The ways in which God works frequently surprise many people. Declaring the Hebrews, who rebelled against God repeatedly, to be the Chosen People was one example. Working through St. Simon Peter, an impetuous man, and St. Cornelius the Centurion, a Roman soldier, were two more examples. The Incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity as Jesus of Nazareth was unique. And what about hiding wonders
from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children?
–Luke 10:21b, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
God chooses to work in ways, many of which surprise or scandalize many mere mortals. Certain heroic figures in the Hebrew Bible were also scoundrels. Oblivious Apostles in the Gospels became great leaders of nascent Christianity. The circumstances of our Lord and Savior’s conception and birth led to decades of whispering behind his back and to his face. Some Gentiles were closer to God than certain prominent Jews. Standard labels might not apply when God is acting. If we have spiritual and/or emotional difficulty with that reality, we need to confess that sin to God, to apologize, and to repent, by grace.
Simply put, if one is St. Simon Peter in an analogy, who is the St. Cornelius whose invitation will lead to an epiphany. And is one willing to have an epiphany?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 28, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS
The church at Philippi contained some serious divisions, the precise nature of which have not survived in the historical record. (Authors of epistles did not explain certain details for the benefit of readers thousands of years later, understandably.) Apparently, not all of the people–leaders, especially–involved in this divisiveness were of sincere and good will. Even those who were of sincere and good will acted in such a way as to harm the congregation’s witness to Christ. (I am trying to write out of generosity of spirit.) In the text from Philippians the exhortation to seek the interests of Christ set the tone.
Seeking the interests of Christ–more broadly, of God–is a topic of which we read in Proverbs and Isaiah. Their witness–along with that of other portions of the Bible–is to trust in God and to behave properly toward our fellow human beings. Those two relate to each other. Indeed, one cannot love God, whom one cannot see, if one does not love people, whom one can see. I am convinced that much inexcusable treatment of our fellow human beings flows from our insecurities regarding our own future. We want to pile up and/or safeguard resources and/or security for ourselves, so we justify in our own minds the evil we commit toward others. We steal from them. We condone theft from them. We deny people opportunities. We discriminate against them. We condone violence against against them. We commit violence against them. We do this while pursuing what we misconstrue as our self-interests.
In reality, however, our self-interests are those of our fellow human beings. All of us are bound up in the reality of community, with mutual responsibilities. So we harm ourselves when we injure others, who are our neighbors.
Trusting that God will provide our necessities opens the door to behaving generously and kindly toward others. If lacking that trust leads to the opposite result, the previous statement makes sense, does it not? Such trust can prove difficult, of course. Yet I have learned that God does provide–often via unexpected methods.
May we trust God and care for each other, always seeking the interests of Christ.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 20, 2013 COMMON ERA
PROPER 24–THE TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
THE FEAST OF MARY A. LATHBURY, U.S. METHODIST HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT BERTILLA BOSCARDIN, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN AND NURSE
THE FEAST OF JOHN HARRIS BURT, EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF TARORE OF WAHOARA, ANGLICAN MISSIONARY
Liturgical time matters, for it sacramentalizes days, hours, and minutes, adding up to seasons on the church calendar. Among the frequently overlooked seasons is the Season after Epiphany, the first part of Ordinary Time. The Feast of the Epiphany always falls on January 6 in my tradition. And Ash Wednesday always falls forty days (excluding Sundays) before Easter Sunday. The Season after Epiphany falls between The Feast of the Epiphany and Ash Wednesday. In 2013 the season will span January 7-February 12.
This season ought to be a holy time, one in which to be especially mindful of the imperative to take the good news of Jesus of Nazareth to others by a variety of means, including words when necessary. Words are meaningless when our actions belie them, after all. Among the themes of this season is that the Gospel is for all people, not just those we define as insiders. No, the message is also for our “Gentiles,” those whom we define as outsiders. So, with that thought in mind, I encourage you, O reader, to exclude nobody. Do not define yourself as an insider to the detriment of others. If you follow this advice, you will have a proper Epiphany spirit.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 9, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARTIN CHEMNITZ, GERMAN LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF BARTON STONE, COFOUNDER OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST)
Job 20 offers us the second speech of Zophar the Naamathite. There is nothing new there. According to Zophar, only the wicked suffer. And Job is suffering. So Job must be wicked. But the Book of Job argues against this line of reasoning. And so does the life of Jesus. By writing these words I have repeated myself from previous posts in this Job and John series.
The lifting up of Jesus (John 8:27) is the crucifixion. And those who wanted to kill him, although descended from Abraham were not of God. A child of God obeys God. And one of the most basic commandments in Torah is not to commit murder. What was the crucifixion if not legalized murder? Execution is legalized murder; may we not labor under any delusions to the contrary. If I were to take somebody’s life, the state might accuse me of murder or a related charge. But it is legal for the state to take a life. I see no moral difference.
I , as a Christian, follow my Lord and Savior, one whom legal authorities subjected to torture and execution. Therefore I cannot think of those activities except in the context of what happened to Jesus.
Until the next segment of our journey….
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 26, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS REMACLUS OF MAASTRICHT, THEODORE OF MAASTRICHT, LAMBERT OF MAASTRICHT, HUBERT OF MAASTRICHT AND LIEGE, AND FLORIBERT OF LIEGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; LANDRADA OF MUNSTERBILSEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBESS; AND OTGER OF UTRECHT, PLECHELM OF GUELDERLAND, AND WIRO, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARIES
THE FEAST OF CHRISTINA ROSSETTI, POET
THE FEAST OF SAINT PASCHASIUS RADBERTUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF ROBERT HUNT, FIRST ANGLICAN CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA
Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), of The Episcopal Church, contains an adapted two-years weekday lectionary for the Epiphany and Ordinary Time seasons from the Anglican Church of Canada. I invite you to follow it with me.
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James 5:7-12 (Revised English Bible):
You must be patient, my friends, until the Lord comes. Consider: the farmer looking for the precious crop from his land can only wait in patience until the early and late rains have fallen. You too must be patient and stout-hearted, for the coming of the Lord is near. My friends, do not blame your troubles on one another, or you will fall under judgement; and there at the door stands the Judge. As a pattern of patience under ill-treatment, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those happy who stood firm. You have heard how Job stood firm, and you have seen how the Lord treated him in the end, for the Lord is merciful and compassionate.
Above all things, my friends, do not use oaths, whether “by heaven” or “by earth” or by anything else. When you say “Yes” or “No,” let it be plain Yes or No, for fear you draw down judgement on yourselves.
Psalm 103:1-4, 8-13 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
3 He forgives all your sins,
and heals all your infirmities;
4 He redeems your life from the grave
and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness.
8 The LORD is full of compassion and mercy,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
9 He will not always accuse us,
nor will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.
11 For as the heavens are as high above the earth,
so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our sins from us.
13 As a father cares for his children,
so does the LORD care for those who fear him.
Mark 10:1-12 (Revised English Bible):
On leaving there he came into the regions of Judaea and Transjordan. Once again crowds gathered round him, and he taught them as was his practice. He was asked,
Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?
The question was put to test him. He responded by asking,
What did Moses command you?
They answered,
Moses permitted a man to divorce his wife by a certificate of dismissal.
Jesus said to them,
It was because of your stubbornness that he made this rule for you. But in the beginning, at the creation “God made them male and female.” ‘That is why a man leaves his father and mother, and is united to his wife, and the two become one flesh.’ It follows that they are no longer two individuals: they are one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, man must not separate.
When they were indoors again, the disciples questioned him about this. He said to them,
Whoever divorces his wife and remarries commits adultery against her; so too, if she divorces her husband and remarries, she commits adultery.
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The Collect:
O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A common expectation among early Christians was that they would witness the Second Coming of Jesus. This sense of anticipation informs the reading from James. History, of course, records, that such expectations did not come true. Nevertheless, the exhortations to live in faithfulness with one another, to be patient with each other, and to have a stout heart are sage in any situation.
God’s timing is not ours. When we ask for X, X being something good and noble, perhaps even necessary, we might hope to receive X from God’s hand according to our schedule. Yet maybe God has something better for us. Perhaps God will deliver what we have requested, but by a different and unexpected mode. Stout-hearted faithfulness is a virtue, especially in such circumstances.
As for oaths, many people made meaningless oaths by the earth, the stars, the sky, et cetera. “Just say yes or no,” James told his audience. In other words, we ought to avoid semantic games and be genuine.
To review: If more of us were to avoid semantic games, be merely genuine with each other, be patient with other, and avoid scapegoating each other, how much better would our world and many corners of it be? I cannot force others to act in these positive ways, but I can, by grace, live accordingly. And so can you, O reader. We, you and I, might have more influence than we guess. Let us find out, for the common good and for the glory of God.
Above: Lauterbrunnen Valley, in the Bernese Alps, Switzerland
Awe
FEBRUARY 25, 2019
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Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), of The Episcopal Church, contains an adapted two-years weekday lectionary for the Epiphany and Ordinary Time seasons from the Anglican Church of Canada. I invite you to follow it with me.
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Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 1:1-10 (Revised English Bible):
All wisdom is from the Lord;
she dwells with him for ever.
Who can count the sands of the sea, the raindrops, or the days of unending time?
Who can measure the height of the sky,
the breadth of the earth, or the depth of the abyss?
Wisdom was first of all created things;
intelligent purpose has existed from the beginning.
To whom has the root of wisdom been revealed?
Who has understanding of her subtlety?
One alone is wise, the Lord most terrible,
seated upon his throne.
It is he who created her, beheld and measured her,
and infused her into all his works.
To everyone he has given her in some degree,
but without stint to those who love him.
Psalm 93 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 The LORD is King;
he has put on splendid apparel;
the LORD has put on his apparel
and girded himself with strength.
2 He has made the whole world so sure
that it cannot be moved;
3 Ever since the world began, your throne has been estabished;
you are from everlasting.
4 The waters have lifted up, O LORD,
the waters have lifted up their voice;
the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
5 Mightier than the sound of many waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea,
mightier is the LORD who dwells on high.
6 Your testimonies are very sure,
and holiness adorns your house, O LORD,
for ever and for evermore.
Mark 9:14-29 (Revised English Bible):
When they came back to the disciples they saw a large crowd surrounding them and scribes arguing with them. As soon as they saw Jesus the whole crowd were overcome with awe and ran forward to welcome him. He asked them,
What is this argument about?
A man in the crowd spoke up:
Teacher, I brought my son for you to cure. He is possessed by a spirit that makes him dumb. Whenever it attacks him, it flings him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth, grinds this teeth, and goes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.
Jesus answered:
What an unbelieving generation! How long shall I be with you? How long must I endure you? Bring him to me.
And they brought the boy to him; and as soon as the spirit saw him it threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell on the ground and rolled about foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked his father,
How long has he been like this?
He replied,
From childhood; it has often tried to destroy him by throwing him into the fire or into water. But if it is at all possible for you, take pity on us and help us.
Jesus said,
It is possible! Everything is possible to one who believes.
At once the boy’s father cried:
I believe; help my unbelief.
When Jesus saw that the crowd was closing in on him, he spoke sternly to the unclean spirit.
Deaf and dumb spirit,
he said,
I command you, come out of him and never go back!
It shrieked aloud and threw the boy into repeated convulsions, and then came out, leaving him like a corpse; in fact, many said,
He is dead.
But Jesus took hold of his hand and raised him to his feet, and he stood up.
Then Jesus went indoors, and his disciples asked him privately,
Why could we not drive it out?
He said,
This kind cannot be driven out except by prayer.
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The Collect:
O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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One alone is wise, the Lord most terrible,
seated upon his throne.
–Sirach 1:8 (Revised English Bible)
ter-ri-ble…6. FORMIDABLE causing awe or dread
—Encarta World English Dictionary (1999)
“Fear of God” is an expression I hear often. I wonder how many people who use it know what it means. “Fear,” in this case, is not terror; it is awe, as in the use of the word “terrible,” which is present (meaning definition #6, quoted above) in many older hymns. Look at Sirach 1:8 again and compare translations. The New American Bible reads “awe-inspiring” were the REB says “terrible,” and the New Revised Standard Version has “greatly to be feared.” The Roman Catholic version of the Good News Translation, Second Edition (1992), reads:
There is only one who is wise,
and we must stand in awe before his throne.
What, then, is awe? The best definition I can find comes from the Encarta World English Dictionary (1999):
a feeling of amazement and respect mixed with fear that is often coupled with a feeling of personal insignificance or powelessness
We are all insignificant and powerless relative to God. This lesson ties into the reading from Mark. Before I get to that, I need to establish our place in the Markan narrative so far. The Transfiguration has just happened. Selected Apostles have seen a manifestation of how significant and powerful Jesus is. Meanwhile, at the base of the mountain, disciples have tried and failed to heal a boy afflicted by what his culture understood as a demon. (We would have a clinical diagnosis today in North America, but that is beside the point of the story.) The disciples tried and failed because they were unprepared and out of their league. Jesus had not given them this assignment. These disciples were eager and ineffective beavers, almost certainly motivated, though, by altruism. (Let us assume the best, given the absence of evidence to think otherwise.)
These disciples felt powerless and insignificant, as did many other members of the crowd. The Markan Gospel tells us that, as Jesus and his hand-picked Apostles descended the mountain, people looked at him with awe. Previous chapters in Mark contain stories of our Lord and Savior’s renown, so this account fits neatly with those. And Jesus does what people believe he can do. The father believes somewhat that Jesus can cure his son. The “somewhat” part of this is understandable, given the stress the man must have experienced for years. But it was enough; it was little yet sufficient.
Jesus was close to God, the source of his power. (He was also part of God. Let us not attempt to explain any further, for the Trinity is a beautiful mystery beyond human comprehension.) And, as Ben Sira tells us in Sirach, one of my favorite books of the Bible, we must stand in awe before God’s throne. Ben Sira writes that this is God who has created nature and wisdom, personified as a woman. (This gender personification is appropriate, I think. Generally speaking, I am more likely to have an intelligent conversation with a woman than with a man.) Wisdom, Ben Sira, writes, is the original creation, and God has distributed it to everyone, but “without stint” to those who love him.
So all that is good, noble, constructive, and really wise is of God. This realization need not drive anyone to theocratic leanings and opposition to science and intellectualism, for that negative approach is neither good nor noble nor constructive nor really wise. As an Episcopalian, I affirm that human reason is a valid prism (along with scripture and tradition) through which to consider matters of faith and theology. Science is a valid path to much knowledge, and the misuse of scripture to contradict proven reality is an old sin of much of the Church. For example, when Copernicus (in the 1500s) and Galileo (in the 1600s) argued from observations that the Earth revolves around the Sun, the Catholic Church labeled such ideas heretical. They cited texts including Psalm 93:2:
He has made the whole world so sure
that it cannot be moved;
Poetry is a poor substitute for astronomy.
To be clear, I state simply that we mere mortals need to know that we are mere mortals who must stand in awe of God, if we are to proceed on solid ground during our spiritual journeys. This is humility, certainly a virtue.
ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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