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 Interpreter’s Bible, Volume V (1956), page 338 on Isaiah 31:1-3:
This oracle is a companion piece to 30:1-7, with its references to the Judean embassy seeking Egyptian help, to the illusory strength of Egypt, to the wisdom and the spirit of God, and to the inevitable discomfiture of a plan to seek foreign aid rather than to rely on God. The propensity of human beings in time of danger to grasp for material support at whatever moral cost, and to neglect the priority of spiritual realities because they are intangible, is here vividly set out. The grandiose dreams of the Judean leaders will come to nothing; instead, they will invoke the nemesis of history. For this the prophet gives two reasons: (a) their policy flouts the wise purpose of Yahweh, which alone governs the course of events; and (b) they are putting their trust in something as weak and transitory as themselves, which will perish with them.
King Hezekiah, seeking defense against Assyria, had entered into an alliance with Egypt, whose leadership, as Volume V (1956) of The Interpreter’s Bible stated on page 330, made grand promises yet could do nothing more than talk. For this talking the Pharaoh received tribute from Judah. There was no security to find in that alliance.
A common belief in the Hellenistic Mediterranean world was that demonic possession caused a variety of conditions. Today we call them a range of terms, from stress to mental illness. In those days, however, the term for treating those conditions was exorcism. Some of our Lord and Savior’s opponents accused him of exorcising via a league with Satan. Even inside the cultural milieu the logic failed immediately.
The unifying theme this day is turning away from God and toward that which is false, illusory, and incapable of meeting the needs of the moment. We humans do this often. Related to this pattern is a constant–human nature, with its strengths and weaknesses. The weaknesses share the central seat with divine fidelity in this post.
Whenever we seek substitutes for God, whether they be sports, drugs, bad religion, or other idols, we attempt to force square pegs into round holes. We set off upon foolish and doomed errands. May we cease to do that, by grace and for the glory of God, the benefit of our fellow human beings, and the best interests of ourselves.
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)
As I have written more than once already–including in this series of Job and John posts, anyone who speaks of “the patience of Job” as if Job were patient fails to understand the Book of Job correctly. In fact, Job is quite impatient in Chapter 21.
Likewise, Jesus is far from the embodiment of patience in John 8:39-59. People accuse him of being possessed. He also states that his accusers are children of Satan, not of God. And, at the end, he says,
In all truth I tell you,
before Abraham was,
I am.
–8:58, The New Jerusalem Bible
“I am” is the same in Greek as “I AM” in Hebrew.
I read this part of the Johannine Gospel and recognize that the strained relations between the community of “John” and their fellow Jews at the end of the first century CE shaped the narrative. How could they not? We humans tell the past in the context of the present and the recent past. That is how historical memory works. Yet I know that relations between Jesus and Palestinian Jewish leaders were frosty at best and hostile at worst. His crucifixion attests to that reality. And I take comfort in the fact that the concerted efforts to silence Jesus failed. Who can kill I AM after he has refused to stay dead?
The portrayal of Jesus in much material intended for children is sanitized. He almost always nice, at least according to the art in children’s Bibles I have examined. And our Lord is usually patient and serene. Why would anyone seek to execute such a nice man? But read the Gospels. Jesus was nice to many people yet confrontational toward others. And he was sometimes impatient and even quite angry. He made powerful enemies. Jesus was much more interesting than the serene Savior presented to many children (and adults). The real Jesus was–and is–a worthy Lord. The serene Savior is a safe and sanitized fiction. I am impatient with it.
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 5:13-20 (Revised English Bible):
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let him pray. Is anyone in good heart? Let him sing praises. Is one of you ill? Let him send for the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord; the prayer offered in faith will heal the sick man, the Lord will restore him to health, and if he has committed sins they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. A good man’s prayer is very powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us; yet when he prayed fervently that there should be no rain, the land had no rain for three and a half years; when he prayed again, the rain poured down and the land bore crops once more.
My friends, if one of you strays from the truth and another succeeds in bringing him back, you may be sure of this: the one who brings a sinner back from his erring ways will be rescuing a soul from death and cancelling a multitude of sins.
Psalm 34:1-8 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall ever be in my mouth.
2 I will glory in the LORD;
let the humble hear and rejoice.
3 Proclaim with me the greatness of the LORD;
let us exult his Name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me out of all my terror.
5 Look upon him and be radiant,
and let not your faces be ashamed.
6 I called in my affliction and the LORD heard me
and saved me from all my troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encompasses those who fear him,
and he will deliver them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;
happy are they who trust in him.
Mark 10:13-16 (Revised English Bible):
They brought children for him to touch. The disciples rebuked them, but when Jesus saw it he was indignant, and said to them,
Let the children come to me; do not try to stop them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you: whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.
And he put his arms round them, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
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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.
I recall watching the funeral of Joseph Cardinal Bernardin on WGN in the late 1990s. The congregation, led by a priest, sang “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord” during the service. I am sure that, prior to the Cardinal’s death, many people prayed for his healing and recovery. Yet he died of cancer anyway. So James has oversimplified a point.
Nevertheless, the readings for this day point toward a timeless truth: We are all responsible for each other in the church. God calls us to help each other as possible, especially spiritually. This ethic is evident is the baptismal rites of The Episcopal Church, my denomination. Baptism is initiation into the Christian household, not fire insurance.
Much of Western Christianity is overly individualistic, falling into the heresy of Jesus-and-Meism. I have had discouraging conversations with people who have told me that they do not care what happens to this world or on it, for they are saved, and they will go to Heaven when they die. They are content to be healthy in a sick system, but Jesus calls us to work toward the healing of the system. Think about the healing stories involving our Lord; he restored the healed to social wholeness. Besides, Jesus does not call us to be selfish. If we do indeed love our neighbors as ourselves, and if we love ourselves properly, as God has us to do, we must care about what happens to the world and on it, what fates befall our neighbors.
This is the ethic of James and Jesus. It is a wise ethic, one more of us should emulate, for the common good and the glory of God.
Above: Orthodox Icon of Jesus at Golgotha, by Theophanes the Cretan (1500s)
Righteousness and Suffering
FEBRUARY 26, 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) 2:1-11 (Revised English Bible):
My son, if you aspire to be a servant of the Lord,
prepare yourself for testing.
Set a straight course and keep to it,
and do not be dismayed in the face of adversity.
Hold fast to him and never let go,
if you would end your days in prosperity.
Bear every hardship that is sent you,
and whenever humiliation comes, be patient;
for gold is assayed in the fire,
and the chosen ones in the furnace of humiliation.
Trust him and he will help you;
steer a straight course and fix your hope on him.
You that fear the Lord, wait for his mercy;
do not stray, for fear you will fall.
You that fear the Lord, trust in him,
and you will not be baulked of your reward.
You that fear the Lord, hope for prosperity
and lasting joy and favour.
Consider the past generations and see:
was anyone who trusted the Lord ever disappointed?
Was anyone who stood firm in the fear of him ever abandoned?
Did he ever ignore anyone who called to him?
For the Lord is compassionate and merciful;
he forgives sin and saves in time of trouble.
Psalm 112 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Hallelujah!
Happy are they who fear the Lord
and have great delight in his commandments!
2 Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches will be in their house,
and their righteousness will last for ever.
4 Light shines in the darkness for the upright;
the righteous are merciful and full of compassion.
5 It is good for them to be generous in lending
and to manage their affairs with justice.
6 For they will never be shaken;
the righteous will be kept in everlasting remembrance.
7 They will not be afraid of any evil rumors;
their heart is right;
they put their trust in the Lord.
8 Their heart is established and will not shrink,
until they see that desire upon their enemies.
9 They have given freely to the poor,
and their righteousness stands fast for ever;
they will hold up their head with honor.
10 The wicked will see it and be angry;
they will gnash their teeth and pine away;
the desires of the wicked will perish.
Mark 9:30-37 (Revised English Bible):
They left that district and made their way through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know, because he was teaching his disciples, and telling them,
The Son of Man is now to be handed over into the power of men, and they will kill him; and three days after being killed he will rise again.
But they did not understand what he said, and were afraid to ask.
So they came to Capernaum; and when he had gone indoors, he asked them,
What were you arguing about on the way?
They were silent, because on the way they had been discussing which one of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,
If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself the last of all and servant of all.
Then he took a child, set him in front of them, and put his arm round him.
Whoever receives a child like this in my name,
he said,
receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.
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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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Consider the Lukan version of the Beatitudes, from the Sermon on the Plain:
Blessed are you who are in need;
the kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who now go hungry;
you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now;
you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you and ostracize you, when they insult you and slander your very name, because of the Son of Man. On that day exult and dance for joy, for you have a rich reward in heaven; that is how their fathers treated the prophets.
But alas for you who are rich;
you have had your time of happiness.
Alas for you who are well fed now;
you will go hungry.
Alas for you who laugh now;
you will mourn and weep.
Alas for you when all speak well of you;
that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.
–Jesus in Luke 6:20-26 (Revised English Bible)
Then reread Sirach 2:1-11 and Psalm 112. They are quite different, are they not?
Prosperity Theology is a heresy. Love God and get rich and be healthy, is says. This a simplified version of that line of thought, but Prosperity Theology is an oversimplification itself. Part of good Biblical interpretation is balance. For example, we are sinful (That is in the Bible.), but we also bear the image of God (That, too, is in the Bible.). So it is heretical to state we are either equivalent to pond scum (to the exclusion of the image of God) or that we are “a little lower than the angels” (to the exclusion of our sinfulness). One needs to weigh Biblical subtleties intelligently.
As a student of history, I know of the Northern Renaissance, an offshoot of the Italian Renaissance. I consider myself a partial product of the Northern Renaissance, which favored following the example of Jesus more than ecclesiastical doctrines and dogmas. So, with that mind, let us consider the example of Jesus in today’s reading from Mark. He foretells his arrest, torture, execution and resurrection. He uses plain language to do this. The Apostles do not understand, but they are afraid to ask for an explanation. They have, however, been debating among themselves which is the greatest. The greatest, Jesus says, is the lowliest in society–the servant and the child, in particular.
Which examples might Jesus use if he were giving this teaching today? I suspect he would speak of immigrants, foster children, minimum-wage employees, and other vulnerable, powerless people. This is my list, for I am North American. If Jesus were delivering this teaching in India, he might say that anyone who welcomes a Dalit receives God.
It is vital to inject the reading from Mark with contemporary analogies. Otherwise, we might not face the raw power of the teaching of Jesus, surely the most righteous man who ever lived. And what happened to him? We know the answer to that question, do we not? If Jesus had lived in more modern times, we might not have crosses in churches; we might have replicas of an electric chair, a gas chamber, or a noose in churches. Clarence Jordan translated the story of Jesus into the Southern U.S. idiom in his Cotton Patch versions of the Gospels. Jordan’s Jesus died during a lynching.
Yet it is also true that, as Ben Sira tells us, gold is tested in the fire, and the righteous ones of God in the furnace of humiliation. I am fortunate that I live in a nation and a society in which I can worship freely. My society is not perfect, as outbreaks of blind, irrational, and hateful Islamophobia, especially in Republican Party politics demonstrate. (I write on the eve of the 2010 U.S. midterm elections.) But we, as a society, are more tolerant than are many others. If I were Christian in southern Sudan or anywhere in Iran, for example, I would certainly be at great risk of religious persecution. For such Christians the reading I quoted from Luke is a potent reality. Yet discipleship, even for a persecution-free Christian such as myself, must entail sacrifice. And I must not mistake popularity with divine approval.
These are difficult readings from the Gospels. Jesus challenges us to follow his example, wherever that takes us and regardless of the cost to ourselves. But this is the path to holiness. I have noticed many Lutheran churches named “Cross and Crown” or “Cross of Life.” Such labels are spiritually correct. I invite you, O reader, to ponder them and what you might have to sacrifice for the sake of righteousness.
And may the love of God flow through you and to all your fellow human beings, for everyone is a child of God. Some are more rebellious than others, to be sure, but all stand in the need of grace and bear the image of God. May love, not intolerance, characterize those of us who claim the label “Christian.” The way of cross is not the path of hatred and other forms of intolerance.
ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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