By your merciful protection alert us to the threatening dangers of our sins,
and redeem us for your life of justice,
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:
Isaiah 1:24-31
Psalm 90
Luke 11:29-32
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So teach us to number our days
that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.
–Psalm 90:12, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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The readings for this day invite us to repent. Despite the clear testimony of scripture to the definition of repentance–changing one’s mind, turning around–the misconception that repentance is synonymous with apologizing continues. No, apologizing is much easier than repenting.
The text from Isaiah 1 is somewhat ambiguous. In verses 27 and 28 we read:
Zion shall be saved in the judgment;
Her repentant ones, in the retribution.
But rebels and sinners shall all be crushed,
And those who forsake the LORD shall perish.
—TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
(That passage fits well with texts for the previous two posts–1 and 2— in this series.)
The stern tone in verses 29-31 raises some questions. Verse 29 begins:
Truly you shall be shamed…
Who is “you”? Does “you” include the repentant ones? A note in The Jewish Study Bible–Second Edition (2014) proposes an answer:
The prophet leaves the answer unclear, perhaps intentionally; it will be given by the inhabitants of Jerusalem themselves through their behavior, and they will lead God to decide whom to punish.
–Pages 769-770
One will know a tree by its fruits. What kind of tree are you, O reader? Do you seek to love your neighbor as you love yourself? We all stumble, for that is the human condition. Moral perfectionism is unrealistic, but the expectation that one will trust God and strive to improve on one’s performance for the glory of God and the benefit of one’s family, friends, community, and society is realistic. Grace is free yet not cheap. We cannot purchase or earn it, but accepting it imposes certain responsibilities upon us. The details will vary from person to person, but the principles to love one’s neighbor as one loves oneself, to respect the dignity of others (as bearers of the image of God), and to avoid the error that Christianity is a solely individualistic matter are constants. We human beings, depend entirely upon God and partially upon each other. We are responsible to and for each other and to God. We live in community, not to ourselves. None of us is an island. Will we be responsible members of our communities, for the glory of God and for the common good?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 10, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM WALSHAM HOW, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF WAKEFIELD AND HYMN WRITER; AND HIS SISTER, FRANCES JANE DOUGLAS(S), HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF EUNICE SHRIVER KENNEDY, FOUNDER OF THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS
THE FEAST OF SAINT LAURENCE OF ROME, ROMAN CATHOLIC DEACON AND MARTYR
By your merciful protection alert us to the threatening dangers of our sins,
and redeem us for your life of justice,
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:
2 Samuel 7:18-29
Psalm 90
Revelation 22:12-16
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So teach us to number our days
that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.
–Psalm 90:12, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Earlier in 2 Samuel 7 God had said to David via the prophet Nathan not to build a magnificent temple, contrary to divine wishes. No, God said, God would make David the founder of a great dynasty. David would not build a literal house for the Ark of the Covenant, but God would make a metaphorical house of David. The monarch was overcome with gratitude.
That was all well and good, but the Davidic Dynasty became an instrument of exploitation of the people. The monarchy became the definition of national identity. The former model, in which God was the national sovereign, was no more. One reason for the change of the narrative and its opinion of monarchy was political. The Biblical authors, who were myriad, disagreed with each other frequently. Thus, for example, the prophet Samuel’s warning against monarchy came to coexist with texts affirming monarchy.
Nevertheless, the consistent witness of the Old and New Testaments for social justice–frequently in the economic realm–resounds down the corridors of time and reminds us that we do not live in the fully realized Kingdom of God. Society is not an abstraction. No, it is simply people. We make society what it is, so we can change it. May we improve it, respecting the image of God in others and ourselves. May we love our fellow human beings–especially those who differ from us–as we love ourselves. May noble intentions lead to positive results for the benefit of people, the common good of society, and the glory of God. As I mentioned in the previous post, abundant grace is available to empower us to accomplish the purpose of having a proper, respectful, and awe-filled relationship with God and bearing the related spiritual fruits.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 10, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM WALSHAM HOW, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF WAKEFIELD AND HYMN WRITER; AND HIS SISTER, FRANCES JANE DOUGLAS(S), HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF EUNICE SHRIVER KENNEDY, FOUNDER OF THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS
THE FEAST OF SAINT LAURENCE OF ROME, ROMAN CATHOLIC DEACON AND MARTYR
By your merciful protection alert us to the threatening dangers of our sins,
and redeem us for your life of justice,
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:
Numbers 17:1-11
Psalm 90
2 Peter 3:1-18
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For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past
and like a watch in the night.
–Psalm 90:4, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Complaining frequently, rebelling occasionally, and angering God in the process are recurring motifs in the post-Exodus parts of the Torah. The people were free, had sufficient food and water, and should have been grateful. Many were, to be sure, but a large proportion of the population waxed nostalgically regarding Egyptian leftovers and kept angering God. They were impatient.
Allowing for change in God concepts from Numbers 17 to 2 Peter 3, the principle of obeying God remains constant. The context in 2 Peter 3 is the fact that expectations of the imminent return of Christ proved to be false. Many early Christians were dying without the Messiah having come back and replaced the corrupt, violent, and exploitative world order with the fully realized Kingdom of God. Many people were losing hope. Some were seizing the opportunity to live wrongly.
God is never late, but we humans are frequently impatient. We are fortunate, for God has blessed us in more ways than we can count, but often we murmur or shout our complaints. Giving thanks, not kvetching, is in order.
If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
–John 14:15-17, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
We need not rely on our own power to have a proper, respectful, awe-filled relationship with God, who advocates for us and does not strike us down with plagues. No, abundant grace is available. Will we accept it, maintain Christian hope, and embrace divine love, which demands much of us?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 10, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM WALSHAM HOW, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF WAKEFIELD AND HYMN WRITER; AND HIS SISTER, FRANCES JANE DOUGLAS(S), HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF EUNICE SHRIVER KENNEDY, FOUNDER OF THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS
THE FEAST OF SAINT LAURENCE OF ROME, ROMAN CATHOLIC DEACON AND MARTYR
Bildad the Shuhite, in Job 18, implies that Job must be wicked. Why else would Job suffer so much? This is repetitive content. It was just as bogus this time as it was the previous occasions. The Lutheran lectionary, in its beauty, pairs Bildad’s speech with part of John 7, where people are plotting to do to Jesus things which Bildad describes as the fate of the wicked. This is the most powerful argument I can muster against Bildad’s words.
I will be brief, today, for most of what I might write here I have stated in previous posts in this Job and John series. Yet I do choose to make the following point here and now: In the canonical Gospels suffering is part of the destiny of the Messiah. Suffering indicates that one has been faithful to God. Thus those who follow Jesus must be prepared to suffer. And, in the Book of Tobit, the titular character suffers because he obeys God. For nearly two thousand years Christian martyrs have suffered because of their obedience. The darkness takes offense at the light shining in its midst yet can never extinguish all the candles and lamps.
Until the next segment of our journey….
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 26, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS REMACLUS OF MAASTRICHT, THEODORE OF MAASTRICHT, LAMBERT OF MAASTRICHT, HUBERT OF MAASTRICHT AND LIEGE, AND FLORIBERT OF LIEGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; LANDRADA OF MUNSTERBILSEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBESS; AND OTGER OF UTRECHT, PLECHELM OF GUELDERLAND, AND WIRO, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARIES
THE FEAST OF CHRISTINA ROSSETTI, POET
THE FEAST OF SAINT PASCHASIUS RADBERTUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF ROBERT HUNT, FIRST ANGLICAN CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA
A city’s walls were supposed to defend it. Thus a Jerusalem without walls would seem to be defenseless. Yet, in Zechariah, God will defend the city. Walls, as defensive technology, have proven lacking throughout history. Invaders breached the Great Wall of China. Constantinople fell in 1453 despite its walls. The walls of Jericho could not survive an earthquake. So I am with Zechariah; God is preferable to any wall.
Walls also provide convenient boundaries. The city is on one side of the wall. East Berlin was over here and West Berlin was over there, from the East German perspective. Over here, from the Israeli angle, is the Jewish side of the West Bank; the Palestinian side is over there. The other is over there, away from here–with a wall to separate them.
Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense.
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down.
–Robert Frost, Mending Wall
Paul encouraged his readers at Rome to
Accept one another for the sake of God’s glory, as Christ accepted you.
–Romans 15:7, The New Jerusalem Bible
Walls work against that purpose. God is preferable to any wall.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 9, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, MARTYR AND GERMAN LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN
The text from Revelation, for all its symbolic language, contains a simple message in several parts:
God will destroy the Roman Empire.
Yet many people will persist in their evil after the accomplishment of that fact.
The church will survive its oppressors and thrive. Love will last longer than evil.
This relates well to Isaiah 43, which picks up where the previous chapter ends. The exiles are precious to God (verse 4), who will deliver them and destroy the Babylonians/Chaldeans.
The nascent church was small when John of Patmos wrote. It has grown greatly over the succeeding centuries. It has survived the first five centuries of its existence and arrived at a broad doctrinal consensus with regard to basic questions. There is still no unanimity; there has never been such. And the church is actually more united than appearances might seem; at least we agree on the table of contents of the New Testament, if not the Old Testament. Furthermore, denominational lines are frequently superficial, so the number of denominations is not the best gauge to use.
These days the church is losing membership overall in Western cultures. I wonder how much of this shrinkage is superficial, how much of it reflects actual attendance rates. (Unfortunately, not all of it does.) The fact that one attends church services regularly for a time and carries an affiliation does not necessarily mean that one is more than superficially Christian. So, in many cases, dropping out of church is more of a formality than a reversion. Whatever the details of of church demographics are, the message from Revelation 10:1-11 should comfort us: There is a future for the church yet. We Christians of these days stand on the shoulders of those who have preceded us. Without transforming theologies and traditions into museum pieces, may we honor the past, cling to that which is eternal, and carry the torch into the future.
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
The church–or a congregation–as John of Patmos reminds us, needs to be alive in Christ, to endure suffering faithfully when it comes, and to embrace Christ and his promises firmly. There will be reward for righteousness in the end and condemnation for its absence. Likewise, in Revelation 30-31, there will be deliverance for Judah and destruction for Assyria. Both will come from God.
But He too is wise!
He has brought on misfortune,
And has not canceled his word.
So He shall rise against the house of evildoers,
And the allies of the workers of iniquity.
–Isaiah 31:2, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
We monotheists lack the luxury which dualists and polytheists have; we cannot blame one deity for misfortune and credit another with causing blessings. No, both flow from the God of Judaism and Christianity. This can cause theological discomfort for some people (including me) some of the time, but this is a reality with which we need to wrestle. Perhaps our discomfort arises from inaccurate (to some degree, if not entirely) God concepts. I suspect, in fact, that all of us carry somewhat (at least) inaccurate God concepts in our heads. So our discomfort is entirely predictable.
May we seek God all our days and seek to understand the only deity as best we can. Admitting the limits of our knowledge while holding firmly to our eternal hope, may we receive more commendation than criticism from our Lord and Savior.
The future judgment continues in Isaiah 24:14-25:12. Not only will the wicked face destruction, but the righteous will survive and God will destroy death itself. Amid judgement for some, one who is righteous will find good news.
1 John exists in the context of the expectation of the imminent return of Christ. Most of this day’s reading from 1 John 2 consists of a warning not to follow Antichrists. It is appropriate to read such texts during Advent, the time of preparation for Christmas. ‘Tis the season for apocalyptic lections.
The righteous, both lessons tell us, must remain so. And they who obey God will find God faithful to them. These are words of comfort for the upright. May you, O reader, and I be among their number until our ends.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 10, 2011 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN ROBERTS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF KARL BARTH, SWISS REFORMED THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF THOMAS MERTON, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MONK
Christ himself died once and for all for sins, the upright for the sake of the guilty, to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life, and in the spirit, he went to preach to the spirits in prison. They refused to believe long ago, while God patiently waited to receive them…..
–1 Peter 3:18-20a, The New Jerusalem Bible
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The reading from Isaiah tells of the births of two boys. Immanuel’s arrival marked hope that the Syro-Ephraimite threat to Judah would end soon. It also contained a promise of divine judgment; read 7:17. The arrival of Maher-shalal-hash-baz marked the doom of the Syro-Ephraimite thread at Assyria’s hands. Hope and judgment, bound together, were part of the same message. The author of the Gospel of Matthew read a different meaning into Isaiah 7, relating it to Jesus. The combination of hope and judgment is also present there. That is sound New Testament-based theology.
As much as judgment is potent, so is mercy. 1 Peter 3:19 is one basis (see also 1 Peter 4:6) for the line (from the Apostles’ Creed) about Jesus descending to the dead. This passage indicates that Hell, at one time at least, had an exit. And it might have one again. There is always hope in God. If God does not give up on us–as I suspect is true–may we extend each other the same courtesy. Final judgment belongs to God, and I do not presume to a station higher than the one I occupy. But I do propose that certain ideas we might have heard and internalized relative to divine judgment might be mistaken. With God all things are possible; may we embrace that mystery.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 3, 2011 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHN OWEN SMITH, UNITED METHODIST BISHOP IN GEORGIA
THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY IN ASIA
Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), of The Episcopal Church, contains an adapted two-years weekday lectionary for the Epiphany and Ordinary Time seasons from the Anglican Church of Canada. I invite you to follow it with me.
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2 Peter 3:11-18 (Revised English Bible):
Since the whole universe is to dissolve in this way, think what sort of people you ought to be, what devout and dedicated lives you should live! Look forward to the day of God, and work to hasten it on; that day will set the heavens ablaze until they fall apart, and will melt the elements in flames. Relying on his promise we look forward to new heavens and a new earth, in which justice will be established.
In expectation of all this, my friends, do your utmost to be found at peace with him, unblemished and above reproach. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience is an opportunity for salvation, as Paul, our dear friend and brother, said when he wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him. He does the same in all his other letters, whenever he speaks about this, though they contain some obscure passages, which the ignorant and unstable misinterpret to their own ruin, as they do the other scriptures.
So, dear friends, you have been forewarned. Take care not to let these unprincipled people seduce you with their errors; do not lose your own safe foothold. But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and for all eternity!
Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Lord, you have been our refuge
from one generation to another.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or the land and the earth were born,
from age to age you are God.
3 You turn us back to the dust and say,
“Go back, O child of earth.”
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past
and like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep us away like a dream;
we fade away suddenly like the grass.
6 In the morning it is green and flourishes;
in the evening it is dried up and withered.
13 Return, O LORD; how long will you tarry?
be gracious to your servants.
14 Satisfy us by your loving-kindness in the morning;
so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.
15 Make us glad by the measure of the days that you afflicted us
and the years in which we suffered adversity.
16 Show your servants your works
and your splendor to their children.
17 May the graciousness of the LORD our God be upon us;
prosper the work of our hands;
prosper our handiwork.
Mark 12:13-17 (Revised English Bible):
A number of the Pharisees and men of Herod’s party were sent to trap him with a question. They came and said,
Teacher, we know you are a sincere man and court no one’s favour, whoever he may be; you teach in all sincerity the way of life that God requires. Are we or are we not permitted to pay taxes to the Roman emperor? Shall we pay or not?
He saw through their duplicity, and said,
Why are you trying to catch me out? Fetch me a silver piece, and let me look at it.
They brought one, and he asked them,
Whose head is this, and whose inscription?
They replied,
Caesar’s.
Then Jesus said,
Pay Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and God what belongs to God.
His reply left them completely taken aback.
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The Collect:
O God, who before the passion of your onlybegotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; 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:
Week of Last Epiphany: Tuesday, Year 1 (Shrove Tuesday):
I have covered the matter of the tax in the corresponding Year 1 devotion and in the post for Proper 24, Year A. So, for full details, follow the links I have provided. Nevertheless, I need to say that those who questioned Jesus were insincere. They tried his patience.
The reading from 2 Peter occurs in the context of the expectation that Jesus would return very soon. That was nearly two thousand years ago. Yet the advice to work for justice, be at peace with God, be above reproach, and live dedicated and devout lives is as germane now as it was then. This advice is timeless in its wisdom. And so is this:
Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience is an opportunity for salvation….
God is patient, but not always. But God is patient with us now. God has been patient with us. May we not try that patience very often, by grace. May we enjoy our lives, not acting like Christians weaned on dill pickles. Who likes a grumpy, humorless Christian? May we enjoy our lives, live good lives (Doing good deeds is better than performing bad ones.), and live for the glory of God and the benefit of others. May we preach the Gospel of Jesus at all times, using words only when necessary. May our deeds speak louder than our words.
There is never a bad time for this advice, but Shrove Tuesday is an especially good time, for Lent is one day away. Lent, of course, is the time of preparation for Easter. Lent is a penitential season, a time especially suited to for spiritual self-examination. So, for the next months of devotions, I refer you, O reader, to LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS, a link to which you will find at this blog. May you have a holy Lent.
ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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