That is true, of course, so idolatry is especially galling. Marriage, a literal matter in 1 Corinthians 7, is a metaphor in Jeremiah 3 and 4, where whoring becomes a metaphor for idolatry. A relationship with God is intimate, this language tells us.
One of the themes in the Gospel of Mark, no part of which we read today, is that those who think they are insiders might actually be outsiders. That theme applies to our Lord and Savior’s accusers in Luke 11; he was never in league with evil. The fact that a person who knew Jesus could not recognize that reality speaks badly of that individual. Jesus was no more in league with evil than Simon Magus could purchase the Holy Spirit, the offer to do which led to a quotable rebuke:
May your silver be lost for ever, and you with it, for you think that money could buy what God has given for nothing! You have no share, no part, in this: God can see how your heart is warped. Repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the LORD that this scheme of yours may be forgiven; it is plain to me that you are held in the bitterness of gall and the chains of sin.
–Acts 8:20b-23, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
From that incident came the word “simony.”
Grace is free yet not cheap. We can never purchase or earn it, but we can respond favorably to it. Grace demands concrete evidence of its presence, as measured in deeds, which flow from attitudes. Do we love our neighbors as we love ourselves? I prefer that standard to any Pietistic list of legalistic requirements.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 27, 2015 COMMON ERA
PROPER 21: THE EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF SAINT LEOBA, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN AND MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF THE INAUGURATION OF THE CHURCH OF SOUTH INDIA, 1947
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:
1 Samuel 2:21-21-25
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
Matthew 25:1-13
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Yahweh, you examine me and know me,
you know when I sit, when I rise,
you understand my thoughts from afar.
You watch me when I walk or lie down,
you know every detail of my conduct.
–Psalm 139:1-3, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
—Common Worship (2000)
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The roots of the Anglican Collect for Purity, a contemporary version of which I have quoted immediately above, reach back to the 1200s C.E., although the echoes of Psalms, especially Psalm 51, take its history back much further. The theology of the collect fits today’s devotion well. The first question of the Larger (Westminster) Catechism asks:
What is the chief and highest end of man?
The answer is:
Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.
–Quoted in Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), The Book of Confessions (1996), page 201
Fulfilling that high spiritual calling requires grace as well as a positive human response to God. Grace marks that affirmative response possible. Thus we exist in the midst of grace. But what will we do with it? There is, after all, the matter of free will.
The readings for today contain cautionary tales. Eli was the priest prior to Samuel. Eli’s sons were notorious and unrepentant sinners. Their father rebuked them, but not as often and as sternly as he should have done. Even if he had rebuked them properly, he could not have forced them to amend their attitudes and actions, for which they paid the penalty. Eli’s successor became someone outside his family; that was the price he paid. As for the foolish bridesmaids, they did not maintain their supply of lamp oil, as was their responsibility.
Some spiritual tasks we must perform for ourselves. We cannot perform them for others, nor can others perform them for us. Others can encourage us, assist us, and point us in the right direction, but only we can attend to certain tasks in our spiritual garden. Will we do this or not?
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KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 19, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN HERMANN SCHEIN, GERMAN LUTHERAN COMPOSER
Shebna was a high-ranking official in the court of the King of Judah. This royal steward, according to Isaiah, was unworthy of the position he held and of the elaborate tomb he had had built for himself. The prophet predicted Shebna’s demotion and the promotion of Eliakim to the post of steward. As the notes on page 826 of The Jewish Study Bible tell me, Isaiah 36:3; Isaiah 37:2; and 2 Kings 18:18 refer to Eliakim as royal steward. Isaiah also predicted the downfall of Eliakim, who was also vulnerable to human weaknesses and failings.
Human weaknesses and failings were on full display in Genesis 27:30-38. Certainly Rebecca and Jacob did not emerge from the story pristine in reputation. And St. Paul the Apostle, a great man of history and of Christianity, struggled with his ego. He knew many of his weaknesses and failings well.
Fortunately, the success of God’s work on the planet does not depend upon we mere mortals. Yes, it is better if we cooperate with God, but the Kingdom of God, in one of our Lord and Savior’s parables, is like a mustard tree–a large, generally pesky weed which spreads where it will. Whenever I ponder that parable I think about the kudzu just an short drive from my home. The Kingdom of God is like kudzu. The divine message of Jesus is like kudzu. I take comfort in that.
Yet we humans, despite our weaknesses and failings, can cooperate with God. It is better that way. It is better for us, certainly. And it is better for those whom God will reach through us. The transforming experience of cooperating with God will prove worth whatever price it costs us.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 5, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MOTHER TERESA OF CALCUTTA, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN
THE FEAST OF GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENT BISHOP
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)
Saul: “An odd thing happened when I was chasing my father’s runaway donkeys.”
JANUARY 13, 2024
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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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1 Samuel 9:1-4, 15-19; 10:1ab (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth; and he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the sons of Israel more handsome than he; from his soldiers upward he was taller than any of the people.
Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son,
Take one of the servants with you, and arise, go, and look for the donkeys.
And they passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.
…
Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed to Samuel:
Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have seen the affliction of my people, because their cry has come to me.
When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him,
Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall rule over my people.
Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate, and said,
Tell me where is the house of the seer?
Samuel answered Saul,
I am the seer; go up before me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind.
Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said,
Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of Israel and you will save them from the hand of their enemies round about.
Psalm 21 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 The king rejoices in your strengh, O LORD;
how greatly he exults in your victory!
2 You have given him his heart’s desire;
you have not denied him the request of his lips.
3 For you meet him with blessings of prosperity,
and set a crown of fine gold upon his head.
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him:
length of days, for ever and ever.
5 His honor is great, because of your victory;
splendor and majesty have you bestowed upon him.
6 For you will give him everlasting felicity
and will make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king puts his trust in the LORD;
because of the loving-kindness of the Most High, he will not fall.
Mark 2:13-17 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
He went out again beside the sea; and all the crowd gathered about him, and he taught them. And as he passed on, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and he said to him,
Follow me.
And he rose and followed him.
And as he sat at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were sitting with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples,
Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?
And when Jesus heard it, he said to them,
Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.
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The Collect:
Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Saul, son of Kish, woke up one day. He probably thought that it would be just another day, not all that different from recent ones. His father sent him and a servant on a mission to find two runaway donkeys. This assignment was below Saul’s social standing, but there is no evidence that he complained about this fact. So Saul and the servant searched long, far, and unsuccessfully for the wandering animals. They were gone for a long time, probably long enough to cause Kish concern for the safety of his son and servant.
Saul did not find the donkeys; another person did that (1 Samuel 9:20). He found Samuel, instead. The surprising end of Saul’s donkey chase was his anointing as the first human King of Israel. Certainly he did not foresee that on the morning of the day he set out to seek runaway donkeys.
This was a surprising call. There is no hint of Saul’s bad end in this, our introduction to him. At this point in the narrative there is still hope that he might be a good king, one who protects his subjects.
We read of another surprising call in Mark 2. Matthew/Levi was a Roman tax collector, a literal tax thief for the occupying power. But he answered our Lord’s call to pursue a different vocation, apostleship, which ended in martyrdom.
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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Hebrews 4:1-5, 11 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest remains, let us fear lest any of you be judged to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them; but the message which they heard did not benefit them, because it did not meet with faith in the hearers. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,
As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall never enter my rest,’
although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhat spoken of the seventh day in this way. “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”
And again in this place he said,
They shall never enter my rest.
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest that no one fall by the same sort of disobedience.
Psalm 78:3-8 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
3 That which we have heard and known,
and what our forefathers have told us,
we will not hide from their children.
4 We will recount to generations to come
the praiseworthy deeds and power of the LORD,
and the wonderful works he has done.
5 He gave his decrees to Jacob
and established a law for Israel,
which he commanded them to teach to their children;
6 That the generation to come might know,
and the children yet unborn;
that they in their turn might tell it to their children;
7 So that they might put their trust in God,
and not forget the deeds of God,
but keep his commandments;
8 And not be like their forefathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
and whose spirit was not faithful to God.
Mark 2:1-12 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together , so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
Child, your sins are forgiven.
Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,
Why does this man speak like this? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?
And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit what they questioned like this within themselves, said to them,
Why do you question like this in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your pallet, and walk’? But that you too may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins
–he said to the paralytic–
I say to you, rise, take up your pallet, and go home.
And he rose, and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying,
We never saw anything like this!
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The Collect:
Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
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He who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him; the sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.
Leviticus 24:16 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition)
This is the passage the critics of Jesus had on their minds when they accused him of blasphemy for forgiving sins.
Let us pause and catch up with the narrative in the Gospel According to Mark. Jesus had healed a leper and instructed to follow the germane rituals of the Law of Moses. Instead the man had told everyone he could what Jesus had done for him. So Jesus had to remain in the wilderness for a while until the excitement died down. Then he returned to his home at Capernaum, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. And people flocked to him there, in his house. Four men had to cut out a portion of the flat roof of Jesus’ house and lower a paralyzed friend on a pallet, so Jesus could heal him. We have no account of the paralyzed man’s faith, but that of the four friends is obvious.
Jewish orthodoxy of the time held that physical suffering, such as paralysis, flowed from sin. One needed forgiveness from God before healing could occur. Jesus, who had divine authority his critics did not recognize, forgave the man first then healed him. Whatever the mechanics of how this happened, the story describes that is occurred. William Barclay, in is volume on this Gospel, suggests a psychological cause of both the paralysis and the healing. The man, Barclay writes, may have been paralyzed because he knew he was a sinner, and Jesus’ forgiveness was all the man needed to be whole again. Maybe so, but I think the result more important than the process or the cause.
And, as Barclay writes in his commentary on this passage from Mark, “The experts in the law were hoist on their own petard.” Jesus had forgiven and healed. The man’s healed state was evidence of forgiveness of sin, in the standard theology of the time. So could the elders of the Sanhedrin claim that God had not forgiven him and that Jesus was a blasphemer who deserved death by stoning without being hypocrites?
The men who wrote the canonical Gospels did so decades after the life of Jesus. They know how the story ended, and so they planted foreshadowing in these documents. They emphasized details they deemed germane to the development of the narrative. We have such foreshadowing here. It is about to get dangerous for Jesus.
These religious experts were rebelling against God, perhaps without knowing it. The guardians of tradition were the disobedient ones. God was doing a new thing, and they either did not perceive it or welcome it, or both. They were frozen in place, stuck in the paralysis of their own tradition. Sometimes trust in God requires us to abandon tradition and to accept the evidence we see with our own eyes.
I have watched all episodes of a 2002-2004 series called Jeremiah. The events of the series occur in 2020-2021, 15 and 16 years after “The Big Death,” a virus that killed almost all post-pubescent humans within half a year. Our heroes, headquartered at Cheyenne Mountain, are competing with other factions to rebuild the United States politically and otherwise. Jeremiah, for whom the show is named, is angry with God, blaming the deity for letting all the unfortunate events occur. One of the most interesting characters is Mister Smith, who claims that God speaks to him. One day, Mister Smith passes along an invitation from God. Those who to a certain place on a certain date and who wait long enough will receive a miracle of their choosing. Jeremiah refuses to go along, but a few others agree to go with Mister Smith to the designated place. Yet only Mister Smith remains long enough to receive his miracle. He asked for the restoration of the use of one arm, paralyzed in a recent accident. And only Mister Smith receives his miracle. He tells the others that they should have stayed.
God might not make sense to us, but that is our problem, not God’s.
ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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