Above: John the Baptist in Prison, by Josef Anton Hafner
Image in the Public Domain
Good Liturgy and the Covenant Written on Our Hearts
JANUARY 2, 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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Exodus 25:1-40
Psalm 73
Matthew 11:1 (2-11) 12-15 (16-19) 20-24 (25-30) or Luke 7:18-35
Hebrews 8:1-13
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But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
to tell of all your works.
–Psalm 73:28, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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Hebrews 8 speaks of an internalized covenant, the law written on human hearts. This is an echo of Jeremiah 31:31-34. It is a covenant not written on the hearts of certain Pharisees and scribes in Luke 7. When one reads the entirety of Luke 7 one realizes that the Pharisees and scribes in question were guilty of obsessing over minor details while twisting the law to accept financial donations that impoverished innocent third parties. Thus these particular religious people were guilty of violating the principle of the Law of Moses that prohibits economic exploitation. One also learns that a Gentile woman had the covenant written on her heart. Likewise, those who criticized St. John the Baptist for his asceticism and Jesus for eating and drinking were seeking excuses to condemn others. They did not have the covenant written on their hearts.
There is no fault in maintaining sacred spaces and beautiful rituals. We mere mortals need sacred spaces that differ from other spaces and rituals that inspire our souls. Good liturgy should make us better people. It if does not, the fault is with us. May it inspire us to recognize and serve God in each other. May good liturgy, in conjunction with the covenant written on our hearts, help us find ways to act as effectively on divine principles, for the maximum benefit to others and the greatest possible glory to God. May we refrain from carping language that tears others down and seek ways to build them up, for we are stronger together in the body of faith.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SUNDAR SINGH, INDIAN CHRISTIAN EVANGELIST
THE FEAST OF DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, EPISCOPAL DEACON
THE FEAST OF SAINT FIACRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT
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ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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