Above: Ruins of the Temple of Apollo, Corinth
Image in the Public Domain
Judgment, Mercy, and Ethical Living, Part II
NOT OBSERVED IN 2015
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The Collect:
Loving God, by tender words and covenant promise you have joined us to yourself forever,
and you invite us to respond to your love with faithfulness.
By your Spirit may we live with you and with one another in justice, mercy, and joy,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 25
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The Assigned Readings:
Hosea 3:1-5 (Monday)
Hosea 14:1-9 (Tuesday)
Isaiah 62:1-5 (Wednesday)
Psalm 45:6-17 (All Days)
2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11 (Monday)
2 Corinthians 11:1-15 (Tuesday)
John 3:22-36 (Wednesday)
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Your throne is God’s throne, for ever;
the sceptre of your kingdom is the sceptre of righteousness.
You love righteousness and hate iniquity;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness above your fellows.
–Psalm 45:6-7, The Book of Common Prayer (2004)
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The readings for these three days, taken together, use marriage metaphors for the relationship between God and Israel and the relationship between God and an individual. Idolatry is akin to sexual promiscuity, for example. That metaphor works well, for there were pagan temple prostitutes.
Idolatry and social injustice are a pair in many Old Testament writings, for the Bible has much to say about how we ought to treat others, especially those who have less power or money than we do. Thus Psalm 45, a royal wedding song, becomes, in part, a meditation on justice. Also, as St. Paul the Apostle reminds us by words and example, nobody has the right to place an undue burden upon anyone or cause another person grief improperly.
May we recall and act upon Hosea 14:1-9, which states that, although God judges and disciplines, God also shows extravagant mercy. May we forgive ourselves for our faults. May we forgive others for their failings. And may we, by grace, do all the above and recall that there is hope for us all in divine mercy. Such grace calls for a positive response, does it not?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 4, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FIFTH DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF JOSEPH MOHR, AUSTRIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT BARBARA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN CALABRIA, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE POOR SERVANTS AND THE POOR WOMEN SERVANTS OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/judgment-mercy-and-ethical-living-part-ii/
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ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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