Archive for the ‘Epiphany’ Tag
Above: Landscape with the Parable of the Sower, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Image in the Public Domain
Spiritual Journeys
FEBRUARY 23, 2020
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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2 Kings 2:1-12
Psalm 50:1-6
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
Mark 8:34-9:13
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Pietism is an error-ridden system of thought. One of its gravest mistakes is the rejection of ritualism, often due to a misinterpretation of Psalm 50. The sacrificial system, commanded in the Law of Moses, is not the problem in Psalm 50. No, the divorce between sacrifices and morality is the offense. Mistaking sacrifices and other acts of public piety for a talisman is wrong. People need to walk the walk, in other words. Their acts of public piety will be genuine.
Speaking of sacrifices, the context of the Transfiguration in Mark 8-9 is the foretelling of the death and resurrection of Jesus. The prose poetry of the account tells us of Elijah (representing the prophets) and Moses (representing the Law) appearing with the glorified Jesus. This is, in context, an apocalyptic scene, as anyone steeped in the culture of Palestinian Judaism would have known. The attempt to institutionalize such a moment is always misguided, for one should keep on moving with Jesus, toward Jerusalem. Faith is a journey, not a permanent shrine.
My journey will not be identical to yours, O reader, nor should it be. Our journeys will properly contain many of the same landmarks, though. The destination will also be the same–God in Christ.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 19, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JAMES ARTHUR MACKINNON, CANADIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
THE FEAST OF ALFRED RAMSEY, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF CHARITIE LEES SMITH BANCROFT DE CHENEZ, HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM PIERSON MERRILL, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, SOCIAL REFORMER, AND HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2019/06/19/spiritual-journeys/
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Above: Landscape with the Parable of the Sower, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Image in the Public Domain
Grace
FEBRUARY 23, 2020
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Job 42:1-17 or Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Psalm 48
James 5:12-20
Mark 4:1-20
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At the end of the Season After the Epiphany or the beginning of the Season After Pentecost (depending on the year), we finish hopping and skipping through three books–Job, Deuteronomy, and James. If we pay attention, we notice that Job granted his daughters the right to inherit from his estate–a revolutionary move at that time and place.
Overall, when we add Psalm 48 and Mark 4:1-20 to the mix, we detect a thread of the goodness of God present in all the readings. Related to divine goodness is the mandate to respond positively to grace in various ways, as circumstances dictate. The principle is universal, but the applications are circumstantial.
Consider, O reader the parable in our reading from Mark 4. The customary name is the Parable of the Sower, but the Parable of the Four Soils is a better title. The question is not about the effectiveness of the sower but about the four soils. Are we distracted soil? Are we soil that does not retain faith in the face of tribulation or persecution? Are we soil into which no roots sink? Or are we good soil? Do we respond positively to grace, which is free yet not cheap, or do we not?
Job 42:11 tells that all Job’s “friends of former times” visited him and “showed him every sympathy.” (Job is a literary character, of course, so I do not mistake him for a historical figure.) I imagine Zophar, Bildad, Eliphaz, and even Elihu, who went away as quickly as he arrived, having realized their errors, dining with Job in shalom. That is indeed a scene of grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 19, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JAMES ARTHUR MACKINNON, CANADIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
THE FEAST OF ALFRED RAMSEY, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF CHARITIE LEES SMITH BANCROFT DE CHENEZ, HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM PIERSON MERRILL, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, SOCIAL REFORMER, AND HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2019/06/19/grace/
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Above: Jesus and His Apostles
Image in the Public Domain
Presumption
NOT OBSERVED IN 2020
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Job 38:1-41 (portions) or Deuteronomy 30:5-6, 11-20
Psalm 46
James 5:1-11
Mark 3:20-34
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The law of God may be on our hearts and lips, if we are in a healthy spiritual state, but we should not assume healthy spirituality where none exists. Besides, even if one is spiritually healthy at one moment, one still has weaknesses lurking in the shadows. As Bernhard Anderson wrote in various editions of his Introduction to the Old Testament, Job and his alleged friends committed the same sin–presumption regarding God. That is what the poem indicates. However, God agrees with Job in the prose portion of Job 42.
Presumption is one of the sins on display in Mark 3:20-34. I hope that none of us will go so far into presumption as to mistake the work of God for evil, but some will, of course.
Presumption rooted in high socio-economic status is a theme in James 4 and 5. The epistle makes clear that God disapproves of the exploitation and other bad treatment of the poor. The Letter of James, in so doing, continues a thread from the Hebrew Bible. The Bible contains more content about wealth and poverty, the rich and the poor, than about sex, but one does know that if one’s Biblical knowledge comes from reactionary ministers dependent on large donations. Presumption rooted in high socio-economic status remains current, unfortunately. Human nature is a constant factor.
There is also the presumption that we know someone better than we do, as in Mark 3:31-34. This is a theme in the Gospel of Mark, in which those who were closest to Jesus–his family, the disciples, and the villagers who saw him grow up–did not know him as well as they thought they did. On the other hand, the the Gospel Mark depicts strangers and demons as recognizing Jesus for who he really was. People we think we know will surprise us, for good or ill, sometimes.
May God deliver us from the sin of presumption present in ourselves and in others.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 18, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ADOLPHUS NELSON, SWEDISH-AMERICAN LUTHERAN MINSTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHANN FRANCK, HEINRICH HELD, AND SIMON DACH, GERMAN LUTHERAN HYMN WRITERS
THE FEAST OF RICHARD MASSIE, HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM BINGHAM TAPPAN, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2019/06/18/presumption/
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Above: Jesus Healing the Man with a Withered Hand
Image in the Public Domain
Offering Blessings
NOT OBSERVED IN 2020
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Job 12 or Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm 44:1-8
James 4:1-17
Mark 3:1-9
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God has blessed us.
God continues to bless us. One of the appropriate responses to these blessings is, in the context of gratitude to God, to bless others, even strangers in the land. The generosity of God is more than sufficient to provide for everyone; scarcity is of human creation.
Good intentions are good, of course, but they are insufficient. Many of them pave the road to Hell. Good results are the necessary results of good intentions. Job’s sarcasm at the beginning of Chapter 12 is understandable and appropriate, given the circumstances. Interventions can be acts of love, but offering “wisdom” above one’s pay grade when the correct action is to offer a shoulder to cry on is a prime example of paving part of the road to Hell.
May we, with our good intentions, offer blessings, not curses.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 17, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF EDITH BOYLE MACALISTER, ENGLISH NOVELIST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT EMILY DE VIALAR, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF SAINT JOSEPH OF THE APPARITION
THE FEAST OF JANE CROSS BELL SIMPSON, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS TERESA AND MAFALDA OF PORTUGAL, PRINCESSES, QUEENS, AND NUNS; AND SAINT SANCHIA OF PORTUGAL, PRINCESS AND NUN
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2019/06/17/offering-blessings/
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Above: The Calling of St. Matthew, by Hendrick ter Brugghen
Image in the Public Domain
The Power of Words
FEBRUARY 16, 2020
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Job 11:7-20 or Deuteronomy 15:7-11
Psalm 43
James 3:1-13
Mark 2:13-28
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Words matter. They can inflict pain, even when one imagines oneself to be acting righteously, as in the case of Zophar the Naamathite, who proceeded from a false assumption while lecturing Job on repentance. Words can call others to discipleship. Words can remind one of the divine mandate on individuals and societies to care for the less fortunate. Words can reach the throne of God.
Words can create justice or injustice; they make the future. May we, being mindful of the power of words, trust in God and strive to use these tools for the common good and the glory of God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 16, 2019 COMMON ERA
TRINITY SUNDAY, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF GEORGE BERKELEY, IRISH ANGLICAN BISHOP AND PHILOSOPHER; AND JOSEPH BUTLER, ANGLICAN BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF JOHN FRANCIS REGIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF NORMAN MACLEOD, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER; AND HIS COUSIN, JOHN MACLEOD, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF RUFUS JONES, U.S. QUAKER THEOLOGIAN AND COFOUNDER OF THE AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2019/06/16/words-matter-ii/
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Above: Job and His Alleged Friends
Image in the Public Domain
The Idol of Certainty
FEBRUARY 9, 2020
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Job 8:8-22 or Deuteronomy 11:18-28
Psalm 42
James 2:18-26
Mark 2:1-12
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In the perfect moral universe of Bildad the Shuhite and those who think like him, piety is a shield against misfortune. This is an attitude present in parts of the Book of Psalms. That book also contradicts the attitude, however, for certain psalms acknowledge that innocent people suffer.
Jesus, without ignoring that the suffering of many resulted partially from their sins, did not state that all human suffering resulted from the sins of the suffering. His sinless life testified to a different reality, that sometimes we suffer because of the sins of others, and piety sometimes leads to persecution and/or death.
Certainty can become an idol, as in the cases of Bildad (Job 8) and the accusers of Jesus (Mark 2). Idols abound; certainty is one of the most popular ones. I refer to false, misplaced certainty, not to confirmed knowledge, such as 2 + 2 = 4. No, I refer to certainty that fills voids meant for faith in God. The human psyche craves certainty. Unfortunately, false certainty leads to conspiracy theories, to other denial of reality, and to idolatry. In reality, what we do not know outweighs what we do know, and humility is in order; certainty be damned much of the time.
May we walk the path of faith in Christ without ignoring that of which we can objectively be certain. May God grant us the wisdom to recognize the difference between matters in which we need faith and those in which we can reasonably have certainty.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 15, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHN ELLERTON, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER AND TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF CARL HEINRICH VON BOGATSKY, HUNGARIAN-GERMAN LUTHERAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF DOROTHY FRANCES BLOMFIELD GURNEY, ENGLISH POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT LANDELINUS OF VAUX, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; SAINT AUBERT OF CAMBRAI, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; SAINT URSMAR OF LOBBES, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND MISSIONARY BISHOP; AND SAINTS DOMITIAN, HADELIN, AND DODO OF LOBBES, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONKS
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2019/06/15/honest-faith-versus-false-certainty-ii/
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Above: Job and His Alleged Friends, a Fresco
Image in the Public Domain
Being Good Friends
FEBRUARY 2, 2020
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Job 5:6-23 or Deuteronomy 5:6-21
Psalm 41
James 2:1-17
Mark 1:29-45
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The Law of Moses, unlike the older Code of Hammurabi, to which it bears some similarity, does not bring social class into consideration. No, the Law of Moses is impartial regarding the socio-economic status of both the victim and the perpetrator. In the Code of Hammurabi, for example, the same crime (theft or assault, for example) leads to a harsher penalty when the victim belongs to a higher social class. In the Law of Moses, however, the penalty is the same, regardless of anyone’s socio-economic status. That ethic of socio-economic impartiality carries over into James 2:1-7.
The Hillelian distillation of the Law of Moss comes from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (the Shema). How we love God, assuming that we do, manifests in how we treat each other. Hypocrisy is as old as human nature. Pious fronts belie both evil intentions and lesser disregard and carelessness. Often those who violate the Golden Rule do so while imagining that they are honoring God. Eliphaz the Temanite and the other so-called friends of Job (who remind me of, “with friends like these, who needs enemies?”) sound like the Book of Psalms much of the time. That fact complicates the interpretation of much of the Book of Job. The best answer I can offer is that what they said applied in certain circumstances, but not that one.
If we were less concerned about who is wright and about insisting that we are right, and if we were more concerned about being good friends to one another, we could fulfill the spirit of most of the assigned texts for today.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 14, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CHARLES AUGUSTUS BRIGGS, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, BIBLICAL SCHOLAR, AND ALLEGED HERETIC; AND HIS DAUGHTER, EMILIE GRACE BRIGGS, BIBLICAL SCHOLAR AND “HERETIC’S DAUGHTER”
THE FEAST OF SAINT METHODIUS I OF CONSTANTINOPLE, DEFENDER OF ICONS AND ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE; AND SAINT JOSEPH THE HYMNOGRAPHER, DEFENDER OF ICONS AND “SWEET-VOICED NIGHTINGALE OF THE CHURCH”
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM HIRAM FOULKES, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2019/06/14/friendship-v/
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