Koheleth, the author of Ecclesiastes, discovered that he enjoyed his wealth, but that he got nothing else out of it. That enjoyment of life’s blessings is a gift from God, he wrote.
Psychological studies have revealed the links between increased wealth and happiness. Up to a certain amount, more wealth means more happiness. Past that point increased wealth leads either to no additional happiness or to greater stress. Often people who are wealthy beyond the point at which more wealth does not increase happiness desire more money. Yet some of the most content people have had little and some of the most miserable people have been wealthy. Likewise, some of the poorest people have found poverty to be the cause of great misery and some of the wealthiest people have long known that money can stave off many indignities and sorrows.
The real issue is priorities. Wealth can insulate one from a sense of total dependence on God and of responsibilities to and for other people. This reality, I am convinced, explains many of the hard sayings regarding wealth in the Bible. Furthermore, wealth cannot shield one from all of life’s indignities and sorrows.
Another priority is choosing happiness. Being happy is a choice, regardless of one’s level of wealth, marital status, health, et cetera. Establishing the priority to notice the plethora of blessings from God and to revel in them is a positive course of action.
A negative course of action is to fail to recognize divine wisdom. St. Paul the Apostle wrote that such failure led to the crucifixion of Jesus. Christ was divine love incarnate, but that love proved threatening to human power structures built on violence and on artificial scarcity and exclusiveness. Those blinders prevented those who killed Jesus and those who consented to his death from recognizing their sin. Those people could have enjoyed God fully, but they failed to recognize God in their midst.
A habit I remind myself to nurture is to identify five blessings every day. (I should do better at this practice than I do, but often I become distracted.) To identify five blessings each day and to revel in them is a realistic goal. So is to do this for many consecutive days without duplicating any items on the daily lists. The main point of this spiritual exercise is to develop a mindset of gratitude to God and of awareness of the great number of blessings–to enjoy God more fully. Koheleth and St. Paul the Apostle would approve.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT MATTHEW THE EVANGELIST, APOSTLE AND MARTYR
Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus Christ, most merciful redeemer,
for the countless blessings and benefits you give.
May we know you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly,
day by day praising you, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 22
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The Assigned Readings:
Judges 2:6-15 (Thursday)
Judges 2:16-23 (Friday)
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 (Both Days)
2 Corinthians 10:1-11 (Thursday)
Acts 13:16-25 (Friday)
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God, examine me and know my heart,
probe me and know my thoughts;
make sure I do not follow pernicious ways,
and guide me in the way that is everlasting.
–Psalm 139:23-24, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
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2 Corinthians is a cut-and-pasted document. There were four letters from St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthian Church:
The first is lost, as are many other ancient texts.
1 Corinthians is the second letter.
2 Corinthians 10:1-13:13 is the third letter.
2 Corinthians 1-9 (except for 6:14-7:1, the authorship and original placement of which are matters of dispute) is the fourth letter.
[Thanks to Calvin J. Roetzel, The Letters of Paul: Conversations in Context, 2d. Ed. (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1982), pages 52-63.]
The text which is actually 3 Corinthians is a defensive, scolding, sarcastic, and sometimes threatening letter. St. Paul argued against criticisms, such as the claim that he was more effective at a distance than when he was near and the allegation that he could not do what he claimed he could do. He had to contend with fractiousness and rumor mongering. Such problems constituted evidence of spiritual problems in the congregation.
St. Paul was not the only one who had to contend with people who disobeyed God. Of course, God has had to deal with that problem for a long time. Even those who had experienced the Exodus were prone to idolatry and rebellion. Their descendants continued that pattern, unfortunately.
We humans have insufficient attention spans much of the time. We also have selective memories. I read about God’s mighty acts of the past, but many people experienced them. How could any of them forget or ignore such wonders?
May we–you, O reader, and I–pay better attention and be more obedient.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 19, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN HERMANN SCHEIN, GERMAN LUTHERAN COMPOSER
The LORD shall give strength to the chosen people;
the LORD shall give the people the blessing of peace.
–Psalm 29:8-11, Book of Common Worship (1993)
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Idolatry was a difficult habit to break, according to the Hebrew Scriptures. Being a good Monotheist must have been hard in a sea of polytheism. Blending in has long been easier than sticking out, after all. But sticking out was part of the mandate for the Israelites.
St. Paul the Apostle, formerly Saul, stuck out so much that some people tried to kill him. They must have felt threatened by his message, for attempted killing–assassination, murder, or execution–is an extreme action, one reserved for those considered especially undesirable and dangerous. Apparently, that description, in the opinion of some, applied to the Philistine forces in 1 Samuel 7:10-11.
Violence can be a complicated matter. Thus I will not attempt to untie that Gordian Knot in this blog post. But I admit that the instances of it in Acts 9 and 1 Samuel 7 disturb me.
The main point I seek to make here is that Samuel and St. Paul the Apostle led many people to God and others back to God. And they set good examples even if many people did not follow them. But these two men were leaders through whom God worked. They faced much opposition and did not succeed fully. But who among mere mortals does? May we–you, O reader, and I–be at least as successful as Samuel and St. Paul the Apostle, by grace, of course, in the pursuits God designates for us.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 3, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ARTHUR CARL LICHTENBERGER, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
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)
God’s saving justice was witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, but now it has been revealed altogether apart from law: God’s saving justice given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
I Myself will graze my flock, and I Myself will let them lie down–declares the Lord GOD. I will look for the lost, and I will bandage the injured, and I will sustain the weak; and the fat and the healthy ones I will destroy, and I will tend them rightly.
I have written one post to cover material for two days because, after having written many devotional blog entries, I do not know what else to say about the January 11 content. The texts, I think, make their points succinctly. Yet the January 12 content does lend itself to my comments.
Pauline theology holds that the Law of Moses served its purpose in its time. Yet now that Jesus has arrived on the scene, a new stage of salvation history has begun. That is a simplification, but hopefully not an excessive one. Linking Romans 3:19-31 with Ezekiel 34:1-24 works well, for the prophet, channeling God, condemned false and bad shepherds, such as certain kings. A good and divine shepherd, identified as God, would step in, set matters right, and find the stray sheep. And, of course, the Good Shepherd is an image for Jesus in the Gospels.
We modern readers, especially those not in frequent contact with sheep or shepherds, need to recall that shepherds were not highly respected people in the times of Ezekiel, Jesus, and Paul. Shepherds were necessary, but they were not respectable. They were, in fact, smelly. Yet this profession provided imagery for God (Yahweh/Adonai) and Jesus. One might draw several useful points from this fact, but I focus on one here. Channeling an attitude from Ezekiel 34, we ought not to look down upon those among us who perform necessary work we might deem undesirable. The job titles vary from place to place. In Georgia, my home, the “shepherds” are Latin American migrants who work mostly on farms. These individuals merit our respect, not our disdain.
Each of us bears the image of God; may we think of and treat each other accordingly.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 15, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZACHARY, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF EDMUND MUSKIE, UNITED STATES SENATOR AND SECRETARY OF STATE
THE FEAST OF SAINT LOUISE DE MARILLAC, COFOUNDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF CHARITY
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
He it is who came by water and blood,
Jesus Christ,
not with water alone,
but with water and blood,
and it is the Spirit that bears witness,
for the Spirit is Truth.
So there are three witnesses,
the Spirit, water and blood;
and the three of them coincide.
If we accept the testimony of human witnesses,
God’s testimony is greater,
for this is God’s testimony
which he gave about his Son.
Whoever believes in the Son of God
has this testimony within him,
and whoever does not believe
is making God a liar,
because he has not believed
the testimony God has given about his Son.
This is the testimony:
God has given us eternal life,
and this life is in his Son.
Whoever has the Son has life,
and whoever has not the Son of God has not life.
I have written this to you
who believe in the name of the Son of God
so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Psalm 147:12-20 (New Jerusalem Bible):
Praise Yahweh, Jerusalem,
Zion, praise your God.
For he gives strength to the bars of your gates,
he blesses your children within you,
he maintains the peace of your frontiers,
gives you your fill of finest wheat.
He sends his word to the earth,
his command runs quickly,
he spreads the snow like flax,
strews hoarfrost like ashes,
he sends ice-crystals like breadcrumbs,
and who can withstand that cold?
When he sends his word it thaws them,
when he makes his wind blow, the waters are unstopped.
He reveals his word to Jacob,
his statutes and judgments to Israel.
For no other nation has done this,
no other has known his judgments.
Luke 5:12-16 (New Jerusalem Bible):
Now it happened that Jesus was in one of the towns when suddenly a man appeared, covered with a skin-disease. Seeing Jesus he fell on his face and implored him saying,
Sir, if you are willing you can cleanse me.
He stretched out his hand, and touched him saying
I am willing. Be cleansed.
At once the skin-disease left him. He ordered him to tell no one,
But go and show yourself to the priest and make the offering of your cleansing just as Moses prescribed, as evidence to them.
But the news of him kept spreading, and large crowds would gather to hear him and have their illnesses cured, but he would go off to some deserted place and pray.
The Collect:
O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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Jesus needed to find solitude and to pray. If this was a requirement for him, much more do we need to do this, too?
I have lived without cable television voluntarily for years. This was partially a financial decision: Why should I pay a bill for a service I barely use and really do not want or need? Yet it was a spiritual choice, too. I have chosen to read more books, listen to more Canadian radio online, and play more classical music and jazz. And I have discs when I want to watch something. What I watch then is probably better and more interesting than what I could find on cable TV at the time. And I have thrown myself into blogging, of course. To think that what I do in private can help others whom I will never meet is gratifying.
Yet I can still distract myself from the imperative of prayer. I am no spiritual giant.
Prayer can assume many forms, the greatest of which (I am convinced) are non-verbal. Ultimately prayer is a state of being in which we crave to be conscious of the presence of God and in which the desire for more of this oozes from our pores, so to speak. Frequently this entails solitude and silence, or at least a suitable environment we create with music. I have encountered God in silence, classical music, and John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, for example.
We are always in the presence of God. May we become increasingly conscious of this reality, and recharge our spiritual batteries so that we may serve God better. In so doing we will realize that we have eternal life–knowing God via Jesus–in the here and now.
