The Book of Job is allegedly about why people suffer. I have read that book closely several times recently and concluded that the book is about a different topic–how many pious people misunderstand God and presume to spread their confusion. As for the cause of suffering in the Book of Job, the text makes clear that, in the titular character’s case, God permitted it.
There is no single cause of suffering. Possible causes include one’s own sin, another person’s sin, and the fact of being alive. The main topic of these days’ readings, however, is endurance, not suffering. While we endure, do we welcome those agents of grace God sends to us? Do we cease to endure, abandoning faith in God? Or do we mature spiritually? And do we anticipate the blessings which follow after suffering ends?
J. B. Phillips, in his classic book, Your God is Too Small (1961), posited that many people have spiritual deficiencies flowing from inadequate God concepts. I find this conclusion persuasive. It applies to the human characters in the Book of Job, for example. And it applies to many, if not most of us who describe ourselves as religious.
A woefully inadequate God concept can contribute to buckling under pressure and not trusting in God, therefore in not enduring then maturing spiritually. This is not a condemnation of anyone, for I know firsthand about struggling spiritually when one’s world collapses. I also know what grace feels like in those dark days, weeks, and months. And I know that it is to emerge–singed, to be sure–from the metaphorical fire.
So from experience I write the following: No matter how bad the situation is now and how dire it seems to be, there is no shortage of grace. Thanks be to God!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 20, 2013 COMMON ERA
PROPER 24–THE TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
THE FEAST OF MARY A. LATHBURY, U.S. METHODIST HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT BERTILLA BOSCARDIN, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN AND NURSE
THE FEAST OF JOHN HARRIS BURT, EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF TARORE OF WAHOARA, ANGLICAN MISSIONARY
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)
I have difficulty with the Book of Job for several reasons. One is my conviction that the titular character, according to the book itself, was innocent. So his complaints were justified. Yet Elihu–otherwise a redundant idiot–and God both accuse Job of impugning divine justice. (See Job 36:5 forward and 40:7 forward.) The Book of Job provides no satisfactory answer to the causes of suffering of the innocent. That is my second reason for difficulty with the text. And, being a good Episcopalian, I embrace the ambiguity and refuse to surrender my doubts. Jesus took away my sins, not my mind. Dismissing Elihu is impossible for me because of the reasons I have explained. I would like to dismiss him; take my word for that, O reader. So I wrestle with the texts; sometimes that is the most faithful response.
Meanwhile, in John 11, Jesus raises his friend Lazarus from the dead. This sets in motion a plot among Pharisees to scapegoat him for fear of what the Romans will do to the nation otherwise. Authorities did scapegoat Jesus. And, a generation later, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem during a revolt. There is no ambiguity about those facts. The scapegoating of Jesus did not solve any problem. It killed an innocent man, but he did not remain dead for long. And the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem stands as evidence of what the Roman forces did to the Temple in 70 CE.
The desire to eliminate Jesus was a fear reaction, not a reasoned response. Does God frighten me? Sometimes, yes. Do certain depictions of God in the Bible scare and discomfort me? Yes! But I recognize my need to approach God with theological humility. Perhaps my God concept is too small. It almost certainly is. Dismissing or rationalizing away that which brings this reality to my attention will not alter the facts. So I wrestle with the texts faithfully.
Until the next segment of our journey….
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 27, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF GEORGE WASHINGTON DOANE, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF NEW JERSEY
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANTONY AND THEODOSIUS OF KIEV, FOUNDERS OF RUSSIAN ORTHODOX MONASTICISM; SAINT BARLAAM OF KIEV, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ABBOT; AND SAINT STEPHEN OF KIEV, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ABBOT AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF THE EARLY ABBOTS OF CLUNY
THE FEAST OF JOSEPH WARRILOW, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
Above: Christ Carrying the Cross (1580), by El Greco
Jesus, Who Contradicts Many of Our Assumptions
MARCH 2, 2011
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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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Ecclesiasticus 36:1-2, 5-6, 13-17 (Revised English Bible):
Look on us with pity, Lord God of all,
and strike fear in every nation.
Let them learn, as we ourselves have learned,
that there is not god but you, O Lord.
Renew your signs, repeat your miracles,
with glory for your mighty hand and right arm.
Show mercy to the city of your sanctuary,
to the city of Jerusalem, your dwelling-place.
Fill Zion with the praise of your triumph
and the temple with your glory.
Acknowledge those you created at the beginning
and fulfill the prophecies spoken in your name.
Reward those who look to you in trust;
prove your prophets worthy of credence.
Listen, O Lord, to the prayer of your servants,
who claim Aaron’s blessing on your people.
Let all who live on earth acknowledge
that you are the Lord, the eternal God.
Psalm 79:8-13 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
8 Remember not our past sins;
let your compassion be swift to meet us;
for we have been brought very low.
9 Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your Name;
deliver us and forgive us our sins, for your Name’s sake.
10 Why should the heathen say, “Where is their God?”
Let it be known among the heathen and in our sight
that you avenge the shedding of your servant’s blood.
11 Let the sorrowful sighing of the prisoners come before you,
and by your great might spare those who are condemned to die.
12 May the revilings with which they reviled you, O Lord,
return seven-fold into their bosoms.
13 For we are your people and the sheep of your pasture;
we will give you thanks for ever
and show forth your praise from age to age.
Mark 10:32-45 (Revised English Bible):
They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was leading the way; and the disciples were filled with awe, while those who followed behind were afraid. Once again he took the Twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to him.
We are now going up to Jerusalem,
he said,
and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes; they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles. He will be mocked and spat upon, and flogged and killed; and three days afterwards, he will rise again.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him and said,
Teacher, we should like you to do us a favour.
He asked,
What is it you want me to do for you?
They answered,
Allow us to sit with you in your glory, one at your right hand and the other at your left.
Jesus said to them,
You do not understand what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
They answered,
We can.
Jesus said,
The cup that I drink you shall drink, and the baptism that I am baptized with shall be your baptism; but to sit on my right or on my left is not for me to grant; that honour is for those to whom it has already been assigned.
When the other ten heard this, they were indignant with James and John. Jesus called them to him and said,
You know that among the Gentiles the recognized rulers lord it over their subjects, and the great make their authority felt. It shall not be so with you; among you whoever wants to be great must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
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The Collect:
Most loving Father, whose will it is for us to give thanks for all things, to fear nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on you who care for us: Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have manifested to us in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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The readings from Sirach and Psalms come from circumstances of national distress. Psalm 79 comes from the aftermath of the Chaldean (Babylonian) destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.E. Sirach comes from the time after the return from this exile. The Jews were home, but they were still subject to foreign nations. And the descendants many Gentiles who had settled in the Jewish homeland remained. Gentiles lost their land claims. Religious, ethnic, and cultural conflicts erupted, of course. So it is not surprising that the full texts of Psalm 79 and Sirach 36 contain much anger toward foreigners.
These readings contain pleas for divine mercy during such difficult times. It was certainly a feeling that many in First Century C.E. Palestine understood. Here were Jews living in their homeland, but under Roman occupation and with many Gentiles settled among them. National glory was something from a past nobody remembered firsthand. And was not the Messiah supposed to expel all those foreigners?
Speaking of the Messiah, Jesus did not expel any foreigner. No, he even found great faith among some of them. Jesus is like that: not what many people expect or want him to be.
When reading the Gospel of Mark, it is very important to pay close attention to how material is grouped. For example, this day’s reading flows directly from recent readings about children, a camel passing through the eye of a needle, and predictions of our Lord and Savior’s death and resurrection. It seems that some Apostles have not been paying enough attention. The author of Mark has James and John, sons of Zebedee, ask for glorious positions relative to Jesus. Note, however, that, in the parallel reading in Matthew 20:20-28, their mother makes the request. The two are versions of the same story, based on a close reading of them. (Read them for yourself.)
The other Apostles are angry with James and John, probably because they were jockeying for position, too. “How dare you two get there first?” the other seemed to ask. At least that is my interpretation.
Anyhow, Jesus says that the first will be last, and the last will be first. Anyone who wants to be the greatest must be the lowliest servant. And, by the way, he will suffer, die and rise again. I have read this before in Mark. But here we have these statements repeated. We humans do not always listen closely enough often enough, do we? Sometimes “our tapes are running,” so we hear but do not listen. Jesus says something plainly, but we do not understand, so he has not communicated with us. The fault is with us, not Jesus.
I propose that the communication breaks down at our end because Jesus contradicts many of our assumptions. He cannot mean what the words seem to indicate, can he? Yes, he can. How often do we need him to repeat himself? How dense are we?
The Kingdom of God is an inverted order relative to the traditional social arrangements. According to Matthew 5:3-11 and Luke 6:20-26, the physically hungry will be filled. Those who are spiritually impoverished will have spiritual abundance. Those who mourn and weep will laugh. The meek will inherit the earth. The merciful will not get run over and taken advantage of; they will receive mercy. The peacemakers will not be marginalized in a militaristic and angry society; they will be called sons and daughters of God. The persecuted will triumph in God. Those reviled for the sake of righteousness will rejoice. The rich have received their consolation, the well-fed will be hungry, and those laughing now will mourn and weep. And being well-regarded in polite society does not indicate favor with God.
And, as we have read today, the first will be last, and the last will be first. Anyone who wishes to be the greatest must be the servant of all. I know that this is repetitive, but so was Jesus. Some statements bear repeating.
So, after almost 2,000 years of repetition, why have we not understood yet? Why are so many of us who claim to follow Jesus so dense? We are invested in and acculturated to the dominant social arrangements. It is not that the Kingdom of God is upside-down; we are.
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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Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 17:1-15 (Revised English Bible):
The Lord created human beings from the earth
and to it he turns them back again.
He set a fixed span of life for mortals
and gave them authority over everything on earth.
He clothed them with power like his own
and made them in his own image.
He put the fear of them into all creatures
and granted them lordship over beasts and birds.
He fashioned tongues, eyes, and ears for them,
and gave them minds with which to think.
He filled them with understanding and knowledge
and showed them good and evil.
He kept watch over their hearts,
to display to them the majesty of his works.
They will praise his holy name,
proclaiming the grandeur of his works.
He gave them knowledge
and endowed them with the life-bringing law.
He established with them an everlasting covenant
and revealed to them his decrees.
Their eyes saw his glorious majesty,
and their ears heard the glory of his voice.
He said to them,
Refrain from all wrongdoing,
and he taught each his duty towards his neighbour.
Their conduct lies open before him at all times,
never hidden from his sight.
Psalm 103:1-4, 13-18 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
3 He forgives all your sins,
and heals all your infirmities;
4 He redeems your life from the grave
and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness.
13 As a father cares for his children,
so does the LORD care for those who fear him.
14 For he himself knows whereof we are made;
he remembers that we are dust.
15 Our days are like the grass;
we flourish like a flower of the field;
16 When the wind goes over it, it is gone,
and its place shall know it more more.
17 But the merciful goodness of the LORD endures for ever on those who fear him,
and his righteousness on children’s children;
18 On those who keep his covenant
and remember his commandments and do them.
Mark 10:13-16 (Revised English Bible):
They brought children for him to touch. The disciples rebuked them, but when Jesus saw it he was indignant, and said to them,
Let the children come to me; do not try to stop them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you: whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.
And he put his arms round them, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
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The Collect:
O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: 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.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 355
Human nature is complex. It is true that we bear the image of God. Yet we are deeply flawed. We cannot pass a day without sinning at least once. We are capable of caring deeply for one another and of hating each other. We feed, clothe, and visit each other, yet we commit murder. We comfort each other, yet some of us bully others. As the psalmist reminds us poetically, God knows that we are dust. God has mercy on us; otherwise we would all be doomed.
Ben Sira writes that God has instructed us in what is right and what is wrong, and that God sees all that we do. We have much power over our fellow species in the Animal Kingdom, and great responsibility accompanies it. Dominion does not indicate ownership, for Genesis states that we are stewards. A steward manages what another owns. So we ought to care deeply and actively for the rest of creation. Besides, what affects the rest of creation affects us, too.
On a side note, “fear” in Sirach and the psalm refers to a sense of awe. I wonder if Ben Sira became deeply acquainted with a cat. I have known several cats very well, and I do not recall perceiving that any of them looked upon me with awe. I loved all these felines deeply, thinking of them as furry children. I even gave them my last name. I have never known a humble cat, and I think that no cat has any reason to be meek. A cat, an old saying tells me, “may look a king in the eyes.” And may God bless house cats for that quality.
I confess that I do not like children. As best I can tell, this derives mostly or entirely from my childhood experiences; many of my age peers were cruel to me. So human depravity makes sense; if we were noble creatures, this nature would manifest itself more during our formative years. And I have chosen a lifestyle certain to avoid having any children. I consider women the better part of the human species, but I live apart from any of them. My lot is more contemplative and solitary than not. Children would disturb me, and I lack the patience to deal with them properly.
So the reading from Mark gives me pause. The Kingdom of God belongs to such as these? Yes, the Gospels challenge me, too. William Barclay, in his commentary on the Gospel of Mark, identifies four spiritual values children embody (generally speaking):
humility
obedience
trust
a short memory
Children, Barclay writes, are generally not obsessed with their own importance. Also, obedience is their natural instinct, as are trust in parental authority and the goodness of others. Finally, children tend to be slow to hold grudges. There is no divine law against such characteristics.
Perhaps the most important lesson for we educated adults who like to think matters through deeply and question authority is that, when approaching God, we ought not to think too highly of ourselves. God is God, and we are not. Arrogance is endearing in a cat, but it is not a spiritual virtue in a human being.
ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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