Archive for the ‘Psalm 29’ Tag
Above: The Baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch by the Deacon Philip, by Lambert Sustris
Image in the Public Domain
The Kingdom of God
JANUARY 9, 2022
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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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Isaiah 12:1-6
Psalm 29
Acts 8:26-39
John 1:29-34
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Isaiah 12:1-6 flows from Chapter 11. The two chapters are the final section of a poem about the ideal king in a peaceful future. As elsewhere in the Bible, divine judgment and mercy remain in balance.
Psalm 29 praises God. It is also an adaptation of a hymn to Baal Peor, the Canaanite storm god. Rewriting pagan stories and texts for Jewish theological purposes was a fairly common practice. Doing so was one way of asserting the sovereignty of God and affirming faith in the one true deity. Rewriting pagan texts also constituted an argument against the original texts’ validity. In this case, rewriting a hymn in praise of Baal Peor was rebutting the legitimacy of his cultus.
Acts 8:26-39 and John 1:29-34 point to Jesus, as they should.
The ideal future remains an unfulfilled prophecy. Nevertheless, I, as a Christian, affirm that the Incarnation was a game changer. I hold that the reality of God’s presence became obvious in a way it was not previously obvious.
The presence of God is evident in many ways in our deeply flawed societies. There are no gods; there is God. God is sovereign, despite all appearances to the contrary.
May we–you, O reader, and I–keep the faith and work to make the world resemble more closely the fully realized Kingdom of God. Only God can save the world and usher in the fully realized Kingdom of God, of course. Yet we–you, O reader, and I–have a divine mandate to leave the world better than we found it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 27, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, YEAR B
THE THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2020/12/27/the-kingdom-of-god-part-vii/
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This is post #550 of ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS.
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Above: Icon of the Baptism of Jesus
Image in the Public Domain
Another Exodus
JANUARY 10, 2021
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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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Isaiah 43:1-7
Psalm 29
Ephesians 3:14-21
Luke 3:1-23
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The imagery in Luke 3:4-6 is that of an exodus–the exodus from the Babylonian Exile, to be precise. Thus the Gospel reading fits neatly with the lesson from Isaiah 43, about that exodus. How are we supposed to interpret the life and ministry of Jesus as an exodus?
The love of God, who is faithful and trustworthy, encompasses both judgment and mercy, which are inseparable from each other. Mercy for one entails judgment for another much of the time. Alternatively, the threat of judgment leads to repentance and mercy. Often we judge ourselves more harshly that God does; we need to extend mercy to ourselves and each other more readily and frequently. The fullness of the love of God in Christ empowers us to do so. That love leads us on an exodus from the exiles into which we have relegated ourselves and condemned others. The love of God in Christ delivers us from ourselves and each other, granting us victory and blessing us with shalom.
May we embrace this divine love.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 14, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF FANNIE LOU HAMER, PROPHET OF FREEDOM
THE FEAST OF ALBERT LISTER PEACE, ORGANIST IN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND
THE FEAST OF HARRIET KING OSGOOD MUNGER, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF NEHEMIAH GOREH, INDIAN ANGLICAN PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINTS VINCENZINA CUSMANO, SUPERIOR OF THE SISTERS SERVANTS OF THE POOR; AND HER BROTHER, SAINT GIACOMO CUSMANO, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS SERVANTS OF THE POOR AND THE MISSIONARY SERVANTS OF THE POOR
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2020/03/14/another-exodus/
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Above: Water in Desert
Image in the Public Domain
Water
JANUARY 7, 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 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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Jeremiah 31:7-14
Psalm 29
Acts 19:1-7
Mark 1:9-13
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Water is an element in all four readings for today. There is, of course, the water of baptism–the baptism of Jesus and of the unnamed people in Acts 19. Yahweh, “upon the mighty waters,” is like yet unlike Baal Peor, the Canaanite storm god, in Psalm 29. (Yet, of course, the presentation of God is quite different in 1 Kings 19:9-18, set after the killing of the priests of Baal Peor in Chapter 18.) Finally, water is especially precious in the desert, as in Jeremiah 31.
God is tangibly present in each reading. God is present in nature in Psalm 29, leading exiles out of exile through nature in Jeremiah 31, present via the Holy Spirit in Acts 19, and present in the flesh of Jesus in Mark 1. God remains tangibly present with us in many ways, which we notice, if we pay attention.
One usually hears the theme of the Epiphany as being the Gospel of Jesus Christ going out to the gentiles. That is part of the theme. The other part of the theme is gentiles going to God–Jesus, as in the case of the Magi. Today, in Mark 1 and Acts 19, however, we have the first part of the theme of the Epiphany. The unnamed faithful, we read in Acts 19, had their hearts and minds in the right place; they merely needed to learn what they must do.
Acts 19:1-7 is an excellent missionary text for that reason. The unnamed faithful, prior to their baptisms, fit the description of those who belong in the category of Baptism of Desire, in Roman Catholic theology. As good as the Baptism of Desire is, baptism via water and spirit is superior.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 11, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BARNABAS, COWORKER OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2019/06/11/water/
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Above: The River Jordan
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-matpc-03260
Faithful Servants of God, Part I
JANUARY 8, 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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Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm 29
Philippians 3:4b-14
Matthew 3:13-17
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The Book of Isaiah includes Servant Songs, the first of which is our first reading. Biblical scholars have long pondered the identity of the servant. Some see a prophecy of Christ, baptized in Matthew 3:13-17. In real time, from the temporal perspective of Deutero-Isaiah, perhaps the best guess is that the servant is the personification of the Jews–the chosen people of God.
Recently, while browsing the extensive books section of a local thrift store, I saw a volume entitled How to Find God. The author of that book was seriously mistaken, for we do not find God. Rather, God finds us. It has always been true that God, in whom is our only proper boast, is our strength and shield. It has always been true that God’s call has imposed upon the recipients of (free) grace certain obligations, such as working for justice. It has always been true that we, working with others, can be more effective in purposes (noble and otherwise) than when laboring in solitude.
“What is God calling me to do?” is a valid question. A greater query is, “What is God calling us to do?” May we identify and labor faithfully in that work, and succeed, by grace.
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-iii/
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Above: Family Record-Marriage Certificate, 1800s
Image in the Public Domain
Enjoying God Fully
JANUARY 11 and 8, 2022
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The Collect:
Almighty God, you anointed Jesus at his baptism with the Holy Spirit
and revealed him as your beloved Son.
Keep all who are born of water and the Spirit faithful in your service,
that we may rejoice to be called children of God,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns
with the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 22
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The Assigned Readings:
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 (Friday)
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 (Saturday)
Psalm 29 (Both Days)
1 Corinthians 2:1-10 (Friday)
1 Corinthians 2:11-16 (Saturday)
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The LORD’s thunder brings flashes of lightning.
The LORD’s thunder makes the desert writhe,
the LORD makes the desert of Kadesh writhe.
The LORD’s thunder makes the oak trees dance around
and strips the forests bare.
So in his Temple everyone shouts “Glory!”
–Psalm 29:7-9, The Psalms Introduced and Newly Translated for Today’s Readers (1989), by Harry Mowvley
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Q: What is the chief and highest end of man?
A: Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.
—The Westminster Larger Catechism
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Koheleth, the author of Ecclesiastes, discovered that he enjoyed his wealth, but that he got nothing else out of it. That enjoyment of life’s blessings is a gift from God, he wrote.
Psychological studies have revealed the links between increased wealth and happiness. Up to a certain amount, more wealth means more happiness. Past that point increased wealth leads either to no additional happiness or to greater stress. Often people who are wealthy beyond the point at which more wealth does not increase happiness desire more money. Yet some of the most content people have had little and some of the most miserable people have been wealthy. Likewise, some of the poorest people have found poverty to be the cause of great misery and some of the wealthiest people have long known that money can stave off many indignities and sorrows.
The real issue is priorities. Wealth can insulate one from a sense of total dependence on God and of responsibilities to and for other people. This reality, I am convinced, explains many of the hard sayings regarding wealth in the Bible. Furthermore, wealth cannot shield one from all of life’s indignities and sorrows.
Another priority is choosing happiness. Being happy is a choice, regardless of one’s level of wealth, marital status, health, et cetera. Establishing the priority to notice the plethora of blessings from God and to revel in them is a positive course of action.
A negative course of action is to fail to recognize divine wisdom. St. Paul the Apostle wrote that such failure led to the crucifixion of Jesus. Christ was divine love incarnate, but that love proved threatening to human power structures built on violence and on artificial scarcity and exclusiveness. Those blinders prevented those who killed Jesus and those who consented to his death from recognizing their sin. Those people could have enjoyed God fully, but they failed to recognize God in their midst.
A habit I remind myself to nurture is to identify five blessings every day. (I should do better at this practice than I do, but often I become distracted.) To identify five blessings each day and to revel in them is a realistic goal. So is to do this for many consecutive days without duplicating any items on the daily lists. The main point of this spiritual exercise is to develop a mindset of gratitude to God and of awareness of the great number of blessings–to enjoy God more fully. Koheleth and St. Paul the Apostle would approve.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT MATTHEW THE EVANGELIST, APOSTLE AND MARTYR
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/09/21/enjoying-god-fully/
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Above: Paul Writing His Epistles, by Valentin de Boulogne
Image in the Public Domain
Human Folly and Divine Wisdom
JANUARY 6, 2022
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The Collect:
Almighty God, you anointed Jesus at his baptism with the Holy Spirit
and revealed him as your beloved Son.
Keep all who are born of water and the Spirit faithful in your service,
that we may rejoice to be called children of God,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns
with the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 22
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The Assigned Readings:
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
Psalm 29
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
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Bow down to the LORD in his holy splendour.
–Psalm 29:2, The Psalms Introduced and Newly Translated for Today’s Readers (1989), by Harry Mowvley
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The author of Ecclesiastes was a realist. I, as a student and teacher of history, recognize the truth of 1:10-11 (TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures, 1985):
Sometimes there is a new phenomenon of which they say, “Look, this one is new!”–it occurred long since, in ages that went by before us. The earlier ones are not remembered; so too those that will occur later will no more be remembered than those that will occur at the very end.
If all is “futility” (to quote TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures) and “vanity” (to quote The New Revised Standard Version), to whom should we cling? Is life a morass of postmodern uncertainty or do we have access to a ground for sound theological epistomology? The author of Ecclesiastes advised trusting in God.
St. Paul the Apostle agreed with Koheleth. Human wisdom and power are nothing compared to God, St. Paul wrote. The power of God is saving those who are not perishing. The only proper boast is in God, whose wisdom is foolishness to many people and whose foolishness is wiser than human wisdom. God is reliable. As Martin Luther counseled, may we rely on the faithfulness of God.
This ethos contradicts much “received wisdom” in the United States of America, where rugged individualism is a perceived virtue. Reality belies rugged individualism, however. We rely on each other in society. For example, I drive my car to work. I rely on mechanics to keep my car in working order. (Fortunately, the vehicle is reliable, needing mostly routine maintenance.) I also rely on those who maintain the roads on which I drive to work. Beyond that concrete example, the social ethos of the Law of Moses is to acknowledge our total dependence on God, our responsibilities for each other, and our duties to each other. This ethos precludes exploiting any person.
Only God can inaugurate such a society, but we mere mortals can labor to approach it. We, after all, are society. If we were to take more seriously our duties to God, to each other, and for each other, I wonder how much better society would be. Such visions are not futile, if enough people, trusting in God, act faithfully.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT MATTHEW THE EVANGELIST, APOSTLE AND MARTYR
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/09/21/human-folly-and-divine-wisdom/
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Above: Samuel Anoints David
Image in the Public Domain
The Call of God, Part II
JANUARY 5 and 6, 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:
1 Samuel 16:1-13 (Friday)
1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12 (Saturday)
Psalm 29 (Both Days)
1 Timothy 4:11-16 (Friday)
Luke 5:1-11 (Saturday)
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The LORD shall give strength to his people;
the LORD shall give his people the blessing of peace.
–Psalm 29:11, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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The LORD shall give his strength and his bless of peace to his people to equip them to do that which he has called them to do. What people do with that call and that blessing is not always with a faithful response to God, however. Let us, O reader, consider King David, formerly a shepherd. The work of a shepherd was crucial, so may nobody dismiss it. Yet David had a greater destiny, to which God called him via Samuel. Nevertheless, David had a dark side, which remained evident until his final advice to Solomon. (The lectionary pericope from 1 Kings 2 omits the verses in which David gives advice to kill people.) And the reigns of David and Solomon contained abuses of power. Solomon existence because of an abuse of David’s power, in fact. If David was truly a man after God’s own heart, I harbor reservations about the proverbial divine heart.
In the New Testament we read of Apostles and St. Timothy. Sts. James and John (sons of Zebedee and first cousins of Jesus) and St. Simon Peter were fishermen. That was an honest and necessary profession, but it was not their destiny. They were, of course, flawed men (as all people have flaws), but they did much via the power of God. The advice (in the name of St. Paul the Apostle) to St. Timothy not to let anyone dismiss him because of his youth applies to many people today. God calls the young, the middle-aged, and the elderly. God commissions and empowers people from a variety of backgrounds. God is full of surprises.
Sometimes God surprises us in ways we dislike. I think of a story which, if it is not true, ought to be. In the late 1800s, in the United States, a lady on the lecture circuit of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) spoke in a certain town. She completed her speech about how God wants people to avoid alcohol at all times. Then entered the Q & A part of her presentation. One man asked,
If what you say is true, how do you explain Jesus turning water into wine?
The speaker replied,
I would like him better if he had not done that.
Sometimes the call of God in our lives is to deal properly with ways in which God makes us uncomfortable. (This presupposes the ability to discern from the reality of God and our inaccurate perceptions thereof, of course.) If Jesus seems to agree with us all of the time, we are relating not to the real Jesus but to an imagined Christ we constructed for our convenience. The genuine article is a challenging figure who should make us uncomfortable. And we should seize the opportunity to grow spiritually regardless of any factor, such as age, experience, inexperience, or background.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 15, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALBERT THE GREAT, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF REGENSBURG
THE FEAST OF JOHANN GOTTLOBB KLEMM, INSTRUMENT MAKER; DAVID TANNENBERG, SR., GERMAN-AMERICAN MORAVIAN ORGAN BUILDER; JOHANN PHILIP BACHMANN, GERMAN-AMERICAN MORAVIAN INSTRUMENT BUILDER; JOSEPH FERDINAND BULITSCHEK, BOHEMIAN-AMERICAN ORGAN BUILDER; AND TOBIAS FRIEDRICH, GERMAN MORAVINA COMPOSER AND MUSICIAN
THE FEAST OF MARGARET MEAD, ANTHROPOLOGIST
THE FEAST OF PHILIP WILLIAM OTTERBEIN, COFOUNDER OF THE CHURCH OF THE UNITED BRETHREN IN CHRIST
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/the-call-of-god-part-ii/
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Above: Eli and Samuel, by John Singleton Copley
Image in the Public Domain
The Call of God, Part I
JANUARY 4, 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:
1 Samuel 3:1-21
Psalm 29
Acts 9:10-19a
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Pay tribute to Yahweh, you sons of God,
tribute to Yahweh of glory and power,
tribute to Yahweh of the glory of his name,
worship Yahweh in his sacred court.
–Psalm 29:1-3, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
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The readings for today tell stories of God calling people to pursue a faithful and risky path. This command to embark upon a new course was for the benefit of others and the glory of God. If any of the three people on whom these lessons focus had refused to obey and not recanted, God could have found someone else willing to obey, but he who would have refused in such a counterfactual situation would have been worse off spiritually.
We begin in 1 Samuel 3, the account of God’s call to the young Samuel. The boy was living at Shiloh, with the priest Eli as his guardian. Paula J. Bowes, author of the Collegeville Bible Commentary volume (1985) on the books of Samuel, noticed the literal and metaphorical levels of meaning in the text:
The picture of Eli as asleep and practically blind describes Israel’s state in relation to the Lord. The lamp of God, that is, God’s word, is almost extinguished through the unworthiness of the officiating priests. The Lord ignores Eli and calls directly to the boy Samuel to receive this divine word….Samuel is the faithful, chosen priest who will soon replace the unfaithful and rejected house of Eli.
–Page 15
Eli had the spiritual maturity to accept the verdict of God. Repeating that judgment was obviously uncomfortable for the boy, who might have been uncertain of how the priest would take the news.
Acts 9 contains an account of the transformation of Saul of Tarsus into St. Paul the Apostle. Saul, unlike young Samuel, understood immediately who was speaking to him. Ananias of Damascus also heard from God and, after a brief protest, obeyed. Thus Ananias abetted the spiritual transformation of Saul into one of the most influential men in Christian history. The summons to do so met with reasonable fear, however, for Saul had been a notorious persecutor of earliest Christianity. How was Ananias supposed to know beforehand that Saul had changed? Ananias had to trust God. And St. Paul suffered greatly for his obedience to God; he became a martyr after a series of imprisonments, beatings, and even a shipwreck.
Gerhard Krodel, author of the Proclamation Commentaries volume (1981) on the Acts of the Apostles, wrote that Chapter 8 ends with an account of the breaking down of a barrier and that Chapter 9 opens with another such story. Acts 8 closes with the story of St. Philip the Deacon (not the Apostle) converting the Ethiopian eunuch, a Gentile. St. Paul had to deal with understandable suspicion of his bona fides after his conversion in Acts 9. Later in the book he inaugurated his mission to the Gentiles–the breaking down of another barrier.
I have never heard the voice of God. On occasion I have noticed a thought I have determined to be of outside origin, however. Usually these messages have been practical, not theological. For example, about fourteen years ago, I knew in an instant that I should put down the mundane task I was completing and move my car. I had parked it under a tree, as I had on many previous days, but something was different that day. So I moved my car to a spot where only open sky covered it. Slightly later that day I looked at the spot where my car had been and noticed a large tree limb on the ground. Last year I knew that I should drive the route from Americus, Georgia, back to Athens, Georgia, without stopping. So I did. I parked the car at my front door and proceeded to unload the vehicle. When I went outside to move the car to the back parking lot, the vehicle would not start, for my ignition switch needed work. But I was home, safe. Yes, God has spoken to me, but not audibly and not to tell me to become a great priest or evangelist.
My experience of God has been subtle most of the time. At some time during my childhood God entered my life. This happened quietly, without any dramatic event or “born again” experience. God has been present, shaping me over time. At traumatic times I have felt grace more strongly than the rest of the time, but light is more noticeable amid darkness than other light. Grace has been present during the good times also. Not everybody who follows God will have a dramatic experience of the divine. So be it. May nobody who has had a dramatic experience of the divine insist that others must have one too.
Yet God does call all the faithful to leave behind much that is comfortable and safe. Breaking down human-created barriers to God is certain to make one unpopular and others uncomfortable, is it not? It contradicts “received wisdom” as well as psychological and theological categories. Anger and fear are predictable reactions which often lead to violence and other unfortunate actions. Frequently people commit these sins in the name of God.
The call of God is to take risks, break down artificial barriers, and trust God for the glory of God and the benefit of others. Along the way one will reap spiritual benefits, of course. Wherever God leads you, O reader, to proceed, may you go there.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 15, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALBERT THE GREAT, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF REGENSBURG
THE FEAST OF JOHANN GOTTLOBB KLEMM, INSTRUMENT MAKER; DAVID TANNENBERG, SR., GERMAN-AMERICAN MORAVIAN ORGAN BUILDER; JOHANN PHILIP BACHMANN, GERMAN-AMERICAN MORAVIAN INSTRUMENT BUILDER; JOSEPH FERDINAND BULITSCHEK, BOHEMIAN-AMERICAN ORGAN BUILDER; AND TOBIAS FRIEDRICH, GERMAN MORAVINA COMPOSER AND MUSICIAN
THE FEAST OF MARGARET MEAD, ANTHROPOLOGIST
THE FEAST OF PHILIP WILLIAM OTTERBEIN, COFOUNDER OF THE CHURCH OF THE UNITED BRETHREN IN CHRIST
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/the-call-of-god-part-i/
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Above: Mizpah, Between 1898 and 1946
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-matpc-08772
Succeeding Amid Opposition
JANUARY 7, 2023
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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:
1 Samuel 7:3-17
Psalm 29
Acts 9:19b-31
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The voice of the Lord makes oak trees writhe
and strips the forests bare.
And in the temple of the LORD
all are crying, “Glory!”
The LORD sits enthroned above the flood;
the LORD sits enthroned as Sovereign forevermore.
The LORD shall give strength to the chosen people;
the LORD shall give the people the blessing of peace.
–Psalm 29:8-11, Book of Common Worship (1993)
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Idolatry was a difficult habit to break, according to the Hebrew Scriptures. Being a good Monotheist must have been hard in a sea of polytheism. Blending in has long been easier than sticking out, after all. But sticking out was part of the mandate for the Israelites.
St. Paul the Apostle, formerly Saul, stuck out so much that some people tried to kill him. They must have felt threatened by his message, for attempted killing–assassination, murder, or execution–is an extreme action, one reserved for those considered especially undesirable and dangerous. Apparently, that description, in the opinion of some, applied to the Philistine forces in 1 Samuel 7:10-11.
Violence can be a complicated matter. Thus I will not attempt to untie that Gordian Knot in this blog post. But I admit that the instances of it in Acts 9 and 1 Samuel 7 disturb me.
The main point I seek to make here is that Samuel and St. Paul the Apostle led many people to God and others back to God. And they set good examples even if many people did not follow them. But these two men were leaders through whom God worked. They faced much opposition and did not succeed fully. But who among mere mortals does? May we–you, O reader, and I–be at least as successful as Samuel and St. Paul the Apostle, by grace, of course, in the pursuits God designates for us.
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/succeding-amid-opposition/
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Above: Making Stew at the May Day Pageant, Siloam, Greene County, Georgia, May 1941
Photographer = Jack Delano
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-USF33- 020878-M1
The Call of God
JANUARY 5 and 6, 2023
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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:
1 Samuel 3:1-9 (Thursday)
1 Samuel 3:10-4:1a (Friday)
Psalm 29 (both days)
Acts 9:1-9 (Thursday)
Acts 9:10-19a (Friday)
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The voice of the Lord is mighty in operation;
the voice of the Lord is a glorious voice.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
–Psalm 29:4-6, The Book of Common Prayer (2004)
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The daily lectionary from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006) pairs two stories of God calling people in extraordinary ways. Most followers of God never hear a divine voice, much less get knocked to the ground by God. But Samuel and Saul/St. Paul the Apostle had unusual experiences. And both of them did great things for God. Their legacies survive them long after they died. Those last two facts regarding those men impress me the most.
My experience of God has been the opposite of dramatic. I have never even had so much as a “born again” experience. No, God, has dealt with me (and continues to do so) in a quiet, gradual manner punctuated with occasional periods of more noticeable activity. In 2007, when the bottom fell out of my life, In felt God’s presence and activity more acutely, for I needed that different form of presence and activity then, for example.
My points are these:
- We all need God.
- God relates to people in a variety of ways.
- God relates to the same people differently over time.
- So nobody ought to assume that his or her experience of God is mandatory for everyone.
- Yet it is mandatory that we respond favorably to God and do great things for God.
The variety of these great things is part of the spice of Godly life. What are the flavors you, O reader, God is calling you to contribute to the stew?
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/the-call-of-god-2/
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ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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