAN MINISTER, MISSIONARY, MUSICIAN, MUSIC EDUCATOR, AND COMPOSER; STUDENT OF JOHANN CHRISTIAN BECHLER, MORAVIAN MINISTER , MUSICIAN, MUSIC EDUCATOR, AND COMPOSER; FATHER OF JULIUS THEODORE BECHLER, U.S. MORAVIAN MINISTER, MUSICIAN, EDUCATOR, AND COMPOSER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/07/13/vehicles-of-grace/
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Above: Pole Gate, July 1978
Image Source = Library of Congress
Photographer = Suzi Jones
Faithful Servants of God, Part V
JUNE 25, 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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Ecclesiastes 12 or Ezekiel 36:22-36
Psalm 10:1, 14-20
Galatians 6:1-18
Matthew 7:1-14
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To sum up the matter: fear God, and keep his commandments, since this is the whole duty of man. For God will call all hidden deeds, good or bad, to judgment.
–Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
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Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.
–Galatians 6:2, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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The author of Psalm 10’s query remains germane. Why does God stand far off while the wicked hunt down the poor? At least God does not always stand far off, although I also wonder about divine timing.
A major theme for this Sunday is how we treat each other. God seems to care a great deal about that in the Bible. We are supposed to build up one another, thereby creating an improved common good. We actually benefit ourselves by putting others first. This is part of “fearing”–actually, standing in awe of–God.
Selfishness is a difficult habit to break, unfortunately. May we break it, by grace, and become the people and societies we are supposed to be.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 22, 2018 COMMON ERA
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
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2018/03/22/devotion-for-the-ninth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-a-humes/
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Above: An Olive Tree
Image in the Public Domain
Good and Bad Fruit
NOT OBSERVED IN 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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1 Samuel 28:7-8, 11-25
Psalm 6
2 Peter 2:1-3, 17-22
Matthew 7:13-17
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Psalm 6, with its references to death, fits well with the reading from 1 Samuel 28, in which King Saul, in violation of Jewish law, consults a necromancer. She is actually a somewhat sympathetic character, for she cares about the monarch’s well-being. Meanwhile, one gets the impression that Saul has neglected his duties. I do not agree, however, that committing genocide is a king’s duty.
With great power comes great responsibility, as an old saying tells us. This is true in both secular and sacred settings. In 2 Peter 2, for example, we read condemnations of certain early Christian leaders who, out of embarrassment, sought to reconcile Christianity with pagan permissiveness. As we read in Matthew 7, good trees bear good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit.
And committing genocide is definitely bad fruit.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 3, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIE-LEONIE PARADIS, FOUNDER OF THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE HOLY FAMILY
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM WHITING, HYMN WRITER
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Also known as Devotion for the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
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Above: The Virgin with David and Solomon
Image in the Public Domain
Building Up Our Neighbors, Part III
AUGUST 7, 2021
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The Collect:
Gracious God, your blessed Son came down from heaven
to be the true bread that gives life to the world.
Give us this bread always,
that he may live in us and we in him,
and that, strengthened by this food,
may live as his body in the world,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 44
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Kings 2:1-9
Psalm 34:1-8
Matthew 7:7-11
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Taste and see that the LORD is good;
happy are they who trust in him!
–Psalm 34:8, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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King David’s final advice to his son and royal heir, Solomon, disturbs me. The counsel to obey divine commandments is good, but the elements about killing people detracts from that noble sentiment. In contrast, after Matthew 7:7-11, where we read that God knows how to bless people, we find the Golden Rule in verse 12. Smiting people does not constitute obeying the Golden Rule relative to them. Then again, the theological position of much of the Bible is that Yahweh is the Smiter-in-Chief.
I have strong doses of idealism and realism (not in the Greek philosophical meanings of those words) in my thinking. Sometimes delivering one person from a dangerous situation entails smiting others, especially when they are unrepentant. Yet I also understand that God loves everybody and that all people are my neighbors. Part of the reality of living with flawed human nature is having to make the least bad decisions sometimes.
Nevertheless, to seek to build up as many of our neighbors as possible is a fine ethic by which to live. It is one which we can accomplish by grace. We might know that we ought to do it, but being able to follow through successfully is a different matter. As the former Presbyterian Church in the United States (the “Southern” Presbyterian Church) declared in A Brief Statement of Belief (1962) regarding total depravity:
Sin permeates and corrupts our entire being and burdens us with more and more fear, hostility, guilt, and misery. Sin operates not only within individuals but also within society as a deceptive and oppressive power, so that even men of good will are unconsciously and unwillingly involved in the sins of society. Man cannot destroy the tyranny of sin in himself or in his world; his only hope is to be delivered from it by God.
—The Confession of Faith of The Presbyterian Church in the United States Together with the Larger Catechism and the Shorter Catechism (Richmond, VA: The Board of Christian Education, 1965; reprint, 1973), page 332
May we do the best we can, by the grace of God.
MAY 27, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ALFRED ROOKER, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST PHILANTHROPIST AND HYMN WRITER; AND HIS SISTER, ELIZABETH ROOKER PARSON, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF CHARLES WILLIAM SCHAEFFER, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, HISTORIAN, THEOLOGIAN, AND LITURGIST
THE FEAST OF CLARENCE DICKINSON, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN ORGANIST AND COMPOSER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/05/28/building-up-our-neighbors-part-iii/
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Above: Martin Luther
Image in the Public Domain
The Surprises and Faithfulness of God
AUGUST 3-5, 2023
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The Collect:
Glorious God, your generosity waters the world with goodness,
and you cover creation with abundance.
Awaken in us a hunger for the food that satisfies both body and spirit,
and with this food fill all the starving world,
through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 43
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The Assigned Readings:
Proverbs 10:1-5 (Thursday)
Isaiah 51:17-23 (Friday)
Isaiah 44:1-5 (Saturday)
Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21 (All Days)
Philippians 4:10-15 (Thursday)
Romans 9:6-13 (Friday)
Matthew 7:7-11 (Saturday)
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The LORD is faithful in all his words
and merciful in his deeds.
–Psalm 145:14, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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The faithfulness of God was among the theological emphases of Martin Luther. That point, an excellent one, unifies the assigned readings for these days.
God is full of surprises from human perspectives. God works outside of human traditions–such as primogeniture–much of the time. Even repentant prostitutes and collaborators with the Roman Empire preceded certain respectable religious people into Heaven, according to Jesus. We desire cheap grace, that forgives our sins yet requires nothing of us. Yet we receive free grace, that which we cannot buy yet which requires much of us. It is therefore free yet costly. It cost St. Paul the Apostle a life of comfort inside the religious establishment then cost him his life. This grace, which does not remove the temporal consequences of sin, waits for us nevertheless at the end of punishment.
Sometimes we mere mortals are God’s chosen channels and vehicles of grace. May we be the best and most faithful such channels and vehicles possible, by grace. (Everything seems to come back to grace.) If we fail in this function, the consequences to others can be severe. Proverbs 10:4 (The New Revised Standard Version, 1989) reads:
A slack hand causes poverty,
but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
This is not always true. Had the author of that verse not heard of the working poor and the idle rich? Most people in Palestine in antiquity were peasants, but not lazy individuals. The masses were poor, the upper class constituted a minority, and the middle class was scarce or absent. Structural barriers to upward mobility remain in our world. They are, fortunately, not as intense in some places as in others, but their continued existence is sinful.
How will God surprise us next? The divine call to all of us will differ in details. Some of us ought to oppose social structures of injustice as our primary vocation, functioning as thorns in the sides of powerful and dangerous people. St. Paul thought that Jesus would return within his lifetime, so he left reforming society to God. That was about two thousand years ago, so I propose that this work is a legitimate calling from God. Others of us will have different assignments to complete. There is plenty to do. May each of us listen attentively for our instructions then obey them. When we do that, what potential might God unlock in us and in those around us, those to whom God sends us, and those whom God sends to us? May we discover the answer to that question, by grace.
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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This is Post #600 of ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS.
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The Surprises and Faithfulness of God
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Above: Olive Trees, the Garden of Gethsemane, Jerusalem, Palestine, Ottoman Empire, Between 1900 and 1910
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-ppmsca-13199
Active Faith
JUNE 5-7, 2023
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The Collect:
O God our rock, you offer us a covenant of mercy,
and you provide the foundation of our lives.
Ground us in your word, and strengthen our resolve to be your disciples,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 38
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The Assigned Readings:
Joshua 8:30-35 (Monday)
Joshua 24:1-2, 11-28 (Tuesday)
Job 28:12-28 (Wednesday)
Psalm 52 (All Days)
Romans 2:1-11 (Monday)
Romans 3:9-22a (Tuesday)
Matthew 7:13-20 (Wednesday)
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Why do you glory in evil, you tyrant,
while the goodness of God endures continually?
–Psalm 52:1, Common Worship (2000)
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The rules of holy war in the Old Testament precluded any human gain. Thus holy warriors were supposed to kill, pillage, and destroy completely—in the name of God, of course.
I would lie if I were to deny that this does not disturb me.
Anyhow, the reading of the commandments in Joshua 8 follows the destruction of Ai and the hanging of the king of that city. I would lie if I were to pretend that this fact does not disturb me. Whom would Jesus hang?
At sunset they cut down the body on Joshua’s orders and flung it on the ground at the entrance of the city gate.
–Joshua 8:29b, The Revised English Bible
Whose body would Jesus order cut down then fling to the ground?
I do detect a repeated theme in the assigned readings for today, however. I might not detect the goodness of God in Joshua 8, but I read about it—along with judgment—in assigned texts for these days. One should never take a covenant with God lightly, I read. Nor should one be too quick to judge others, for God does not show favoritism, I also read. God, I read, fathoms the depths of wisdom and wants us to reject evil.
Faith, in Pauline theology, is both intellectual and active. (In contrast, faith, in the Letter of James, is merely intellectual, hence the text’s insistence on the necessity of faith and works for justification.) Active faith is that to which Paul, James, Jesus, and Joshua called people. So, to use our Lord and Savior’s metaphor, may we be good trees, bearing good fruit. And, taking Matthew 7:12 (the Golden Rule) into consideration, may we bear the good fruits of treating people properly.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 10, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THEODORE PARKER, ABOLITIONIST AND MAVERICK UNITARIAN PASTOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTONY PIEROZZI, A.K.A. ANTONINUS OF FLORENCE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF FLORENCE
THE FEAST OF JOHN GOSS, ANGLICAN CHURCH COMPOSER AND ORGANIST; AND WILLIAM MERCER, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF NICOLAUS LUDWIG VON ZINZENDORF, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/05/28/active-faith/
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Above: Bishop Robert C. Wright (Episcopalian) and Archbishop Wilton Gregory (Roman Catholic) at the Good Friday Pilgrimage for Immigrants, April 18, 2014
Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
Of Externals and Internals
JUNE 1-3, 2023
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The Collect:
O God our rock, you offer us a covenant of mercy,
and you provide the foundation of our lives.
Ground us in your word, and strengthen our resolve to be your disciples,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 38
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The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 24:1-8 (Thursday)
Deuteronomy 30:1-5 (Friday)
Amos 2:6-11 (Saturday)
Psalm 31:1-5, 19-24 (All Days)
Romans 2:17-29 (Thursday)
Romans 9:6-13 (Friday)
Matthew 7:1-6 (Saturday)
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Be my strong rock, a fortress to save me,
for you are my rock and my stronghold;
guide me, and lead me for your name’s sake.
–Psalm 31:3, Common Worship (2000)
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One of the faults of certain varieties of Protestantism is overemphasizing the internal and unseen while underemphasizing the external and the seen. Pietists, for example, dismiss “externals” frequentlu, as if “externals” are meaningless. They are not necessarily so.
No, a ritual (such as a sacrifice or circumcision) can matter quite a lot, for we humans need visible signs and rites of passage. How else are we to mark the difference between one stage of life and another or to note a covenant to God? We need externals beause we see, touch, feel, hear, and smell; we are not disembodied sentients. The scriptures command many rituals in particular settings, in fact.
The scriptures also make clear that rituals are not supposed to be talismans which protect us from punishment for sins of which we have not repented, individually or collectively. Rituals one performs piously have meaning, but those one performs while disobeying divine commandments, such as how to treat people, offend God.
For crime after crime of Israel
I shall grant them no reprieve,
because they sell honest folk for silver
and the poor for a pair of sandals.
They grind the heads of the helpless into the dust
and push the humble out of their way.
Father and son resort to the temple girls,
so profaning my holy name.
–Amos 2:6-7, The Revised English Bible
God, the Bible tells us, cares deeply about how we act toward our fellow human beings. We ought to seek God’s best for them, not exploit them for our own gain and pleasure. We should seek to raise the status of the powerless, the less powerful, and the marginalized among us. Each of us bears the image of God and therefore deserves respect. When we seek to do those things may we succeed by grace. And may we engage in rituals which create holy atmospheres for our spiritual benefit and glorify—not mock—God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 10, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THEODORE PARKER, ABOLITIONIST AND MAVERICK UNITARIAN PASTOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTONY PIEROZZI, A.K.A. ANTONINUS OF FLORENCE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF FLORENCE
THE FEAST OF JOHN GOSS, ANGLICAN CHURCH COMPOSER AND ORGANIST; AND WILLIAM MERCER, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF NICOLAUS LUDWIG VON ZINZENDORF, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/05/28/of-externals-and-internals/
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ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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