Archive for the ‘Romans 5’ Tag
Above: Jeremiah
Image in the Public Domain
Human Agents of God
JULY 2, 2023
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Jeremiah 20:7-13
Psalm 69:1-20 (LBW) or Psalm 91 (LW)
Romans 5:12-15
Matthew 10:24-33
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O God our defender,
storms rage about us and cause us to be afraid.
Rescue your people from despair,
deliver your sons and daughters from fear,
and preserve us all from unbelief;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 25
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O Lord, whose gracious presence never fails to guide
and govern those whom you have nurtured
in your steadfast love and worship,
make us ever revere and adore your holy name;
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 66
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Following God is frequently a guarantee that one will experience rejection, often from devout people. The Golden Rule exists in most of the world’s religions. Yet, O reader, practice the Golden Rule and notice how much criticism you receive from some adherents to some of these religions, including your own.
Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.
Faith has the power to transform people. Religion often reinforces positive and negative tendencies people have. God or a deity frequently functions as a justification for what one wants to do anyway. People often create God in their image.
Jeremiah did not create God in his image. The Weeping Prophet struggled with God, complaining while obeying. The authors of the assigned texts from the Hebrew Bible wrote of divine protection. Divine protection kept Jeremiah alive yet did not prevent his involuntary exile in Egypt. And Jesus died horribly via crucifixion.
Martyrs populate Christian calendars of saints. This is consistent with various sayings of Jesus from the canonical Gospels. Commandments to deny oneself, take up one’s cross, and follow Jesus dovetail with Matthew 10:24:
No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master.
—The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
Yet, in sovereignty, God makes unjust suffering work for a positive end. Persecutions and martyrdoms water the church. Redemption comes via the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Often, social injustice prompts a backlash in favor of social justice. The New Testament depicts the violent, oppressive Roman Empire as an involuntary tool of God. God works with what is available.
As much as I enjoy forces of evil functioning involuntarily as agents of God, I assert that being a voluntary agent of God is superior. I try to be one of these voluntary agents of God. To the extent I succeed, I do so by grace. May you, O reader, succeed by grace, in that effort, too.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 4, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT CEFERINO JIMENEZ MALLA, SPANISH ROMANI MARTYR, 1936
THE FEAST OF ANGUS DUN, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF WASHINGTON, AND ECUMENIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT BASIL MARTYSZ, POLISH ORTHODOX PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1945
THE FEAST OF SAINT JEAN-MARTIN MOYË, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, AND FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE AND THE CHRISTIAN VIRGINS
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN HOUGHTON, ROBERT LAWRENCE, AUGUSTINE WEBSTER, HUMPHREY MIDDLEMORE, WILLIAM EXMEW, AND SEBASTIAN NEWDIGATE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1535
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Sheep
Image in the Public Domain
Reconciliation
JUNE 25, 2023
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Exodus 19:2-8a
Psalm 100
Romans 5:6-11
Matthew 9:35-10:8
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God, our maker and redeemer,
you have made us a new company of priests
to bear witness to the Gospel.
Enable us to be faithful to our calling
to make known your promises to all the world;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 24
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Almighty and everlasting God,
give us an increase of faith, hope, and love;
and that we may obtain what you have promised,
make us love what you have commanded;
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 65
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The mandate of the people of God–Jews and Gentiles alike–is to be, in the language of Exodus 19:6,
…a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
—TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985, 1999)
Individually and collectively agreeing to that is relatively easy. Following through on that commitment is relatively difficult, though. It is impossible without grace. We are sheep–prone to go astray with little or no prompting. We need reconciliation to God and one another, as well as to ourselves.
God has acted to effect reconciliation. That, then, leaves the human side of the relationship. Grace is free, not cheap; it imposes the obligation of faithful response to God. How we treat our fellow human beings is bound up with our response to God.
Do not imagine, O reader, that I have worked out all these details in my life. Do not think that I have achieved an advanced stage of spiritual development. I know myself too well to assert that I have done what I described in the first two sentences of this paragraph. No, I muddle through, accumulating a mixed record daily. Therefore, I write this post to myself as much as I write it to you.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 3, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CAROLINE CHISHOLM, ENGLISH HUMANITARIAN AND SOCIAL REFORMER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIE-LÉONIE PARADIS, FOUNDER OF THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE HOLY FAMILY
THE FEAST OF SAINTS MAURA AND TIMOTHY OF ANTINOE, MARTYRS, 286
THE FEAST OF SAINT TOMASSO ACERBIS, CAPUCHIN FRIAR
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Icon of the Holy Trinity, by Andrei Rublev
Image in the Public Domain
The Holy Trinity as Theological Poetry
JUNE 12, 2022
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Psalm 29
Romans 5:1-5
John 14:23-27
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I have written many devotions for Trinity Sunday over more than a decade. Not repeating myself has become impossible,
Here it goes, then.
Many people think of the doctrine of the Trinity as theological prose. They are mistaken; it is theological poetry. I do not presume to claim to understand the mechanics of the Trinity. No human brain can grasp those details. And, if one consults a history of Christian theology, one will read that Trinitarian heresies originated with attempts to explain it.
Love God and enjoy the theological poetry, O reader.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 12, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BENEDICT BISCOP, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT OF WEARMOUTH
THE FEAST OF SAINT AELRED OF HEXHAM, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT OF RIEVAULX
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTHONY MARY PUCCI, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF HENRY ALFORD, ANGLICAN PRIEST, BIBLICAL SCHOLAR, LITERARY TRANSLATOR, HYMN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND BIBLE TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARGUERITE BOURGEOYS, FOUNDRESS OF THE SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2021/01/12/the-holy-trinity-as-theological-poetry/
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Above: The Grief of Hannah
Image in the Public Domain
Rhapsodic Faith
AUGUST 15, 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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1 Samuel 1:1-20 or Jeremiah 14:1-22
Psalm 101
Romans 5:12-21
Luke 11:27-36
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Your love and justice will I sing,
to you, Yahweh, will I chant,
I will rhapsodize about your dominion complete.
When will you come to me?
–Psalm 101:1b-2a, Mitchell J. Dahood (1970)
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The Psalter in The Book of Common Prayer (1979) renders the third line quoted above as,
I will strive to follow a blameless course…
The germane notes in Dahood’s third (of three) volumes on the Book of Psalms for The Anchor Bible series cite Hebrew words and linguistic nuances to justify his choice of translation. Part of the pleasure of reading Dahood on the Psalms is studying, after a fashion, under a master of his field–in his case, ancient Semitic languages. I recommend purchasing his three volumes on the Psalms if one seeks to study the Book of Psalms deeply.
Part of the Hebrew text of Psalm 101 can legitimately read in English as,
I will strive to follow a blameless course,
and as,
I will rhapsodize about your dominion complete.
Think about that, O reader. One rendering focuses on deeds; the other zeroes in on joyfulness and singing. No single English-translation can capture the richness of the Hebrew text.
The attitude of the Psalmist, like that of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:1-20, contrasts with that of the wicked people and generations in the other assigned readings.
- Human nature is flawed; that is obvious to me. Human depravity is not even an article of faith for me; I need no faith to accept that for which I have evidence.
- Sadly, false prophets (frequently supporting a political establishment) remain with us. One may read of the false prophets in the Book of Jeremiah and think readily of some of some of their contemporary counterparts.
- The quest for signs indicates faithlessness. Furthermore, human memories and attention spans can be fleeting. Consider, O reader, John 6. One reads of the Feeding of the Five Thousand in the first fifteen verses. One also reads in verse 30, set on the following day, “Then what sign will you do, that we may see, and believe you?”
May we, by grace, pay attention. May we mark, learn, and inwardly digest the law of of God. May we find that law written on our hearts. Then may we rejoice. May we rhapsodize consistently and strive to follow a blameless course. And may we succeed, by grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 19, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, AND MARTYR, 1012
THE FEAST OF DAVID BRAINERD, AMERICAN CONGREGATIONALIST THEN PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARY AND MINISTER
THE FEAST OF SAINT EMMA OF LESUM, BENEFACTOR
THE FEAST OF MARY C. COLLINS, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MISSIONARY AND MINISTER
THE FEAST OF OLAVUS PETRI, SWEDISH LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN, HISTORIAN, LITURGIST, MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND “FATHER OF SWEDISH LITERATURE;” AND HIS BROTHER, LAURENTIUS PETRI, SWEDISH LUTHERAN ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, BIBLE TRANSLATOR, AND “FATHER OF SWEDISH HYMNODY”
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2020/04/19/rhapsodic-faith/
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Above: Icon of the Holy Trinity, by Andrei Rublev
Image in the Public Domain
A Glorious Mystery
MAY 30, 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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Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Psalm 8
Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15
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Trinity Sunday is the only feast on the calendar of Western Christianity solely about a doctrine. Other feasts have events, as in the life of Jesus, attached to them.
The three persons (“masks,” literally, in Nicene terminology) of the Trinity are present in the assigned readings for this feast.
- Proverbs 8 offers Sophia, the divine wisdom personified as a woman. Sophia influenced the Logos, identified as Jesus in John 1. Portions of the text also sound as if they could refer to the Holy Spirit. And does the Holy Spirit proceed from just the Father or from both the Father and the Son? Trying to reason through the theology of the Holy Spirit makes my head hurt, figuratively, so I rarely delve too deeply into it.
- YHWH is God in Psalm 8. God is unitary in Jewish theology. We humans are, according to the text, literally, “a little less than the gods,” not “a little lower than the angels.” “The gods” are members of the court of YHWH. The Hebrew word for “gods” is elohim.
- Romans 5:105 mentions that the Holy Spirit does not act independently, and that it glorifies Christ.
By the way, “Holy Spirit” or “Spirit of God” is feminine in Hebrew and Arabic yet neuter in Greek. The Holy Spirit is technically an “it,” not a “he,” in the New Testament.
My advice regarding the Trinity is to frolic in its glorious mystery, not to try to understand it. One cannot understand the Trinity. Attempts to do so have frequently yielded or reinforced heresies. I try not to commit any of these.
How can God simultaneously be on the Earth, getting baptized, in Heaven, and descending from Heaven? That is a mystery. We can accept the findings of early Ecumenical Councils Nicea, Ephesus, Chalcedon, et cetera) while bowing in humility before God, who loves us.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 10, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARIE-JOSEPH LAGRANGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF SAINT AGRIPINNUS OF AUTUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; SAINT GERMANUS OF PARIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; AND SAINT DROCTOVEUS OF AUTUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF FOLLIOT SANDFORD PIERPOINT, ANGLICAN EDUCATOR, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN OGLIVIE, SCOTTISH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1615
THE FEAST OF SAINT MACARIUS OF JERUSALEM, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2020/03/10/a-glorious-mystery-part-iii/
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Above: Grace Episcopal Church, Gainesville, Georgia, September 20, 2016
Image in the Public Domain
Humility Before God
MAY 19, 2016
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The Collect:
O God our rock, your word brings life to the whole creation
and salvation from sin and death.
Nourish our faith in your promises, and ground us in your strength,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 38
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The Assigned Readings:
Proverbs 13:1-12
Psalm 92:104, 12-15
Romans 5:12-6:2
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Certain passages of scripture are unduly optimistic. The lection from Proverbs 13 makes no allowance for the hard-working poor, for example. It also offers this statement:
Righteousness protects him whose way is blameless;
Wickedness subverts the sinner.
–Verse 6, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
The second part has the ring of accuracy but the examples of Jesus and of Christian martyrs contradict any interpretation of the first part that holds that righteousness is like a shield from harm. The reading from Romans paints to the crucifixion of Jesus, an event that occurred because of the lack of righteousness of other people.
The lection from Romans builds to one point:
How can we who died to sin go on living in it?
–6:2b, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
We remain sinners, of course, for that is who we are. We can, however, strive to do the right thing from moment to moment, day to day, and year to year. That is imperative if we are to follow God. Fortunately, grace is available to us in copious amounts, for our ability to accomplish this goal is woefully inadequate. A healthy sense of humility before God is part of this effort. As Proverbs 13:10 tells us,
Arrogance yields nothing but strife;
Wisdom belongs to those who seek advice.
—TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
Humility is the knowledge of who what one is. It leads to a balanced ego, which avoids the extremes of an inferiority complex on one hand and arrogance on the other. Humility before God translates into a sense of awe and wonder, that which, in traditional English translation, is “fear of God.” (I wish that more translators of the Bible would replace “fear of God” with language that expresses its meaning accurately.)
The totality of God is a vast mystery we mere mortals can never understand completely. We can grasp certain aspects of divinity, but the whole reality remains gloriously mysterious. May we accept that fact, embrace the mystery, and recognize it as the thing of beauty it is. And may we be humble before it and resist the lure of easy and inadequate answers.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 27, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANNE LINE AND ROGER FILCOCK, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF SAINT BALDOMERUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
THE FEAST OF GEORGE HERBERT, ANGLICAN PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINT VICTOR THE HERMIT
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/02/27/humility-before-god-2/
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Above: The Twelve Tribes of Israel
Image Scanned from an Old Bible
Giving Sacramentally of Oneself
NOVEMBER 4, 2021
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The Collect:
O God, you show forth your almighty power
chiefly by reaching out to us in mercy.
Grant to us the fullness of your grace,
strengthen our trust in your promises,
and bring all the world to share in the treasures that come
through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 52
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The Assigned Readings:
Numbers 36:1-13
Psalm 146
Romans 5:6-11
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Blessed is the man whose help is the God of Jacob:
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
the God who made heaven and earth:
the sea and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever:
who deals justice to those that are oppressed.
–Psalm 146:5-7, The Alternative Service Book 1980
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Numbers 36:1-13 is a sequel to Numbers 27:1-11. Zelophehad, of the tribe of Manasseh, had five daughters and no sons. The old man was dead, and his daughter requested and received the right to inherit.
Let not our father’s name be lost to his clan just because he had no sons! Give us a holding among our father’s kinsmen!
–Numbers 27:4, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
The rule became universal among the Hebrews (verse 8). Yet regulations governing the inheritance of property (such as land) continued to favor males, so, if a daughter of Zelophehad were to marry a man from another tribe, her inheritance would become her husband’s property and remain with his tribe in perpetuity. The transfer of land from one tribe to another was a major concern, for, as James L. Mays wrote,
each tribe’s share of the Promised Land was the visible reality which constituted its portion in the Lord’s promise and blessing.
—The Layman’s Bible Commentary, Volume 4 (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1963), p. 143
The solution to the problem was to restrict the marriage options of the daughters of Zelophehad to men of his tribe. The rule became universal among the Hebrews.
A second issue involved in the matter of ownership of land in Numbers 36 was the link between people and property. To give away a possession was, in that culture, to give something sacramental of oneself.
To give something sacramental of oneself was what God did via Jesus. That the great gift and sacrifice was for people–many of whom, once informed of it, would still not care–was remarkable. Furthermore, when we move beyond the timeframe of Jesus of Nazareth and consider all the people born since then, the scope of the divine gift and sacrifice increases, as does the scale of the acceptance, rejection, and ignorance of it. Nevertheless, the divine love evident in Jesus, being a form of grace, is free yet not cheap. No, it requires much of those who accept it. Many have paid with their lives. Such sacrifices continue. The fact that people create and maintain circumstances in which martyrdom becomes the most faithful response to grace is unfortunate.
Most Christians, however, will not have to face the option of martyrdom. We who are so fortunate must make other sacrifices, however. They will depend on circumstances, such as who, when , and where we are. To love our fellow human beings as we love ourselves can require much of us. Sometimes it might cause us to become criminals. I think, for example, of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which made helping a slave get to freedom illegal. Those who risked a prison term to help slaves become free people were brave. I think also of all those (including many Christians and Muslims) who sheltered Jews during the Holocaust. Nazis captured many of these brave rescuers who violated the law to protect their neighbors. Mere decency should never place one in peril, legal or otherwise, but it does that sometimes.
On a mundane level, giving of oneself to others and giving oneself to God requires abandoning certain habits, changing certain attitudes, and thinking more about others and God than about oneself. Doing those things can prove to be daunting, can they not? Yet giving something sacramental of oneself requires no less than that.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 6, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT VINCENTIA GEROSA AND BARTHOLOMEA CAPITANIO, COFOUNDERS OF THE SISTERS OF CHARITY OF LOVERE
THE FEAST OF ISAIAH, BIBLICAL PROPHET
THE FEAST OF JAN HUS, PROTO-PROTESTANT MARTYR
THE FEAST OF OLUF HANSON SMEBY, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/07/06/giving-sacramentally-of-oneself/
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Above: Captain David Shepherd and King Silas Benjamin of Gilboa, from Kings (2009)
A Screen Capture via PowerDVD
Judgment, Mercy, and God
JUNE 7 and 8, 2021
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The Collect:
All-powerful God, in Jesus Christ you turned death into life and defeat into victory.
Increase our faith and trust in him,
that we may triumph over all evil in the strength
of the same Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 39
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Samuel 16:14-23 (Monday)
1 Kings 18:17-40 (Tuesday)
Psalm 74 (Both Days)
Revelation 20:1-6 (Monday)
Revelation 20:7-15 (Tuesday)
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Till when, O God, will the foe blaspheme,
will the enemy forever revile Your name?
Why do you hold back Your hand, Your right hand?
Draw it out of Your bosom!
–Psalm 74:10-11, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
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And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books.
–Revelation 20:12b, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
–James 2:24, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
–Romans 5:1-2, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.
–Psalm 130:3-4, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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Where does judgment end and mercy begin with God? I do not know, for (A) the mind of God is above me, and (B) the scriptural witnesses contradict each other. How could they not do so, given the human authorship of the Bible and the range of human perspectives on the topic of divine judgment and mercy. I am not a universalist, so I affirm that our works have some influence on the afterlife, but I also rejoice in divine forgiveness. And, as for works, both James and St. Paul the Apostle affirmed the importance of works while defining faith differently. Faith was inherently active for Paul yet purely intellectual for James.
What we do matters in this life and the next. Our deeds (except for accidents) flow from our attitudes, so our thoughts matter. If we love, we will act lovingly, for example. Our attitudes and deeds alone are inadequate to deliver us from sin, but they are material with which God can work, like a few loaves and fishes. What do we bring to God, therefore? Do we bring the violence of Elijah, who ordered the slaughter of the priests of Baal? Or do we bring the desire that those who oppose God have the opportunity to repent? Do we bring the inclination to commit violence in the name of God? Or do we bring the willingness to leave judgment to God? And do we turn our back on God or do we seek God?
May we seek God, live the best way we can, by grace, and rely upon divine grace. May we become the best people we can be in God and let God be God, which God will be anyway.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 18, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS LEONIDES OF ALEXANDRIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR; ORIGEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGIAN; DEMETRIUS OF ALEXANDRIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; AND ALEXANDER OF JERUSALEM, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANSELM II OF LUCCA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAUL OF CYPRUS, EASTERN ORTHODOX MARTYR
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/03/18/judgment-mercy-and-god/
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Above: A Tango Postcard
May God Have This Dance?
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
JUNE 12, 2022
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The Assigned Readings for This Sunday:
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Psalm 8 or Canticle 13 from The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15
The Collect:
Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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Some Related Posts:
Prayer of Praise and Adoration for Trinity Sunday:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/prayer-of-praise-and-adoration-for-trinity-sunday/
Prayer of Confession for Trinity Sunday:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/prayer-of-confession-for-trinity-sunday-2/
Prayer of Dedication for Trinity Sunday:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/prayer-of-dedication-for-trinity-sunday/
Alta Trinita Beata:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/10/21/alta-trinita-beata/
Trinitarian Benedictions:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/trinitarian-benedictions/
Prayer of Confession for Trinity Sunday:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/prayer-of-confession-for-trinity-sunday/
Ancient of Days:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2012/05/08/ancient-of-days/
Thou, Whose Almighty Word:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/thou-whose-almighty-word/
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Wisdom literature, from Proverbs to Sirach/Ecclesiasticus and the Wisdom of Solomon, personifies divine wisdom as feminine. Much of this imagery influenced the prologue to the Gospel of John, in which Jesus is the Logos of God; the Logos resembles divine wisdom. Thus, in Proverbs 8, we read a premonition of the Second Person of the Trinity. The Second and Third Persons come up in Romans 5 and John 16. And both possible responses address the First Person of the Trinity.
The doctrine of the Trinity is a fine example of theology. The doctrine has no single, definitive passage of scripture to attest to it. Rather, it is the product of deep Christian thinkers who pondered a number of passages carefully and put them together. Some professing Christians disapprove of that process of doctrine-making; it is, to them, like sausage-making in the simile of laws and sausages: it is better not to know how they are made. But that comparison does not apply to sound doctrine, a category in which I file the Trinity. Those who object to the process of sound doctrine-making are living ironies, for they are more attached to such doctrines than I am. Yet the process by which the Church itself–a human institution–arrived at them–offends such people. Such doctrines, they prefer to imagine, fall from Heaven fully formed. Karen Armstrong is correct:
…fundamentalism is ahistorical….
—A History of God: The 4000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994), page xx
(I, alas, have had some unfortunate conversations with some rather doctrinaire and less than intellectually and historically inquisitive professing Christians. They have rendered me even more allergic to Fundamentalism than I already was.)
I propose that the best way to understand as much as possible about God is through poetry and other art forms. We humans, I have heard, danced our religion before we thought it. And the doctrine of the Trinity is at least as much artistry as it is theology. The nature of God is a mystery to embrace and experience, not to attempt to understand. So, O reader, dance with God, who seeks you as a partner on the dance floor.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 27, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CORNELIUS HILL, ONEIDA CHIEF AND EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN THE GEORGIAN, ABBOT; AND SAINTS EUTHYMIUS OF ATHOS AND GEORGE OF THE BLACK MOUNTAIN, ABBOTS AND TRANSLATORS
THE FEAST OF PHILIP MELANCHTON, GERMAN LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN [WITH THE PRESENTATION OF THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION]
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/may-god-have-this-dance/
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Above: St. Martin and the Beggar, by El Greco
Being Ready for Jesus–In Whatever Form He Arrives
OCTOBER 24, 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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Romans 5:6-21 (Revised English Bible):
It was while we were still helpless that, at the appointed time, Christ died for the wicked. Even for a just man one of us would hardly die, though perhaps for a good man one might actually brave death; but Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, and that is God’s proof of his love towards us. And so, since we have now been justified by Christ’s sacrificial death, we shall all the more certainly be saved through him from final retribution. For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, now that we have been reconciled, shall we be saved by his life! But that is not all; we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus, through whom we have been granted reconciliation.
What does this imply? It was through one man that sin entered the world, and through sin death, and thus death pervaded the whole human race, inasmuch as all have sinned. For sin was already in the world before there was law; and although in the absence of law no reckoning is kept of sin, death held sway from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned as Adam did, by disobeying a direct command–and Adam foreshadows the man who was to come. But God’s act of grace is out of all proportion to Adam’s wrongdoing. For if the wrongdoing of that one man brought death upon so many, its effect is vastly exceeded by the grace of God and the gift that came to so many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ. And again, the gift of God is not to be compared in its effect with that one man’s sin; for the judicial action, following on the one offence, resulted in a verdict of condemnation, but the act of grace, following on so many misdeeds, resulted in a verdict of acquittal. If, by the wrongdoing of one man, death established its reign through that one man, much more shall those who in far greater measure receive grace and the gift of righteousness live and reign through the one man, Jesus Christ.
If follows, then, that as the result of one misdeed was condemnation for all people, so the result of one righteous act is acquittal and life for all. For as through the disobedience of one man many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one man many will be made righteous.
Law intruded into this process to multiply law-breaking. But where sin was multiplied, grace immeasurably exceeded it, in order that, as sin established its reign by way of death, so God’s grace might establish its reign in righteousness, and result in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 40:8-11 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
8 Burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required,
and so I said, “Behold, I come.
9 In the roll of the book it is written concerning me:
‘I love to do your will, O my God;
your law is deep in my heart.'”
10 I proclaimed righteousness in the great congregation;
behold, I did not restrain my lips;
and that, O LORD, you know.
11 Your righteousness have I not hidden in my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your deliverance;
I have not concealed your love and faithfulness from the great congregation.
Luke 12:35-38 (Revised English Bible):
[Jesus continued,]
Be ready for action, with your robes hitched up and your lamps alight. Be like people who wait for their master’s return from a wedding party, ready to let him in the moment he returns and knocks. Happy are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly I tell you: he will hitch up his robe, seat them at table, and come and wait on them. If in the middle of the night or before dawn when he comes he still finds them awake, and they are happy indeed.
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The Collect:
Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession 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.
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The reading from Romans 5 is one of the most influential passages in New Testament. I leave it to speak for itself, with one major exception: Let us not stop with the death of Jesus, for, without the Resurrection, we have dead Jesus, who cannot redeem us from anything.
Speaking of of living Jesus…
The parable in Luke 12 contains elements of stories from Matthew. Instead of repeating myself here, I refer you, O reader to the links I have embedded in this post while I follow another thread. Among the expectations in very early Christianity was that Jesus would return next week or next year or sometime soon–probably before one died. He did not. And, when our Lord did not keep the schedule that many early Christians thought he might, the canonical gospels, with their origins in the oral tradition (and probably a Q document) began to take shape as writings in Christian communities. Tradition has identified the authors as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, although many scholars and I harbor doubts about certain claims of authorship.
As you, O reader, might imagine, the question of the Second Coming of Jesus occupied the minds of many early Christians. If he had not arrived yet, when might he? Is he late, or does he merely keep a different schedule than we do? The parable from Luke 12 says that our Lord does not operate according to our schedule, so we ought to remain busy with that work which God has given us to do. He will come when he comes.
I write these words on Monday, May 9, 2011. One Harold Camping says that Jesus will return in just under two weeks, on Saturday, May 21. If you are reading these words after May 21, you know how his prediction turned out. I do not accept Mr. Camping’s prediction, but you, O reader probably guessed that fact, based on the date for which I have intended it originally–October 18, 2011.
I heard a National Public Radio story about Camping’s prediction two days ago. One of Camping’s true believers volunteered an unfortunate statement: He (the true believer) refuses to entertain any doubts as to the May 21, 2011, date because, if he does, he will go to Hell. That was what he said. As an Episcopalian, I do not fear doubts; I embrace them. They prompt me to ask more questions and seek more answers. I want to honor God with my brain, a process which does not entail shutting down critical thinking.
I choose to leave the details of eschatology to sort themselves out. What will happen, will happen whenever and however it will occur. So I will not attend any prophecy conferences ever, most likely. Instead, I focus on the here and the now. What work does God have for me to do where I am now? How is Jesus coming to me now? Consider the story of St. Martin of Tours (died 397), a Roman soldier and a bishop in what we call France today. While a catechumen, Martin met a beggar who asked for alms. The soldier gave the poor man part of his military cloak instead. Two nights later, Martin had a dream in which he saw Jesus, who wore a half-cloak. Our Lord said to the saint,
Martin, a simple catechumen, covered me with this garment.
May we demonstrate our faithfulness to the God who has redeemed us at great personal cost by following him. This is a concrete process, one visible aspect of which is how we treat others, especially those less fortunate than ourselves. When we do it for the least of our Lord’s brothers and sisters, we do it for him. And when we do not do it for the least of them, we do not do it for him (Matthew 25:31-46). It is nothing compared to what he did, but it is what God expects of us. May we, by grace, not disappoint him.
KRT
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/being-ready-for-jesus-in-whatever-form-he-arrives/
ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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