Archive for March 2018
Above: The Transfiguration, by Raphael
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-USZ62-90565
Divine Glory and Sacrificial Love
FEBRUARY 19, 2023
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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 24:12-18
Psalm 2
2 Peter 1:16-21
Matthew 17:1-9 (or 1-13)
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Interestingly, the Transfiguration account in Matthew follows on the heels of Jesus saying,
Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.
–16:28, The New American Bible (1991)
In that scene, Jesus, looking very much like Moses (and standing with Moses and Elijah) on a mountaintop, stands in divine glory. We can read another version of the Transfiguration in Luke 9:28-36, shortly before Jesus sets his face literally and figuratively toward Jerusalem–to die.
It is appropriate that we read of the Transfiguration on the Sunday immediately preceding Lent, at the end of which are Good Friday and Holy Saturday. We are supposed to recall the supreme divine love behind the Incarnation and the Atonement, as well as to remember that God calls us to love like Jesus, who loved all the way to a cross.
That is a variety of love that carries a high price tag. The grace, although free, is certainly not cheap. It is, however, the path to life at its fullest and most abundant.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 23, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR AND ISAAC THE GREAT, PATRIARCHS OF ARMENIA
THE FEAST OF MEISTER ECKHART, ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGIAN AND MYSTIC
THE FEAST OF SAINT METODEJ DOMINIK TRCKA, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT VICTORIAN OF HADRUMETUM, MARTYR AT CARTHAGE, 484
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/23/divine-glory-and-sacrificial-love/
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Above: Pole Gate, July 1978
Image Source = Library of Congress
Photographer = Suzi Jones
Faithful Servants of God, Part IX
MARCH 3, 2019
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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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Ecclesiastes 12 or Ezekiel 36:22-36
Psalm 10:1, 14-20
Galatians 6:1-18
Matthew 7:1-14
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To sum up the matter: fear God, and keep his commandments, since this is the whole duty of man. For God will call all hidden deeds, good or bad, to judgment.
–Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
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Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.
–Galatians 6:2, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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The author of Psalm 10’s query remains germane. Why does God stand far off while the wicked hunt down the poor? At least God does not always stand far off, although I also wonder about divine timing.
A major theme for this Sunday is how we treat each other. God seems to care a great deal about that in the Bible. We are supposed to build up one another, thereby creating an improved common good. We actually benefit ourselves by putting others first. This is part of “fearing”–actually, standing in awe of–God.
Selfishness is a difficult habit to break, unfortunately. May we break it, by grace, and become the people and societies we are supposed to be.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 22, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT DEOGRATIAS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF CARTHAGE
THE FEAST OF EMMANUEL MOURNIER, PERSONALIST PHILOSOPHER
THE FEAST OF JAMES DE KOVEN, EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF THOMAS HUGHES, BRITISH SOCIAL REFORMER AND MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/22/faithful-servants-of-god-part-xi/
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2018/07/13/devotion-for-proper-7-year-a-humes/
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Above: The U.S. $100 Bill
Image in the Public Domain
Faithful Servants of God, Part VIII
FEBRUARY 27, 2011
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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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Ecclesiastes 9:1-12 or Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Psalm 9:11-20
Galatians 5:1-26
Matthew 6:22-34
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For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
–Galatians 5:14-15, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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As I write repeatedly, the Law of Moses contains both timeless principles and culturally specific examples thereof. One of these timeless principles is the Golden Rule. It is short, sweet, and to the point. One might, with verbosity, attempt to work around it, but the Golden Rule remains golden and wonderfully succinct. It is also difficult to live up to much of the time.
Another timeless principle of the Law of Moses is that all of us depend entirely on God and partially on each other. We are therefore interdependent and responsible both to and for each other, as well as to God. These points underpin much of the content of scripture assigned for this Sunday.
Often we violate the Golden Rule in the name of looking out for ourselves. We imagine vainly that we must and can rely on our own resources. That attitude is the origin of much evil. But, in Christ, we are free, by grace, to become people who uphold a high standard of radical love–even sacrificial love. The servant is not greater than the master, after all.
May we, while seeking to follow God, care more about being loving and compassionate than about confirming our biases. May we seek to love, not to be right in our own eyes, with their frequently defective moral vision.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 22, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT DEOGRATIAS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF CARTHAGE
THE FEAST OF EMMANUEL MOURNIER, PERSONALIST PHILOSOPHER
THE FEAST OF JAMES DE KOVEN, EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF THOMAS HUGHES, BRITISH SOCIAL REFORMER AND MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/22/faithful-servants-of-god-part-x/
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2018/07/12/devotion-for-proper-6-year-a-humes/
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Above: Christ Pantocrator
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Faithful Servants of God, Part VII
FEBRUARY 24, 2019
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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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Ecclesiastes 7:1-4, 11-18 or Ezekiel 34:1-10
Psalm 9:1-10
Galatians 4:1-16
Matthew 5:38-48
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As Koheleth and Jesus tell us, the way of the world is that righteous people suffer, both the righteous and the wicked prosper, and God is in control. The combination of those three statements might seem incongruous. Throughout the Book of Psalms righteous people cry out to God for deliverance from oppression. Often they are understandably angry, but Christ tells us to pray for our persecutors and to love our enemies. Interestingly, nowhere does the Hebrew Bible command anyone to love one’s enemies, and, as we have read previously in this series of posts, God prospers that the wicked change their ways and find mercy. Yet many of the wicked refuse to repent, so the divine deliverance of the oppressed becomes bad news for oppressors.
The call to radical love thunders off the pages of the Sermon on the Mount. We are to trust in God, not ourselves, and be so loving as to seem foolish to many. Such love breaks the cycle of anger, resentment, revenge, and violence. We, as inheritors, by grace, and adopted members of the household of God, are free to do that, if we dare.
May we dare accordingly. Then we, by grace, will be suited for our purpose, or, as Matthew 5:48 puts it, perfect.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 21, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH, AND JOHANN CHRISTIAN BACH, COMPOSERS
THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF FLÜE AND HIS GRANDSON, SAINT CONRAD SCHEUBER, SWISS HERMITS
THE FEAST OF SAINT SERAPION OF THMUIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM EDWARD HICKSON, ENGLISH MUSIC EDUCATOR AND SOCIAL REFORMER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/21/faithful-servants-of-god-part-ix/
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2018/07/12/devotion-for-proper-5-year-a-humes/
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Above: Icon of Abraham
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Faithful Servants of God, Part VI
FEBRUARY 12, 2023
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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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Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 or Ecclesiastes 6 or Ezekiel 33:1-11
Psalm 7:1, 11-18
Galatians 3:19-29
Matthew 5:21-37
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Words matter, for they have power. Today we read this in Ecclesiastes 5 and Matthew 5. We have a moral obligation to refrain from all abusive language (such as Raqa, in the context of the culture of Matthew 5) and evasive language purposefully devoid of meaning (such as clever oaths in Matthew 5).
Actions matter also. As much as God desires that the wicked repent, we mere mortals ought to seek reconciliation in disputes. Accomplishing this is not always possible, for reconciliation requires more than one conciliatory party. In such a case the desire to reconcile is laudable, at least.
The prayer from Psalm 7:9 that the wicked would cease to do harm and the reign of righteousness would begin is a timeless one. I pray it often, for that would be a welcome change of reality. Such a radical restructuring of the world requires an act of God, whose law Christ fulfills.
These admonitions can prove difficult to keep in one’s life. We cannot succeed by our own strength of will. Yes, our good intentions are laudable; God can work with them. Yet we require grace to succeed in this noble endeavor.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 21, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH, AND JOHANN CHRISTIAN BACH, COMPOSERS
THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF FLÜE AND HIS GRANDSON, SAINT CONRAD SCHEUBER, SWISS HERMITS
THE FEAST OF SAINT SERAPION OF THMUIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM EDWARD HICKSON, ENGLISH MUSIC EDUCATOR AND SOCIAL REFORMER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/21/faithful-servants-of-god-part-viii/
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2018/07/12/devotion-for-proper-4-year-a-humes/
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Above: Christ Pantocrator
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Faithful Servants of God, Part V
FEBRUARY 5, 2023
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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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Ecclesiastes 4:1-12 or Ezekiel 22:23-31
Psalm 6
Galatians 3:1-11
Matthew 5:13-21
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Peeking behind the Law of Moses is a spiritually helpful practice. Some commandments in the Law of Moses are timeless principles. Others, however, are culturally specific examples. Failure to recognize between an example bound by time and space and a timeless principle leads to legalism.
Reading Galatians 3:1-11 and Matthew 5:13-20 together is quite helpful. We read that Jesus never objected to the Law of Moses, but to the misinterpretation, bad teaching, and flawed execution of it. That also seems to have been an objection of St. Paul the Apostle.
The other readings pertain to oppression. We read of violations of one timeless principle in the Law of Moses–do not exploit anyone. We read of religious figures and royal officials who were predators of the weak and vulnerable. Alas, this problem is as current in 2018 as it was in antiquity. So is the sin of certain religious figures supporting those predatory potentates and officials.
The timeless principles of the Law of Moses continue to condemn those who sin thusly. Indeed, apart from variations on themes, there is nothing new under the sun.
Do we condemn or condone such perfidy?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 21, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH, AND JOHANN CHRISTIAN BACH, COMPOSERS
THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF FLÜE AND HIS GRANDSON, SAINT CONRAD SCHEUBER, SWISS HERMITS
THE FEAST OF SAINT SERAPION OF THMUIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM EDWARD HICKSON, ENGLISH MUSIC EDUCATOR AND SOCIAL REFORMER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/21/faithful-servants-of-god-part-vii/
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2018/07/12/devotion-for-proper-3-year-a-humes/
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Above: Chapel of the Beatitudes, Galilee, 1940
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-matpc-20815
Faithful Servants of God, Part IV
JANUARY 29, 2023
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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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Ecclesiastes 3:1-14, 20-22 or Ezekiel 18:1-9, 25-32
Psalm 5
Galatians 2:14-21
Matthew 5:1-12
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I, as a member of a monthly book group, have been reading Jonathan T. Pennington’s Heaven and Earth in the Gospel of Matthew, a volume that overturns more than a century of scholarly consensus. Pennington rejects the idea, ubiquitous in sermons, Sunday School lessons, commentaries, and study Bibles, that “Kingdom of Heaven” is a reverential circumlocution–a way to avoid saying “God.” He posits that “Kingdom of Heaven” actually refers to God’s rule on the Earth, that the “Kingdom of Heaven” is essentially the New Jerusalem, still in opposition to the world. God will, however, take over the world, thereby resolving the tension.
The Kingdom of Heaven, we read in the Beatitudes, belongs to those who know their need for God and who experience persecution for the sake of righteousness. They would certainly receive the kingdom, I agree.
Justification is a theme in Galatians 2. There we read an expression of the Pauline theology of justification by faith, not by works or the Law of Moses. This seems to contradict James 2:24, where we read that justification is by works and not by faith alone. It is not actually a disagreement, however, given the different definitions of faith in the thought of James and St. Paul the Apostle. Both of them, one learns from reading their writings and dictations, affirmed the importance of responding to God faithfully. The theme of getting one’s act together and accepting one’s individual responsibility for one’s actions fits well with Ezekiel 18, which contradicts the theology of intergenerational guilt and merit found in Exodus 20:5.
How we behave matters very much; all of the readings affirm this. Thus our actions and inactions have moral importance. Do we comfort those who mourn? Do we show mercy? Do we make peace? Do we seek to be vehicles of divine grace to others? Hopefully we do. And we can succeed, by grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 20, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SEBASTIAN CASTELLIO, PROPHET OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
THE FEAST OF CHRISTOPHER WORDSWORTH, HYMN WRITER AND ANGLICAN BISHOP OF LINCOLN
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA JOSEFA SANCHO DE GUERRA, FOUNDRESS OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE SERVANTS OF JESUS
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL RODIGAST, GERMAN LUTHERAN ACADEMIC AND HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/20/faithful-servants-of-god-part-vi/
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Above: Anna at the Presentation of Jesus, by Giotto
Image in the Public Domain
Recognizing the Savior
FEBRUARY 2, 2024
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The Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple falls on February 2, forty days after Christmas. The origins of the Feast of the Presentation date to the 300s, in Jerusalem, where the original date was February 14-forty days after January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany. In the English Prayer Book tradition the Feast of the Presentation has been the Feast of the Purification of Saint Mary the Virgin, per the beginning of Leviticus 12, hinted at in Luke 2:22-23.
The readings from Malachi 3 and Psalm 24, along with Luke 2:22-40, convey a sense of awe and wonder. They tell us to take notice, for God, or a messenger thereof, has arrived. Where better to be than in the Temple? This is an event that has changed the world, after all. When we read of the divine arrival in Luke 2 and Hebrews 2, we read of the Incarnation as an infant, not a conquering hero in armor. Via living as a human being, one fully human as well as fully divine, Christ can identify with our suffering and help those enduring tests, we read in Hebrews 2:18.
It would have been easy to fail to recognize the infant Jesus for who he was, but Simeon and Anna knew who he was. They spread their wisdom in their time and place. Certainly some who heard them considered that message ridiculous, as it must have seemed to have been.
Fortunately, we can, via hindsight and the Bible, recognize the wisdom of Simeon and Anna, as well as the true identity of that infant boy.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 20, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SEBASTIAN CASTELLIO, PROPHET OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
THE FEAST OF CHRISTOPHER WORDSWORTH, HYMN WRITER AND ANGLICAN BISHOP OF LINCOLN
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA JOSEFA SANCHO DE GUERRA, FOUNDRESS OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE SERVANTS OF JESUS
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL RODIGAST, GERMAN LUTHERAN ACADEMIC AND HYMN WRITER
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Almighty and everlasting God, we humbly pray that,
as your only-begotten Son was this day presented in the Temple,
so may we be presented to you with pure and clean hearts
by Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 239
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Blessed are you, O Lord our God, for you have sent us your salvation.
Inspire us by your Holy Spirit to see with our own eyes him who is
the glory of Israel and the light for all nations, your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), page 32
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Malachi 3:1-4
Psalm 84 or 24:7-10
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/20/recognizing-the-savior/
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Above: Ministry of the Apostles
Image in the Public Domain
Faithful Servants of God, Part III
JANUARY 22, 2023
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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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Ecclesiastes 1:2-18 or Ezekiel 11:14-20
Psalm 3
Galatians 2:1-13
Matthew 4:12-25
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If one begins to read Ecclesiastes and gives up quickly, one might mistake the theme of the book to be that all is futility and vanity. One might ask,
Why bother doing anything?
If, however, one keeps reading and pays attention, one will arrive at the précis of the book, present at its conclusion, in 12:13-14: The duty of a human being is to stand in awe of God and keep divine commandments, for God is the judge of everything, whether good or evil.
That ethic is consistent with Ezekiel 11:14-20 and Psalm 3. Fidelity to God does not ensure a life full of ease, wine, ad roses, but it is one’s duty. It is the duty to which Jesus, who called his Apostles, continues to call people and for which the Holy Spirit continues to equip the saints.
Sometimes, however, in the name of obeying God, well-meaning people establish or maintain barriers to would-be faithful people who are different. This segue brings me to the reading from Galatians and to the question of circumcising Gentile male converts to Christianity. On one level it is a matter of a commandment as old as the time of Abraham. On another level it is a question of identity. On yet another level it is, for many, a matter of obedience to God.
For St. Paul the Apostle it was a stumbling block to Gentiles. He was correct. Fortunately, St. Paul won that debate.
Fidelity to God is supposed to help others come to God, not to make that more difficult than it is already. May we who follow Christ never be guilty of standing between God and other people.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 19, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH OF NAZARETH, HUSBAND OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/19/faithful-servants-of-god-part-v/
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Above: The Temptations of Jesus
Image in the Public Domain
Faithful Servants of God, Part II
JANUARY 15, 2023
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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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Ecclesiastes 2:11-26 or Ezekiel 2:1-3:4
Psalm 1
Galatians 1:1-24
Matthew 4:1-11
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The theme of fidelity to God unites these readings.
Fools and wise people die. One works hard then dies; others inherit. At least one can be faithful to God and enjoy one’s work during one’s life filled with pain. That description certainly applies to Ezekiel, Jesus, and St. Paul the Apostle. Relying on God while surrounded by faithless people, as well as away from the faithless, maddening crowd, one can resist the temptations to seek the easy way out, to be spectacular, to glorify oneself, not to depend on God, to serve evil, to make peace with injustice, et cetera.
As Harry Emerson Fosdick wrote in 1930,
Save us from weak resignation
To the evils we deplore;
Let the search for Thy salvation
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Serving Thee whom we adore,
Serving Thee whom we adore.
Amen.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 19, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH OF NAZARETH, HUSBAND OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/19/faithful-servants-of-god-part-iv/
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ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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