Without getting lost on a side trip through cultural context in 1 Timothy 2, I focus on the core, unifying theme this week: We reap what we sow.
Now they must eat the fruit of their own way,
and with their own devices be glutted.
For the self-will of the simple kills them,
the smugness of fools destroys them.
But he who obeys me dwells in security,
in peace, without fear of harm.
–Proverbs 1:33, The New American Bible (1991)
The crucifixion of Jesus, the blood of the martyrs, and the suffering of the righteous contradicts the last two lines. O, well. The Book of Proverbs is excessively optimistic sometimes. The Book of Ecclesiastes corrects that excessive optimism.
Righteousness is no guarantee against suffering in this life. Nevertheless, we will reap what we sow. Some of the reaping must wait until the afterlife, though.
The New Testament readings point to Jesus, as they should. 1 Timothy gets into some cultural details that do not reflect the reality of Athens, Georgia, in December 2020. I denounce the male chauvinism evident in 1 Timothy 1:9-15. That sexism is of its time and place. I focus instead on God desiring that people find salvation. They do not, of course. Many of them are like the disobedient people in Amos 5 and Proverbs 1.
The divine mandate of economic justice present in Amos 5 remains relevant. It is a mandate consistent with the teachings of Jesus and the ethos of Second Temple Judaism. That divine mandate, built into the Law of Moses, is crucial in Covenantal Nomism. According to Covenantal Nomism, salvation is via grace–birth into the covenant. One drops out of the covenant by consistently and willfully neglecting the ethical demands of the covenant.
In other words, damnation is via works and salvation is via grace.
The reading from John 1 requires some attempt at an explanation. The parts of John 1:35-43 that need to be clear are clear. But, after consulting learned commentaries, I still have no idea what amazed St. Bartholomew/Nathanael the Apostle about Jesus seeing him under a fig tree. I recall having read very educated guesses, though. The crucial aspect of that story is the call to follow Jesus. Also, John 1:43 links Jacob’s Ladder/Staircase/Ramp (Genesis 28:10-17) to the crucifixion (“lifting up”) of Jesus. The Johannine theme of the exaltation of Christ being his crucifixion occurs in Chapter 1, too. The crucifixion of Jesus was the gate of Heaven, according to John 1:43.
That gate is sufficiently narrow to exclude those who exclude themselves. Those who carry with them the luggage of bribery cannot enter. Those who haul along the bags of exploitation of the poor cannot pass. No, those who exclude themselves have done injustice to God and Jesus while exploiting “the least of these.” Those who have excluded themselves must eat the fruit of their own way.
C. S. Lewis wrote that the doors to Hell are locked from the inside.
Think about that, O reader.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 29, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF THE HOLY INNOCENTS (TRANSFERRED)
THE FEAST OF JOHN BURNETT MORRIS, SR., EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND WITNESS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
THE FEAST OF PHILIPP HEINRICH MOLTHER, GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER, BISHOP, COMPOSER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT THOMAS BECKET, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, AND MARTYR, 1170
THE FEAST OF THOMAS COTTERRILL ENGLISH PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND LITURGIST
Almighty God, by grace alone you call us and accept us in your service.
Strengthen us by your Spirit, and make us worthy of your call,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 23
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 12:1-9 (Monday)
Genesis 45:25-46:7 (Tuesday)
Psalm 46 (Both Days)
1 Corinthians 7:17-24 (Monday)
Acts 5:33-42 (Tuesday)
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The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
–Psalm 46:7, Common Worship (2000)
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I refuse to defend St. Paul the Apostle’s consistent failure to condemn slavery. Perhaps he thought that doing so was unnecessary, given his assumption that Jesus would return quite soon and correct societal ills. The Apostle was wrong on both counts. At least he understood correctly, however, that social standing did not come between one and God.
Whom God calls and why God calls them is a mystery which only Hod understands. So be it. To fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant partially via notorious trickster and con artist as well as his sons, some of whom sold one of their number into slavery, was to take a route which many people (including the author of this post) would have avoided. And the eleven surviving Apostles (before the selection of St. Matthias) had not been paragons of spiritual fortitude throughout the canonical Gospels. Yet they proved vital to God’s plan after the Ascension of Jesus.
Those whom God calls God also qualifies to perform important work for the glory of God and the benefit of others. This is about God and our fellow human beings, not about those who do the work. So may we, when we accept our assignments, fulfill them with proper priorities in mind. May we do the right thing for the right reason.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 23, 2014 COMMON ERA
PROPER 29–CHRIST THE KING SUNDAY–THE LAST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF JOHN KENNETH PFOHL, SR., U.S. MORAVIAN BISHOP; HIS WIFE, HARRIET ELIZABETH “BESSIE” WHITTINGTON PFOHL, U.S. MORAVIAN MUSICIAN; AND THEIR SON, JAMES CHRISTIAN PFOHL, SR., U.S. MORAVIAN MUSICIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT CLEMENT I OF ROME, BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT COLUMBAN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF MIGUEL AUGUSTIN PRO, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR
Pray, my lord, if the LORD really is with us, why has all this happened to us? What has become of all those wonderful deeds of his, of which we have heard from our forefathers, when they told us how the LORD brought us up from Egypt?
—The Revised English Bible
He received his answer and won a victory by God’s power, the subsequent narrative tells us. This saving, delivering deity was the same God of Jacob and of Sts. Mary and Joseph of Nazareth. This deity is the God of the baby Jesus also.
I do not pretend to have arrived at a complete comprehension of the nature of God, for some matters exist beyond the range of human capacity to grasp. Yet I do feel confident in making the following statement: God is full of surprises. So we mere mortals ought to stay on the alert for them, remembering to think outside the box of our expectations, a box into which God has never fit. This is easy to say and difficult to do, I know, but the effort is worthwhile.
The Bible is full of unexpected turns. Gideon’s army needed to be smaller, not larger. God became incarnate as a helpless infant, not a conquering hero. The selling of Joseph son of Jacob into slavery set up the deliverance of two nations. The hungry will filled and the full will be sent away empty, the Gospel of Luke says. Outcasts became heroes in parables of Christ. Saul of Tarsus, a persecutor of nascent Christianity, became one of its greatest evangelists. The list could go on, but I trust that I have made my point sufficiently.
So, following God, however God works in our lives, may we walk in the light, for the glory of God and the benefit of others.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 7, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE SAINTS AND MARTYRS OF THE PACIFIC
THE FEAST OF ELIE NAUD, HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH
THE FEAST OF JANE LAURIE BORTHWICK, TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS
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)
When the seventh month arrived–the Israelites being [settled] in their towns–the entire people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the scroll of the Teaching of Moses with which the LORD had charged Israel. On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the high priest brought the Teaching before the congregation, men and women and all who could listen with understanding. He read from it, facing the square before the Water Gate, from the first light until midday, to the men and the women and those who could understand; the ears of all the people were given to the scroll of the Teaching.
Ezra the scribe stood upon a wooden tower made for the purpose, and beside hm stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah at his right, and at his left Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, Meshullam. Ezra opened the scroll in the sight of all the people; the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people; as he opened it, all the people stood up. Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” with hands upraised. Then they bowed their hands and prostrated themselves before the LORD with their faces to the ground. Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites explained the Teaching to the people, while the people stood in their places. They read from the scroll of the Teaching of God, translating it and giving the sense; so they understood the reading.
Nehemiah the Tirshatha, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites, who were explaining to the people said to all the people,
This day is holy to the LORD your God: you must not mourn or weep,
for all the people were weeping as they listened to the words of the Teaching. He further said to them,
Go, eat choice foods and drink sweet drinks and send portions to whoever has nothing prepared, for the day is holy to our Lord. Do not be sad, for your rejoicing in the LORD is the source of your strength.
The Levites were quieting the people, saying,
Hush, for the day is holy; do not be sad.
Then all the people went to eat and drink and send portions and make great merriment, for they understood the things they were told.
Psalm 19 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament shows his handiwork.
2 One day tells its tale to another,
and one night imparts knowledge to another.
3 Although they have no words or language,
and their voices are not heard,
4 Their sound has gone out into all lands,
and their message to the ends of the world.
5 In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun;
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
it rejoices like a champion to run its course.
6 It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
and runs about to the end of it again;
nothing is hidden from its burning heat.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect and revives the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent.
8 The statutes of the LORD are just and rejoice the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is clear and gives light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean and endures forever;
the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, more than much fine gold,
sweeter far than honey, than honey in the comb.
11 By them also is your servant enlightened,
and in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can tell how often he offends?
cleanse me from my secret faults.
13 Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
let them not get dominion over me;
then shall I be whole and sound,
and innocent of a great offense.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,
O LORD, my strength and my redeemer.
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a (New Revised Standard Version):
Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say,
Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,
that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say,
Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,
that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand,
I have no need of you,
nor again the head to the feet,
I have no need of you.
On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts.
Luke 4:14-21 (New Jerusalem Bible):
Jesus, with the power of the Spirit in him, returned to Galilee; and his reputation spread throughout the countryside. He taught in their synagogues and everyone glorified him.
He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written:
The spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me
to bring the good news to the afflicted.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives,
sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord.
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them,
The text is being fulfilled today even while you are listening.
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.
When I saw the citation for the Nehemiah reading (8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10) in the Revised Common Lectionary, I wondered why it omitted verses 4 and 7. Then I read the text. Verses 4 and 7 tell us the names of the people on the platform. Nehemiah 8:1-10 had been one of the dreaded readings in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer lectionary before The Episcopal Church adopted the Revised Common Lectionary. The reason for dread was simple: the names! Lectors I heard tackle it usually substituted something like
and some other people
for the names and moved along. And they did not miss any theological point. The framers of the Revised Common Lectionary did a good deed. For the purposes of this post, all the names are there because I found a post where I had typed the entire reading. So I just copied and pasted from my previous work.
The Law of Moses, when applied properly, was about liberating people, not imposing needless burdens on them, unless one considers being stoned for a variety of offenses, including touching a pigskin, committing blasphemy (however people defined that), cursing one’s parents, and engaging in premarital sexual relations necessary burdens. (I have a mixed view of the Law of Moses.) Applications of the Law to which Jesus objected including stoning people to death for adultery. The incidents reported most often in the canonical Gospels, however, pertain to practices which favored the wealthy–those with enough money and leisure time to do certain things just do–and penalized the majority, the poor, who, because of their finances, could not do so. Liberation of several sorts was on our Lord’s mind. Next week’s Gospel lesson will will finish the incident at Nazareth, telling of our Lord’s rejection there. But I am getting ahead of myself.
Psalm 19:7-8, from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer translation, tells us that
The law of the LORD is perfect and revives the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent.
The statutes of the LORD are just and rejoice the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is clear and gives light to the eyes.
The people of Christ are the body of Christ, Paul tells us. Each person is therefore a different part of that body. All are necessary because of, not in spite of, their differences. Since the parts of Christ’s body need each other, suffering and rejoicing are collective. And we cannot build up the body by stoning parts of it. The Law of God–the Law of Liberation–revives the soul and is just. It sets the captives free. That is part of our work as Christians: to love people, to seek what is best for them. May we recognize what that entails in our circumstances, by grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 9, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, MARTYR AND GERMAN LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN
Never try to get revenge: leave that, my dear friends, to the Retribution. As scripture says: Vengeance is mine–I will pay them back, the Lord promises. And more: If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat; if thirsty, something to drink. By this, you will be heaping red-hot coals on his head. Do not be mastered by evil, but master evil with good.
Versification of parts of the Hebrew Bible differs depending upon whether one reads from a Protestant translation or a Jewish, Roman Catholic, or Eastern Orthodox one. Such is the case in Joel, where 2:1-32 in Protestant versions equals 2:1-3:5 in Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox translations. And Joel 4 in Jewish, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox versions equals Joel 3 in Protestant translations.
Vengeance is a primal emotions. It jumps off the pages of the Book of Psalms. Consider, O reader, these cringe-worthy lines:
Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites
the day of Jerusalem ‘s fall;
how they cried, “Strip her, strip her
to her very foundations.”
Fair Babylon, you predator,
a blessing on him who repays you in kind
what you have inflicted on us;
a blessing on him who seizes your babies
and dashes them against the rocks.
–Psalm 137:7-9, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
And how often have relatives of murdered people stated in public their desire for the death penalty for the guilty and cited revenge as it is a good thing? Revenge poisons a person’s soul and does not undo the damage the perpetrator has inflicted. There will be retribution for some from God, in whom there is also mercy. I know the desire for revenge well, and I have had to rid myself of it.
As Paul advised,
As much as possible,and to the utmost of your ability, be a peace with everyone.
–Romans 12:18, The New Jerusalem Bible
Such matters involve more than one party, of course. And, if not all parties consent to mutual peace, there will be no reconciliation. I suppose that simply pursuing revenge–rather, leaving judgment to God–is the best possible outcome in such a case. Getting on with one’s life is better for oneself than obsessing over a real or imagined injury.
Life is short, certainly in geological terms. May we not mar our brief time on earth with the quest for revenge more than we have done so already.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 2, 2012 COMMON ERA
MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN PAYNE AND CUTHBERT MAYNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND MARTYRS
In the service of the LORD work not half-hearted but with conscientiousness and as an eager spirit. Be joyful in hope, persevere in hardship, keep praying regularly; share with any of God’s holy people who are in need; look for opportunities to be hospitable.
Versification of parts of the Hebrew Bible differs depending upon whether one reads from a Protestant translation or a Jewish, Roman Catholic, or Eastern Orthodox one. Such is the case in Joel, where 2:1-32 in Protestant versions equals 2:1-3:5 in Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox translations. And Joel 4 in Jewish, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox versions equals Joel 3 in Protestant translations.
Many houses in the rural U.S. South during the nineteenth century used to have a front porch, a back porch, and a connecting breezeway. That was a time before electricity, much less air conditioning, in the region, so many people designed their homes to fit nature and the technology they had. With that in mind, it was common for a kitchen to be separate from the rest of the house. If there were a fire, the rest of the house would be more likely to survive. And they could build another kitchen.
All that was quite practical. So was another common feature of many such houses: a guest bedroom which opened up onto a porch and not into any other room. If a traveler needed to spend a night, such a room offered shelter. This was both practical and hospitable, for there were no motels in many areas. Hospitality, in many cases, made the difference between life and death, or at least between relative ease and undue hardship. Hospitality was a virtue which more than one biblical writer extolled. The texts contain, in fact, condemnations of its absence. Hospitality still saves lives and eases discomfort, as many who dispense or receive it can attest.
The affirmation of hospitality does not indicate a complete lack of accountability. Read Joel and Romans, for example. But hospitality does provide a counter-force, a balance. There is a time to judge and there is a time to forgive. There is a time to punish and there is a time to extend the hand of hospitality. May we–you and I, O reader, get the balance correct.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 2, 2012 COMMON ERA
MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN PAYNE AND CUTHBERT MAYNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND MARTYRS
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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2 Samuel 6:12-19 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
And it was told King David,
The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.
So David sent and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing; and when those who bore the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was belted with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn.
As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. And they brought in the ark of the LORD and set it in its place, inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts, and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people departed, each to his house.
Psalm 24:7-10 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
7 Lift up your heads, O Gates;
lift them high, O everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.
8 “Who is this King of glory?”
“The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle.”
9 Lift up your heads, O gates;
lift them high, O everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.
10 “Who is he, this King of glory?”
“The LORD of hosts,
he is the King of glory.”
Mark 3:31-35 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
And his mother and his brethren came; and standing outside they sent to him and called him.
Your mother and your brethren are outside, asking for you.
And he replied,
Who are my mother and my brethren?
And looking around on those who sat about him, he said,
Here are my mother and my brethren. Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother.
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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.
Sometimes Michal gets a bad rap. She had loved David, but how much did David love her? Michal, a daughter of Saul, had married David then protected her husband from her father in 1 Samuel. But politics, namely David’s rebellion, intervened, and Saul married her off to one Paltiel, who apparently adored her. Nevertheless, in 2 Samuel 3, David demanded Michal back–this time as one of several wives–and Ish-bosheth, her brother, consented to the demand, much to Paltiel’s grief and disappointment.
In 2 Samuel 6 David is established as King of Israel, with Jerusalem as his capital city. He is celebrating the transfer of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. He is doing this while wearing an ephod–basically an apron–and nothing else–while dancing then performing priestly functions. David was sometimes so devoted to lofty ideas that he forgot royal dignity, but Michal, a born princess, could not forget royal dignity. By the way, an argument between Michal and David rounds out the chapter. The two are married in name only from this point forward.
David seemed not to care how foolish he looked; dishonor did not matter to him in this context. Sometimes, however, there is much to say for decorum, or at least wearing something beneath one’s ephod.
I side with Michal.
Meanwhile, in Mark, Mary and some of our Lord’s “brethren” (probably children of Joseph and Mary–why not?) are concerned that Jesus might, in the words of Cotton Patch Gospel, might be talking to the man upstairs while living in a one-story house. If anyone should have known better, it was Mary. At least her heart was in the right place.
I side with Jesus, without condemning Mary and her children.
Nevertheless, there is a transcendent message here. Sometimes, in our obedience to God, we will act in ways which concern others. Some of the Hebrew prophets were truly marginal characters–eating scrolls, walking around naked, et cetera. They were either holy or in need of psychiatric care. And, in modern terms, that was the concern Mary and her children had regarding Jesus. But he was quite well.
Mary and her children misunderstood Jesus. Often the people we misunderstand the most are those who are closest to us. Notice, however, that Jesus did not reject them. Rather, he expanded the definition of family to make it spiritual, not just emotional and genetic.
So my brothers and sisters are those who do the will of God, as Jesus knew and understood God. It is a large family, one in which squabbles take place. These are, however, family squabbles. That said, family squabbles can be quite destructive, so may there be fewer of them. Instead, may there be more understanding and attempts at reconciliation, so that the family will be more functional.
And may the peace making begin with you, O reader, and with me. (Conventions of the English language do dictate that I place “you” before “me.”)
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 9:15, 24-28 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.
For Christ has entered , not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the Holy Place yearly with blood not his own; for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all for the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly awaiting him.
his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.
4 He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel,
and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
5 Shout with joy to the LORD, all you lands;
lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing.
6 Sing to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the voice of song.
7 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
shout with joy before the King, the LORD.
8 Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it,
the lands and those who dwell therein.
9 Let the rivers clap their hands,
and let the hills ring out with joy before the LORD,
when he comes to judge the earth.
10 In righteousness shall he judge the world
and the peoples with equity.
Mark 3:19b-30 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
Then he went home, and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. And when his friends heard it, they went out to seize him, for they said,
He is beside himself.
And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said,
He is possessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.
And he called to him and said to them in parables,
How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man; then indeed he may plunder his house.
Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”–for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.
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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.
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We humans like to judge each other. Yet we have partial knowledge, so our judgments are prone to error, often of a severe nature. God is the ultimate judge, however, and judgment belongs there properly. We ought to demonstrate enough humility to recognize the limits of our knowledge and wisdom, and to leave judgment to God.
The Bible uses many metaphors for God. Among these is “a consuming fire,” an image similar to representations of the Holy Spirit as tongues of flame. With these facts in mind, I selected a Wikipedia image of a bonfire for this post. The metaphor works on another level, too: The unpardonable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and unpardonable sin leads to Hell, depicted also with flames.
So, what is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? It is the inability to recognize goodness when a person sees it. Thus one does not see one’s sin, and cannot ask pardon and repent of it. So a person has erected a barrier between himself or herself and God.
Consider the context in Mark; scribes have attributed acts of God (and goodness) to Satan (and evil). They were so spiritually blind that they could not bring themselves to recognize acts of mercy as such. Perhaps they did this as psychological self-defense; often we humans see what we want to see and hear what we want to hear. The possibility that we are wrong can prove devastating to our egos. And, if we admit that we are wrong and act accordingly, we might endanger our livelihood and our social definition and standing.
But may we mere mortals refrain from proclaiming anyone as guilty of the unpardonable sin. Such judgments reside properly within the purview of God alone. Besides, I find that my own sins that I recognize as such keep me occupied; the sins of others are between them and God.
ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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