Archive for the ‘St. Paul the Apostle’ Tag
Above: Nazareth (A Byzantine Mosaic)
Image in the Public Domain
Spiritual Weaklings
JULY 7, 2024
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Ezekiel 2:1-5
Psalm 143:1-2, 5-8
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Mark 6:1-6
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God of glory, Father of love, peace comes from you alone.
Send us as peacemakers and witnesses to your kingdom,
and fill our hearts with joy in your promises of salvation;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 25
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Grant, Lord, that the course of this world
may be so governed by your direction
that your Church may rejoice
in serving you in godly peace and quietness;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 68
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The strength and the power belong to God; that is the unifying theme in these four readings.
- The prophet Ezekiel, newly commissioned, had the duty to speak unpleasant truths to the rebellious people, regardless of whether anyone listened to him. The message came from God.
- The author of Psalm 43, beset by foes, begged for divine deliverance. The psalmist also prayed that God would devastate and destroy those enemies (verse 12).
- St. Paul the Apostle (“a man I know”) understood that divine grace sufficed, that the was weak, and that God was strong.
- Jesus, God incarnate, worked wondrous deeds and preached wisdom. In the Markan account of his rejection at Nazareth, the rejection was immediate.
My culture values strength, rugged individualism, and hubris. My culture denigrates “losers” and distinguishes between the “deserving poor” and the “undeserving poor.” My culture’s values contradict the unifying thread in this Sunday’s four readings. We are all weak and broken; some of us understand this truth about ourselves acutely. And we all depend upon each other. We are responsible to and for each other. Together, we depend entirely upon God. This is the essence of mutuality.
The power and strength come from God, but we mere mortals can still frustrate God’s work.
…and [Jesus] could do no work of power [in Nazareth], except that he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.”
–Mark 6:5-6, The Revised New Jerusalem Bible
Jesse Ventura, while serving as the Governor of Minnesota, claimed that Christianity is a religion for weaklings. He meant that as a negative statement. Yet Ventura was correct; St. Paul knew that he was a weakling. Nevertheless, St. Paul turned that status into a spiritual positive.
We are spiritual weaklings, but we still possess the power to harm each other and to ruin God’s plans. Nevertheless, as Leslie D. Weatherhead wrote in The Will of God, we cannot thwart the ultimate will of God. God is sovereign, after all.
May we–both collectively and individually–serve as agents of grace and the divine will, not roadblocks to them.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 7, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE THIRTY-NINTH DAY OF LENT
GOOD FRIDAY
THE FEAST OF SAINT TIKHON OF MOSCOW, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX PATRIARCH
THE FEAST OF ANDRÉ TROCMÉ, MAGDA TROCMÉ, AND DANIEL TROCMÉ, RIGHTEOUS GENTILES
THE FEAST OF SAINT GEORGE THE YOUNGER, GREEK ORTHODOX BISHOP OF MITYLENE
THE FEAST OF JAY THOMAS STOCKING, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS MONTFORD SCOTT, EDMUND GENNINGS, HENRY WALPOLE, AND THEIR FELLOW MARTYRS, 1591 AND 1595
THE FEAST OF RANDALL DAVIDSON, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, by Rembrandt van Rijn
Image in the Public Domain
Becoming the Righteousness of God
JUNE 23, 2024
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Job 38
Psalm 107:1-2, 23-32
2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Mark 4:35-41
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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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We have two storms in readings today. God addresses Job out of the tempest. And Jesus calms a storm, symbolic of the forces of chaos and evil. Christ is like a mythological storm god in his triumph over that tempest.
The God of Job 38 is not the God of Psalm 107. The former refuses to answer the question posed. The latter responds lovingly to those who cry out in need. I prefer the God of Job 42:7-9 to the God of Job 38:1-42:6. The former says (although not to Job, unfortunately) that Job was right, and the self-appointed defenders of God were wrong. This discrepancy in the Book of Job proves multiple authorship of that book.
In Pauline theological terms, the flesh is like the Freudian id; the flesh is the seat of desire and sin. In Christ, we cease to live in the flesh. So, God, in Christ, is reconciling the world (kosmos; hostile to God) to the divine self. The usual translation of 5:18a in English is something like what we read in The New American Bible–Revised Edition:
All this is from God….
Yet David Bentley Hart’s “ruthlessly literal” (to use his term) translation reads:
And all things come out of God.
Theocentrism suits Christian theology. Too often we mere mortals find ways to place ourselves (or our experience, at least) at the center of theology. Yet the reconciling, compassionate God, whom many of the faithful misunderstand, invites and implores us to respond faithfully. In so doing, we cooperate with God in the divine project of reconciliation. This project reconciles us to God, each other, and ourselves. In so doing, we, in the words of 2 Corinthians 5:21,
become God’s righteousness.
For the umpteenth time, righteousness is right relationship with God, self, others, and all creation. Righteousness is interchangeable with justice in the Bible. To become God’s righteousness is possible only via God. To become God’s righteousness is to fulfill our potential in God.
Consider the context of 2 Corinthians, O reader. Recall that the Corinthian house churches had a troubled relationship with St. Paul the Apostle and that those members belonged to quarreling factions. Remember, too, that some members treated other members with contempt. So, the call to reconciliation with God and to transformation into God’s righteousness constituted a challenge to the church in Corinth.
It is a challenge for the rest of us, too. But God is in control; we are not. So, to channel sage advice from Martin Luther, may we trust in the faithfulness of God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 5, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE THIRTY-SEVENTH DAY OF LENT
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK
THE FEAST OF EMILY AYCKBOWM, FOUNDER OF THE COMMUNITY OF THE SISTERS OF THE CHURCH
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIANO DE LA MATA APARICIO, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY AND EDUCATOR IN BRAZIL
THE FEAST OF PAULINE SPERRY, MATHEMATICIAN, PHILANTHROPIST, AND ACTIVIST; AND HER BROTHER, WILLARD LEAROYD SPERRY, CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, ETHICIST, THEOLOGIAN, AND DEAN OF HARVARD LAW SCHOOL
THE FEAST OF RUTH YOUNGDAHL NELSON, U.S. LUTHERAN RENEWER OF SOCIETY
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM DERHAM, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND SCIENTIST
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Parable of the Mustard Seed, by Jan Luyken
Image in the Public Domain
Of Cedars of Lebanon, Mustard Plants, Righteousness, and the Kingdom of God
JUNE 16, 2024
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Ezekiel 17:22-24
Psalm 92:1-5 (6-10), 11-14
2 Corinthians 5:1-10
Mark 4:26-34
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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 reading from Ezekiel concludes a chapter-long allegory of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah (reigned 597 B.C.E.); the installation, reign, and fall of King Zedekiah (reigned 597-586 B.C.E.); and the demise of the Kingdom of Judah. Earthly kingdoms fall, but the Kingdom of God will never fall. It is like a mighty cedar of Lebanon, with birds nesting in the branches. This is the image one would have expected for the Kingdom of God in Mark 4:30-34. Instead, the birds nest in a mustard plant–a giant weed. The mustard plant takes root where it will–wanted or not.
The imagery of a cedar of Lebanon does occur in Psalm 92, in which a righteous man towers like such a tree. In context, the focus is on the deep roots of the righteous, in contrast with the ephemeral wicked, who are like grass. But the righteous remain and flourish. Their well-being is in dependence upon God, which they acknowledge and accept. So, by divine–if not always human–standards, the righteous flourish. They always tap into the proverbial water of God and do not fall over easily.
The advice of St. Paul the Apostle to be delightful to God may be the main point of the lection from 2 Corinthians. Responding faithfully to God delights God. Righteousness–right relationship with God, self, others, and all creation–delights God. Righteousness, which is interchangeable with justice, puts one at odds with many elements of the prevailing culture. This statement is as accurate today as it was when the Beatitudes were new. Righteousness reveals that the social order is upside down. Therefore, righteousness threatens and confuses many people, so acclimated to the status quo that they perceive righteousness as turning the world upside down.
I have been writing scripture-based and lectionary-based lectionary posts consistently for more than a decade. During those years, I made many points, changed my mind occasionally, and been consistent more often than not. I have also repeated myself many more times than I have repeated. Relatively seldom have I felt the desire to repeat myself on every key point, the omission of which may raise a question in someone’s mind. I have not wanted to include a list of standard disclaimers in each post, for to do so would be ridiculous. I have concluded that, if I were to go about anticipating and refuting every possible misunderstanding of what I have written, I waste my time and miss some possible misunderstandings, too.
Nevertheless, I perceive the need to repeat myself for the umpteenth time regarding a major point.
Serial contrariness in the name of God does not constitute fidelity to God. The social order gets some matters correct. The world–kosmos, in Greek–is also our neighborhood, not the enemy camp. The late Reverend Ernest J. Stoffel, writing about the Revelation of John, frequently used the term
the triumph of suffering love.
That term applies in this context, also. The triumph of suffering love–of Jesus and all faithful followers of God–can transform the world and make it a better, more caring and compassionate place. The Kingdom of God is a weed in the perspective of many people. But it is a glorious weed.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 4, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE THIRTY-SIXTH DAY OF LENT
TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK
THE FEAST OF SAINT BENEDICT THE AFRICAN, FRANCISCAN FRIAR AND HERMIT
THE FEAST OF ALFRED C. MARBLE, JR., EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF MISSISSIPPI THEN ASSISTING BISHOP OF NORTH CAROLINA
THE FEAST OF ERNEST W. SHURTLEFF, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT GAETANO CATANOSO, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE DAUGHGTERS OF SAINT VERONICA (MISSIONARIES OF THE HOLY FACE)
THE FEAST OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., U.S. CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER, AND MARTYR, 1968 (ALSO JANUARY 15)
THE FEAST OF SAINT NDUE SERREQI, ALBANIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1954
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Christ and the Apostles
Image in the Public Domain
The Sabbath, Suffering, and Piety
JUNE 2, 2024
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Deuteronomy 5:12-15
Psalm 81:1-10 (LBW) or Psalm 142 (LW)
2 Corinthians 4:5-12
Mark 2:23-28
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Lord God of all nations,
you have revealed your will to your people
and promised your help to us all.
Help us to hear and to do what you command,
that the darkness may be overcome by the power of your light;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 24
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O God,
whose never-failing providence sets in order all things
both in heaven and on earth,
put away from us, we entreat you, all hurtful things;
and give us those things that are profitable for us;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 62
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The Sabbath is a divine gift. The Deuteronomistic version of the Ten Commandments explains that the Sabbath is a mark of freedom; a free person, not a slave, gets a day off from work each week. This explanation differs from that in the version of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. In Exodus 20:11, the Redactor explains the rationale for the Sabbath as emulating God.
The Sabbath is a divine gift. God liberates us. God frees us to be out best possible selves, communities, congregations, et cetera. In turn, obedience is hardly an onerous requirement. Even during persecution, we are free to cry out to God for deliverance. And we, as those who follow God, can follow it. St. Paul the Apostle is identifying our suffering with that of Jesus. If we suffer with our Lord and Savior–if we take up our cross and follow him–God will not abandon us either. Our triumph may come in the afterlife, but it will come.
The Sabbath is a divine gift. Yet many people, out of misguided piety, transform it into a burden. With that comment I turn my attention to the reading from Mark 2. People have to eat on the Sabbath, do they not? Yes, plucking grain on the Sabbath is work, but the Law of Moses does not forbid all work on the Sabbath. For example, circumcision must occur on the eighth day of a boy’s life, according to the Law of Moses. If that day falls on the Sabbath, so be it. Also, the Jewish tradition understands that keeping some commandments may require violating others, due to circumstances. Prioritizing and ranking commandments is, therefore, necessary.
Yet some people did not receive that memorandum, so to speak.
Lambasting long-dead Pharisees is easy. Examining ourselves spiritually may be challenging, though. Do we have our precious categories, which we maintain strictly and piously, to the detriment of others? Does our piety ever harm anyone or delay someone’s restoration to physical, emotional, or spiritual wholeness? Does our piety ever cause or prolong the suffering of others? If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” we practice misguided piety.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 28, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE THIRTIETH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF JAMES SOLOMON RUSSELL, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, EDUCATOR, AND ADVOCATE FOR RACIAL EQUALITY
THE FEAST OF ELIZABETH RUNDLE CHARLES, ANGLICAN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT GUNTRAM OF BURGUNDY, KING
THE FEAST OF KATHARINE LEE BATES, U.S. EDUCATOR, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF RICHARD CHEVENIX TRENCH, ANGLICAN ARCHBISHOP OF DUBLIN
THE FEAST OF SAINT TUTILO, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND COMPOSER
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: The Parable of the Talents
Image in the Public Domain
Rejecting Grace
NOT OBSERVED IN 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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Hosea 11:1-4, 8-9
Psalm 90:12-17 (LBW) or Psalm 90:13-17 (LW)
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Matthew 25:14-30 (LBW, LW) or Mathew 24:3-14 (LW)
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Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people
to seek more eagerly the help you offer,
that, at the last, they may enjoy the fruit of salvation;
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 29
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O God, so rule and govern our hearts and minds
by your Holy Spirit that, being ever mindful
of the end of all things and your just judgment,
we may be stirred up to holiness of living here
and dwell with you forever hereafter;
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), 90
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Rejecting grace is a frequent behavior, sadly. Hosea 11:1-9 and Matthew 25:14-20 speak of it.
The difference between the blessed and the cursed is one thing and one thing only: the blessed accept their acceptance and the cursed reject it; but the acceptance is already in place for both groups before either does anything about it…. The difference between heaven and hell, accordingly, is simply that those in heaven accept endless forgiveness, while those in hell reject it. Indeed, the precise hell of hell is its endless refusal to open the door to the reconciled and reconciling party that stands forever on its porch and knocks, equally endlessly, for permission to begin the Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 3:20).
–Robert Farrar Capon, Kingdom, Grace, Judgment: Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus (2002), 356-357
Or, as C. S. Lewis wrote, the doors to Hell are locked from the inside.
As some of the other assigned readings indicate, the lectionary has turned toward Advent. Certain Confessional Lutheran denominations have labeled the last four Sundays before Christmas the End Times Season. In England, in 1990, the Joint Liturgical Group prepared a four-year lectionary that starts nine Sundays before Christmas.
I cannot argue with the logic of both systems. The Joint Lecitonary Group’s lectionary violates centuries of Western Christian tradition, but so be it. I know of an Episcopal congregation that celebrates eight Sundays of Advent.
Psalm 90 contextualizes human rebellion, divine judgment, and divine grace within the contrast between divine permanence and human impermanence. I reject the idea that we must respond favorably to God before we die, or else. I reject any limitation of grace. However, I affirm that responding favorably to God consistently and as soon as possible is the best possible strategy, one which gladdens God’s heart.
Receiving grace requires extending it to others. This principle applies to groups and individuals alike. As St. Paul the Apostle wrote to the church at Thessalonica:
So give encouragement to each other, and keep strengthening one another, as you do already.
–1 Thessalonians 5:11, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
God seeks everyone. Divine love pursues and accompanies all of us. Will we–collectively and individually–accept it or reject it?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 23, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS MARTIN DE PORRES AND JUAN MACIAS, HUMANITARIANS AND DOMINICAN LAY BROTHERS; SAINT ROSE OF LIMA, HUMANITARIAN AND DOMINICAN SISTER; AND SAINT TURIBIUS OF MOGREVEJO, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF LIMA
THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCISZEK DACHTERA, POLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1944
THE FEAST OF THEODORE O. WEDEL, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR; AND HIS WIFE, CYNTHIA CLARK WEDEL, U.S. PSYCHOLOGIST AND EPISCOPAL ECUMENIST
THE FEAST OF THOMAS AUGUSTINE JUDGE, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST; FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARY SERVANTS OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY, THE MISSIONARY SERVANTS OF THE MOST BLESSED TRINITY, AND THE MISSIONARY CENACLE APOSTOLATE
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, by Rembrandt Van Rijn
Image in the Public Domain
The Faithfulness and Generosity of God
OCTOBER 1, 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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Isaiah 55:6-9
Psalm 27:1-13 (LBW) or Psalm 27:1-9 (LW)
Philippians 1:1-5 (6-11), 19-27
Matthew 20:1-16
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Lord God, you call us to work in your vineyard
and leave no one standing idle.
Set us to our tasks in the work of your kingdom,
and help us to order our lives by your wisdom;
through your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 28
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Keep, we pray you, O Lord, your Church with your perpetual mercy;
and because without you we cannot but fall,
keep us ever by your help from all things hurtful
and lead us to all things profitable for our salvation;
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 81-82
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Grace does not discriminate based on when one accepts it; all who accept grace receive the same rewards and the same duties to God and other human beings. The call to repentance from immediately before the end of the Babylonian Exile (Isaiah 55) remains current. Repentance is an appropriate response to grace. St. Paul the Apostle’s call for the Philippian congregation always to
behave in a manner that is worthy of the gospel of Christ
(1:27)
remains current for congregations, all levels of the institutional church, and individuals.
Resentment is a motif in some of the parables of Jesus. Think O reader, of the Prodigal Son’s older brother, for example. Recall that he honored his father and fulfilled his duty. So, why was that disrespecful wastrel getting an extravagant party upon returning home? One may easily identify with the grumbling of laborers who thought they should receive more than a day’s wages because people who started working later in the day also received the promised payment of a denarius.
Are you envious because I am generous?
–Matthew 15:15b, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
That is God’s question to grumbling, dutiful people today, too. All people depend completely on grace. Those who grumble and harbor resentment over divine generosity need to repent of doing so. To refuse to repent of this is to behave in a manner unworthy of the gospel of Christ.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 16, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHN DIEFENBAKER AND LESTER PEARSON, PRIME MINISTERS OF CANADA; AND TOMMY DOUGLAS, FEDERAL LEADER OF THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALIPIUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF TAGASTE, AND FRIEND OF SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
THE FEAST OF JOHN COURTNEY MURRAY, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF JOHN JONES OF TALYSARN, WELSH CALVINISTIC METHODIST MINISTER AND HYMN TUNE COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF MATTHIAS CLAUDIUS, GERMAN LUTHERAN WRITER
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: St. Peter Walking on Water, by Alessandro Allori
Image in the Public Domain
Love One Another
AUGUST 20, 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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1 Kings 19:9-18
Psalm 85:8-13 (LBW) or Psalm 28 (LW)
Romans 9:1-5
Matthew 14:22-33
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Almighty and everlasting God,
you are always more ready to hear than we are to pray,
and to give us more than we either desire or deserve.
Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy,
forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid,
and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask,
except through the merit of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 26
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Almighty and everlasting God,
always more ready to hear than we to pray
and always ready to give more than we either desire or deserve,
pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy,
forgiving us the good things we are not worthy to ask
but through the merits and mediation
of 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), 74
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I am listening. What is Yahweh saying?
–Psalm 85:8a, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
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Quaker theology includes the Inner Light–the Holy Spirit within each person. God speaks. Quakers listen.
I assume that God is a chatterbox in search of an attentive audience. We are busy and/or distracted. God gives us assignments. Like Elijah, we do not complete most of them. Like St. Simon Peter, we look down at the chaos, not up at Jesus. We lose faith and sink into that chaos without Jesus, without God.
St. Paul the Apostle believed that the covenant had passed to Christians. His argument has not convinced me; the Jewish covenant has held. God has established a separate covenant for faithful Gentiles. Unfortunately, anti-Semitic misinterpretations of St. Paul’s words have fueled hatred and violence for nearly 2000 years.
What is God saying? One may experience difficulty knowing the answer to that question even when one is listening carefully. Assumptions and cultural programming get in the way. Distractions mean that we miss some messages, even repeated ones. Ego-defense mechanisms bristle against some messages. Even when we know the words, we need to interpret them in contexts.
In the middle 1980s, at one of the United Methodist congregations of which my father was the pastor, there was a man named Don. Don was hard of hearing. He heard parts of what my father said in sermons. Don frequently became incensed regarding what he did hear. He missed contexts and misheard certain words and passages. He heard (somewhat) and did not understand. And he assumed that my father was in the wrong. And Don frequently confronted my father.
Many of us are like Don; we hear partially, misunderstand greatly, and assume that we are correct. We are, of course, correct some of the time. A cliché says that even a broken clock is right twice a day. But why be content to be a broken clock?
Rabbi Hillel and Jesus were correct. The summary of the Law of Moses is to love God fully and one’s neighbor as oneself. Gentiles often neglect the second half of Rabbi Hillel’s statement, in full:
The rest is commentary. Go and learn it.
We Gentiles often stop after,
The rest is commentary.
Many of us tend not to want to study the Law of Moses. And when many of us do study it, we frequently misinterpret and misunderstand it. Well-meaning piety may mistake culturally-specific examples for timeless principles, resulting in legalism.
The most basic Biblical commandment is to love self-sacrifically. If we mean what we say when we affirm that all people bear the image of God, we will treat them accordingly. We will love them. We will seek the best for them. We will not treat them like second-class or third-class citizens. We will not discriminate against them. We will not deny or minimize their humanity. In Quaker terms, we will see the Inner Light in them.
According to a story that may be apocryphal, the aged St. John the Evangelist was planning to visit a house church somewhere. At the appointed time, the Apostle’s helpers carried him into the space where the congregation had gathered. The helpers sat St. John down in front of the people. The Apostle said:
My children, love one another.
Then St. John signaled for his helpers to take him away. As they did, one member of the congregation ran after St. John. This person asked an ancient equivalent of,
That’s it?
St. John replied:
When you have done that, I will tell you more.
The message is simple yet difficult. Yahweh tells us to love one another. The news tells us all we need to know about how poorly or well we are doing, based on that standard. We are selfish bastards more often than not, sadly. Or, like Don, we may be hard of hearing. Or maybe we have selective memories and attention spans.
Do not imagine, O reader, that I exempt myself from these criticisms. Rather, I know myself well enough to grasp my sinfulness. I confess that I am a flawed human being. I am “but dust.” I depend on grace.
We all do.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 21, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, JESUIT
THE FEAST OF CARL BERNHARD GARVE, GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF CHARITIE LIES SMITH BANCROFT DE CHENEZ, HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN JONES AND JOHN RIGBY, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1598 AND 1600
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Tares
Image in the Public Domain
Trust in God
JULY 30, 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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Isaiah 44:1-8
Psalm 86:11-17 (LBW) or Psalm 119:57-64 (LW)
Romans 8:26-27
Matthew 13:24-30 (36-43)
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Pour out upon us, O Lord,
the spirit to think and to do what is right,
that we, who cannot even exist without you,
may have the strength to live according to your will;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
OR
O God, you see how busy we are with many things.
Turn us to listen to your teachings
and lead us to choose the one thing which will not be taken from us,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 26
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Grant us, Lord, the Spirit to think
and to do always such things as are pleasing in your sight,
that we, who without you cannot do anything that is good,
may by you be enabled to live according to your will;
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), 70
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Second Isaiah’s insistence upon strict monotheism is consistent with Psalmists’ trust in God, especially during difficult times. St. Paul the Apostle’s encouraging words tell us that the Holy Spirit comes to our aid in our weakness and intercedes for us.
I have been writing lectionary-based posts for more than a decade. In that time, I have covered the Parable of the Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43) a few times.
All these posts are available at this weblog.
To turn to the topic at hand, trust in God is a theme in the Parable of the Weeds. We may trust God to remove the darnel. If we are fortunate, we are not poisonous weeds. If we are unfortunate, we are darnel, and God will remove us in time.
All the readings speak of trust in God during perilous times. Romans 8:26-27 exists in the context of what precedes it immediately: suffering and hardship as birth pangs of a renewed creation. Isaiah 44:6-8 exists in the context of the waning months of the Babylonian Exile. Psalm 86 speaks of
a brutal gang hounding me to death
–verse 14, The Jerusalem Bible (1966).
Matthew 13 refers to poisonous weeds that initially resemble wheat in the Parable of the Weeds. Who is wheat and who is darnel may not always be possible or easy to tell. (I do know, however, that I habitually fail doctrinal purity tests. Many people classify me as darnel. So be it.) Given the outward similarity of wheat and darnel, whom should one trust? And, as we read in Psalm 11i:61,
…the nets of the wicked ensnare me.
—The Revised New Jerusalem Bible (2019)
Fortunately, we are not alone. The Holy Spirit comes to our aid in our weakness and intercedes for us. Do we trust that this is true? Do we trust in God?
I can answer only for myself. My answer to this question is,
Yes, usually.
What is your answer, O reader?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 17, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL BARNETT, ANGLICAN CANON OF WESTMINSTER, AND SOCIAL REFORMER; AND HIS WIFE, HENRIETTA BARNETT, SOCIAL REFORMER
THE FEAST OF EDITH BOYLE MACALISTER, ENGLISH NOVELIST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT EMILY DE VIALAR, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF SAINT JOSEPH OF THE APPARITION
THE FEAST OF JANE CROSS BELL SIMPSON, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF MARK HOPKINS, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, EDUCATOR, AND PHYSICIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINTS TERESA AND MAFALDA OF PORTUGAL, PRINCESSES, QUEENS, AND NUNS; AND SAINT SANCHIA OF PORTUGAL, PRINCESS AND NUN
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: St. Paul the Apostle
Image in the Public Domain
The Renewal of All Things
JULY 23, 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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Isaiah 55:10-11
Psalm 65
Romans 8:18-25
Matthew 13:1-9 (18-23)
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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 in faith and hope and love;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
or
Lord God, use our lives to touch the world with your love.
Stir us, by your Spirit, to be neighbors to those in need,
serving them with willing hearts;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 25
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O almighty and most merciful God,
of your bountiful goodness keep us, we pray,
from all things that may hurt us that we,
being ready in both body and soul,
may cheerfully accomplish whatever things you want done;
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), 69
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When reading the assigned lessons in preparation for drafting a post, I often notice that one lesson is an outlier. Today I choose to focus on the outlier. The theme of God sowing, complete with the Matthean version of the Parable of the Sower/the Four Soils, is a topic about which I have written and posted more than once. You, O reader, may access my analysis of that parable by following the germane tags attached to this post. I also refer you to this post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA.
Romans 8:18-25 flows from what precedes it immediately: Christians are heirs–sons, literally–of God, through Jesus, the Son of God. The gendered language is a reflection of St. Paul the Apostle’s cultural setting, in which sons, not daughters, inherited. As “sons of God,” we Christians bear witness with the Holy Spirit that we are members of the household of God.
Literally, Christians are “sons of God” or have received the “spirit of sonship” in verses 14, 15, and 23. We are “children of God” in verses 16, 17, and 21, though. (I checked the Greek texts.) These distinctions are obvious in translations that do not neuter the Greek text. I check genders (male, female, and neuter) via the Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002). My historical training tells me that before I can interpret a document in context, I must know what the document says.
Romans 8:18-30, from which we extract 8:18-25, tells of the renewal of all things. In the midst of suffering, the future glory of the human race in God still awaits. The renewal of creation itself awaits. The sufferings are birth pangs. Meanwhile, Christians must wait with patience and expectation.
For obvious reasons, I leave comments about birth pangs to women who have given birth.
St. Paul the Apostle understood suffering for Christ. St. Paul the Apostle mustered optimism in dark times, by grace. This has always astounded me. I, having endured suffering less severe than that of St. Paul the Apostle, have found depression and pessimism instead.
I write this post during dark times for the world. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage around the world. Authoritarian forces endanger representative governments around the world. Polarization has increased to the point that opposite camps have their own facts. (Objective reality be damned!) I have found more causes for depression and pessimism than for optimism.
Yet St. Paul the Apostle, speaking to us down the corridors of time, tells us that these are birth pangs of a better world. I hope that is correct. I pray that these are not birth pangs of a dystopia.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 18, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JACQUES ELLUL, FRENCH REFORMED THEOLOGIAN AND SOCIOLOGIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT CELESTINE V, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF SAINT DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, ABBOT OF GLASTONBURY AND ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
THE FEAST OF GEORG GOTTFRIED MULLER, GERMAN-AMERICAN MORAVIAN MINISTER AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF SAINT IVO OF KERMARTIN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ATTORNEY, PRIEST, AND ADVOCATE FOR THE POOR
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: A Yoke
Image in the Public Domain
Yokes
JULY 16, 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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Zechariah 9:9-12
Psalm 45:1-2 (3-13), 14-22 (LBW) or Psalm 119:137-144 (LW)
Romans 7:15-25a
Matthew 11:25-30
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God of glory, Father of love, peace comes from you alone.
Send us as peacemakers and witnesses to your kingdom,
and fill our hearts with joy in your promises of salvation;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 25
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Grant, Lord, that the course of this world
may be so governed by your direction
that your Church may rejoice
in serving you in godly peace and quietness;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 68
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Zechariah 9:9-12 depicts a future scene, in which the Messiah, an ideal king, approaches Jerusalem at the culmination of history–the Day of the LORD. This is the scene Jesus reenacted during his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, without being a regnant type of Messiah.
The image of YHWH as king exists in the assigned readings from Psalms.
In Romans 7:15-25a we read St. Paul the Apostle’s confession of his struggles with sins. We may all relate to those struggles.
My tour of the readings brings me to Matthew 11:25-30 and the topic of yokes.
Literally, a yoke was a wooden frame, loops of ropes, or a rod with loops of rope, depending on the purpose. (See Numbers 19:2; Deuteronomy 21:3; and Jeremiah 28:10.) A yoke fit over the neck of a draft animal or the necks of draft animals. Alternatively, a captive or a slave wore a yoke. (See Jeremiah 28:10; 1 Kings 12:9; 2 Chronicles 10:4; and 1 Timothy 6:1). Also, a yoked pair of oxen was a yoke. (See 1 Samuel 11:7; 1 Kings 19:21; Luke 14:19).
Metaphorically, a yoke had a variety of meanings, depending on the circumstances. It often symbolized servitude and subjection. Forced labor was an unjust yoke (1 Kings 11:28; 12:11, 14). Slavery was a yoke (Sirach 33:27). Hardship was a yoke (Lamentations 3:27; Sirach 40:1). The oppression and humiliation of one nation by another was the yoke of bondage (Jeremiah 27:8; 28:4; Hosea 11:7; Deuteronomy 28:48; and Isaiah 47:6). To break out of subjugation or slavery was to break the yoke (Jeremiah 28:2; Isaiah 9:4; 14:25). God promised to break the yoke of Egypt in Ezekiel 30:18. To break away from God was to break God’s yoke (Jeremiah 2:20; 5:5; Sirach 51:39). Sin was also a yoke (Lamentations 1:14).
The yokes of God and Christ carry positive connotations. The yoke of obedience to God is easy. It is also the opposite of the yoke of subordination and subjugation. This positive yoke is the yoke in Matthew 11:28-30. It is the yoke St. Paul the Apostle wore (Philippians 4:3). It is the yoke in Psalm 119:137-144.
Draw near to me, you who are untaught,
and lodge in my school.
Why do you say you are lacking in these things,
and why are your souls very thirsty?
I opened my mouth and said,
Get these things for yourselves without money.
Put your neck under the yoke,
and let your souls receive instruction;
it is to be found close by.
See with your eyes that I have labored little
and found for myself much rest.
Get instruction with a large sum of silver
and you will gain by it much gold.
May your soul rejoice in his mercy,
and may you not be put to shame when you praise him.
Do your work before the appointed time,
and in God’s time he will give you your reward.
–Sirach 51:23-30, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)
You, O reader, will serve somebody or something. That is not in question. Whom or what you will serve is a germane question. Why not serve God, the greatest king? In so doing, you will find your best possible state of being. The path may be difficult–ask St. Paul the Apostle, for example–but it will be the best path for you.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 14, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF FRANCIS MAKEMIE, FATHER OF AMERICAN PRESBYTERIANISM AND ADVOCATE FOR RELIGIOUS TOLERATION
THE FEAST OF SAINT CARTHAGE THE YOUNGER, IRISH ABBOT-BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA DOMINICA MAZZARELLO, CO-FOUNDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS
THE FEAST OF SAINT THEODORE I, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF SAINTS VICTOR THE MARTYR AND CORONA OF DAMASCUS, MARTYRS IN SYRIA, 165
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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