According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
God (YHWH, Elohim, or whichever other name one prefers to use; a Christian term is God the Father) is one. God is sovereign. God is just. These characteristics come from the assigned readings from the Hebrew Bible, before I turn to Romans 8 and John 3.
The readings from Romans 8 and John 3 add Jesus and the Holy Spirit to the mix. Thus, we have all the ingredients for the formula of the Trinity. The word “Trinity” never appears in the New Testament. The ingredients of it do, however. The current, orthodox form of that doctrine is the result of successive councils and rebuttals against heresies during the first few centuries of Christianity.
I have read enough books and portions of books to know that every Trinitarian heresy began as a well-meaning attempt to explain the Trinity. So, I choose not to play that game. No, I embrace the mystery and focus on its meanings. One meaning is that, although God is one, God is complex, not simple.
In Christian terms, spiritual birth via the Holy Spirit is essential. This may be quiet or dramatic. Itay include an event one can mark as the time of spiritual renewal or it may sneak up on someone. I belong the company of people who have, within their active memory, always known God via Jesus. The dates I can mark on a timeline are mostly sacramental. They include one baptism, one confirmation, and three reaffirmations, with each of the last four occurring in the presence of a bishop in Apostolic Succession.
Lutheran minister and liturgist Philip H. Pfatteicher tells us that Trinity Sunday is:
not the feast of a doctrine but…the celebration of the richness of the being of God and the occasion of a thankful review of the now-completed mystery of salvation, which is the work of the Father thorugh the Holy Spirit.
—Commentary on the Lutheran Book of Worship: Lutheran Liturgy in Its Ecumenical Context (1990), 301
So, on Trinity Sunday, as well as all other days, may we thank God for the
now-completed mystery of salvation.
And, with the author of Psalm 96, may we ascribe glory and might to God. May our words, thoughts, and actions glorify God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 27, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-NINTH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF CHARLES HENRY BRENT, EPISCOPAL MISSIONARY BISHOP OF THE PHILIPPINES, BISHOP OF WESTERN NEW YORK, AND ECUMENIST
THE FEAST OF SAINTS NICHOLAS OWEN, THOMAS GARNET, MARK BARKWORTH, EDWARD OLDCORNE, AND RALPH ASHLEY, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1601-1608
THE FEAST OF PETER LUTKIN, EPISCOPAL COMPOSER, LITURGIST, AND MUSIC EDUCATOR
THE FEAST OF ROBERT HALL BAYNES, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF MADAGASCAR
THE FEAST OF SAINT RUPERT OF SALZBURG, APOSTLE OF BAVARIA AND AUSTRIA
THE FEAST OF STANLEY ROTHER, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, MISSIONARY, AND MARTYR IN GUATEMALA, 1981
A saint, in terms of the New Testament, is a Christian. The concept of Biblical sainthood is that being holy, as YHWH is holy (Leviticus 19:2). Saints (in Daniel 7:18) will receive the Kingdom of God (yes, in the apocalyptic sense of the kingdom).
The backdrop of three of the four readings (except 149) is apocalypse, or rather, the expectation of the apocalypse–the Day of the Lord (in Hebrew Biblical terms) and the eventual (yet delayed) return of Christ in the New Testament lessons. One function of apocalyptic language is to contrast the world order with God’s order, the Kingdom of God. Luke 6:20-31 hits us over the head with this contrast.
The poor are blessed and will inherit the Kingdom of God. The rich, in contrast, are receiving their consolation. (I belong to monthly book group focused on the historical Jesus and the early church. According to what I have read, the correct translation is that the rich are receiving their consolation, not that they have received it.)
The hungry are blessed and will be full. Those who are full will be hungry.
Those who weep are blessed and will laugh. Those who laugh will mourn and weep.
Those who endure hatred and exclusion on account of the Son of Man (a call back to Daniel) are blessed and should rejoice. Those who enjoy respect share accolades with false prophets.
The Bible never says to hate enemies, despite the impressions one may get from certain angry texts, especially in the Book of Psalms. Nevertheless, love of enemies is a difficult commandment. It is possible only via grace.
The Golden Rule is a timeless principle present in most of the world’s religions. Working around the Golden Rule is as ubiquitous as the commandment, unfortunately.
Christian saints are those who, trusting in Christ crucified, resurrected, and sovereign, follow him. They bear the seal of the Holy Spirit and fight spiritual battles daily. And when Christian saints rest from their labors, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gathers them up.
Think about saints you have known, O reader. They probably infuriated you at times. They were human and imperfect, after all. (So are you, of course.) They struggled with forces and problems you may not have been able to grasp. And they struggled faithfully. These saints did the best they could with what they had, as best they knew to do. And they brought joy to your life and helped you spiritually. You probably miss them. I miss mine, too.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 30, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JAMES MONTGOMERY, ANGLICAN AND MORAVIAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF DIET EMAN; HER FIANCÉ, HEIN SIETSMA, MARTYR, 1945; AND HIS BROTHER, HENDRIK “HENK” SIETSMA; RIGHTEOUS AMONG THE NATIONS
THE FEAST OF JAMES RUSSELL MACDUFF AND GEORGE MATHESON, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN MINISTERS AND AUTHORS
THE FEAST OF SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, POET, AUTHOR, EDITOR, AND PROPHETIC WITNESS
The Episcopal Church has seven Principal Feasts: Easter Day, Ascension Day, the Day of Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, All Saints’ Day, Christmas Day, and the Epiphany.
The Feast of All Saints, with the date of November 1, seems to have originated in Ireland in the 700s, then spread to England, then to Europe proper. November 1 became the date of the feast throughout Western Europe in 835. There had been a competing date (May 13) in Rome starting in 609 or 610. Anglican tradition retained the date of November 1, starting with The Book of Common Prayer (1549). Many North American Lutherans first observed All Saints’ Day with the Common Service Book (1917). The feast was already present in The Lutheran Hymnary (Norwegian-American, 1913). The Lutheran Hymnal (Missouri Synod, et al, 1941) also included the feast. O the less formal front, prayers for All Saints’ Day were present in the U.S. Presbyterian Book of Common Worship (Revised) (1932), the U.S. Methodist Book of Worship for Church and Home (1945), and their successors.
The Feast of All Saints reminds us that we, as Christians, belong to a large family stretching back to the time of Christ. If one follows the Lutheran custom of commemorating certain key figures from the Hebrew Bible, the family faith lineage predates the conception of Jesus of Nazareth.
At Christ Episcopal Church, Valdosta, Georgia, where I was a member from 1993 to 1996, I participated in a lectionary discussion group during the Sunday School hour. Icons decorated the walls of the room in which we met. The teacher of the class called the saints depicted “the family.”
“The family” surrounds us. It is so numerous that it is “a great cloud of witnesses,” to quote Hebrews 12:1. May we who follow Jesus do so consistently, by grace, and eventually join that great cloud.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 13, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF PETER OF CHELCIC, BOHEMIAN HUSSITE REFORMER; AND GREGORY THE PATRIARCH, FOUNDER OF THE MORAVIAN CHURCH
THE FEAST OF GODFREY THRING, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JANE CREWDSON, ENGLISH QUAKER POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF NARAYAN SESHADRI OF JALNI, INDIAN PRESBYTERIAN EVANGELIST AND “APOSTLE TO THE MANGS”
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.
I saw in the right hand of the One who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides, and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice,
Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?
But there was no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth able to open the scroll to look inside it. And because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and look inside, I wept bitterly. One of the elders said do me:
Do not weep; the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the shoot growing from David’s stock, has won the right to open the scroll and its seven seals.
Then I saw a Lamb with the marks of sacrifice on him, standing with the four living creatures between the throne and the elders. He has seven horns and seven eyes, the eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent to every part of the world. The Lamb came and received the scroll from the right hand of the One who sat on the throne. As he did so, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders prostrated themselves before the Lamb. Each of the elders had a harp; they held golden bowls full of incense, the prayers of God’s people, and they were singing a new song:
You are worthy to receive the scroll and break its seals, for you were slain and by your blood you bought for God people of every tribe and language, nation and race. You have made them a royal house of priests for our God, and they shall reign on earth.
As I looked I heard, all round the throne of the living creatures and the elders, the voices of many angels, thousands on thousands, myriads on myriads. They proclaimed with loud voices:
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth, wisdom and might, honour and glory and praise!
Then I heard all created things, in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and in the sea, crying:
Praise and honour, glory and might, to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb for ever!
The four living creatures said,
Amen,
and the elders prostrated themselves in worship.
Psalm 149:1-5 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Hallelujah!
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful.
2 Let Israel rejoice in his Maker;
let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise his Name in the dance;
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people
and adorns the poor with victory.
5 Let the faithful rejoice in triumph;
let them be joyful on their beds.
Luke 19:41-44 (Revised English Bible):
When Jesus came in sight of Jerusalem, he wept over it ans aid,
If only you had known this day the way that leads to peace! But no; it is hidden from your sight. For a time will come upon you, when your enemies will set up siege-works against you; they will encircle you and hem you in at every point; they will bring you to the ground, you and your children within your walls, and not leave you one stone standing on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s visitation.
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.
Who is worthy to pronounce the destiny of the earth and all who live on it? John of Patmos tells us that only one is. That one is Jesus, the incarnate Second Person of the Trinity, the victorious sacrificial lamb with complete power (seven horns) and omniscience (seven eyes). Agents of the Roman Empire killed Jesus, but he did not remain dead for long.
The reading from Luke comes from that part of Chapter 19 set immediately after the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. I read the text again and wonder to what extent memories of the First Jewish War and the Roman destruction of the city in 70 C.E. influenced the writing of those words in Greek. The devastation must have seemed as bad as the end of the world to many people. So, at the end of the First Century C.E., the Romans were firmly in power, in charge of what Tacitus referred to as a “desert called peace.” Yet, John of Patmos said, God was firmly in control and the slain Jesus was very much alive, victorious, and powerful–and beyond the range of human-inflicted harm.
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.
How dare one of your members take up complaint against another in the lawcourts of the unjust instead of before the saints? As you know, it is the saints who are to ‘judge the world’; and if the world is to be judged by you, how can you be unfit to judge trifling cases? Since we are also to judge angels, it follows that we can judge matters of everyday life; but when you have had cases of that kind, the people you appointed to try them were not even respected in the Church. You should be ashamed; is there really not one reliable man among you to settle differences between brothers and so one brother brings a court case against another in front of unbelievers? It is bad enough for you to have lawsuits at all against one another: oughtn’t you to let yourselves be wronged, and let yourselves be cheated? But you are doing the wronging and the cheating, and to your own brothers.
You know perfectly well that people who do wrong will not inherit the kingdom of God: people of immoral lives, idolaters, adulterers, catamites, sodomites, thieves, usurers, drunkards, slanderers and swindlers will never inherit the kingdom of God. These are the sort of people some of you were once, but you have been washed clean, and sanctified, and justified through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of our God.
FIRST READING FOR WEDNESDAY
1 Corinthians 7:25-31 (The Jerusalem Bible):
About remaining celibate, I have no directions from the Lord but give my own opinion as one who, by the Lord’s mercy, has stayed faithful. Well then, I believe that in these present times of stress this is right: that it is good for a man to stay as he is. If you are tied to a wife, do not look for freedom; if you are free of a wife, then do not look for one. But if you marry, it is no sin, and it is not a sin for a young girl to get married. They will have their troubles, though, in their married life, and I should like to spare you that.
RESPONSE FOR TUESDAY
Psalm 149:1-5 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Hallelujah!
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful.
2 Let Israel rejoice in his Maker;
let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise his Name in the dance;
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people
and adorns the poor with victory.
5 Let the faithful rejoice in triumph;
let them be joyful on their beds.
RESPONSE FOR WEDNESDAY
Psalm 47 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Clap your hands, all you peoples;
shout to God with a cry of joy.
2 For the LORD Most High is to be feared;
he is the great King over all the earth.
3 He subdues the peoples under us,
and the nations under out feet.
4 He chooses our inheritance for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves.
5 God has gone up with a shout,
the LORD with the shout of the ram’s-horn.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is King of all the earth;
sing praises with all your skill.
8 God reigns over the nations;
God sits enthroned upon his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the peoples have gathered together
with the people of the God of Abraham.
10 The rulers of the earth belong to God,
and he is highly exalted.
GOSPEL READING FOR TUESDAY
Luke 6:12-19 (The Jerusalem Bible):
Now it was about this time that he [Jesus] went out into the hills to pray; and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. When day came he summoned his disciples and picked out twelve of them; the called them “apostles”: Simon, whom he called Peter, and his brother, Andrew; James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon called the Zealon, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot who became a traitor.
He then came down with them and stopped at a piece of level ground where there was a large gathering of his disciples with a great crowd of people from all parts of Judaea and from Jerusalem and from the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon who had come to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. People tormented by unclean spirits were also cured, and everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him because power came out of him that cured them all.
GOSPEL READING FOR WEDNESDAY
Luke 6:20-26 (The Jerusalem Bible):
Then fixing his eyes on his disciples he [Jesus] said:
How happy are you who are poor; yours is the kingdom of God.
Happy are you who are hungry now; you shall be satisfied.
Happy are you who weep now; you shall laugh.
Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, for then your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the prophets.
But alas for you who are rich; you are having your consolation now.
Alas for you who have your fill now; you shall go hungry.
Alas for you who laugh now; you shall mourn and weep.
Alas for you when the world speaks well of you! This was the way their ancestors treated the false prophets.
Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The main idea of the reading from 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 is simple: Live according to a standard higher than those of the litigious, dishonest, and sexually exploitative society of ancient Corinth. The same principle, minus the geographical and temporal qualification, applies to today’s North America, my location.
Certain behaviors build up, but others tear down. It is better to resolve one’s disputes outside a court, not to mention less expensive and less time-consuming. And pedophilia is always destructive, adultery wrecks relationships, slander ruins reputations, thieves and swindlers damage lives, usurers exploit people for their selfish gain, and drunkards affect the lives of many others negatively. Idolatry is a frequently-mentioned sin in the Bible, and some authors in that sacred anthology blame the demise of two Israelite kingdoms. The Greek word usually translated as “homosexuals” or “sodomites” has several meanings, including sexual perverts broadly. Let us remember also that Paul preferred celibacy, if at all possible, giving marriage between a man and a woman the faint praise that it (A) is not sinful and (B) is better than fornication. He favored what he understood as spiritual pursuits, especially given the fact that he expected Jesus to return within his lifetime. So sensual matters were, according to Paul, distractions from more urgent business. Even heterosexual marriage was fraught with problems, Paul wrote, and he wished to spare people such difficulties.
And there is, of course, the matter of the obligation of the Corinthian Christians to care for each other and treat each other respectfully, not sue each other and exploit each other economically and/or sexually or victimize one’s family members and/or friends with one’s drinking problem and its related vices. Such behaviors are wrong in any context.
My North American society is overly litigious, as pointless dislaimers and warnings attest. Such excessive litigiousness also increases the costs of consumer goods. Anther economic sin is usury, upon which many financial institutions rely for their profit margins. Theft, whether on a small scale or a grand one, such as massive corporate fraud, also continues.
Beyond those matters, drunkenness and its accompanying offenses, including domestic violence, persist. Slander has never gone away. Idolatry assumes many forms, not just outwardly religious ones. (Consider how many people regard sports, for example.) Pedophilia is in the news quite a bit, as are sex scandals involving adultery and/or prostitution.
Human nature is a constant. We have appetites, such as those for gratification via food, alcohol, money, and sex. But we need to manage them, not they us. Jesus did not return when Paul thought he would, but the Apostle was correct: We have work to do, and we need to be spiritually minded. We need to build each other up, not tear each other down. We need to love and care for each other, not exploit, abuse, and victimize each other.
Speaking of caring for each other…
The sequence in the Gospel of Luke takes us into the Sermon on the Plain, the Lukan counterpart to the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. First, however, Jesus cured many people who had sought him out. The crowds dis tire and harry Jesus sometimes; Gospel writers tell us this. Our Lord was fully divine, but he was also fully human. He knew stress and fatigue. And frequent giving of oneself does deplete one’s emotional and spiritual resources if one does not replenish them sufficiently. Fortunately, Jesus prayed and sought out quite time.
There is a basic lesson here: We must not neglect ourselves while supporting each other. There is nothing selfish about filling our own cups, to speak. If we are to fill the proverbial cups of others, we need to have something to give. And we are also important. This is a question of perspective: I am important, and so are you, O reader. We are both children of God and bearers of the divine image. So my importance does not grant me the right to exploit or otherwise harm you. And your needs ought not prevent me from tending to my necessities. So, as we navigate our lives in our social contexts, may we take care of ourselves and each other properly as we continue on our respective pilgrimages.
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.
In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, this word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:
Thus said the LORD of Hosts: These people say, “The time has not yet come for rebuilding the House of the Lord.”
And the word of the LORD through the prophet Haggai continued:
Is it a time for you to dwell in your paneled houses, while this House is lying in ruins? Now thus said the LORD of Hosts: Consider how you have been faring! You have sowed much and brought in little; you eat without being satisfied; you drink without getting your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one gets warm; and he who earns anything earns it for a leaky purse.
Thus said the said the LORD of Hosts:
Consider how you have fared: Go up to the hills and get timber, and rebuild the House; then I will look on it with favor and I will be glorified
–said the LORD.
Psalm 149 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Hallelujah!
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful.
2 Let Israel rejoice in his Maker;
let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise his Name in the dance;
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people
and adorns the poor with victory.
5 Let the faithful rejoice in triumph;
let them be joyful on their beds.
6 Let the praises of God be in their throat
and a two-edged sword in their hand;
7 To wreak vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples;
8 To bind their kings in chains
and their nobles with links of iron;
9 To inflict on them the judgment decreed;
this is the glory for all his faithful people.
Hallelujah!
Luke 9:7-9 (The Jerusalem Bible):
Meanwhile Herod the tetrarch had heard all that was going on; and he was puzzled, because some people were saying that John had risen from the dead, others that Elijah had reappeared, still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. But Herod said,
John? I beheaded him. So who is this that I hear such reports about?
Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
I leave the consideration of the reading from Luke to the related posts. Instead, I focus on the lesson from Haggai here.
The oracle is dated August 29, 520 B.C.E., according to our Gregorian Calendar. This date falls within the second year of the reign of King Darius I, who has just consolidated his power after a civil war. Almost nineteen years have passed since King Cyrus II permitted Jews in Babylonia to return to their ancestral homeland, and the temple is still in ruins.
There are socio-political factors to consider. For example, one did not just begin to construct a temple when one felt like it. No, this was the responsibility of a king–in this case, Darius I. Such an undertaking bestowed prestige on its sponsor. Such subtleties may be lost on modern readers. In fact, I had to look up all this information in The Jewish Study Bible. One may assume that ancient Jewish readers of the text would have understood these facts.
The message of this text, however, is that the reconstruction of the Temple is essential to prosperity for the returned exiles. It is a question of priorities, Haggai reports; do you value the temporal more than the eternal?
By eternal I mean “of God.” This has nothing to do with time and is not restricted to the afterlife. So eternal life, for example, is life in God. As the Gospel of John defines it (in 17:3), eternal life is “to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
That which we sow we also reap. The Gospels tell us this. So, with this thought in mind, reconsider these words from Luke 6:20b-26, the Beatitudes and Woes and from the Sermon on the Plain:
How happy are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of God.
Happy you who are hungry now: you will be satisfied.
Happy you who weep now: you shall laugh.
Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, for then your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the prophets.
But alas for you who are rich: you are having your consolation now.
Alas for you who have your fill now: you shall go hungry.
Alas for you who laugh now: you shall moun and weep.
Alas for you when the world speaks well of you! This was the way their ancestors treated the false prophets.
(The Jerusalem Bible)
Then read the section from Haggai again, noticing the similarities.
I write these words during a time of global recession brought about by the irresponsible fiscal policies of a relative few people. Prosperity is good, especially when it is widespread, permitting people to be financially independent. There is always plenty for everybody in God’s economy, but artificial scarcity seems to be part of human economic systems. This is sinful; there is no other way to state the matter.
But let us look upon the current dire straights as opportunities for setting and pursuing righteous goals, for establishing eternal priorities. And may our Lord and Savior, per Luke, be our guide. May we seek what we need for ourselves and others, but not luxury. May we take this opportunity to simplify our appetites and lifestyles, as God directs us. May we seek that which lasts–that treasure which moth and rust can never destroy. And may we find prosperity of a sort no economic downturn can affect, because this wealth is not of this world.
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:
This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the LORD. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.
Psalm 149 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Hallelujah!
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful.
2 Let Israel rejoice in his Maker;
let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise his Name in the dance;
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people
and adorns the poor with victory.
5 Let the faithful rejoice in triumph;
let them be joyful on their beds.
6 Let the praises of God be in their throat
and a two-edged sword in their hand;
7 To wreak vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples;
8 To bind their kings in chains
and their nobles with links of iron;
9 To inflict on them the judgment decreed;
this is the glory for all his faithful people.
Hallelujah!
FIRST READING AND PSALM: OPTION #2
Ezekiel 33:7-11 (New Revised Standard Version):
You, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, “O wicked ones, you shall surely die,” and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life.
Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: “Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?” Say to them, As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?
Psalm 119:33-40 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes,
and I shall keep it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law;
I shall keep it with all my heart.
35 Make me go in the path of your commandments,
for that is my desire.
36 Incline my heart to your decrees
and not to unjust gain.
37 Turn my eyes from watching what is worthless;
give me life in your ways.
38 Fulfill your promise to your servant,
which you make to those who fear you.
39 Turn away the reproach which I dread,
because your judgments are good.
40 Behold, I long for your commandments;
in your righteousness preserve my life.
SECOND READING
Romans 13:8-14 (New Revised Standard Version):
Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments,
You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet;
and any other commandment, are summed up in this word,
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
GOSPEL READING
Matthew 18:15-20 (New Revised Standard Version):
Jesus said,
If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.
The Collect:
Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
This Sunday’s readings pertain to sin, especially with in a faith community. The community context is appropriate, for however appealing Western notions of individualism, especially when paired with Horatio Alger-like stories, are, people tend to overestimate them. In reality, all of us live in community, for what one person does or does not do affects another and others directly and/or indirectly, for good or for ill. We rise together and we fall together; we need to support each other for the common good. The economic debacle arising from subprime mortgages has taught many lessons, including that one.
Sometimes we need deliverance from the sins of others. That was the function of the blood of a Passover lamb in Exodus. And the reading from Matthew discusses how to handle grievances among members of a faith community. The offender receives more than one chance to restore peace before facing the penalty, which is ecclesiastical exile. The common good is the chief end, with attempts to rehabilitate the offending party.
And sometimes the sin is one’s own. Fortunately, God is present, offering forgiveness in exchange for repentance, that is the act of changing one’s mind, or, to state the matter differently, turning around. Repentance is far more than apologizing, although nobody ought to underestimate the value of a sincere apology. No, repentance is active. And we humans ought to welcome repentance at least as much as God does.
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.
With this post I change translations again. This is a helpful practice, for it refreshes one’s view of the Scriptures. My studies of French have revealed to me the accuracy of the statement that any text loses something in translation from Language A into Language B. So, as I read and study the Bible in English, I seek out various translations. What one version misses, hopefully another retains. And this practice helps me to read and hear the texts as if for the first time, for the familiar cadences of the Authorized (King James) Version, with which I grew up, can become obstacles to paying attention to the content. This principle holds true, regardless of which translation to which one’s brain is attuned.
So, for the next unknown number of weeks, may we read and hear the words of Scripture according to the great Jerusalem Bible, from 1966.
From Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the Church in Thessalonika which is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; wishing you grace and peace.
We always mention you in our prayers and thank God for you all, and constantly remember before God our Father how you have shown your faith in action, worked for love and persevered through hope, in our Lord Jesus Christ.
We know, brothers, that God loves you and that you have been chosen, because when we brought the Good News to you, it became to you not only as words, but as power and as the Holy Spirit and as utter conviction. And you observed the sort of life we lived when we were with you, which was for your instruction, and you were led to become imitators of us, and of the Lord; and it was with the joy of the Holy Spirit that you took to the gospel, in spite of the great oppression all round you. This has made you the great example to all believers in Macedonia and Achaia since it was from you that the word of the Lord started to spread–and not only throughout Macedonia and Achaia, for the news of your faith in God has spread everywhere. We do not need to tell other people about it; other people tell us how we started to work among you, how you broke with idolatry when you converted to God and became servants of the real, living God; and how you are now waiting for Jesus, his Son, whom he raised from the dead, to come down from heaven to save us from the retribution which is coming.
Psalm 149:1-5 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Hallelujah!
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful.
2 Let Israel rejoice in his Maker;
let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise his Name in the dance;
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people
and adorns the poor with victory.
5 Let the faithful rejoice in triumph;
let them be joyful on their beds.
Matthew 23:13-22 (The Jerusalem Bible):
[Jesus continued,]
Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who shut up the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces, neither going in yourselves nor allowing others to go in who want to.
Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when you have him you make him twice as fit for hell as you are.
Alas for you, blind guides! You who say, ‘If a man swears by the Temple, it has no force; but if a man swears by the gold of the Temple, he is bound.’ Fools and blind! For which is of greater worth, the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred? Or else, ‘If a man swears by the altar it has no force; but if a man swears by the offering that is on the altar, he is bound.’ You blind men! For which is of greater worth, the offering or the altar that makes the offering sacred? Therefore, when a man swears by the Temple he is swearing by that and the One who dwells in it. And when a man swears by heaven he is swearing by the throne of God and by the One who is seated there.
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.
Acts 17:1-10 tells of the Apostle Paul’s short (three weeks or so) stay in Thessalonica (modern-day Salonika), a prosperous crossroads and center of commerce in Greece. He met with much hostility from certain Jews, but apparently made a strong and favorable impression on other people, as 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 testifies. This epistle dates to approximately 50 C.E., a fact which places it roughly equidistant in chronology between the crucifixion (one of Paul’s great themes) and the writing of the Gospel of Mark, the earliest of the canonical Gospels. So, when we read 1 Thessalonians, we read one of the oldest documents of the Christian faith.
Paul needed to plant Christianity in Thessalonica because of the three most important factors in real estate: location, location, and location. The road that connected Rome to the East was the main thoroughfare in Thessalonica. So planting a church there helped to spread the Good News of Jesus to many other places.
Paul was in very good spirits in Chapter 1. His mood darkened as the epistle continued, however. But let us not get ahead of ourselves. The Canadian Anglican lectionary I am following covers almost every word of 1 Thessalonians, so I will get to the rest very shortly. For now let us focus on the text for today; Paul opens with praise for the renowned faithfulness of the Thessalonian congregation. He had drawn them to Christ by a lived example, and they were doing likewise for others. Paul had been a positive influence.
Jesus, in contrast, was angry in Matthew 23. As much as I have strong disagreements with the Jesus Seminar, I must admit that their Annotated Scholars Version of the Gospels is the most direct rendering of that text for today.
Alas to you
in The Jerusalem Bible becomes
Damn you!
(So much for the Sweet Jesus of many juvenile Sunday School classes!) But it is clear that Jesus was not being sweet in Matthew 23. Rather, he was being justifiably critical of professional religious people who imposed needless religious burdens on well-meaning individuals. These religious elites were, as we say in North America, too clever by half. They favored ridiculously complicated rules about when swearing an oath was valid. Jesus cut through these traditions like a knife through soft butter; all religious oaths involved God.
So stop playing games
is my paraphrase of Jesus here.
This seems like a good time to quote Matthew 5:33-37 (The Jerusalem Bible). This is part of the Sermon on the Mount:
Again, you have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not break your oath, but must fulfil your oaths to the Lord. But I say this to you: do not swear at all, either by heaven, since that is God’s throne; or by the earth, since that is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great king. Do not swear by your own head either, since you cannot turn a single hair white or black. All you need say is ‘Yes’ if you mean yes, ‘No’ if you mean no; anything more than this comes from the evil one.
My cumulative lesson is this: Lived faithfulness will result from proper attitudes. How can it not? Anyhow, we are all examples. But what kind are you? What kind of example am I? We are examples of that which animates us. May this animating force be God Incarnate, Jesus of Nazareth. And may his concern for others (in all aspects) be ours as well. May we follow him. And as we do this, may we remember these words, from Matthew 6:1:
Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven.
Jesus was not always sweet, but he was inspiring and wise. He still is.
Above: A Model of the Temple Complex in Jerusalem During the Time of Jesus
Jesus vs. the Temple System
JUNE 2, 2023
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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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Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 44:1-15 (Revised English Bible):
Let us now praise famous men,
the fathers of our people in their generations;
to them the Lord assigned great glory,
his majestic greatness from of old.
Some held sway over kingdoms
and gained renown by their might.
Others were far-seeing counsellors
who spoke out with prophetic power.
Some guided the people by their deliberations
and by their knowledge of the nation’s law,
giving instruction from their fund of wisdom.
Some were composers of music;
some were writers of poetry.
Others were endowed with wealth and strength,
living at ease in their homes.
All those won glory in their own generation
and were the pride of their times.
Some there are who have left behind them a name
to be commemorated in story.
Others are unremembered;
they have perished as though they had never existed,
as though they had never been born;
so too it was with their children after them.
But not so our forefathers, men true to their faith,
whose virtuous deeds have not been forgotten.
Their prosperity is handed on to their descendants,
their inheritance to future generations.
Through him their children are within the covenants–
the whole race of their descendants.
Their line will endure for all time;
their glory will never die.
Their bodies are buried in peace
and their name lives for ever.
Nations will tell of their wisdom,
and the assembled people will sing their praise.
Psalm 149:1-5 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Hallelujah!
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful.
2 Let Israel rejoice in his Maker;
let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise his Name in the dance;
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people
and adorns the poor with victory.
5 Let the faithful rejoice in triumph;
let them be joyful on their beds.
Mark 11:11-26 (Revised English Bible):
(Note: Mark 11:1-10 tells of Jesus borrowing a colt and entering Jerusalem.)
He entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. He looked round at everything; then, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
On the following day, as they left Bethany, he felt hungry, and, noticing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. But when he reached it he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs. He said to the tree,
May no one ever again eat fruit from you!
And his disciples were listening.
So they came to Jerusalem, and he went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold there. He upset the tables of the money-changers and the seats of the dealers in pigeons; and he would not allow anyone to carry goods through the temple court. Then he began to teach them, and said,
Does not scripture say, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’?
The chief priests and the scribes heard of this and looked for a way to bring about his death; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. And when evening came they went out of the city.
Early next morning, as they passed by, they saw that the fig tree had withered from the roots up; and Peter, recalling what had happened, said to him,
Rabbi, look, the fig tree which you cursed has withered.
Jesus answered them,
Have faith in God. Truly I tell you: if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted from your place and hurled into the sea,’ and has no inward doubts, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. I tell you, then, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.
And when you stand praying, if you have a grievance against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive the wrongs you have done.
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The Collect:
Grant, O Lord, that the course of this world may be peaceably governed by your providence; and that your Church may joyfully serve you in confidence and serenity; 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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The Temple system benefited the wealthy and provided professional religious people with a comfortable living. Temple taxes, paid mostly by those who could not afford them yet who acted out of community pressure and what they understood as piety (because that is how their religious leaders defined it) paid temple taxes and purchased sacrificial animals. But they had to convert their Roman currency, which bore the image of the Emperor and the Latin words for “Divine Caesar” before they bought such sacrificial animals as pigeons. Each Roman coin was an idol. And the money changers were turning a nice profit, as was the the chief priest. It was religious racketeering, and Jesus confronted it.
And we have an odd two-part story about Jesus cursing a fig tree for not producing figs out of season. The account from the Gospel of Matthew repeats this story, but not the out of season detail. This is a difficult story, and it does not cast Jesus in a positive light. The best I can offer, after reading commentaries, is that the poor fig tree is a stand-in for the Temple system, for the accounts of the fig tree are set amid condemnations of that system.
Jesus does propose an alternative, however. We can pray to God without spending needless money on currency conversion and on sacrificial pigeons. But…there is always a but…we need to forgive others, for there exists a link between our forgiveness of others and God’s forgiveness of us. Jesus raises the bar again.
This hits me where it hurts. I had a hell of a time (Yes, it was that bad.) at the Department of History, The University of Georgia, during the sixteen months of my doctoral program. I can think of the names of three professors, including my major professor, whom I need to forgive. And, to this day, I harbor some negative emotions toward the entire university. They are less prominent than they used to be, but they persist. Forgiveness is hard, especially when one is the aggrieved party. But it is possible, by grace. It is only possible by grace. And I am convinced that is a process much of the time. [Update: Those negative emotions washed out of my system years ago. I would not have been human had I not had such emotions, but I would have been foolish not to drop that burden years ago.–2017]
God knows that we are “but dust,” yet holds us to certain standards. Fortunately, the two sides of that sentence exist in balance. This, however, does not absolve any of us from doing are spiritual part. Jesus has shown us the way; may we follow him. That, too, is a process.
KRT
Published Originally as Week of 8 Epiphany: Friday, Year 1, at ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS BY KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR on November 7, 2010
ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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