That sentiment fits well within the contexts of the previous post and this one. In readings for both God takes a people back–idolatrous Hebrews in Jeremiah and Hebrew exiles (soon to return to their ancestral homeland) in Isaiah.
Such generosity calls for faithful responses to God. One category of such responses covers how we treat each other. The excellent advice in Romans 12:9-21 fits neatly under the heading of the Golden Rule. St. Paul the Apostle’s counsel acknowledges total human dependence on God, human dependence on other people, and responsibility to and for others in society. It also contains a corrective measure against vengeance, one of the most powerful emotions.
The world would be a better place if more people were to seek common ground, respect others, and forgo repaying evil for evil. What we humans do matters. Often, when we think we are behaving righteously, our sinful deeds and attitudes belie that illusion. One might, for example, commit a violent act against a person whom one thinks has wronged one. That other person might indeed be in the wrong, but so is the perpetrator of the violence if the motive is revenge. Two wrongs do not make a right.
May we hold fast to the good, by grace.
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
The laws of God which are written on hearts and minds are laws of grace, love, and responsibility for and to each other. They are laws of love for and responsibility to God. The essence of them is to love God fully and others as ourselves. The rest is commentary–mostly culturally-specific commentary–examples (bound by time, space and circumstances) of universal principles. Therefore to become so fixated on examples as to ignore or minimize the universal principles is to miss the point and fall into legalism.
This internalized covenant is for all people, not that everyone embraces it or will do so. It is for Hebrews and Gentiles alike. It is for those like us and those quite different from us. It is as much as for Hebrews as it was for a confused Ethiopian eunuch who needed a good catechist. Fortunately, God sent him one.
The reading from Exodus speaks of the Passover meal instructions and of the importance of blood in deliverance–the latter being a theme in other readings for these days. In the case of the Passover, the blood protected the Hebrews not from their own sins, but those of Egyptians. This is a point which one might overlook out of imagined familiarity with the text. Anyhow, the metaphor of the Passover as applied to Jesus (perhaps most explicitly applied to Jesus in the Gospel of John, where he dies on Passover itself–is the sacrificial lamb) carries meaning beyond just saving us from ourselves–from our sins.
A traditional American hymn speaks of
What wondrous love
that
caused the Lord of bliss
to
lay aside his crown for my soul.
May we–you, O reader, and I–respond favorably to that grace with heart and mind engaged fully, giving neither short shrift. May we understand correctly and act accordingly, helping others to whom God sends us and others whom God sends to us, to do likewise. For we are all responsible to and for each other.
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)
Now suppose that some branches were broken off, and you are wild olive, grafted among the rest to share with the others the rich sap of the olive tree….
Sometimes a lectionary is too choppy. At such occasions extended readings are appropriate. Such is the case with the readings for January 21 and 22 on the daily lectionary from the Lutheran Service Book (2006).
The Book of Joel, from the Persian period (539-332 B.C.E.) of Jewish history, opens with frightening images. Read the first chapter, O reader of this post, for full effect. Locusts, flames, and other forces have devastated the land. And, as Chapter 2 opens, the terrifying Day of the LORD approaches. The earth trembles, the sky shakes, and stars go dark. Yet even then there is the possibility of forgiveness, assuming repentance, or turning around.
Paul spends Romans 10 and 11 dealing with the question of Jews who have rejected Jesus. In this context he likens Gentiles to branches grafted onto the tree of Judaism. Gentiles, he advises, ought not to become proud and dismissive. As much as there is divine mercy, there is also divine judgment–for Jews and Gentiles alike.
There is an often repeated misunderstanding about God as He comes across in the Hebrew Scriptures. The God of the Old Testament, we hear, is mean, violent, and vengeful. This is a gross oversimplification–read Joel 2 for evidence of that statement. I am convinced that some of the violent imagery and some of the stories containing it result from humans projecting their erroneous assumptions upon God. Yet I refuse to say that all–or even most–of such incidents flow from that practice. I seek, O reader, to avoid any stereotype–frightful or cuddly–about God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 31, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA SKOBTSOVA, ORTHODOX MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT BENJAMIN, ORTHODOX DEACON AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF FRANCIS ASBURY, U.S. METHODIST BISHOP
The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying,
Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.
So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out,
Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!
And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
…
When God say what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he said he would bring upon them and he did not do it.
Psalm 62:6-14 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
6 For God alone my soul in silence waits;
truly, my hope is in him.
7 He alone in my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken.
8 In God is my safety and my honor;
God is my strong rock and my refuge.
9 Put your trust in him always, O people,
pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge.
10 Those of high degree are but a fleeting breath,
even those of low estate cannot be trusted.
11 On the scales they are lighter than a breath,
all of them together.
12 Put no trust in extortion;
in robbery take no empty pride;
though wealth increases, set not your heart upon it.
13 God has spoken once, twice have I heard it,
that power belongs to God.
14 Steadfast love is yours, O Lord,
for you repay everyone according to his deeds.
1 Corinthians 7:29-31 (New Revised Standard Version):
I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, and those who deal with this world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of the world is passing away.
Mark 1:14-20 (New Revised Standard Version):
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying,
The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea–for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them,
Follow me and I will make you fish for people.
And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired him, and followed him.
The Collect:
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Rumi, or, as Persians and Afghanis call him, Jelaluddin Balkhi, lived from 1207 to 1273 C.E. He was one of the great poets. Professor Coleman Barks has translated many of Rumi’s works into English. Among these is “A Basket of Fresh Bread,” part of which I quote here:
Stay bewildered in God,
and only that.
Those of you are scattered,
simplify your worrying lives. There is one
righteousness: Water the fruit trees,
and don’t water the thorns. Be generous
to what nurtures the spirit and God’s luminous
reason-light. Don’t honor what causes
dysentery and knotted-up tumors.
Don’t feed both sides of yourself equally.
The spirit and the body carry different loads
and require different attentions.
Too often
we put saddlebags of Jesus and let
the donkey run loose in the pasture.
Don’t make the body do
what the spirit does best, and don’t let a big load
on the spirit that the body could carry easily.
(Source = The Essential Rumi, Translated by Coleman Barks with John Moyne, A. J. Arberry, and Reynold Nicholson, HarperCollins, 1995; paperback, 1996; page 256)
Following God requires us to make changes. The grace may be free to us, but it is not cheap. We read in Jonah 3 that the prophet’s message found a receptive audience, but we discover in Jonah 4 that this fact disappointed Jonah. He needed to lay aside his desire to see the people of Nineveh suffer for their sins.
As for Paul of Tarsus, all I can say is that I do not recall hearing this passage or the verse immediately before it read at a wedding, for good reason.
Yet those who marry will experience distress in life, and I would spare you that.–1 Corinthians 7:28b
Paul expected Jesus to return very soon, so marriage and other matters of daily life seemed relatively unimportant to him. Two thousand years later, however, human relationships continue and Jesus has yet to return. Some parts of the Bible are timeless; others are not.
And the Apostles? Some of them left family businesses behind, and most of them died because they insisted on spreading the news of Jesus. Nearly two thousand years later countless members of successive generations have known the mercies of Jesus because of what these men did. I owe my faith in part to them.
Grace was not cheap for them. This is the grace which grants repentance–literally turning around or changing one’s mind–and then forgiveness of sins. Such grace scandalizes some of us from time to time, but we benefit from grace, too. Consider this: Somebody might find the grace God has extended to you scandalous.
Playing with Rumi’s word pictures, how often do we put the saddle bags on Jesus and let the donkey run loose in the pasture? How often do we, perhaps out of ignorance, malnourish ourselves spiritually? And how often do we water thorns? I need to deal with these issues at least as much as do many other people.
The reality is that we–you and I–will not be the most effective ambassadors for Christ until, by grace, we begin to correct these bad habits and continue to replace them with good habits. What we–you and I–do affects others in ways we cannot imagine. Our influence, whether direct or indirect, is greater than we know. So, by grace, may it be as positive as possible.
Seemingly Unlikely Qualifications in Dangerous Times
JANUARY 21, 2020
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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 16:1-13 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
The LORD said to Samuel,
How long will you grieve over Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.
And Samuel said,
How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.
And the LORD said,
Take a heifer with you, and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.” And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me him whom I will name to you.
Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said,
Do you come peaceably?
And he said,
Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.
And he sacrificed Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.
When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought,
Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.
But the LORD said to Samuel,
Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.
Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said,
Neither has the LORD chosen this one.
Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said,
Neither has the LORD chosen this one.
And Jesse made seven of this sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse,
The LORD has not chosen these.
And Samuel said to Jesse,
Are all your sons here?
And he said,
There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.
And Samuel said to Jesse,
Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down till he comes here.
And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. And the LORD said,
Arise, anoint him; for this is he.
Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
Psalm 89:19-27 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
19 You spoke once in a vision and said to your faithful people:
“I have set the crown upon a warrior
and have exalted the one chosen out of the people.
20 I have found David my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him.
21 My hand will hold him fast
and my arm will make him strong.
22 No enemy shall deceive him,
nor any wicked man bring him down.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and love shall be with him,
and he shall be victorious through my Name.
25 I shall make his dominion extend
from the Great from the Great Sea to the River.
26 He will say to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the rock of my salvation,’
27 I will make him my firstborn
and higher than the kings of the earth.
Mark 2:23-28 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to him,
Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?
And he said to them,
Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him; how he entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the showbread, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?
And he said to them,
The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; so the Son of man is lord even of the sabbath.
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The Collect:
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
It was a dangerous time for Samuel. He was on a mission to find Saul’s replacement, but Saul was not going to vacate the throne for years, as events played out. From a certain point of view Samuel was on a treasonous mission, hence the necessity of the plausible cover story about making a sacrifice to God.
This is how 1 Samuel 9:2b-3 describes Saul shortly before he became king:
…a handsome young man. There was not a man among the sons of Israel more handsome than he; from his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
Now reread the account from 1 Samuel 16:1-13. God tells Samuel not to focus on outward appearances. David was the Anti-Saul. Both were handsome, according to the texts, but David was “ruddy.” Outwardly he did not seem qualified to govern a kingdom, but the shepherd became the founder of a dynasty.
David did find himself in great danger for the next few years, given the political threat he posed to Saul. There was even a civil war, but David won in the end. The rest is history.
As a student of history, especially the U.S. Presidency, I am well aware of the fact that one’s resume can be of limited value in evaluating whether a candidate will be a good leader. For example, James Buchanan (in office 1857-1861) had a long and distinguished resume, yet was a terrible president. And Herbert Hoover (in office 1929-1933) was a great humanitarian, a man who had overseen food rationing at home during World War I then fed much of Europe. To “Hooverize” something was to do it well, right up until the Great Depression. On the other hand, Abraham Lincoln had a much shorter political resume than did Buchanan before become President of the United States in 1861. And Harry Truman, before making his name in the Senate during World War II, owed his federal career to patronage from a corrupt man.
Perhaps we ought to reevaluate our concepts of qualifications for certain posts sometimes. It is vital not to fall into the grave error of anti-intellectualism when doing this, for anti-intellectualism leads to other mistakes. The impulse to favor “people like me” while eschewing alleged eggheads and others who have studied crucial issues of the day closely for years is politically unwise. But the lesson to focus too much on outward appearances–today we would say one’s image on television–remains timeless.
