Archive for the ‘Psalm 62’ Tag
Above: Effects of Acid Rain on a Forest in the Czech Republic, 2006
Photographer = Lovecz
The Sins of the Fathers
OCTOBER 6, 2024
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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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Exodus 34:1-10 or 1 Kings 22:29-43
Psalm 62:1-8, 11-12
Hebrews 5:12-6:12
Mark 9:30-37
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The key mark of discipleship is servanthood.
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Some themes recur in the readings for this week:
- God is faithful.
- Trust in God.
- Do not commit apostasy.
- People reap what they sow.
- Christ is the exemplar of the type of service that defines greatness.
Exodus 34:7 requires unpacking. The principle that God punishes or forgives members of subsequent generations based on the sins of an ancestor exists also in 1 Kings 21:29, Nehemiah 9:17, Deuteronomy 5:9, Numbers 14:18, Psalm 103:8, Joel 2:13, and Jonah 4:2. Yet we read the opposite view–individual moral responsibility–in Ezekiel 18 and Jeremiah 31:29-30. The Bible contradicts itself sometimes.
The best explanation for the opinion we read in Exodus 34:7 comes from Professor Richard Elliot Friedman: effects of one’s actions are apparent generations later. I recognize ways in which actions of two of my paternal great-grandfathers influence me indirectly. This is one example of something, that, from a certain point of view, looks like intergenerational punishment and reward by God.
The decisions of others influence us. Some of them even restrict our options. We may suffer because of the decisions of those who have preceded us; we may suffer because of their sins. This is the way of the world. Yet we are morally responsible for ourselves and each other, not those who have died. No, they are responsible for their sins, just as we are responsible for ours.
May we–individually and collectively–refrain from visiting the consequences of our sins on those who will succeed us. We owe them that much, do we not?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 25, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE, APOSTLE AND MARTYR
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2019/07/25/the-sins-of-the-fathers-part-ii/
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Above: Christ and the Rich Young Ruler, by Heinrich Hofmann
Image in the Public Domain
The Individual and the Collective
SEPTEMBER 26-28, 2022
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The Collect:
O God, rich in mercy, you look with compassion on this troubled world.
Feed us with your grace, and grant us the treasure that comes only from you,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 49
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The Assigned Readings:
Amos 6:8-14 (Monday)
Hosea 9-15 (Tuesday)
Hosea 12:2-14 (Wednesday)
Psalm 62 (All Days)
Revelation 3:14-22 (Monday)
James 5:1-6 (Tuesday)
Matthew 19:16-22 (Wednesday)
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For God alone my soul in silence waits;
truly, my hope is in him.
He alone is my rock and salvation,
my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken.
In God is my safety and honor;
God is my strong rock and my refuge.
Put your trust in him always, people,
pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge.
–Psalm 62:6-9, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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The assigned readings for these three days, taken together, condemn the following:
- Collective hubris (Amos 6),
- Collective iniquity, especially economic injustice (Hosea 10 and 12, James 5),
- Collective iniquity, especially idolatry (Hosea 12),
- Collective lukewarmness in relation to God (Revelation 3), and
- Trusting in wealth, not God (James 5, Matthew 19).
One might notice that four of the five sins are collective and that the fifth sin has both collective and individual elements. This is a partial list of sins, of course, but it is a fine beginning to one’s process of spiritual self-examination or another stage in that process. Does one have hubris? If so, that is a sin. Does one participate in collective hubris? If so, one needs to confess and to repent of that sin. One can repeat those forms of questions for the remaining four items on the list above.
Protestantism, for all of its virtues, does place too much emphasis on the individual and too little stress on the collective elements of spiritual life. May we strive to seek the proper balance between the two and succeed, by grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 20, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALCUIN OF YORK, ABBOT OF TOURS
THE FEAST OF JOHN JAMES MOMENT, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF LUCY ELIZABETH GEORGINA WHITMORE, BRITISH HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/05/20/the-individual-and-the-collective/
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Above: A Vineyard
Image in the Public Domain
Against Carping Criticism and Social Injustice
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2017
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2018
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Blessed Lord, who caused 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:
Isaiah 5:1-25
Psalm 85 (Morning)
Psalms 25 and 40 (Evening)
1 Peter 2:1-12
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Rid yourselves, then, of all spite, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and carping criticism….Always behave honourably among gentiles so that they can see for themselves what moral lives you lead, and when the day of reckoning comes, give thanks to God for the things which now make them denounce you as criminals.
–1 Peter 2:1, 11-12, The New Jerusalem Bible
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Put your trust in him [God] always, O people,
pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge.
–Psalm 62:9, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Isaiah 5 speaks in allegorical terms of God as a farmer and Israel as a vineyard. The farmer has done his best, yet the vineyard has yielded wild grapes. In this allegory we read condemnations of wealthy landowners who have expanded their holdings at the expense of people of modest means, in violation of the Law of Moses. The Bible speaks frequently about how much God condemns economic exploitation, a topic which deserves more attention than many Christians, lay or ordained, give it. We also read in this allegory a condemnation of impious partying, such as the kind fueled by alcohol. The common thread is misplaced priorities: greed and dissipation distract one from what matters in Isaiah 5: social justice as lived holiness.
Certainly we cannot work toward social justice as lived holiness if we engage in
spite, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and carping criticism,
can we? Honorable behavior builds up society and the body of Christ. It might also get us into trouble and even cost us as much as our lives. That is not fair, obviously. But, if we are to suffer, may we do so for the sake of righteousness. May we also refrain from causing or permitting anyone to suffer for the sake of righteousness.
And may we check ourselves daily for bad behaviors, such as those 1 Peter 2:1 lists. The New Jerusalem Bible translators for 1 Peter did a wonderful job with 2:1;
carping criticism
stood out in my mind the first time I read that verse in this translation. Alternative renderings include
slander
and
malicious talk
and
unkind words,
but I prefer
carping criticism.
Unfortunately, congregations are frequently hotbeds of
carping criticism.
I grew up in a series of congregations I did not choose. Their characters varied greatly, but I recall some mainly for the
carping criticism
which took place there. I am ashamed that I have engaged in
carping criticism
of others, not that all criticism is out-of-bounds; the canonical gospels record critical words of Jesus. But I have carped. In so doing I have sinned. And I am not alone in that reality.
May both social injustice and
carping criticism
decrease exponentially, by grace and human cooperation with it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 2, 2011 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, EPISCOPAL BISHOP IN CHINA AND JAPAN
THE FEAST OF JOHN BROWN, ABOLITIONIST
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Above: The New Jerusalem
Image in the Public Domain
Daniel and Revelation, Part III: The Proper Center
NOVEMBER 24-26, 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:
Daniel 4:1-37/3:31-4:34 (November 24)
Protestant versification varies from the Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox pattern in places.
Daniel 5:1-30 (November 25)
Daniel 6:1-28/5:31-6:29 (November 26)
Protestant versification varies from the Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox pattern in places.
Psalm 110 (Morning–November 24)
Psalm 62 (Morning–November 25)
Psalm 13 (Morning–November 26)
Psalms 66 and 23 (Evening–November 24)
Psalms 73 and 8 (Evening–November 25)
Psalms 36 and 5 (Evening–November 26)
Revelation 21:1-8 (November 24)
Revelation 21:9-22 (November 25)
Revelation 22:1-21 (November 26)
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The king at your right hand, O Lord,
shall smite down kings in the day of his wrath.
In all his majesty, he shall judge among the nations,
smiting heads over all the wide earth.
He shall drink from the brook beside the way;
therefore shall he lift high his head.
–Psalm 110:5-7, The Book of Common Prayer (2004)
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The fictional stories in Daniel 4-6 are morality tales about kings who opposed God, sometimes out of hubris. Two of the three med bad ends; the other changed his ways. Hubris, of course, is that which goes before the fall. It constitutes making oneself one’s own idol.
Glory, of course, belongs to God. Thus, in Revelation 21-22, God and the Lamb (Jesus) are the Temple and the origin of light. This is beautiful and metaphorical imagery which should influence how we who call ourselves Christians order our priorities. God–specifically Christ–should occupy the focal point of our attentions and affections.
We are, as a psalmist said, like grass–grass which bears the Image of God and is slightly lower than the angels–but grass nevertheless. So may we think neither too highly nor too lowly of ourselves and each other.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 5, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ROBERT FRANCIS KENNEDY, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL AND SENATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT BONIFACE OF MAINZ, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/daniel-and-revelation-part-iii-the-proper-center/
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Above: Ruins of Babylon, 1932
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-matpc-13231
Jeremiah and Matthew, Part XI: Getting On With Life
NOVEMBER 14-16, 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:
Jeremiah 29:1-19 (November 14)
Jeremiah 30:1-24 (November 15)
Jeremiah 31:1-17, 23-24 (November 16)
Psalm 36 (Morning–November 14)
Psalm 130 (Morning–November 15)
Psalm 56 (Morning–November 16)
Psalms 80 and 27 (Evening–November 14)
Psalms 32 and 139 (Evening–November 15)
Psalms 100 and 62 (Evening–November 16)
Matthew 26:36-56 (November 14)
Matthew 26:36-56 (November 15)
Matthew 27:1-10 (November 16)
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The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom then shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom then shall I be afraid?
–Psalm 27, The Book of Common Prayer (2004)
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The Prophet Jeremiah relayed advice from God to those exiled from the Kingdom of Judah to Chaldea in 597 BCE: Get on with life. The wicked will perish, a faithful remnant will see divine deliverance, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem will occur. None of the members of the original audience lived to see that day, but it did come to pass.
Jeremiah prophesied during dark days which preceded even darker ones. “Dark days which preceded even darker ones” summarized the setting of the Matthew readings accurately. But, after the darker days came and went wondrously and blessedly brighter ones arrived.
I know firsthand of the sting of perfidy and of the negative consequences of actions of well-intentioned yet mistaken people. Sometimes anger is essential to surviving in the short term. Yet anger poisons one’s soul after remaining too long. Slipping into vengeful thoughts feels natural.
O daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy the one who repays you
for all you have done to us;
Who takes your little ones,
and dashes them against the rock.
–Psalm 137:8-9, The Book of Common Prayer (2004)
Yet such an attitude obstructs the path one must trod when getting on with life and remaining faithful to God therein. Leaving one’s enemies and adversaries to God for mercy or judgment (as God decides) and getting on with the daily business of living is a great step of faithfulness.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 4, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCIS CARACCIOLO, COFOUNDER OF THE MINOR CLERKS REGULAR
THE FEAST OF JOHN XXIII, BISHOP OF ROME
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/jeremiah-and-matthew-part-xi-getting-on-with-life/
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Above: The Logo of the Moravian Church, Set in Stained Glass
Image Source = JJackman
Jeremiah and Matthew, Part VI: The Sovereignty of God
NOVEMBER 7, 2023
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Jeremiah 11:11-23
Psalm 97 (Morning)
Psalms 16 and 62 (Evening)
Matthew 24:1-28
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The author of Psalm 62, in the context of persecution because of his holiness, wrote:
Yet be still my soul, and wait for God:
from whom comes my hope of deliverance.
–verse 5, A New Zealand Prayer Book (1989)
I detect echoes of the Jeremiah and Matthew readings in the Psalms appointed for today. The above quote is just one example of that.
Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, fulfilled his unpleasant duty faithfully while arguing with God. The prophet announced doom for idolatry and a host of social injustices–in short, breaking the covenant with God, per Deuteronomy 30:15-20. The prophet placed himself in harm’s way by doing this. He likened himself to a docile sheep led to the slaughter and asked God to avenge him.
That image of a lamb led to the slaughter is one which Christian tradition has applied to Jesus, although he was hardly docile in Matthew 24 and elsewhere. Our Lord and Savior was far from docile in Matthew 21 (“the Temple Incident,” as New Testament scholars call it) or in John 18 or in Matthew 26. Yet the image of a lamb, when applied to Jesus, works well, for he was both the high priest and the sacrificial animal, metaphorically speaking.
In Mathew 24 Jesus warned the Apostles against, among other ills, false prophets and religious persecution:
You will be handed over for punishment and execution; all nations will hate you for your allegiance to me. At that time many will fall from their faith; they will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many; and as lawlessness spreads, the love of many will grow cold. But whoever endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the earth as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.
–verses 9-14, The Revised English Bible
This is a devotion for November 7, at the latter part of the Season after Pentecost. Advent is not far away from November 7–less than one month, in fact. (Advent can begin as early as November 27 and as late as December 3.) By November 7 the Sunday readings in the Revised Common Lectionary have taken a dark turn.
Yet, in the darkness of the tail end of Ordinary Time there is hope. Yes, Jeremiah suffered greatly, but God proved him correct. And nobody who tried to kill the prophet succeeded. Yes, sometimes there is persecution for following Jesus, but God still wins in the end. And God is faithful to the faithful, some of whom will lose their bodies in service to God but none of whom will lose their souls thereby. And Advent is around the corner. Christmas will follow. The summary of the hope of which I write is the Sovereignty of God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 3, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT MORAND OF CLUNY, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINTS LIPHARDUS OF ORLEANS AND URBICIUS OF MEUNG, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOTS
THE FEAST OF THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/jeremiah-and-matthew-part-vi-the-sovereignty-of-god/
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Above: Jesus Blessing the Children
An Image from 1891
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-pga-01427
Deuteronomy and Matthew, Part XIX: The Kingdom of the Powerless
OCTOBER 28, 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:
Deuteronomy 30:1-20
Psalm 62 (Morning)
Psalms 73 and 8 (Evening)
Matthew 19:1-15
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Women and children were among the most vulnerable members of our Lord’s society. Widows and orphans especially at risk. Thus in Matthew 19:1-15, Jesus affirmed the dignity of women and children and the importance of commitments. Some men divorced their wives for casual reasons, thereby placing the divorced women at great risk of falling through the cracks of society. And, as Richard Horsley has taught me, some Pharisees permitted elites to divorce and remarry for reasons of consolidating control over land and other resources. (Source = Jesus and Empire: The Kingdom of God and the New World Disorder, Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003, page 122). Jesus frowned upon people making a mockery of solemn commitments to God and each other.
Children were powerless. So Jesus, of course, spoke highly of such socially invisible people. The man who dined with notorious sinners, spoke at length about profound topics with women, and scandalized the defenders and guardians of ritual purity codes said:
Let the children come to me; do not try to stop them, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.
–Matthew 19:14, The Revised English Bible
Welcome, O reader, to the Kingdom of God, where the meek inherit the earth, the hungry eat, the thirsty drink, and the powerless and socially invisible people are role models. This is consistent with the best of the Law of Moses and the commandments of God in our mouths and hearts.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 9, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE FEAST OF THOMAS TOKE LYNCH, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF ANNA LAETITIA WARING, HUMANITARIAN AND HYMN WRITER; AND HER UNCLE, SAMUEL MILLER WARING, HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE
THE FEAST OF SAINTS WILLIBALD OF EICHSTATT AND LULLUS OF MAINZ, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; SAINT WALBURGA OF HEIDENHELM, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBESS; SAINTS PETRONAX OF MONTE CASSINO, WINNEBALD OF HEIDENHELM, WIGBERT OF FRITZLAR, AND STURMIUS OF FULDA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOTS; AND SAINT SEBALDUS OF VINCENZA, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT AND MISSIONARY
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/deuteronomy-and-matthew-part-xix-the-kingdom-of-the-powerless/
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Above: Northern Views, Site of the Feeding of the Five Thousand
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-matpc-05555
Deuteronomy and Matthew, Part XIV: Violence and Compassion
OCTOBER 18 AND 19, 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:
Deuteronomy 17:1-20 (October 18)
Deuteronomy 18:1-22 (October 19)
Psalm 13 (Morning–October 18)
Psalm 56 (Morning–October 19)
Psalms 32 and 139 (Evening–October 18)
Psalms 100 and 62 (Evening–October 19)
Matthew 14:1-21 (October 18)
Matthew 14:22-36 (October 19)
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I have become convinced that the best way to read the Law of Moses is in small doses, usually in reference to narrative Bible stories. Yet the main purpose of a lectionary is to guide the orderly reading of the Bible, even books one might avoid otherwise. So I continue.
These days in Deuteronomy we read about court procedures. There must be at least two witnesses, in a capital case, for a person who has committed idolatry must die. Levites will settle baffling cases, and the king will have no role in justice. We read also of Levites and prophets, whose authority came from God, not any other source.
Speaking of prophets—yes, more than a prophet—we read of Jesus feeding the five thousand men plus an uncounted number of women and children with a small amount of food and ending up with more leftovers than the original supply of food. Then we read of Jesus walking on water then curing many people. That material completes a chapter which begins with the execution of St. John the Baptist due to a rash promise made at a tawdry party. The sublime grace and a great power of God at work in Jesus exists among violent men and women. That is the story I detect uniting Matthew 14.
There is also violence—albeit carefully regulated violence—in Deuteronomy 17. I continue to object to executing people for committing idolatry either. But, if human life is as valuable as some parts of the Law of Moses indicate, why is so much stoning demanded there? I read of how Jesus helped people from various backgrounds (often marginalized individuals) and think of his great compassion. Surely executing someone for working on the Sabbath or committing idolatry is inconsistent with that ethic.
But at least the Levites got to eat.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 8, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BENEDICT II, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF DAME JULIAN OF NORWICH, SPIRITUAL WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MAGDALENA OF CANOSSA, FOUNDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF CHARITY AND THE SONS OF CHARITY
THE FEAST OF SAINT PETER OF TARENTAISE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/deuteronomy-and-matthew-part-xiv-violence-and-compassion/
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Above: The Adoration of the Golden Calf, by Nicolas Poussin
Image in the Public Domain
Deuteronomy and Matthew, Part X: Stiff-Necked People
OCTOBER 10 AND 11, 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:
Deuteronomy 9:1-22 (October 10)
Deuteronomy 9:23-10:22 (October 11)
Psalm 97 (Morning–October 10)
Psalm 51 (Morning–October 11)
Psalms 16 and 62 (Evening–October 10)
Psalms 142 and 65 (Evening–October 11)
Matthew 11:1-19 (October 10)
Matthew 11:20-30 (October 11)
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Dark clouds surround the readings for these days. In Deuteronomy 9:6 (TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures) Moses tells the Israelites:
Know then that it is not for any virtue that your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.
Subsequently described events confirm that statement. And only the intercessions of Moses, who suffered for the people, spare them from destruction by God.
Speaking of suffering intercessors, we have Jesus in Matthew 11. He fasts and critics accuse him of excessive asceticism. He eats and drinks and critics allege that he is a glutton and a drunkard. What is a Son of God and Son of Man to do? Whatever he does, someone criticizes him. Yet he finds a more responsive audience among many Gentiles. At least St. John the Baptist, distressed at the end of his life, had an honest question, not a predisposition to carping and to finding fault.
Many people are impossible to please. Others are merely extremely difficult to please. Still others are more persuadable via good evidence and are therefore less likely to prove unpleasant. I hope that I fall into the last category, not either of the first two, in God’s estimation. What more than that what God has done already must God do to persuade? Was liberating the Israelites insufficient? Was feeding them and providing water in the desert not enough? Is the Incarnation not to our liking? How stiff are our necks?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 2, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT SIGISMUND OF BURGUNDY, KING; SAINT CLOTILDA, FRANKISH QUEEN; AND SAINT CLODOALD, FRANKISH PRINCE AND ABBOT
THE FEAST OF SAINT ATHANASIUS OF ALEXANDRIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF JAMES LEWIS MILLIGAN, HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARCULF OF NANTEUIL, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/deuteronomy-and-matthew-part-x-stiff-necked-people/
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Above: The Arch, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Image Source = Josh Hallett
Deuteronomy and Matthew, Part III: For the Benefit of Others
SEPTEMBER 30, 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:
Deuteronomy 1:37-2:15
Psalm 62 (Morning)
Psalms 73 and 8 (Evening)
Matthew 6:1-15
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Jesus, in Matthew 6:1-15, sets the tone with the first verse:
Be careful not to parade your religion before others; if you do, no reward awaits you with your Father in heaven.
—The Revised English Bible
This does not mean that religion is or should be a purely private matter, for the truth remains that as one thinks, so one behaves. The point pertains to motivation.
Aside: Purely private religion is the opposite of theocracy, of which I am also very critical.
Evangelicalism, as I have experienced it, is very extroverted. I, on the other hand, am introverted. So I have felt out of place around many Evangelicals much of the time for this and other reasons, including rampant anti-intellectualism (not on my part) and discomfort (also not on my part) with the number and nature of theological questions I am fond of asking and exploring. I am an Episcopalian, so I like to ask questions. And I, as an introvert, am especially loathe to wear my religion on my sleeve, but am obviously not reluctant to be openly religious in public. I do prefer, however, to be so in a generally quiet manner. And I will not knock on doors as part of an effort to convert others, for I dislike it when others knock on my door for that purpose. Besides, many people whom I have encountered do not know how to take “no” for an answer; their bad manners offend me. (Certain Mormons have been especially guilty of such rudeness at my front door.) That which I do not like others to do to me I try not to do them. How is that for attempting to live according to the Golden Rule?
One problem of which we read in Deuteronomy 1:37-2:15 is flouting the commandments of God. There was no public-private distinction in this case, for the the flouting was both public and private.
Doing good deeds in secret, for the benefit of another or others, not for one’s own glory, is righteous and selfless. It is pure, or at least as close to pure as a human act of kindness can be. Being sincere before God and not showing off one’s religiosity is honest. And it does not constitute flouting the commandments of God.
I choose to write about one more aspect of the Matthew lection. One command of God I have experienced great difficulty in not flouting is forgiving certain people. It is easy to forgive some yet not others. But my mandate is is not to make such distinctions. This struggle continues for me, but spiritual progress has occurred, by grace. I detect much room for further progress, but I take this opportunity to rejoice in that spiritual progress which has taken place.
It can be difficult to forgive those who have harmed us. I have my own list of such people; it includes a small group of professors at the Department of History of The University of Georgia. Their deeds were perfidious; I will not claim otherwise and nothing can change the reality of their perfidy. But they have only as much power over me now, years after the fact, as I grant them. And I grant them none. I refuse to carry grudges against them, for the burdens have proved too heavy for me to shoulder. I do hope and pray that these professors have, for their sake and those of others, abandoned their perfidious ways. If they have not done so, that is a matter for God and others to address; my own issues fill my time.
As I think so I am. As I think, so I behave. As you think, O reader, so you are and behave. May we, by grace, be and behave as God approves, for the benefit of others.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 20, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS AMATOR OF AUXERRE AND GERMANUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; SAINT MAMERTINUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT MARCIAN OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
THE FEAST OF JOHANNES BUGENHAGEN, GERMAN LUTHERAN PASTOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARCELLINUS OF EMBRUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF OLAVUS AND LAURENTIUS PETRI, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/deuteronomy-and-matthew-part-iii-for-the-benefit-of-others/
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https://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2018/03/20/uga-and-me/
ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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