Above:  The Wrath of Elihu, by William Blake

Image in the Public Domain

The Oratory and Theology of Elihu, Part II

JANUARY 28, 20234

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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 33:1-33

Psalm 34:11-18

Matthew 12:1-21 or Mark 3:7-19 or Luke 6:1-16

Hebrews 12:(1-3) 4-17

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When the righteous cry for help,

the LORD hears,

and rescues them from all their troubles.

–Psalm 34:17, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)

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The speeches of Job in most of the Book of Job say otherwise.

Elihu, sounding pious and spouting a mix of truth and bad theology, blames the victim in Job 33.  Job must be suffering because of a sin, Elihu is certain.  Elihu is correct that

God does not fit man’s measure.

–Verse 12b, The Jerusalem Bible (1966).

Nevertheless, Elihu fails to recognize that God does not fit his measure.  Spiritual discipline by God is a reality, of course, but it does not explain all suffering.

One can quite easily become fixated on a set of rules and fail to recognize that they do not describe how God works.  For example, keeping the Sabbath is a healthy spiritual exercise.  It is properly an indication of freedom.  It is properly a gift.  It is properly a form of recognition of the necessity of rest.  It is improperly an occasion of legalism, such as in the cases of Jesus healing on the Sabbath and of he and his Apostles picking corn and grain on that day.  They did have to eat, did they not?  And did the man with the withered hand deserve to wait another day to receive his healing?

That healing on the Sabbath, according to all three accounts of it, prompted some of our Lord and Savior’s critics to plot his death.  Luke 6:11 (The New Revised Standard Version, 1989) reports that they were “filled with fury.”

Compassion is a timeless spiritual virtue, one frequently sacrificed on the altars of legalism and psychological defensiveness.  To be compassionate is better than to seek to sin an argument or to destroy one’s adversary.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SHEPHERD KNAPP, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF GOTTFRIED WILHELM SACER, GERMAN LUTHERAN ATTORNEY AND HYMN WRITER; AND FRANCES ELIZABETH COX, ENGLISH HYMN WRITER AND TRANSLATOR

THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN DUCKETT AND RALPH CORBY, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND MARTYRS IN ENGLAND

THE FEAST OF NIKOLAI GRUDTVIG, HYMN WRITER

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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/09/08/the-oratory-and-theology-of-elihu-part-ii/

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Above:  Icon of Mary and Jesus

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In Jesus’s Name

DECEMBER 24, 2023

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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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Ecclesiastes 5:1-20 or 7:1-14 or Ezekiel 33:23-33

Psalm 21

Philippians 3:1-4a; 4:10-21 or James 1:17-27

Matthew 12:22-50 or Luke 11:14-54

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Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!

We will sing and praise your power.

–Psalm 21:13, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)

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Sincere praise of God is a virtue and insincere spiritual speech is an affront to God.  Often such insincere speech, externally pious, disguises willful and/or institutionalized social injustice, especially that of the economic variety.  The mercy and judgment of God coexist.  Often we prefer to hear of the mercy yet not of the judgment.  That is at least as bad an error as committing the opposite fallacy.

That is a concise summary of several of the elements of the lections for Christmas Eve (Year D).  One might recognize my summary as being accurate while wondering what it has to do with Christmas Eve, however.  That is a legitimate question.  Timothy Matthew Slemmons, in Year D (2012), acknowledges the challenge of selecting germane and neglected texts for December 24 and 25.  He explains that his suggested readings contain relevant themes, such as the universality of sin.

The world that the Second Person of the Trinity, incarnated as Jesus, entered was dangerous and corrupt.  That description still applies to the world, does it not?  Jesus continues to come to us in the guise of the poor, the lame, the exploited, the young, the middle-aged, and the elderly.  Do we content ourselves with pious platitudes while we do little or nothing to help them (as we are able, of course) and/or to justify systems that harm them?  And, as we enjoy hearing about divine mercy, do we give proper attention to God’s judgment on those who exploit the vulnerable?

The celebration of the birth of Jesus, linked to his death and resurrection, is more than a time to celebrate.  It is also an occasion for us to commit or recommit ourselves to living according to the incarnational principle.  God is present all around us intangibly in tangible elements of creation.  These tangible elements include the defenseless and the exploited.  May we commit or recommit ourselves to recognizing the image of God in them and to acting accordingly, in Jesus’s name.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 22, 2016 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF JACK LAYTON, CANADIAN ACTIVIST AND FEDERAL LEADER OF THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY

THE FEAST OF JOHN DRYDEN, ENGLISH PURITAN THEN ANGLICAN THEN ROMAN CATHOLIC POET, PLAYWRIGHT, AND TRANSLATOR

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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/08/22/in-jesuss-name/

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Above:  Jesus Healing the Man with the Withered Hand

Image in the Public Domain

Idolatry and Legalism

FEBRUARY 3, 2024

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The Collect:

Everlasting God, you give strength to the weak and power to the faint.

Make us agents of your healing and wholeness,

that your good may be made known to the ends your creation,

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.  Amen.

–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 24

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The Assigned Readings:

Isaiah 46:1-13

Psalm 147:1-11, 20

Matthew 12:9-14

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Hallelujah!

How good it is to sing praises to our God!

how pleasant it is to honor him with praise!

–Psalm 147:1, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)

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An idol is anything (tangible or otherwise) which takes the place of God in one’s life.  Thus an idol can be a doctrine, an activity, an object, or a figment of one’s imagination.  It need not necessarily be bad; it can be inherently neutral, in fact, for how we think of it makes it an idol.  I am convinced that the Bible is frequently an idol, given how many people put it in the place of God.  The sacred anthology ought, of course, to function as an icon–something through which one sees God.

We read of two different types of idols in the lessons for today.  There are old school false deities and images thereof in Isaiah 46.  Monotheism took a long time to take hold among the Hebrews, hence the many condemnations of idolatry in the Old Testament.  Our Lord and Savior confronted the idol of legalism in Matthew 12:9-14, for he healed on the Sabbath.  Rules said that he should have done that on another day.  To save a life and to provide the most minimal first aid on the Sabbath were “legal,” but healing was not.  Yet, as Jesus demonstrated every day is a good day to perform a good deed.

I suspect that legalists think of themselves as righteous seekers after God.  They are simply following the rules, I think they tell themselves.  Yet they mistake the means for the end.  And, as a result, they often oppose compassionate deeds on a technicality.  As I wrote in the previous post, alleged orthodoxy means far less than sound orthopraxy.  And, if God is love, is not compassion sound orthopraxy?

May we reject all idols, including those which seem to be of God.

DECEMBER 1, 2014 COMMON ERA

THE SECOND DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR B

THE FEAST OF NICHOLAS FERRAR, ANGLICAN DEACON

THE FEAST OF SAINT CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT

THE FEAST OF SAINT EDMUND CAMPION, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR

THE FEAST OF SAINT ELIGIUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST

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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/idolatry-and-legalism/

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Above:  Jesus and His Apostles

Image in the Public Domain

Compassion, the Will of God, and Bad Theodicy

DECEMBER 29, 2023

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The Collect:

All-powerful and unseen God, the coming of your light

into our world has brightened weary hearts with peace.

Call us out of darkness, and empower us to proclaim the birth of your Son,

Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 20

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The Assigned Readings:

Isaiah 49:5-15

Psalm 148

Matthew 12:46-50

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Let kings and commoners,

princes and rulers over the whole earth,

youths and girls,

old and young together,

let them praise the name of the LORD,

for his name is high above all others,

and his majesty above earth and heaven.

He has exalted his people in the pride of power

and crowned with praise his loyal servants,

Israel, a people close to him.

Praise the LORD.

–Psalm 148:11-14, Revised English Bible (1989)

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Excessive, selfish individualism–that which says, “every man for himself”–violates Biblical ethics.  Our Lord and Savior speaks of spiritual kinship in Matthew 12:40.  And the text of Isaiah 49:1-15 describes a society in which people look out for each other and the chosen of God function as a light to the nations.

I do not pretend to be an expert on the will of God.  Unfortunately, that concept has become fodder for detestable theology, run-of-the-mill bad theology, and merely shallow theology.  I have heard people invoke the will of God to make excuses for the inexcusable and read many other examples of people doing the same.  Slavery has allegedly been consistent with the will of God, as have genocide, epidemics, and wars of conquest.  Many people, out of misguided piety, have committed bad theodicy, describing God as a cosmic thug–a deity I do not seek to worship.

I have detected some consistent threads running through the Bible.  Among these is the idea that God cares about how we treat each other, hence the Golden Rule, the Law of Love, and many other passages.  The Baptismal Covenant in The Book of Common Prayer (1979) challenges the faithful to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being” (page 305).  So, while I recognize and stand in awe of the mystery of the will of God, I state confidently that loving my neighbor as myself is consistent with that will.  Honoring that promise is difficult, but grace is on hand to help us live compassionately.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 8, 2014 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF JOHANN VON STAUPITZ, MARTIN LUTHER’S SPIRITUAL MENTOR

THE FEAST OF JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF HAITI

THE FEAST OF JOHN MILTON, POET AND ANGLICAN PRIEST

THE FEAST OF THE SAINTS AND MARTYRS OF THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION

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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/compassion-the-will-of-god-and-bad-theodicy/

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Above:  Jeremiah, from the Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, by Michelangelo

(Image in the Public Domain)

Instruments of God

JANUARY 14 and 15, 2020

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The Collect:

O God our Father, at the baptism of Jesus you proclaimed him your beloved Son

and anointed him with the Holy Spirit.

Make all who are baptized into Christ faithful to their calling

to be your daughters and sons,

and empower us with your Spirit,

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.  Amen.

–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 22

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The Assigned Readings:

Jeremiah 1:4-10 (Tuesday)

Isaiah 51:1-16 (Wednesday)

Psalm 89:5-37 (both days)

Acts 8:4-13 (Tuesday)

Matthew 12:15-21 (Wednesday)

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Blessed are the people who know the shout that acclaims you:

the people also walk in the light of your presence.

They rejoice in your name all the day long:

and because of your righteousness they are exalted.

For you are their glory and their strength:

and through your favour our heads are lifted high.

Truly the Lord is our shield:

the Holy One is our sovereign.

–Psalm 89:15-18, A New Zealand Prayer Book (1989)

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These readings teach about sacred vocation–the vocation to walk with God, to be a light in the world, and even to convert adversaries when possible.  It is a vocation which one ignores at the peril of oneself and the health of one’s society.  Indeed, society is just people, so enough people can change society.

And, if one feels unqualified, that is because one is not qualified for the great tasks God has assigned to one.  Jeremiah was young.  Gideon’s army was too small.  The eleven surviving Apostles had feet of clay.  St. Paul the Apostle had a difficult personality.  Rahab was a prostitute.  And Jacob/Israel was a trickster.  I could continue, but I trust that I have made my point plainly.

Each of us has weaknesses and strengths inside self.  And each of us has access to a much greater strength–God, who works through people much of the time.  Furthermore, strengths can emerge from weaknesses.  If that is not evidence of grace, I do not know what is.

So, O reader, what is God calling and empowering you to do?

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF ARTHUR CARL LICHTENBERGER, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

THE FEAST OF J. R. R. TOLKIEN, NOVELIST

THE FEAST OF JIMMY LAWRENCE, EPISCOPAL PRIEST

THE FEAST OF PRUDENCE CRANDALL, EDUCATOR

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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/instruments-of-god/

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Above:  Trimming Olive Trees in Palestine, Between 1934 and 1939

Image Source = Library of Congress

Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-matpc-16614

Grace, Free Will, and Fruits

DECEMBER 7, 2022

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The Collect:

Stir up your power, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son.

By his coming nurture our growth as people of repentance and peace;

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.  Amen.

–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 18

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The Assigned Readings:

Genesis 15:1-18

Psalm 21

Matthew 12:33-37

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Be exalted, O LORD, in your might;

we will sing and praise your power.

–Psalm 21:14, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)

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Today’s readings are about fruits–descendants (in the case of Abram/Abraham) and deeds and words (in the case of Matthew 12).  Abram/Abraham had free will, as does each of us, O reader.  God is mighty, but we are not cosmic puppets, so we can choose to cooperate with God or to do otherwise.  Our deeds reveal our creeds, for such as we think, we are.  So, if we suffer, may we do so for the sake of righteousness, not sin.

I examine my spiritual history and conclude that my part is mixed.  Sometimes, however, I have thought mistakenly that I was doing that.  And, on other occasions, I have not even tried.  But I have returned to God again and again, trusting in love which covers a multitude of sins and has only one unpardonable sin.  To the best of my knowledge, I have not committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, for my conscience seems to have been intact for as long as I remember.  And I can distinguish between good and evil.

We should, of course, know that our families, subcultures, cultures, friends, and societies influence our views of right and wrong.  Sometimes they err.  To some extent each of us is wrong–sinful.  But God knows that about us–that we are but dust.  I think that the mere effort to do the righteous thing pleases God, by grace.  At least I hope so.  But I depend on grace to lead to positive spiritual results for communities, cultures, subcultures, societies, families, individuals, et cetera.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JUNE 26, 2013 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF JEREMIAH, BIBLICAL PROPHET

THE FEAST OF ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST

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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/07/06/grace-free-will-and-fruits/

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