Archive for the ‘Romans 2’ Tag
Above: Jephthah
Image in the Public Domain
Character, Part I
JULY 18, 2021
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Judges 11:1-8, 30-40 or Jeremiah 7:1-15
Psalm 90:1-10, 13-17
Romans 2:13-29
Luke 9:51-62
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Judges 11, in which we read of the judge Jephthah, is certainly absent from books of Bible stories for children. I wonder if Jesus had the fate of Jephthah’s unnamed daughter in mind when he taught not to swear an oath, but to let yes be yes and no be no (Matthew 5:33-37). Tammi J. Schneider is correct; in the story of Jephthah we read of a man who had
no qualities, no deeds, no crisis, no God.
We also read of a man who reaped what he sowed. Unfortunately, we read that his daughter reaped it, too.
The Hebrew Bible describes the character of God mostly by recounting what God did and had done. By the same logic, we are like what we do and have done.
What do we do? Do we seek wisdom? Do we practice idolatry? Do we practice and/or condone economic injustice? Do we oppress aliens? Do we deal fairly with each other? Do we make excuses for not following God? Is the law of God written on our hearts?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 15, 2020 COMMON ERA
WEDNESDAY IN EASTER WEEK
THE FEAST OF SAINT OLGA OF KIEV, REGENT OF KIEVAN RUSSIA; SAINT ADALBERT OF MAGDEBURG, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; SAINT ADALBERT OF PRAGUE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF MARTYR, 997; AND SAINTS BENEDICT AND GAUDENTIUS OF POMERANIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 997
THE FEAST OF SAINTS DAMIEN AND MARIANNE OF MOLOKAI, WORKERS AMONG LEPERS
THE FEAST OF SAINT FLAVIA DOMITILLA, ROMAN CATHOLIC NOBLEWOMAN; AND SAINTS MARO, EUTYCHES, AND VICTORINUS OF ROME, PRIESTS AND MARTYS, CIRCA 99
THE FEAST OF SAINT HUNNA OF ALSACE, THE “HOLY WASHERWOMAN”
THE FEAST OF LUCY CRAFT LANEY, AFRICAN-AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN EDUCATOR AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2020/04/15/character-part-i/
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Above: Gideon
Image in the Public Domain
Who Do You Think You Are?
JULY 11, 2021
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Judges 7:1-8, 16-22 or Jeremiah 3:21-4:4
Psalm 89:46-52
Romans 2:1-12
Luke 9:37-50
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To the extent that any person or group is estranged from God, the fault is entirely human. Sin creates estrangement from God. Many people blame God for that which God did not do and for which they have no business blaming God. Many people blame God when they should blame other people and/or themselves. Many people scapegoat God. Many people operate from an erroneous God concept, as one reads in J. B. Phillips‘s classic book, Your God is Too Small (1961).
Perhaps the core of the readings for this Sunday is,
Who do you think you are?
Do we–individually and collectively–think more highly of ourselves than we should?
For the least among you all, that is the one who is great.
–Luke 9:48c, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
Do we think we are less sinful than others? Do we think we are more worthy of glory than God? Do we imagine that we do not depend on each other and entirely on God? If we do, we err.
Ego can be difficult to tame. Bringing it into line requires divine assistance. I do not pretend to have mastered humility. However, I know that, by grace, ego is less of a problem than it used to be. I, as a mere mortal, am vulnerable to human frailties. I am also responsible for my sins. Ego, in balance, has its place. Ego, in balance, is positive. Ego, unbalanced, destroys and damages others and self, and constitutes a form of idolatry. In Augustinian terms, I write of disordered love.
The ethics and morals Jesus taught are not topsy-turvy; social mores that contradict them are. The ethics and morals Jesus taught are not topsy-turvy; human psychology frequently is.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 14, 2020 COMMON ERA
TUESDAY IN EASTER WEEK
THE FEAST OF EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY AND HENRY BEARD DELANY, EPISCOPAL SUFFRAGAN BISHOPS FOR COLORED WORK
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANTHONY, JOHN, AND EUSTATHIUS OF VILNIUS, MARTYRS IN LITHUANIA, 1347
THE FEAST OF GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL, COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF SAINT WANDREGISILUS OF NORMANDY, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT LAMBERT OF LYONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZENAIDA OF TARSUS AND HER SISTER, SAINT PHILONELLA OF TARSUS; AND SAINT HERMIONE OF EPHESUS; UNMERCENARY PHYSICIANS
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2020/04/14/who-do-you-think-you-are/
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Above: Scroll
Image in the Public Domain
Go and Learn It
SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
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The Collect:
God among us, we gather in the name of your Son
to learn love for one another. Keep our feet from evil paths.
Turn our minds to your wisdom and our hearts to the grace
revealed in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 48
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The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 23:1-9
Psalm 113
Romans 3:1-8
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Who is like the LORD our God, who sits enthroned on high,
but stoops to behold the heavens and the earth?
He takes up the weak out of the dust and lifts up the poor from the ashes.
He sets them with the princes, with the princes of his people.
–Psalm 113:5-7, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures one reads of the importance of obeying divine law faithfully. God commands obedience to the law and warns of the dire consequences of disobedience. Two kingdoms fall and, after the fact, the Jewish tradition repeats the theme of the importance of obedience to the law. I wonder, then, how to read St. Paul the Apostle in his Letter to the Romans. Perhaps his target was the legalistic interpretation and keeping of the Law of Moses. In Romans 2, for example, we read of the necessity of the circumcision of the heart. As a note in The Jewish Annotated New Testament (2011) informs me, that is consistent with Deuteronomy 10:16 and 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4, 9:25-26, and 38:33; and Ezekiel 44:7.
As for the portion of the Law of Moses we find in Exodus 23:1-9, it is timeless, with some culturally specific examples of principles.
- One must not bear false witness, commit perjury, or spread false rumors.
- One must speak the truth and act impartially, showing deference to nobody because of wealth or the lack thereof.
- One must return wandering livestock belonging to an enemy. (This commandment’s principle extends beyond livestock.)
- One must help and enemy raise his beast of burden which has collapsed. (This commandment’s principle also extends beyond livestock.)
- One must not subvert the rights of the poor.
- One must not make or support a false allegation.
- One must not send the innocent to execution.
- One must not accept bribes.
- One must not oppress strangers.
These are commandments, not suggestions.
I think of the famous story of Rabbi Hillel (110 B.C.E.-10. C.E.), who summarized the Torah by citing the commandment to love God fully (the Shema, found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5) and the Golden Rule (Leviticus 19:18). Then he concluded,
The rest is commentary. Go and learn it.
That statement applies well to Exodus 23:1-9, some of the provisions of which are politically sensitive. Justice, however, is what it is. May we learn it and act accordingly.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 19, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANDREW BOBOLA, JESUIT MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, ABBOT OF GLASTONBURY AND ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
THE FEAST OF SAINT IVO OF CHARTRES, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT IVO OF KERMARTIN, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND ADVOCATE OF THE POOR
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/05/19/go-and-learn-it/
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Above: Stone Retaining Wall, October 1979
Photographer = Carl Fleischhauer
Image Source = Library of Congress
Barriers
JUNE 16-18, 2022
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The Collect:
O Lord God, we bring before you the cries of a sorrowing world.
In your mercy set us free from the chains that bind us,
and defend us from everything that is evil,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 40
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The Assigned Readings:
Isaiah 56:9-12 (Thursday)
Isaiah 57:1-13 (Friday)
Isaiah 59:1-8 (Saturday)
Psalm 22:19-28 (All Days)
Romans 2:17-19 (Thursday)
Galatians 3:15-22 (Friday)
Matthew 9:27-35 (Saturday)
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Yahweh, do not hold aloof!
My strength, come quickly to my help,
rescue my soul from the sword,
the one life I have from the grasp of the dog!
Save me from the lion’s mouth,
my poor life from the wild bulls’ horns!
–Psalm 22:19-21, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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No, the LORD’s arm is not too short to save,
Or His ear too dull to hear;
But your iniquities have been a barrier
Between you and your God,
Your sins have made Him to turn His face away
And refuse to hear you.
–Isaiah 59:1-2, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
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That passage from Isaiah goes on to say that God will
…repay fury to His foes;
He shall make requital to His enemies,
Requital to the distant lands.
–Isaiah 59:18b, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
Then justice and righteousness will prevail, and the words of God will be in the mouths of the people
from now on, for all time.
–Isaiah 59:21d, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
God establishes no barriers between himself and us. No, we erect and maintain such walls. We even become attached to them and defend some of them as righteous. Our moral blind spots prevent us from recognizing every example of this in which we have participated and take part. Therefore sometimes we mistake the work of God for evil, or at least as negative. There is frequently an element of the self-defensive in such reactions, for recognizing acts of God as what they are would require us to admit that we are not as holy as we imagine ourselves to be. It would also require us to question certain “received wisdom,” to which we have become attached and by which we define ourselves.
We would do much better to embrace divine offers of love and reconciliation, and to accept the freedom Christ brings, as well as the accompanying demands of grace upon our lives. Grace is free, but not cheap.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 5, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF OZORA STEARNS DAVIS, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT EUPHRASIA OF CONSTANTINOPLE, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN
THE FEAST OF HARRIET KING OSGOOD MUNGER, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF THOMAS HORNBLOWER GILL, ENGLISH UNITARIAN THEN ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/03/05/barriers/
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Above: Dougherty, Baker, and Mitchell Counties, Georgia
Image Source = Hammond’s Complete World Atlas (1951)
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Nobility of Character
SEPTEMBER 2-4, 2021
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The Collect:
Gracious God, throughout the ages you transform
sickness into health and death into life.
Openness to the power of your presence,
and make us a people ready to proclaim your promises to the world,
through Jesus Christ, our healer and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 47
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The Assigned Readings:
Isaiah 30:27-33 (Thursday)
Isaiah 32:1-18 (Friday)
Isaiah 33:1-9 (Saturday)
Psalm 146 (All Days)
Romans 2:1-11 (Thursday)
Romans 2:12-16 (Friday)
Matthew 15:21-31 (Saturday)
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Hallelujah!
Praise the LORD, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth,
for there is no help in them.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
and in that day their thoughts perish.
Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help:
whose hope is in the LORD their God;
who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
who gives justice to those who are oppressed,
and food to those who hunger.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind;
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous
and cares for the stranger;
the LORD sustains the orphan and the widow,
but frustrates the way of the wicked.
The LORD shall reign forever,
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
Hallelujah!
–Psalm 146, The Book of Common Worship (1993)
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When I was a graduate student in history at Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia, my thesis director asked me one day to help a friend and colleague of his who lived on the West Coast. I was glad to do so. The simple task entailed conducting some research there in town. I learned what I could about a notorious law enforcement official (John Doe, for the purpose of this post) in an equally notorious county immediately south of Albany, Georgia, from the 1940s through the 1960s. My answers came quickly. Doe, whom his white-washed profile in the county history described as a devoted family man, a faithful Christian, and a deacon of the First Baptist Church in the county seat, was the sort of police officer who gave Southern law enforcement a bad name, especially among African Americans. The federal government investigated him after he threw acid into the face of an African-American man, in fact. No charges or disciplinary actions resulted, however, and Doe served locally until he retired and won a seat in the state General Assembly. His offenses never caught up with him in this life.
A few years ago a student told a story in class. He had been opening doors at his family’s church. In the process he opened a closet door and found Ku Klux Klan robes. Older members of the congregation preferred not to discuss why the robes were there. I know, however, that the Klan had much support from many churchgoers a century ago and more recently than that.
A composite of the readings from Isaiah and Romans says that, among other things, character matters and becomes evident in one’s actions and inactions. As we think, so we are and behave. For example, do we really care for the vulnerable people around us, or do we just claim to do so? To use other examples, do we profess “family values” while practicing serial infidelity or condemn gambling while playing slot machines? Few offenses are more objectionable than hypocrisy.
Among my complaints about the Bible is the fact that it almost never mentions one’s tone of voice, a detail which can change the meaning of a statement. Consider, O reader, the exchange between Jesus and the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-27. Was he being dismissive of her? I think not. The text provides some clues to support my conclusion:
- Jesus had entered the region of Tyre and Sidon, Gentile territory, voluntarily.
- Later our Lord and Savior expressed his compassion for people outside that region via words and deeds. Surely his compassion knew no ethnic or geographic bounds.
No, I propose that Jesus responded to the Canaanite woman to prompt her to say what she did, and that he found her rebuttal satisfactory. Then he did as she requested.
Jesus acted compassionately and effectively. Hebrew prophets condemned judicial corruption and the exploitation of the poor. One function of the language of the Kingdom of God (in both Testaments) was to call the attention of people to the failings of human economic and political systems. That function applies to the world today, sadly.
What does it say about your life, O reader? In Isaiah 32 the standard of nobility is character, especially in the context of helping the poor, the hungry, and the thirsty–the vulnerable in society, more broadly. Are you noble by that standard? Do you love your neighbor as you love yourself?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 5, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BONIFACE OF MAINZ, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF ANDERS CHRISTENSEN ARREBO, “THE FATHER OF DANISH POETRY”
THE FEAST OF OLE T. (SANDEN) ARNESON, U.S. NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN HYMN TRANSLATOR
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/06/06/nobility-of-character/
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Above: The Last Judgment
Image in the Public Domain
Hope, Joy, and Gloom
NOVEMBER 20-22, 2023
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The Collect:
Righteous God, our merciful master,
you own the earth and all its people,
and you give us all that we have.
Inspire us to serve you with justice and wisdom,
and prepare us for the joy of the day of your coming,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 52
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The Assigned Readings:
Zechariah 1:7-17 (Monday)
Zechariah 2:1-5; 5:1-4 (Tuesday)
Job 16:1-21 (Wednesday)
Psalm 9:1-14 (All Days)
Romans 2:1-11 (Monday)
1 Thessalonians 5:12-18 (Tuesday)
Matthew 24:45-51 (Wednesday)
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Sing praises to the LORD who dwells in Zion;
proclaim to the peoples the things he has done.
The Avenger of blood will remember them;
he will not forget the cry of the afflicted.
–Psalm 9:11-12, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Thus we have a segue to the hopeful message of Zechariah 1 and 2. The rest of the material is mostly dark and joyless, however. Especially memorable is the fate of the servant who was not ready when his master returned unexpectedly in Matthew 24:51 (The Revised English Bible, 1989):
[The master] will cut him in pieces and assign him a place where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth.
My concept of God is one which encompasses judgment and mercy, with the two falling simultaneously sometimes; judgment for one person can constitute mercy for another. Nevertheless, the recent fixation on judgment in the lectionary has proven tiresome. I want more of the joy the Lutheran collect mentions.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 7, 2014 COMMON ERA
PROPER 18: THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF THE SAINTS AND MARTYRS OF THE PACIFIC
THE FEAST OF ELIE NAUD, HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH
THE FEAST OF JANE LAURIE BORTHWICK, TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS
THE FEAST OF JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER, POET
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Hope, Joy, and Gloom
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Above: Hophni and Phinehas
Image in the Public Domain
Taking God Seriously
NOVEMBER 2-4, 2023
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The Collect:
O God, generous and supreme, your loving Son lived among us,
instructing us in the ways of humility and justice.
Continue to ease our burdens, and lead us to serve alongside of him,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 51
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Samuel 2:27-36 (Thursday)
Ezekiel 13:1-16 (Friday)
Malachi 1:6-2:9 (Saturday)
Psalm 43 (All Days)
Romans 2:17-29 (Thursday)
2 Peter 2:1-3 (Friday)
Matthew 23:13-28 (Saturday)
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Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me,
and bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling;
That I may go to the altar of God,
to the God of my joy and gladness;
and on the harp I will give thanks to you, O God my God.
–Psalm 43:3-4, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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There are at least two ways to be wrong: sincerely and insincerely. Certainly there have always been those people who lead others astray knowingly. The majority of false teachers and prophets over time, I propose, have not known of their error. They have been the blind leading the blind, with disastrous results for all involved.
A brief catalog of named errors I have compiled from these days’ readings follows:
- Fixating on relatively minor points at the expense of relatively major ones,
- Acting disrespectfully of sacred rituals, and
- Acting disrespectfully of sacred places.
People of good faith disagree about what constitutes an example of the first point. Is insisting on the circumcision of males an example of it? St. Paul the Apostle, in his reformed state, thought so. Yet the practice was a major point in the Old Testament and a mark of Jewish identity. As you probably know, O reader, identity is a sensitive psychological issue. That seems to be the reality for Jews of today who fall back upon identity and the theology of covenant when defending the practice against secular critics. I am somewhat sympathetic to these faithful Jews.
In St. Paul’s day the question focused on the issue of whether a Gentile had to convert to Judaism before becoming a Christian. At the time Christianity was still a Jewish sect, after all. Thus issues of identity, inclusion, and exclusion collided. The Apostle sided with inclusion, as I tend to do. Reflecting on the readings for the previous post led to me to write about removing barriers to trusting in God, upon whom we depend completely. In that spirit, then, should we not remove barriers to coming to God, who beckons us?
May we, while taking God and divine commandments seriously, do so in ways which smooth the path to salvation, not construct barriers to it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 4, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ALL CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKERS AND PEACE ACTIVISTS
THE FEAST OF ALBERT SCHWEITZER, MEDICAL MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF PAUL JONES, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF UTAH AND WITNESS FOR PEACE
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Taking God Seriously
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Above: The Anointing of Jesus, from The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964)
A Screen Capture via PowerDVD
Kindness, Love, and Gratitude
AUGUST 28-30, 2023
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The Collect:
O God, with all your faithful followers in every age, we praise you, the rock of our life.
Be our strong foundation and form us into the body of your Son,
that we may gladly minister to all the world,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 45
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Samuel 7:3-13 (Monday)
Deuteronomy 32:18-20, 28-39 (Tuesday)
Isaiah 28:14-22 (Wednesday)
Psalm 18:1-3, 20-32 (All Days)
Romans 2:1-11 (Monday)
Romans 11:33-36 (Tuesday)
Matthew 26:6-13 (Wednesday)
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I love you, O Lord my strength.
The Lord is my crag, my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, the rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation and my stronghold.
I cried to the Lord in my anguish
and I was saved from my enemies.
–Psalm 18:1-3, Common Worship (2000)
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Each of the four canonical Gospels contains an account of a woman anointing Jesus–Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, Luke 7:36-50, and John 12:1-8. The versions are sufficiently similar to indicate that they are variations on the same event yet different enough to disagree on certain details, such as chronology, at whose house the anointing happened, which part of his body the woman anointed, and the woman’s background. These factors tell me that something occurred, but the divergence among the written accounts means that I have no way of knowing exactly what transpired in objective reality. None of that changes one iota of the spiritual value of the stories, however.
In the Matthew account our Lord and Savior, about to die, is a the home of one Simon the leper in Bethany. We know nothing about the woman’s background, not even her name. In the Gospel of Luke she is an unnamed and repentant sinner, in the Gospel of John she is St. Mary of Bethany, and in the Gospel of Mark she is also an unnamed woman of whose background we know nothing. The importance of her–whoever she was–act was that unselfish love and gratitude motivated it. This was an extravagant and beautiful deed. Yes, the poor will always be with us; that is an unfortunate reality. May, through the creation of more opportunities for advancement, there be as little poverty as possible. But, as we strive for that goal, may we never fail to recognize and give proper attention to lavish kindness, love, and gratitude.
The woman (whoever she was) had a good attitude and a pure motivation. Most of the assigned readings for these days, however, speak of people who did not. Their memorials were wastelands and periods of exile. The woman’s legacy is an honored one, however. Her act, as extravagant as it was, was as nothing compared to what God has done, is doing, and will do for all of us. Even the most lavish act of gratitude–beautiful, to be sure, is inadequate, but God accepts it graciously.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 19, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT POEMAN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINTS JOHN THE DWARF AND ARSENIUS THE GREAT, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONKS
THE FEAST OF SAINT AMBROSE AUTPERT, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN PLESSINGTON, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT MACRINA THE YOUNGER, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN
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Kindness, Love, and Gratitude
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Above: King Cyrus II of Persia
Image in the Public Domain
Divine Judgment and Mercy
JULY 13 and 14, 2023
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The Collect:
Almighty God, we thank you for planting in us the seed of your word.
By your Holy Spirit help us to receive it with joy,
live according to it, and grow if faith and love,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 42
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The Assigned Readings:
Isaiah 48:1-5 (Thursday)
Isaiah 49:6-11 (Friday)
Psalm 65:[1-8], 9-13 (Both Days)
Romans 2:12-16 (Thursday)
Romans 15:14-21 (Friday)
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You are to be praised, O God, in Zion;
to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem.
To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come,
because of their transgressions.
Our sins are stronger than we are,
but you will blot them out.
–Psalm 65:1-3, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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I recall a hypothetical situation I heard while growing up: There is a man whom God is drawing to God’s self. This man responds positively to these summons, but he dies before he can make a profession of Christian faith, much less accept baptism. Where does he spend his afterlife?
One’s answer reveals quite a bit about one’s theology. I, unlike, certain others, refuse to relegate the man to Hell. He was, after all, responding faithfully to God. The man might not have been able to provide their proper answers according to a catechism, but he was not rebelling against God. Would not God be faithful to the man who had obeyed him each step along the way? And, as the author of the Letter of James would confirm, not everybody who can give the correct catechetical answer will make the heavenly cut. I recall that from Matthew 25:31-46 also.
In God abide both judgment and mercy. The combined reading from Isaiah 48 makes this point succinctly. St. Paul the Apostle agrees. And, regarding the centrality of Christ to salvation for Gentiles, I agree while being reluctant to make sweeping and probably inaccurate judgments. No, I prefer to err on the side of mercy if I must be wrong. Besides, that decision rests with God alone, not with any of us, mere mortals.
I find, as is so often true in my experience, that The Book of Common Prayer (1979) provides helpful prayers and theology. The Good Friday service includes this on page 279 of the Prayer Book:
Let us pray for all who have not received the Gospel of Christ;
For those who have never heard the word of salvation
For those who have lost their faith
For those hardened by sin or indifference
For the contemptuous and the scornful
For those who are enemies of the cross of Christ and persecutors of his disciples
For those who in the name of Christ have persecuted others
That God will open their hearts to the truth, and lead them to faith and obedience.
Then, on the next page, we find this:
Let us commit ourselves to our God, and pray for the grace of a holy life, that, with all who have departed this world and have died in the peace of Christ, and those whose faith is known to God alone, we may be accounted worthy to enter into the fullness of the joy of our Lord, and receive the crown of life in the day of resurrection.
May we, without mistaking Universalism for reality, never give short shrift to divine mercy. Likewise, may we avoid the same error regarding divine judgment.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 13, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTONY OF PADUA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
THE FEAST OF G. K. (GILBERT KEITH) CHESTERTON, AUTHOR
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/06/15/divine-judgment-and-mercy-2/
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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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ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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