Devotion for January 2, Year B (ELCA Daily Lectionary)

Above:  Malachi House, St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Dunwoody, Georgia, November 19, 2013

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

A Call to Live Compassionately

JANUARY 2, 2024

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The Collect:

All-powerful and unseen God, the coming of your light

into our world has brightened weary hearts with peace.

Call us out of darkness, and empower us to proclaim the birth of your Son,

Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 20

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The Assigned Readings:

Proverbs 1:1-7

Psalm 148

James 3:13-18

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Kings of the earth and all peoples,

princes and all rulers of the world;

Young men and women,

old and young together;

let them praise the name of the Lord.

–Psalm 148:11-12, Common Worship (2000)

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The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;

Fools despise wisdom and discipline.

–Proverbs 1:7, TANAKH:  The Holy Scriptures (1985)

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Peace is the seed-bed of righteousness, and the peacemakers will reap its harvest.

–James 3:18, Revised English Bible (1989)

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The main two readings for today summarize nicely material I have been covering during the last few posts in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America daily lectionary for Year B.  Therefore this post seems like an appropriate place to take stock and pull threads together, for the lectionary will look toward the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6) starting with the readings for January 3.  Since December 26 we have covered the following material:

1. Violent authority figures and suffering innocents,
2. Peril for young Jesus,
3. Peril for other faithful people,
4. The divine commandment to live compassionately,
5. Mutual responsibility in societies,
6. The divine commandment to lead disciplined lives, and
7. Economic exploitation.

To that list James adds putting away jealousy, rivalry, and their evil offspring, some of which the list enumerates.

As I have written many times, fear brings out the worst in people often.  We humans tend to justify violence toward and exploitation of others in the name of taking care of ourselves and those near us and similar to us.  For the same reason we also tend to justify denying others basic civil rights and liberties.  When we do so we hurt ourselves, for we rely on others as much as we bear responsibility for them.  Each of us in our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper.  That which we do others we do to ourselves, but often we do not recognize that reality.

May the new year be a time to focus on compassionate living, which requires one to get outside of oneself and think about the best interests of others.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 9, 2014 COMMON ERA

PROPER 27:  THE TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR A

THE FEAST OF MARTIN CHEMNITZ, GERMAN LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN

THE FEAST OF BARTON STONE, COFOUNDER OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST)

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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/a-call-to-live-compassionately/

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