Archive for the ‘Micah 5’ Tag
Above: Icon of the Magnificat
Image in the Public Domain
Feeling Uncomfortable
DECEMBER 20, 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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Micah 5:1-5
Luke 1:46-56
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-45
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The Fourth Sunday of Advent is, appropriately, a time to focus on the Messiah. As I wrote in the previous post, Zephaniah 3:14-20 is not a messianic prophecy. Micah 5:105 is, however.
The Magnificat is a beautiful and a familiar text. Perhaps the main problem one has when reading a familiar text is going on autopilot. I challenge you, O reader, as much as I challenge myself, to resist that temptation. Read the Magnificat again, with eyes as fresh as possible. Consider the theme of reversal of fortune; that theme is prominent in the Gospel of Luke. Does that portrayal of God make you uncomfortable? Does it challenge any of your values?
The Magnificat is one of the texts that remind me of an observation I read on the back of a church bulletin years ago:
The purpose of the Gospel is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.
That description applies to the Gospel of Luke.
Then turn with me, O reader, to Hebrews 10:5-10, usually a text for Good Friday. One may recall that the Passion Chorale is present in the Christmas Oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach. Reading Hebrews 10:5-10 on this Sunday and hearing Hans Leo Hassler‘s Passion Chorale in the Season of Christmas reminds us of why the Incarnation occurred.
That becomes very uncomfortable quite quickly. If we find it uncomfortable, we need to consider how Jesus felt on the cross.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 11, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHN SWERTNER, DUTCH-GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND HYMNAL EDITOR; AND HIS COLLABORATOR, JOHN MUELLER, GERMAN-ENGLISH MORAVIAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMNAL EDITOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT AENGUS THE CULDEE, HERMIT AND MONK; AND SAINT MAELRUAN, ABBOT
THE FEAST OF SAINT EULOGIUS OF SPAIN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF TOLEDO, CORDOBA; AND SAINT LEOCRITA; ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 859
THE FEAST OF FRANCIS WAYLAND, U.S. BAPTIST MINISTER, EDUCATOR, AND SOCIAL REFORMER
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAL PRENNUSHI, ALBANIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1948
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2020/03/11/feeling-uncomfortable/
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Above: A Mouse Trap
Image in the Public Domain
Springing and Evading Traps
DECEMBER 6, 2023
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The Collect:
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come.
By your merciful protection awaken us to the threatening dangers of our sins,
and keep us blameless until the coming of your new day,
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever . Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 18
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The Assigned Readings:
Micah 5:1-5a
Psalm 79
Luke 21:34-38
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Their blood have they spilt like water on every side of Jerusalem:
and there is none to bury them.
–Psalm 79:3, The Alternative Service Book 1980
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The scene in Micah 5 is dire. Enemies have besieged Jerusalem and humiliated the monarch. Deliverance, the text says, will come via a future king of the Davidic Dynasty. There will be a way out of the trap–yet not soon.
The metaphor of a trap occurs in Luke 21:34. The arrival of God’s new order will be like the springing of a trap, the verse tells us. Woe to those whom the arrival of the Kingdom of God in its fullness catches unaware, the passage tells us also. The literary context for that pericope is Holy Week, when our Lord and Savior’s opponents sought to ensnare him. And, as a note in a study Bible told me, come ancient copies of Lukan Gospel insert the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery between 21:36 and 21:37. In that floating pericope, which settled down eventually as John 7:53-8:11, religious authorities trapped a woman and sought to spring a trap on Jesus, but he trapped them and let the woman go instead.
The post-Babylonian Exilic period did not witness the flowering of the Davidic Dynasty and Judean national glory, contrary to many hopes. Many people have applied Micah 5:1-5a to Jesus instead, but the events of the past two millennia have not confirmed certain expectations of Christ which some have poured into certain passages of scripture. Perhaps the trap from which we need deliverance the most is the snare of our own incorrect assumptions. If Jesus disappoints us, the fault resides within our minds, not with him. There is also the matter of divine scheduling, for we mere mortals are temporal, short-lived, and often terribly impatient. God, however, has a different perspective, one we cannot comprehend.
The full arrival of God’s order is waiting, like a yet-unsprung trap. May we who call ourselves Christians remain alert and active, growing in active faith, doing better at loving others–our friends and enemies alike–as ourselves, being salt and light in the world, and enjoying God all along the way. Whenever we meet God in a manner other than we do most of the time, may God find us occupied with those activities.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 20, 2014 COMMON ERA
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 WAHAORA, ANGLICAN MARTYR
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/10/28/springing-and-evading-traps/
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Above: Astarte (1902), by John Singer Sargent
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-USZ62-133676
Idolatry Among Us
JANUARY 9, 2023
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The Collect:
Almighty and ever-living God, you revealed the incarnation
of your Son by the brilliant shining of a star.
Shine the light of your justice always in our hearts and over all lands,
and accept our lives as the treasure we offer in your praise and for your service,
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 21
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The Assigned Readings:
Micah 5:2-9 (Protestant Versification)/Micah 5:1-8 (Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Versification)
Psalm 72
Luke 13:31-35
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Blessed are you, O Lord our God:
for you alone do marvellous things.
Blessed be your glorious name for ever:
let the whole earth be filled
with your glory. Amen. Amen.
–Psalm 72:19-20, A New Zealand Prayer Book (1989)
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The reading from Luke 13 prompts me to think of the Classic Theory of the Atonement, a.k.a. the Conquest of Satan and Christus Victor. This interpretation dates to early Christianity, for Origen, St. Irenaeus, and St. Justin Martyr argued for it. I have read more recent iterations of it in the works of Gustav Aulen and N. T. Wright. As St. Irenaeus (died 202 C.E.) wrote:
The Word of God was made flesh in order that He might destroy death and bring men to life, for we were tied and bound in sin, we were born in sin and live under the dominion of death.
–Quoted in Linwood Urban, A Short History of Christian Thought, Revised and Expanded Edition (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1995), page 109
Perfidious men–men, not people generically (I like to use gendered language precisely)–plotted to kill Jesus. They succeeded in that goal. Yet our Lord and Savior did not remain dead for long. So those perfidious men failed ultimately.
God wins ultimately, despite our best human attempts to thwart that result. Such is the best definition of the sovereignty of God I can muster.
Micah 5:1-8/5:2-9 (depending on the versification in the translation one reads) sounds reassuring for the Hebrew nation in the late eighth century B.C.E.-early seventh century B.C.E., the timeframe for Isaiah 1-39. Woe be unto any Assyrian invaders, it says. If one continues to read, however, one discovers that the Assyrians are not the only ones who should quake in fear of divine retribution, which will fall also on the homefront as well:
In anger and fury I shall wreak vengeance
on the nations who disobey me.
–Micah 5:15, The Revised English Bible
The disobedience in Micah 5 took various forms, including idolatry.
Idols range from false deities to anything which anyone lets stand between him or her and God. I live in Athens, Georgia, a football-mad town. Often I note the tone of reverence regarding University of Georgia athletics in the local press. And frequently have I heard sports fans liken sports to religion. It is one for many of them. And, ironically, the Bible functions as an idol for many honest seekers of God. The Scriptures are supposed to be as icons, through which people see God, but their function varies according to the user thereof.
Religion is a basic human need. Even many militant fundamentalist Atheists possess the same irritating zeal as do many fundamentalists of theistic varieties. I stand in the middle, rejecting both excessive skepticism and misplaced certainty, overboard materialism and rationality with the haunting fear that having sex standing up will lead to (gasp!) dancing. So I reject idols on either side of my position while know that I need to examine my own position for the presence of idols, as abstract as they might be.
Perhaps the greatest spiritual challenge is to identify and reject all idols, which do not seem as what they are to us because the most basic assumptions people carry do not look like assumptions to us. Thus we justify ourselves to ourselves while we stand in serious error. Sometimes our idols and false assumptions, combined with fears, lead us commit violence–frequently in the name of God or an imagined deity, perhaps understood as being loving.
We are really messed up. Fortunately, there is abundant grace available to us. But can we recognize that if idolatry blinds us spiritually?
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KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 2, 2013 COMMON ERA
LABOR DAY (U.S.A.)
THE FEAST OF HANNAH, MOTHER OF SAMUEL
THE FEAST OF DAVID CHARLES, WELSH CALVINISTIC METHODIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF THE MARTYRS OF NEW GUINEA
THE FEAST OF SAINT WILLIAM OF ROSKILDE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/idolatry-among-us/
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Above: The Visitation and Magnificat
Violence, Grace, and Scandal
DECEMBER 19, 2021
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THE FIRST READING
Micah 5:2-5 (New Revised Standard Version):
But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be the one of peace.
THE RESPONSE: OPTIONS
Canticle 15 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
(The Magnificat plus the Trinitarian formula)
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm 80:1-7 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock;
shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.
2 In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
stir up your strength and come to help us.
3 Restore us, O God of hosts;
show us the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
4 O LORD God of hosts,
how long will you be angered
despite the prayers of your people?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears;
you have given them bowls of tears to drink.
6 You have made us the derision of our neighbors,
and our enemies laugh us to scorn.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
show us the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
THE SECOND READING
Hebrews 10:5-10 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,’
as it is written of me in the roll of the book.
When he said above,
You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings
(those are offered according to the law), then he added,
Behold, I have come to do your will.
He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
THE GOSPEL READING
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) (Revised English Bible):
Soon afterwards Mary set out and hurried away to a town in the uplands of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby stirred in her womb. Then Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed in a loud voice,
God’s blessing is on you above all women, and his blessing is on the fruit of your womb. Who am I, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? I tell you, when your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby in my womb leapt for joy. Happy is she who has faith that the Lord’s promise to her would be fulfilled!
And Mary said:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour;
for he has looked with favour on his servant,
lowly as she is.
From this day forward
all generations will count me blessed,
for the Mighty God has done great things for me.
His name is holy,
his mercy sure from generation to generation
toward those who fear him.
He has shown the might of his arm,
he has routed the proud and all their schemes;
he has brought down monarchs and their thrones,
and raised on high the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant,
as he promised to our forefathers;
he has not forgotten to show mercy
to Abraham and his children’s children for ever.
Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned home.
The Collect:
Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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Some Related Posts:
Advent Prayers of Dedication:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/advent-prayers-of-dedication/
Advent Prayers of Praise and Adoration:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/advent-prayers-of-praise-and-adoration/
The Hail Mary:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/the-hail-mary/
An Advent Prayer: Expectant God:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/an-advent-prayer-expectant-god/
An Advent Prayer: Divine Light:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/an-advent-prayer-divine-light/
An Advent Prayer: The Word of God is Near:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/an-advent-prayer-the-word-of-god-is-near/
An Advent Prayer of Confession:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/an-advent-prayer-of-confession/
Advent Prayers of Thanksgiving:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/advent-prayers-of-thanksgiving/
An Advent Blessing:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/an-advent-blessing/
An Advent Prayer: Expectant Hearts:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/an-advent-prayer-expectant-hearts/
O Blessed Mother:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/17/o-blessed-mother/
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The world has long been violent. Such violence is evident in some of the readings for this Sunday. Read the rest of Micah 5, which refers to a possible invasion by Assyrian forces. Enemies laugh the people of God to scorn in Psalm 80. Hebrews 10 reminds us that the birth of Jesus was an early chapter in a story which went on to include the crucifixion. And the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, the setting for the glorious Magnificat, occurred in occupied Judea. The Pax Romana came at a high price for the vanquished and occupied.
Empires rise and fall, but violence persists. Nations still occupy other peoples, who engage in acts of violent resistance. And invasions occur from time to time. Grudges ancient and modern ferment in the minds of many people, whether they are occupied or the occupiers. Out of mutual fear, hostility, and misunderstanding we humans attack each other and justify injustice.
We have done this to ourselves and each other. We continue to do so, for we might not know how to act differently. We need to hear and heed the message of the Magnificat. The fruit of a scandalous conception brought about an abundance of grace, but that fruit needed good nurturing. May we, when we have opportunities to do so, nurture the bearers of grace around us. Scandals are less important (if at all) than are love and compassion. Who knows how far the impact of our nurturing will reach? What would Jesus have been without the parenting skills of Mary and Joseph? If we take our creedal statements regarding our Lord’s full humanity and divinity seriously, we must give Mary and Joseph much credit.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 3, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE TENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF EDWARD CASWALL, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF EDWARD PERRONET, BRITISH METHODIST PREACHER
THE FEAST OF SAINT GENEVIEVE, PROPHET
THE FEAST OF GLADYS AYLWARD, ANGLICAN MISSIONARY TO CHINA
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/08/09/violence-grace-and-scandal/
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ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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