Archive for the ‘Luke 2’ Tag
Above: Annunciation to the Shepherds, by Rembrandt van Rijn
Image in the Public Domain
Divine Audacity
DECEMBER 24-25, 2023
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
First Service (Christmas Eve)
Isaiah 9:2-7
Psalm 96
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-20
Second Service (Christmas Dawn)
Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm 97 (LBW) or Psalm 2 (LW)
Hebrews 1:1-9
John 1:1-14
Third Service (Christmas Day)
Isaiah 62:10-12
Psalm 98
Titus 3:4-7
Luke 2:1-20
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Almighty God, you made this holy night shine with the brightness of the true Light.
Grant that here on earth we may walk in the light of Jesus’ presence
and in the last day wake to the brightness of his glory;
through your only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 14
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Almighty God, you have made yourself known in your Son, Jesus, redeemer of the world.
We pray that his birth as a human child will set us free from the old slavery of our sin;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 14
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
O God, as you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ,
grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer,
may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our judge;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 16
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Christian observance of Christmas began in the West, in the 300s. At Rome, by 336, December 25 had become the beginning of the church year. Pope St. Gregory I “the Great” (d. 604) wrote of three Christmas Masses–at St. Mary Major, at midnight; at St. Anastasia’s Church, at dawn; and at St. Peter’s, during the day.
Luke 2:1-20 is not historical. I, as a student of history, cannot refute the evidence for this conclusion. However, I embrace the prose poetry of Luke 2:1-20, for it speaks of a great truth: Jesus, not the Emperor Augustus, was the Son of God and the savior of the world, regardless of what the Roman government and coinage claimed.
I have the sources and background to parce all the assigned readings. Yet I choose not to do so in this post. Instead, O reader, I invite you to frolic in divine audacity, evident in the incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity as a baby (however that worked). I invite you, O reader, to frolic in divine audacity, which continues to influence lives and societies for the better. I also invite you, O reader, to frolic in the mystery of divine love, to feel comfortable leaving the mystery mysterious, and to respond favorably to God daily, in gratitude.
Merry Christmas!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 9, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY: THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS
THE FEAST OF EMILY GREENE BALCH, U.S. QUAKER SOCIOLOGIST, ECONOMIST, AND PEACE ACTIVIST
THE FEAST OF GENE M. TUCKER, UNITED METHODIST MINISTER AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF JOHANN JOZEF IGNAZ VON DÖLLINGER, DISSDENT AND EXCOMMUNICATED GERMAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, THEOLOGIAN, AND HISTORIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT PHILIP II OF MOSCOW, METROPOLITAN OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA, AND MARTYR, 1569
THE FEAST OF THOMAS CURTIS CLARK, U.S. DISCIPLES OF CHRIST EVANGELIST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Anna at the Presentation of Jesus, by Giotto
Image in the Public Domain
Recognizing the Savior
FEBRUARY 2, 2024
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple falls on February 2, forty days after Christmas. The origins of the Feast of the Presentation date to the 300s, in Jerusalem, where the original date was February 14-forty days after January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany. In the English Prayer Book tradition the Feast of the Presentation has been the Feast of the Purification of Saint Mary the Virgin, per the beginning of Leviticus 12, hinted at in Luke 2:22-23.
The readings from Malachi 3 and Psalm 24, along with Luke 2:22-40, convey a sense of awe and wonder. They tell us to take notice, for God, or a messenger thereof, has arrived. Where better to be than in the Temple? This is an event that has changed the world, after all. When we read of the divine arrival in Luke 2 and Hebrews 2, we read of the Incarnation as an infant, not a conquering hero in armor. Via living as a human being, one fully human as well as fully divine, Christ can identify with our suffering and help those enduring tests, we read in Hebrews 2:18.
It would have been easy to fail to recognize the infant Jesus for who he was, but Simeon and Anna knew who he was. They spread their wisdom in their time and place. Certainly some who heard them considered that message ridiculous, as it must have seemed to have been.
Fortunately, we can, via hindsight and the Bible, recognize the wisdom of Simeon and Anna, as well as the true identity of that infant boy.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 20, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SEBASTIAN CASTELLIO, PROPHET OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
THE FEAST OF CHRISTOPHER WORDSWORTH, HYMN WRITER AND ANGLICAN BISHOP OF LINCOLN
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA JOSEFA SANCHO DE GUERRA, FOUNDRESS OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE SERVANTS OF JESUS
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL RODIGAST, GERMAN LUTHERAN ACADEMIC AND HYMN WRITER
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Almighty and everlasting God, we humbly pray that,
as your only-begotten Son was this day presented in the Temple,
so may we be presented to you with pure and clean hearts
by Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 239
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, for you have sent us your salvation.
Inspire us by your Holy Spirit to see with our own eyes him who is
the glory of Israel and the light for all nations, your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), page 32
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Malachi 3:1-4
Psalm 84 or 24:7-10
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/20/recognizing-the-savior/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple, by William Holman Hunt
Image in the Public Domain
Sonship and Fatherhood
JANUARY 2, 2022
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Isaiah 61:10-62:3
Psalm 147
Galatians 4:4-7
Luke 2:41-52
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Reverend George Washington Barrett (d. 1956), a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, as well as one of my great-grandfathers, preached in the early years of the twentieth century that Jesus grew up in a Christian home. That analysis would have shocked the author of the Gospel of Matthew, who understood Jesus to have been a thoroughly Jewish figure whose life story echoed the history of Israel. In that Gospel, with its prominent contrast between Heaven and Earth, the young Jesus’s identification of God as his (heavenly) Father while St. Joseph, the man who raised the Messiah, was alive, brought up issues of types of fatherhood.
By faith and grace we are sons of God–members of the divine household. For the purpose of inclusion, a cause near and dear to my generally liberal heart, certain contemporary translations render the Greek word for “sons” as “children.” In so doing they lose the connection between the Son of God (4:4) as well as the “Spirit of his Son” (4:6) and each of us as a son of God by God’s actions (4:7), a case St. Paul the Apostle made in a culture in which only sons inherited. The gendered, seemingly exclusive language is actually inclusive, and the modernized, inclusive, neutered language sacrifices literary and theological subleties. I know a New Testament scholar who favors translating “sons” as “sons and daughters” rather than “children” for modern readers. He concedes that doing so sacrifices some meaning while stating that all modern translations sacrifice some meaning. I favor a translation that sacrifices as little meaning as possible and abhors superficial inclusiveness that makes us feel good and accomplishes little else.
We are, anyway, heirs of God, by faith and grace. We, the “sons of God,” are not exclusively male or Jewish; we come from many categories, but all of us are in God. This is wonderful news! The love of God, although unconditional, imposes the duty of faithful response on its recipients, not all of whom obey.
We can ever repay God, but at least we can be grateful. The metaphor of God as Father is a wonderful one. Yes, maternal images for God exist in the Bible, but the paternal ones are on my mind as I write this post, based partially on texts that use the word “father.” When human fathers disown their children, abuse them, et cetera, the metaphor of God as Father emphasizes the contrast between God and such sub par human fathers. One might think of St. Joseph, certainly a fine father (He did raise Jesus), but even he had human failings. As fine a father (as in the man who raises a child) St. Joseph was, we are supposed to understand, God is better. God is perfect. God adopts us. God cares deeply about us.
Do we care deeply about God?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 17, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT PATRICK, APOSTLE OF IRELAND
THE FEAST OF EBENEZER ELLIOTT, “THE CORN LAW RHYMER”
THE FEAST OF ELIZA SIBBALD ALDERSON, POET AND HYMN WRITER; AND JOHN BACCHUS DYKES, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF HENRY SCOTT HOLLAND, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER AND PRIEST
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/sonship-and-fatherhood/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Icon of the Life of Christ
Image in the Public Domain
The Universal Offer of Salvation
JANUARY 1, 2024
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In Numbers 6:22-27, the Aaronic Benediction was for Israelites only. In Galatians 3 and 4, St. Paul the Apostle, writing in large letters, with his own hand (6:11-12), argued that, by faith, in Christ, the Son of God, anyone, even if not male, free, or Jewish, became a son of God, an adopted member of the household of God, and therefore an heir. (Only sons inherited in St. Paul’s time and place.) The blessing was as close to universal as possible, St. Paul argued, given that many rejected the offer.
The love of God is universal; salvation is not. Grace, although free to us, is certainly not cheap, for it demands much of us. The family of Jesus provides a good example; Sts. Joseph and Mary, we read, were observant Jews. On the eighth day, in accordance with Leviticus 12:3, they took Jesus for his bris, we read. (Interestingly, Leviticus 12:3 mandates the circumcision of a boy on the eighth day, with no exception for the Sabbath, although Leviticus 16:31 and 23:3 state that the Sabbath should be a day of complete rest. Sometimes the language in the Law of Moses states principles and not the exceptions as plainly as some readers might wish.)
The Holy Name of Our Lord and Savior means
YHWH saves
or
YHWH is salvation.
Philippians 2 reminds us that the price of that salvation was the self-sacrifice of Jesus–death on a cross–followed by resurrection, of course. The cross is the background of much of the content of the canonical Gospels until it moves into the foreground. Christ crucified, at the center of St. Paul’s theology, is essential to Christianity. If the message of Christ crucified depresses us or otherwise makes us uncomfortable, that is a matter we should take to God in prayer.
The Holy Name of Jesus calls us to each of us to take up a cross and follow him, if we dare. Do we dare?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 17, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT PATRICK, APOSTLE OF IRELAND
THE FEAST OF EBENEZER ELLIOTT, “THE CORN LAW RHYMER”
THE FEAST OF ELIZA SIBBALD ALDERSON, POET AND HYMN WRITER; AND JOHN BACCHUS DYKES, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF HENRY SCOTT HOLLAND, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER AND PRIEST
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation:
Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world,
our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
—Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), page 151
+++++++++++
Numbers 6:22-27
Psalm 147 (at least verses 13-21)
Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7 or Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 2:15-21
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/the-universal-offer-of-salvation/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Icon of the Life of Christ
Image in the Public Domain
Divine Judgment and Mercy
DECEMBER 31, 2023
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Isaiah 63:7-9
Psalm 148
Philippians 2:12-18
Luke 2:21-40 or Matthew 2:13-23
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Judgment and mercy exist in balance in the Bible. An act of mercy for the Hebrews (as in Isaiah 63) is judgment upon the Edomites (as in Isaiah 63:1-6). Divine mercy exists not because of imagined human fidelity among a given population (such as the Hebrews), but as pure grace. So, as Psalm 148 reminds us, all of creation should praise God.
Divine graciousness creates the obligation of faithful response–manifested in devotion, not the impossible standard of moral perfection. We cannot be morally perfect, but we can do better, by grace–and as faithful response. Many will respond favorably to divine graciousness. Many others, however, will be indifferent. Still others will be violently hostile, for their own perfidious reasons.
Divine graciousness certainly has the power to offend. That fact makes a negative point about those who find such graciousness offensive. Taking offense wrongly is one error; becoming violent about it is a related and subsequent one. How we respond individually to divine graciousness is our responsibility. If we get this wrong, we will harm others as well as ourselves.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 17, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT PATRICK, APOSTLE OF IRELAND
THE FEAST OF EBENEZER ELLIOTT, “THE CORN LAW RHYMER”
THE FEAST OF ELIZA SIBBALD ALDERSON, POET AND HYMN WRITER; AND JOHN BACCHUS DYKES, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF HENRY SCOTT HOLLAND, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER AND PRIEST
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/divine-judgment-and-mercy-part-iii/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Nativity and Annunciation to the Shepherds
Image in the Public Domain
Reasons for Hope
DECEMBER 25, 2023
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Proper 2
Isaiah 62:6-12
Psalm 97
Titus 3:4-7
Luke 2:[1-7] 8-20
Proper 3
Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm 98
Hebrews 1:1-12
John 1:1-14
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Reverend Will Humes, consistent with the Roman Catholic tradition of the three masses of Christmas, provides Propers 1, 2, and 3 in his proposed lectionary. Proper 1 is for Christmas Eve. Propers 2 and 3 are for Christmas Day.
St. Gregory I “the Great,” Bishop of Rome (d. 604), provided the oldest surviving documentation of the three masses of Christmas. The midnight mass was at the Church of St. Mary Major. The second mass, at dawn, was at St. Anastasia’s Church. The third mass of the day was at the Church of St. Peter.
Proper 2
The context of Isaiah 62 was the end of the Babylonian Exile. The nations had witnessed the vindication of Israel in 61:10-62:2. The best days of the returning exiles lay ahead. The problem was that, according to all historical sources, those predictions of paradise on Earth did not come true. Returning exiles lived in a poor, backwater satrapy of the Persian Empire. Many people pushed those vaunted hopes into the future.
God is in charge. This is good news for the righteous and bad news for those He consumes. Justification by grace, which results from divine mercy, makes the justified heirs to eternal life, which is knowing God via Jesus (John 17:3). Part of living faithfully, of responding favorably to God in response to divine mercy, is striving to live more patiently as one acknowledges God’s promises. There is always hope, even though some of it has yet to arrive.
Regardless of the year you are reading this post, O reader, I guarantee that global news looks nothing like God’s full-blown reign on Earth. This is a matter of human sinfulness and of divine scheduling. Mustering patience can be difficult, I know, but we need not rely on our strength, which is insufficient anyhow. Fortunately, God seems to smile upon even the effort to muster patience; at least the attempt is a sign of good faith.
Proper 3
The readings from Hebrews 1 and John 1 present the heavenly Jesus, who dwelt among people and met with both acceptance and rejection. All the people of the Earth should rejoice because of the Incarnation, but most do not. This is unfortunate. It is also a matter for divine judgment and mercy; I will not presume to know more about the balance of those two factors than the very little I perceive.
The reading from Isaiah 52 is a prophecy of the restoration of Jerusalem. The Presence of God will dwell with the people, as it did after the Exodus and before the crossing into Canaan, we read. The full victory of God remains for the future, but the Incarnation constitutes a unique divine intervention into human events. The Incarnation points toward intervention and tells us, among other things, that we who follow Christ have excellent reasons to hope for the future.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 17, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT PATRICK, APOSTLE OF IRELAND
THE FEAST OF EBENEZER ELLIOTT, “THE CORN LAW RHYMER”
THE FEAST OF ELIZA SIBBALD ALDERSON, POET AND HYMN WRITER; AND JOHN BACCHUS DYKES, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF HENRY SCOTT HOLLAND, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER AND PRIEST
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/reasons-for-hope/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Nativity of Christ
Image in the Public Domain
With Equity and Justice for All
DECEMBER 24, 2023
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Isaiah 9:2-7
Psalm 96
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-20
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Christmas and Easter remind me of graduation in a way; orations at each of these events are usually rehashes of old material. That is not necessarily negative, of course. Ministers, of all people, must be keenly aware that they are delivering Christmas or Easter sermon #9, frequently repeated. How can reality be otherwise?
Isaiah 9:2-7 (or 9:1-6, if one is Jewish, Roman Catholic, or Eastern Orthodox) is a familiar passage. Like so many familiar passages, it contains subtexts one might easily ignore when going on autopilot. Depending on how one reads Hebrew verb tenses, the ideal king described is most likely Hezekiah (reigned 727/715-698/687 B.C.E.), son of Ahaz. One can read of Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18-20 and 2 Chronicles 29-32. One finds, however, that Hezekiah, although pious, was a deeply flawed man. The ideal king of the Davidic Dynasty, then, remains a hoped-for figure for many. Christian tradition identifies this prophecy with Jesus, born in Luke 2.
God is the King of the Earth, and salvation is available to all people, we read. Yet we know that many people refuse and will reject that offer. We also know that grace, although free to us, is never cheap to us, if it is to be effective. Divine generosity to us imposes certain moral obligations upon us. We have mandates, for example, to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. That high calling leads to legal jeopardy sometimes, especially when the “king,” regardless of title, does not strive to be an ideal ruler and certainly falls far short of that standard.
Amid the reigns of wicked potentates and exploitative economic-judicial-educational systems I write
Merry Christmas!
to all of you. Remember that God is in charge and will judge people with equity and justice. That is good news for some and terrifying news for others.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 16, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ADALBALD OF OSTEVANT, RICTRUDIS OF MARCHIENNES, AND THEIR RELATIONS
THE FEAST OF SAINT ABRAHAM KUDUNAIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT; AND SAINT MARY OF EDESSA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ANCHORESS
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN CACCIAFRONTE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, BISHOP, AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT MEGINGAUD OF WURZBURG, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND BISHOP
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/16/with-equity-and-justice-for-all/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Madonna and Child
Image in the Public Domain
Sharing the Distress of Others
DECEMBER 24, 2023
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Habakkuk 3:17-19
Isaiah 54:1-10
Philippians 4:10-14
Luke 2:1-20
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The readings from Habakkuk 3 and Isaiah 54 exist in the context of exile. They also teach the wisdom of trusting God, even when the darkness seems darkest and hope seems lost. God is faithful, these scriptures tell us.
For the mountains may move
And the hills be shaken,
But my loyalty shall never move from you,
Nor My covenant of friendship be shaken
–said the LORD, who takes you back in love.
–Isaiah 54:10, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
In Philippians 4 St. Paul the Apostle writes of his contentment in a variety of circumstances, from hardship to ease. This is an inner freedom and a great spiritual gift. St. Paul can do all things with God’s help, we read.
In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress.
–Philippians 4:14, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
Was that not what God did via the Incarnation? Did not God share our distress?
Does not God call on us to be agents of divine kindness by sharing the distress of others? To be a Christian is to follow Christ, who suffered and died for our benefit. The author of Hebrews, in 10:24, writing in the context of persecution and of faith community, challenges us to
consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.
—The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
You, O reader, and I are supposed to be ambassadors for Christ. What we do might bring someone to faith, turn someone off from God, deepen his or her faith, or damage it. One way to be an agent of Christ to someone is to share in that person’s distress and offer compassion, not judgment.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 29, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS BOSA OF YORK, JOHN OF BEVERLEY, WILFRID THE YOUNGER, AND ACCA OF HEXHAM, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS
THE FEAST OF SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN
THE FEAST OF TIMOTHY REES, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF LLANDAFF
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2017/04/29/sharing-the-distress-of-others/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Icon of Nehemiah
Image in the Public Domain
Economics, Politics, and the Demands of Piety
JANUARY 22, 2022
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
Blessed Lord God, you have caused the holy scriptures
to be written for the nourishment of your people.
Grant that we may hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that, comforted by your promises,
we may embrace and forever hold fast to the hope of eternal life,
through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 23
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Nehemiah 5:1-13
Psalm 19
Luke 2:39-52
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The law of the LORD inspires reverence and is pure;
it stands firm, for ever,
the judgments of the LORD are true;
they form a good code of justice.
–Psalm 19:10, The Psalms Introduced and Newly Translated for Today’s Readers (1989), by Harry Mowvley
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The economic crisis in Judea was one which entailed some Jews exploiting other Jews–poor returnees, to be precise–in violation of Exodus 22:24-26. Seizing property put us collateral for a loan to a poor person violated the letter of the Law of Moses and contradicted the underlying ethos of mutuality. Both civic and religious leaders were guilty, but at least Nehemiah used his gubernatorial power to correct the injustice. He possessed much wisdom and righteousness.
Jesus, a figure far greater than Nehemiah, also possessed much wisdom and righteousness–more than Nehemiah. Our Lord and Savior–a sage yet more than just that–taught in a particular geographical and historical context, one in which the realities of the Roman occupation frustrated the already-harsh realities of peasants’ lives. Much of Christian tradition has ignored or minimized the economic-political background of Christ’s sayings, unfortunately. Perhaps doing otherwise would have led to unpleasant and inconvenient political situations for ecclesiastical organizations and leaders loyal to governments and potentates, or at least dependent upon them. More figures such as Nehemiah among civic leaders as well as among ecclesiastical shepherds would have helped many people. The same thought applies well to current times.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 3, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE EVE OF THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI: PROPER FOR THE GOODNESS OF CREATION
THE FEAST OF THEODOR FLIEDNER, PIONEER OF THE DEACONESS MOVEMENT IN THE LUTHERAN CHURCH
THE FEAST OF GEORGE KENNEDY ALLEN BELL, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF CHICHESTER
THE FEAST OF JOHN RALEIGH MOTT, ECUMENICAL PIONEER
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/10/03/economics-politics-and-the-demands-of-piety/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Part of a Certain Hymn from Pilgrim Hymnal (1935)
Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
–Luke 2:8, The New Revised Standard Version
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I collect hymnals and service books. Exploring them and finding treasures is a wonderful hobby, one which brings joy to me. And sharing those gems sheds that joy abroad. That is the rationale for my GATHERED PRAYERS weblog, which links into this one. Some hymns, however, are not prayers, so I seek and fine other venues for sharing them.
William Allen Knight (1863-1957) was a U.S. Congregationalist minister and author. Yesterday, for example, I found some books he wrote available at archive.org:
Knight also wrote the following Christmas hymn in 1915:
Come, my heart, canst thou not hear it,
Mid the tumult of thy days?
Catch the old sweet song of angels,
Join thy voice to swell their praise!
Hast thou never shared the blessing,
Never known kind Heaven’s gift?
Bethlehem thy Saviour cradled!
Heart of mine, a song uplift.
+++++
First to hear were watching shepherds,
Sore afraid that winter’s night;
Soon their Bethlehem’s low manger
Changed the song to wondrous sight!
Ever since, all they who hear it
Find a Saviour where they dwell;
Sing it, heart! Who knows what toilers
Thou the Christward way shalt tell!
+++++
Long ago the angels vanished–
But their song is sounding still!
Millions now with hope are singing,
“Peace on earth, to men good will.”
Sing, my heart! Tho’ peace may tarry,
Sing good will mid human strife!
Till that old sweet song of angels
Shall attune to heav’n our life.
I keep hearing about a war on Christmas. Yet I note that many, if not most, of those who speak and write at length on that subject seem oblivious to the liturgical calendar and many well-documented facts. “Xmas” is not a way to remove “Christ” from Christmas. No, “X” is an abbreviation derived from the Greek alphabet. I have, for example, squeezed “Xian” into a tiny gap when taking notes and meaning “Christian.” And I do not hear many of these self-appointed defenders of Christmas against the great secular hordes speak of Advent or twelve days of Christmas often. Thus many self-appointed defenders of tradition violate the tradition they claim to affirm. I love the irony.
Talk is cheap and frequently annoying. But keeping holy seasons quietly and sincerely is where, as an old saying goes, the rubber meets the road. We can start by dropping out of the rat race or never entering it. And we can live daily in the awareness that time is sacred–something of which the older, more formalistic Christian denominations tend to engender better than the iconoclastic schools of Protestantism.
The angels’ song is sounding still. Thanks be to God! But do we hear it over the din of pointless arguments and of hustle and bustle?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 23, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-THIRD DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN OF KANTY, ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT CHARBEL, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MONK
THE FEAST OF GERALD R. FORD, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
THE FEAST OF PERCY SUTTON, CIVIL RIGHTS PIONEER
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post:
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/a-christmas-message-come-my-heart-canst-thou-not-hear-it/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
You must be logged in to post a comment.