Adoration of the Shepherds (1609), by Caravaggio
Active God of grace, we laud and magnify your wondrous Name.
Christmas Day is nearly upon us again.
This annual reminder of your gracious love
fills us with awe and wonder
as we consider the ultimate purpose of the Messiah.
May we therefore thank you with our
words,
attitudes,
and deeds,
for your glory and the benefit of others.
In your Name we pray.
Amen.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 22, 2010 COMMON ERA
THE NINETEENTH OF MY CONFIRMATION INTO THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
THE FEAST DAY OF SAINT FRANCES XAVIER CABRINI, FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARY SISTERS OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
Christmas Tree
Image Source = DRO4
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Loving God,
the annual celebration of your incarnation in the form of Jesus approaches.
This should be a happy and blessed occasion.
Yet many people grieve the absence of one or more friends or family members
whom distance,
estrangement,
incarceration,
or death separate from them.
Bestow upon those who grieve
the consolation of your Holy Spirit,
that they may rejoice in your love and mercy.
We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
fully human and fully divine. Amen.
Kenneth Randolph Taylor
December 7, 2009
An Eighth-Century Mosaic of Jesus, Ravenna, Italy
May you recognize and welcome incarnations of God around you
and inside you everyday.
May we see the image of God in each other,
treat each other accordingly,
and strive to do better in this regard when we fail.
And, on this and every other day,
may we remember the rest of the story of Jesus’ life.
In the name of God, who loves us all, and whose grace alone empowers us to accomplish all these goals. Amen.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
Madonna and Child, St. John’s Anglican Church, Ashfield, New Wouth Wales, Australia
O Blessed Mother,
How did you feel when
You learned you were pregnant
Outside of wedlock?
===
O Blessed Mother,
How did you feel when
The anonymous, thronging crowds
Ignored you in your hour of need in Bethlehem?
==
O Blessed Mother,
How did you feel when
You experienced birth pangs,
As well as the stresses of parenthood?
===
O Blessed Mother,
How did you feel when
Your eldest son confused you,
Then seemed to reject you?
===
O Blessed Mother,
How did you feel when
You watched your eldest son die?
===
O Blessed Mother,
How did you feel when
You buried your eldest son?
===
O Blessed Mother,
How did you feel when
You discovered your resurrected son?
===
O Blessed Mother,
How did you feel when
You ascended and became
Queen of Heaven?
===
O Blessed Mother,
Strong and humble,
Faithful and human,
Intercede for us.
Amen.
Kenneth Randolph Taylor
May 30, 1997
Midnight Sun, Nordkapp, Norway
Image Source = Yan Zhang
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In the midst of
The darkness
Of night
And
Of human brokenness,
Divine light
Burst forth
To bridge the gap
Between
Humankind
And
God.
+++++++
Reconciliation
And
Atonement
Began–
Yet in the shadow in of
Another darkness–
Death.
Yet even that darkness
Fell
(In Time)
To Divine Intervention.
++++++++
The light shines in the darkness,
And frightens us,
For the darkness is familiar.
God comes to us,
And we turn away,
Out of fear,
Or willfulness,
or misplaced certainty.
+++++++
God challenges our traditions,
So we choose the familiar path,
The road well-traveled.
++++++++
Yet
The narrative can be different.
We can–
We must–
Follow the light,
Walk out of our cave,
And
Embrace the way of God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 17, 2009
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2011/11/26/piercing-the-darkness/
Above: An Eastern Orthodox Icon of the Twelve Apostles
Image Source = Stamp
What Do You Want?
JANUARY 4, 2021
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1 John 3:7-10 (New Jerusalem Bible):
Children, do not let anyone lead you astray.
Whoever acts uprightly is upright,
just as he is upright.
Whoever lives sinfully belongs to the devil,
since the devil has been a sinner from the beginning.
This was the purpose of the appearing of the Son of God,
to undo the work of the devil.
No one who is a child of God sins
because God’s seed remains in him.
Nor can he sin, because he is a child of God.
This is what distinguishes
the children of God from the children of the devil;
whoever does not live uprightly
and does not love his brother
is not from God.
Psalm 98:1, 7-9 (New Jerusalem Bible):
Sing a new song to Yahweh,
for he has performed wonders,
his saving power is in his right hand and his holy arm.
Let the sea thunder, and all that it holds,
the world and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
and the mountains shout for joy together,
at Yahweh’s coming, for he is coming
to judge the earth;
he will judge the world with saving justice
and the nations with fairness.
John 1:35-42 (New Jerusalem Bible):
The next day as John stood there again with two of his disciples, Jesus went past, and John said,
Look, there is the lamb of God.
And the two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned round, saw them following and said,
What do you want?
They answered,
Rabbi
–which means Teacher–
where do you live?
He replied,
Come and see;
so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour.
One of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, brother of Simon Peter. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and say to him,
We have found the Messiah
–which means the Christ–and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said,
You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas
–which means Rock.
The Collect:
O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What do we want from Jesus?
Do we seek validation for all our opinions or do we look for a challenge? Do we seek a road to wealth via faith or do we look for one who reminds us of our responsibilities to the less fortunate? Do we seek a martyr and hero or a Savior and Lord?
Jesus refuses to fit into our neat, theological boxes, which are vehicles of idolatry. He is frequently not socially respectable, keeping company with those at the margins of society. The maxim, “He who lies with dogs, rises with fleas” does not apply to Jesus. Jesus is neither a mighty warrior nor a meek, mild-mannered person. This is a figure who knows how to use a whip yet is deeply compassionate. He challenges our preconceptions.
And that is how it should be. Thanks be to God!
KRT
Written on June 7, 2010
