Archive for the ‘Psalm 1’ Tag
Above: Icon of the Beatitudes
Image in the Public Domain
Mutuality in God
JANUARY 29, 2023
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Micah 6:1-8
Psalm 1
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Matthew 5:1-12
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O God, you know that we cannot withstand
the dangers which surround us.
Strengthen us in body and spirit so that, with your help,
we may be able to overcome the weakness
that our sin has brought upon us;
through Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 16
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Almighty God,
you know that we are set among so many and great dangers
that by reason of the weakness of our fallen nature
we cannot always stand upright;
grant us your strength and protection to support us in all dangers
and carry us through all temptations;
through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 25
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Sacred ritual is part of the Law of Moses. So are moral mandates regarding how people ought to treat each other. A sacred ritual is not a talisman. To treat it as such is to make a mockery of it.
“The man” of Psalm 1:1 is a student of the Torah. He, in the original cultural setting and in the Hebrew text, is a man. In my cultural setting, that role is no longer gender-specific, for the better. Certain details change, according to physical and temporal setting. Others remain constant, though, for better or worse. For example, “the man” of Psalm 1:1 is stable. The language of positions in Psalm 1:1 is interesting. “The man” contrasts with the impious, who are in motion–walking, following, and standing–before finally sitting down in the seat of scoffers. True stability exists in God alone.
The readings from the New Testament tell us that divine values differ from dominant human values. Conventional wisdom may get some details right. After all, a broken clock is right twice a day. Yet conventional wisdom tends to be foolishness. The ethics of the Beatitudes, for example, look like folly to “the world.”
Micah 6 contrasts with what God has done with what people have done, collectively. The Bible frequently concerns itself with collective actions and inactions. My Western culture, with its individualistic emphasis, does not know how to comprehend collective guilt, sin, and repentance. Yet the Bible does. Mutuality, not individualism, is a Biblical virtue. Remember, O reader, that in three of the four readings for this Sunday, the emphasis is on “we,” not “me.” Furthermore, “we” and “me” coexist in Psalm 1.
The emphasis on “we” terrifies me. I may try to follow God daily, to practice the Golden Rule, et cetera. Yet I also belong to a community, a culture, a society, a nation-state, and a species. The sins of others may cause me to suffer because of my group memberships–community, culture, society, nation-state, and species. Recall, O reader, that the population in Micah 6 addressed included pious people. Remember, O reader, that not all Christians in Corinth were querulous jerks.
Ponder, O reader, how we–the “we” of wherever you live–can improve relative to Micah 6:8. How can “we” do justice, love goodness, and walk modestly with God?
THE FEAST OF SAINTS MIROCLES OF MILAN AND EPIPHANIUS OF PAVIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ALBAN ROE AND THOMAS REYNOLDS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND MARTYRS, 1642
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN YI YON-ON, ROMAN CATHOLIC CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN KOREA, 1867
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: The Temptations of Jesus
Image in the Public Domain
Faithful Servants of God, Part II
JANUARY 15, 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 2:11-26 or Ezekiel 2:1-3:4
Psalm 1
Galatians 1:1-24
Matthew 4:1-11
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The theme of fidelity to God unites these readings.
Fools and wise people die. One works hard then dies; others inherit. At least one can be faithful to God and enjoy one’s work during one’s life filled with pain. That description certainly applies to Ezekiel, Jesus, and St. Paul the Apostle. Relying on God while surrounded by faithless people, as well as away from the faithless, maddening crowd, one can resist the temptations to seek the easy way out, to be spectacular, to glorify oneself, not to depend on God, to serve evil, to make peace with injustice, et cetera.
As Harry Emerson Fosdick wrote in 1930,
Save us from weak resignation
To the evils we deplore;
Let the search for Thy salvation
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Serving Thee whom we adore,
Serving Thee whom we adore.
Amen.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 19, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH OF NAZARETH, HUSBAND OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/19/faithful-servants-of-god-part-iv/
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Above: A Container of Salt, October 28, 2015
Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Salt
NOT OBSERVED IN 2019
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The Collect:
O God our rock, your word brings life to the whole creation from
and salvation from sin and death.
Nourish our faith in your promises, and ground us in your strength,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 25
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The Assigned Readings:
Proverbs 5:1-23
Psalm 1
Luke 14:34-35
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Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of then wicked,
nor lingered in the way of sinners,
nor sat in the seats of the scornful!
–Psalm 1:1, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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[Jesus said,] “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it away. Let anyone with ears listen!”
–Luke 14:34-35, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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Proverbs 5:1-23 is a straight-forward set of advice about why a man should remain infatuated with and faithful to his wife. The pericope concludes:
For a man’s ways are before the eyes of God;
He surveys his entire course.
The wicked man will be trapped in his iniquities;
He will be caught up in the ropes of his sin.
He will die for lack of discipline,
Infatuated by his great folly.
–Proverbs 5:21-23, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
That fits well with Psalm 1.
Salt both preserves food and adds flavor to it. Too little salt is bad for a person, as is an excessive amount of it. Our Lord and Savior’s saying about salt follows a discourse on the cost of discipleship in Luke 14. The cost of discipleship is to take up one’s cross and follow Jesus. Discipleship entails laying aside anything which distracts one from God. Certainly improper desires distract one from God. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, but much can distract us from God, if we permit that to happen.
Interestingly, the parables in Luke 15 depict God as not being distracted from us. Rather, God is concerned about us. God seeks us actively and waits for us to return when we stray. Divine rejoicing upon finding one who was lost is extravagant. Does not such love merit reciprocation.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 28, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/10/28/salt/
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Above: Sycamore Figs, 1900
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-matpc-00721
Good Figs
NOT OBSERVED IN 2019
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The Collect:
O God our rock, your word brings life to the whole creation from
and salvation from sin and death.
Nourish our faith in your promises, and ground us in your strength,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 25
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The Assigned Readings:
Jeremiah 24:1-10 (Monday)
Jeremiah 29:10-19 (Tuesday)
Psalm 1 (Both Days)
1 Corinthians 16:1-12 (Monday)
1 Corinthians 16:13-24 (Tuesday)
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Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of then wicked,
nor lingered in the way of sinners,
nor sat in the seats of the scornful!
–Psalm 1:1, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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In the readings from Jeremiah the national and religious existence of Judah would continue via faithful elites. The motif of
I will send the sword, famine, and pestilence against them
applies to Judeans left in Judah after to the fall of the Kingdom, to King Zedekiah, and to his officials in Chapters 24 and 29. The prophet, channeling God, likens faithful exiles to good figs and the latter group to bad figs. Good figs turn back to God. Bad figs face annihilation.
St. Paul the Apostle spent 1 Corinthians 16, the final chapter of that epistle, on personal, not heavy-duty theological matters. There was a collection to help the Christians of Jerusalem. The Apostle discussed travel plans and commended certain co-workers. He emphasized the point that he wrote with his own hand; nobody took dictation this time. And he wrote the following:
Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
–Verses 13 and 14, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
That sounds like a description of what one must do to be a good fig.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 28, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/10/28/good-figs/
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Above: Baal
Image in the Public Domain
Idols and Icons
FEBRUARY 12, 2022
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The Collect:
Living God, in Christ you make all things new.
Transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace,
and in the renewal of our lives make known your glory,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 24
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The Assigned Readings:
Jeremiah 17:1-4
Psalm 1
Luke 11
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Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked,
nor lingered in the way of sinners,
nor sat in the seats of the scornful!
Their delight is in the law of the LORD,
and they meditate on his law day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water,
bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither;
everything they do shall prosper.
It is not so with the wicked;
they are like chaff which the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked shall not stand when judgment comes,
nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked is doomed.
–Psalm 1, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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The theme of idolatry unites the main two pericopes. It occupies the core of the reading from Jeremiah 17, where idolatry will lead to destruction. The lesson from Luke 11 concludes a narrative in which some critics have accused Jesus of being in league with Satan, prompting our Lord and Savior to respond with his “house divided” discourse. Christ’s critics in that account could not recognize God incarnate in their presence.
An idol is anything–a thought, a practice, an object–which prevents one from recognizing God where God is present. One person’s idol might be another person’s icon–through which one sees God. The difference between an idol and an icon is how one uses it. Among my favorite words is bibliolatry, which means treating the Bible as an idol. That is an unfortunate reality for many who seek God. Their desire for something concrete leads them astray as they seek the invisible God.
May we, as we seek God, avoid all idols, by grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 14, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ALL CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF SHANGHAI
THE FEAST OF THOMAS HANSEN KINGO, DANISH LUTHERAN BISHOP, HYMN WRITER, AND “POET OF EASTERTIDE”
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/10/14/idols-and-icons-2/
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Above: A Scan from The Gregorian Missal for Sundays (1990)
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Kyrie Eleison
FEBRUARY 10 and 11, 2022
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The Collect:
Living God, in Christ you make all things new.
Transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace,
and in the renewal of our lives make known your glory,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 24
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The Assigned Readings:
Jeremiah 13:12-19 (Thursday)
Jeremiah 13:20-27 (Friday)
Psalm 1 (Both Days)
Acts 13:26-34 (Thursday)
1 Peter 1:17-2:1 (Friday)
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Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked,
nor lingered in the way of sinners,
nor sat in the seats of the scornful!
Their delight is in the law of the LORD,
and they meditate on his law day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water,
bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither;
everything they do shall prosper.
It is not so with the wicked;
they are like chaff which the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked shall not stand when judgment comes,
nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked is doomed.
–Psalm 1, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Psalm 1 might be overly optimistic, but it functions as a fine counterpoint to the other readings. Those readings address groups. Jeremiah spoke to the Kingdom of Judah. St. Paul the Apostle, addressing Jews in Antioch in Pisidia (in Asia Minor), spoke of the actions of religious authorities in Jerusalem. St. (Simon) Peter the Apostle or someone writing in his name addressed congregations in Asia Minor. Those three pericopes fit well together, for they diagnose societal problems. Hubris is the main ill in Jeremiah 13. From that pride flow other sins. Such a diagnosis fits the pericope from Acts 13 well, for hubris contributed to the execution of an innocent man. The readings from 1 Peter takes as its theme obedience to God.
Then away with all wickedness and deceit, hypocrisy and jealousy and malicious talk of any kind!
–1 Peter 2:1, The Revised English Bible (1989)
So much for a great deal of politics, talk radio, celebrity news, and Internet content!
The words of these days’ pericopes indict as strongly today as they did when they were fresh. Human nature has not changed over time. As Koheleth wrote,
Only that shall happen
Which has happened,
Only that occur
Which has occurred;
There is nothing new
Beneath the sun!
–Ecclesiastes 1:9, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
Time passes, technology changes, and political and economic systems come and go, but we are really playing out variations of old themes, are we not? Hubris remains current, malicious gossip has never ceased, and people in power continue to cause innocents to die.
May God have mercy on us all!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 14, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ALL CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF SHANGHAI
THE FEAST OF THOMAS HANSEN KINGO, DANISH LUTHERAN BISHOP, HYMN WRITER, AND “POET OF EASTERTIDE”
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/10/14/kyrie-eleison/
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This is post #450 of ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS.
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Above: Crown of Thorns
Image in the Public Domain
Exile, Grief, and Faith
JANUARY 10, 2024
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The Collect:
Holy God, creator of light and giver of goodness, your voice moves over the waters.
Immerse us in your grace, and transform us by your Spirit,
that we may follow after 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 22
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The Assigned Readings:
Isaiah 41:14-20
Psalm 69:1-5, 30-36
John 1:29-34
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As for me, I am afflicted and in pain;
your help, O God, will lift me up on high.
–Psalm 69:31, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Many Jews lived in exile in the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire at the time of Isaiah 41. Texts from that time tended to look forwward to the post-Exilic era and describe as being better than it turned out to be. The land was never as verdant as the economy was never as good as the prophesies promised. And most of that post-Exilic era was one of foreign occupation. Thus, at the time of Jesus, many Palestinian Jews had a sense of living as exiles in their homeland.
Exile is a state many people know. It might be a literal, geographical reality or a spiritual one. Nevertheless, the sense of not being at home (at least fully) is difficult. I have been a spiritual exile, for example. If I ever have to live in some places, I will become one again. I wish only the best for those dealing with exile in any form. They have my sympathy at least; others have my empathy.
Fortunately, all of us can call upon Jesus, the Lamb of God, who can empathize with us. He is kinder than many of our fellow human beings, including a host of those who claim to follow him. So I invite you, O reader, not to permit the failings of Christians to detract you from following Christ, who has borne griefs, suffered, and emerged triumphant. I have no easy answers about failed prophesies and persistent grief, so I offer none. If I did have them, they would be worthless anyway. Yet I embrace the lack of a firm answer I can grasp as I seek to follow Jesus. Maybe I will ask the difficult questions of God in the afterlife.
My conclusion, O reader, is that knowledge dies not bring anyone salvation. If it did, the Gnostics would be correct. No, what we do not know outweighs what we know and can know. Will we trust God enough to follow Jesus through the wilderness of our ignorance, doubts, and grief?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 17, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN CHRISTIAN TILL, U.S. MORAVIAN ORGANIST, COMPOSER, AND PIANO BUILDER; AND HIS SON, JACOB CHRISTIAN TILL, U.S. MORAVIAN PIANO BUILDER
THE FEAST OF SAINT HUGH OF LINCOLN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT ROQUE GONZALEZ DE SANTA CRUZ, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINT ROSE-PHILIPPINE DUCHESNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC CONTEMPLATIVE
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A Franciscan Blessing:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/17/a-franciscan-blessing/
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/exile-grief-and-faith/
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Above: Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem
Job and John, Part XXII: Illusions and Reality
TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019
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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 everlasting 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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The Assigned Readings:
Job 37:1-24
Psalm 89:1-18 (Morning)
Psalms 1 and 33 (Evening)
John 12:1-19
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John 12:1-11 provides a version of the story of a woman anointing Jesus. This time it is Mary of Bethany performing the act at her house. (For the other versions of the story, follow the links I have provided.) In this setting the story prefigures the anointing of our Lord’s corpse after his crucifixion. And the raising of Lazarus in the previous chapter leads to our Lord’s death and prefigures his resurrection. Even Lazarus is under a death threat from the same people who want to kill Jesus. The clouds are gathering in John 12.
Job 37 continues Elihu’s speech, which anticipates parts of God’s speech, which follows in the Book of Job. I discussed my discomfort with Elihu in this post: link.
One should feel uneasy after reading the assigned readings for today. One who is usually a fool agrees with God. Lazarus, recently dead then raised to life again, lives under a death threat. Jesus, who has been living under a death threat, is about to die. As much as I would like for life to be full of nothing except happiness and kittens, it is not. That is the mixed bag called reality. Any honest and faithful response must proceed from that basis, for illusions are useless.
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
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/job-and-john-part-xxii-illusions-and-reality/
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Above: An Oasis in the Sahara Desert
Image Source = Library of Congress
Trusting in God
FEBRUARY 13, 2022
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Jeremiah 17:5-11 (Revised English Bible):
These are words of the LORD:
A curse on anyone who trusts in mortals and leans for support on human kind,
while his heart is far from the LORD!
He will be like a juniper in the steppeland;
when good comes he is unaware of it.
He will live among the rocks in the wilderness, in a salt, uninhabited land.
Blessed is anyone who trusts in the LORD, and rests his confidence on him.
He will be like a tree planted by the waterside,
that sends out its roots along a stream.
When the heat comes it has nothing to fear;
its foliage stays green.
Without care in a year of drought,
it does not fail to bear fruit.
The heart is deceitful above any other thing, desperately sick;
who can fathom it?
I, the LORD, search the mind and test the heart,
requiting each one for his conduct and as his deeds deserve.
Like a partridge sitting on a clutch of eggs which it has not laid,
so is he who amasses wealth unjustly.
Before his days are half done it will leave him, and he will be a fool at the last.
Psalm 1 (Revised English Bible):
Happy is the one who does not take the counsel of the wicked for a guide,
or follow the path that sinners tread, or take his seat in the company of scoffers.
His delight is in the law of the LORD; it is his meditation day and night.
He is like a tree planted beside water channels;
it yields its fruit in season and its foliage never fades.
So he too prospers in all he does.
The wicked are not like this; rather they are like chaff driven by the wind.
When judgment comes, therefore, they will not stand firm,
nor will sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
The LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked is doomed.
1 Corinthians 15:12-20 (The Jerusalem Bible):
Now if Christ raised from the dead is what has been preached, how can some of you be saying that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, Christ himself cannot have been raised, and if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is useless and your believing it is useless; indeed, we are shown up as witnesses who have committed perjury before God, because we swore in evidence before God that he had raised Christ to life. For if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, you are still in your sins. And what is more serious, all who have died in Christ have perished. If our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are the most unfortunate of all people.
But Christ has in fact been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep.
Luke 6:17-26 (The Jerusalem Bible):
He [Jesus] then came down with them and stopped at a piece of level ground where there was a large gathering of his disciples with a great crowd of people from all parts of Judaea and from Jerusalem and from the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon who had come to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. People tormented by unclean spirits were also cured, and everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him because power came out of him that cured them all.
Then fixing his eyes on his disciples he [Jesus] said:
How happy are you who are poor; yours is the kingdom of God.
Happy are you who are hungry now; you shall be satisfied.
Happy are you who weep now; you shall laugh.
Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, for then your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the prophets.
But alas for you who are rich; you are having your consolation now.
Alas for you who have your fill now; you shall go hungry.
Alas for you who laugh now; you shall mourn and weep.
Alas for you when the world speaks well of you! This was the way their ancestors treated the false prophets.
The Collect:
O God, the strength of all who put their trust in you: Mercifully accept our prayers; and because in our weakness we can do nothing good without you, give us the help of your grace, that in keeping your commandments we may please you both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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Some Related Posts:
Prayer of Praise and Adoration:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/prayer-of-praise-and-adoration-for-the-sixth-sunday-after-epiphany/
Prayer of Confession:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/08/24/we-fail-to-correct-injustice-prayer-of-confession-for-the-sixth-sunday-after-epiphan/
Prayer of Dedication:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/prayer-of-dedication-for-the-sixth-sunday-after-epiphany/
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The theme of trusting in God unites the readings.
When one is reviled and persecuted for the sake of righteousness, what does one have? God. When one is poor, hungry, and sorrowful, what does one have? God. In particular, in reference to 1 Corinthians 15:12-20, one has the Resurrected Christ, without whom we Christians
are of all people most to be pitied. (19b, New Revised Standard Version)
Self-reliance will not suffice, for the wealthy, full, and laughing ones, plus those held in esteem all receive woes in our Lord’s Sermon on the Plain.
That is a profoundly counter-cultural message. Woe to the respected, wealthy, full, and laughing? Let me count the seconds before a Republican pundit or politician cries “class warfare!” (I am flying my liberal flag.) But reliance on God is the key, and such reliance contradicts conventions about self-made men and women. All that we have comes from God. All tat we can be is due to God. Our stewardship of those resources is a great spiritual matter.
Trusting in God can be difficult; I know. It is still hard for me much of the time. On the other hand, it has become easier. But it is all that I have, really. Everything else is transitory, but God is everlasting. Everything else is a collection of means to various ends, hopefully positive ones. Yet God is the greatest end. In that mystery called God I find my destiny, whatever that will entail. May you, O reader, find your destiny there also, whatever that will entail.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 13, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT HERMENEGILD, VISIGOTHIC PRINCE AND ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT HUGH OF ROUEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP, ABBOT, AND MONK
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARTIN I, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF MIKAEL AGRICOLA, FINNISH LUTHERAN BISHOP OF TALLINN
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/trusting-in-god-2/
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Above: The Sea of Galilee, August 15, 2009
Image Source = Jet Propulsion Library, NASA
Job and John, Part III: Strife
FEBRUARY 6, 2024
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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 everlasting 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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The Assigned Readings:
Job 3:11-26
Psalm 89:1-18 (Morning)
Psalms 1 and 33 (Evening)
John 1:35-51
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Some Related Posts:
The Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle and Martyr (August 24):
http://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/feast-of-st-bartholomew-apostle-and-martyr-august-24/
The Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles and Martyrs (June 29):
http://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2010/06/12/feast-of-sts-peter-and-paul-apostles-and-martyrs-june-29/
The Feast of Sts. Philip and James, Son of Alpheus, Apostles and Martyrs (May 1):
http://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2010/06/12/feast-of-st-philip-and-st-james-son-of-alpheus-apostles-and-martyrs-may-1/
The Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle and Martyr (November 30):
http://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2010/06/10/feast-of-st-andrew-apostle-and-martyr-november-30/
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Job, early in his suffering, lamented that he had not only been born but survived the day of his birth. This was understandable, given the circumstances. (I grasp that the Book of Job is a drama and a work of fiction, yet I write of the scenes in their context.)
In John 1:35-51 Jesus calls his first disciples: Andrew and Simon Peter, brothers; Philip; and Nathanael/Bartholomew. All of them died as martyrs. The moment they began to follow Jesus was the moment they started their journeys toward suffering and death.
I think of a hymn:
They cast their nets in Galilee,
just of the hills of brown;
such happy, simple fisherfolk,
before the Lord came down.
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Contented, peaceful fishermen,
before they ever knew
the peace of God that filled their hearts
brimful, and broke them too.
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Young John who trimmed the flapping sail,
homeless in Patmos died.
Peter, who hauled the teeming net,
headdown was crucified.
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The peace of God, it is no peace,
but strife closed in the sod.
Yet let us pray for but one thing–
the marvelous peace of God.
—The Hymnal 1982, of The Episcopal Church, Hymn #661
I do not pretend to have answers I lack. Yet I do know that I prefer to keep Gods’ company in times of suffering and during times without it.
Until the next segment of our journey….
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 13, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT HERMENEGILD, VISIGOTHIC PRINCE AND ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT HUGH OF ROUEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP, ABBOT, AND MONK
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARTIN I, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF MIKAEL AGRICOLA, FINNISH LUTHERAN BISHOP OF TALLINN
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/job-and-john-part-iii-strife/
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ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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