Archive for the ‘Psalm 97’ Tag
Above: Annunciation to the Shepherds, by Rembrandt van Rijn
Image in the Public Domain
Divine Audacity
DECEMBER 24-25, 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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First Service (Christmas Eve)
Isaiah 9:2-7
Psalm 96
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-20
Second Service (Christmas Dawn)
Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm 97 (LBW) or Psalm 2 (LW)
Hebrews 1:1-9
John 1:1-14
Third Service (Christmas Day)
Isaiah 62:10-12
Psalm 98
Titus 3:4-7
Luke 2:1-20
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Almighty God, you made this holy night shine with the brightness of the true Light.
Grant that here on earth we may walk in the light of Jesus’ presence
and in the last day wake to the brightness of his glory;
through your only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 14
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Almighty God, you have made yourself known in your Son, Jesus, redeemer of the world.
We pray that his birth as a human child will set us free from the old slavery of our sin;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 14
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O God, as you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ,
grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer,
may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our judge;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 16
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The Christian observance of Christmas began in the West, in the 300s. At Rome, by 336, December 25 had become the beginning of the church year. Pope St. Gregory I “the Great” (d. 604) wrote of three Christmas Masses–at St. Mary Major, at midnight; at St. Anastasia’s Church, at dawn; and at St. Peter’s, during the day.
Luke 2:1-20 is not historical. I, as a student of history, cannot refute the evidence for this conclusion. However, I embrace the prose poetry of Luke 2:1-20, for it speaks of a great truth: Jesus, not the Emperor Augustus, was the Son of God and the savior of the world, regardless of what the Roman government and coinage claimed.
I have the sources and background to parce all the assigned readings. Yet I choose not to do so in this post. Instead, O reader, I invite you to frolic in divine audacity, evident in the incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity as a baby (however that worked). I invite you, O reader, to frolic in divine audacity, which continues to influence lives and societies for the better. I also invite you, O reader, to frolic in the mystery of divine love, to feel comfortable leaving the mystery mysterious, and to respond favorably to God daily, in gratitude.
Merry Christmas!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 9, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY: THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS
THE FEAST OF EMILY GREENE BALCH, U.S. QUAKER SOCIOLOGIST, ECONOMIST, AND PEACE ACTIVIST
THE FEAST OF GENE M. TUCKER, UNITED METHODIST MINISTER AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF JOHANN JOZEF IGNAZ VON DÖLLINGER, DISSDENT AND EXCOMMUNICATED GERMAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, THEOLOGIAN, AND HISTORIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT PHILIP II OF MOSCOW, METROPOLITAN OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA, AND MARTYR, 1569
THE FEAST OF THOMAS CURTIS CLARK, U.S. DISCIPLES OF CHRIST EVANGELIST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Nativity and Annunciation to the Shepherds
Image in the Public Domain
Reasons for Hope
DECEMBER 25, 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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Proper 2
Isaiah 62:6-12
Psalm 97
Titus 3:4-7
Luke 2:[1-7] 8-20
Proper 3
Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm 98
Hebrews 1:1-12
John 1:1-14
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The Reverend Will Humes, consistent with the Roman Catholic tradition of the three masses of Christmas, provides Propers 1, 2, and 3 in his proposed lectionary. Proper 1 is for Christmas Eve. Propers 2 and 3 are for Christmas Day.
St. Gregory I “the Great,” Bishop of Rome (d. 604), provided the oldest surviving documentation of the three masses of Christmas. The midnight mass was at the Church of St. Mary Major. The second mass, at dawn, was at St. Anastasia’s Church. The third mass of the day was at the Church of St. Peter.
Proper 2
The context of Isaiah 62 was the end of the Babylonian Exile. The nations had witnessed the vindication of Israel in 61:10-62:2. The best days of the returning exiles lay ahead. The problem was that, according to all historical sources, those predictions of paradise on Earth did not come true. Returning exiles lived in a poor, backwater satrapy of the Persian Empire. Many people pushed those vaunted hopes into the future.
God is in charge. This is good news for the righteous and bad news for those He consumes. Justification by grace, which results from divine mercy, makes the justified heirs to eternal life, which is knowing God via Jesus (John 17:3). Part of living faithfully, of responding favorably to God in response to divine mercy, is striving to live more patiently as one acknowledges God’s promises. There is always hope, even though some of it has yet to arrive.
Regardless of the year you are reading this post, O reader, I guarantee that global news looks nothing like God’s full-blown reign on Earth. This is a matter of human sinfulness and of divine scheduling. Mustering patience can be difficult, I know, but we need not rely on our strength, which is insufficient anyhow. Fortunately, God seems to smile upon even the effort to muster patience; at least the attempt is a sign of good faith.
Proper 3
The readings from Hebrews 1 and John 1 present the heavenly Jesus, who dwelt among people and met with both acceptance and rejection. All the people of the Earth should rejoice because of the Incarnation, but most do not. This is unfortunate. It is also a matter for divine judgment and mercy; I will not presume to know more about the balance of those two factors than the very little I perceive.
The reading from Isaiah 52 is a prophecy of the restoration of Jerusalem. The Presence of God will dwell with the people, as it did after the Exodus and before the crossing into Canaan, we read. The full victory of God remains for the future, but the Incarnation constitutes a unique divine intervention into human events. The Incarnation points toward intervention and tells us, among other things, that we who follow Christ have excellent reasons to hope for the future.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 17, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT PATRICK, APOSTLE OF IRELAND
THE FEAST OF EBENEZER ELLIOTT, “THE CORN LAW RHYMER”
THE FEAST OF ELIZA SIBBALD ALDERSON, POET AND HYMN WRITER; AND JOHN BACCHUS DYKES, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF HENRY SCOTT HOLLAND, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER AND PRIEST
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/reasons-for-hope/
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Above: Interior, Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, Palestine, Between 1934 and 1939
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-matpc-04039
The Incarnated Light
DECEMBER 25, 2022
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The Collects:
All-powerful and unseen God, the coming of your light
into our world has brightened weary hearts with peace.
Call us out of darkness, and empower us to proclaim the birth of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
and
Almighty God, you gave your only Son to take on our human nature
and to illumine the world with your light.
By your grace adopt us as your children and enlighten us with your Spirit,
through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 20
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The Assigned Readings:
Set One:
Isaiah 62:6-12
Psalm 97
Titus 3:4-7
Luke 2:[1-7] 8-20
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Set Two:
Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm 98
Hebrews 1:1-4 [5-12]
John 1:1-14
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Some Related Posts:
O Blessed Mother:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/17/o-blessed-mother/
A Christmas Prayer:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/a-christmas-prayer/
Blessing of a Nativity Scene:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/blessing-of-a-nativity-scene/
A Christmas Prayer: God of History:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/a-christmas-prayer-god-of-history/
A Christmas Prayer: Immanuel:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/a-christmas-prayer-immanuel/
Christmas Blessings:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/christmas-blessings/
A Christmas Prayer of Thanksgiving:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/a-christmas-prayer-of-thanksgiving/
The Hail Mary:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/the-hail-mary/
O Little Town of Bethlehem:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/12/09/o-little-town-of-bethlehem/
Joy to the World:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/12/15/joy-to-the-world/
Christmas Prayers of Praise and Adoration:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/12/20/christmas-prayers-of-praise-and-adoration/
Christmas Prayers of Dedication:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/12/20/christmas-prayers-of-dedication/
A Prayer of Thanksgiving for Christmas:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/12/22/a-prayer-of-thanksgiving-for-christmas/
How Can I Fitly Greet Thee:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/how-can-i-fitly-greet-thee/
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Light has dawned for the righteous:
and joy for the upright in heart.
–Psalm 97:11, A New Zealand Prayer Book (1989)
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You have made known your victory:
you have displayed your saving power to all nations.
–Psalm 98:3, A New Zealand Prayer Book (1989)
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The readings for Christmas Day, the first day of Christmas, focus on the arrival of salvation. In some ways this announcement constitutes old news, especially when reading the lessons from Isaiah. And, as another text tells us:
In many and various ways God spoke to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom he also created the ages. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has obtained is more excellent than theirs.
–Hebrews 1:1-4, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition
Salvation was–and remains–old news. And the one new means of it is about 2,000 years old in human terms now. Through Jesus we have access to
…the cleansing power of a new birth and the renewal of the Holy Spirit….The result is that we are acquitted by his [Christ’s] grace, and can look forward in hope to inheriting life eternal.
–Titus 3:5b and 7, J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English, Revised Edition (1972)
The Incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity in the form of Jesus of Nazareth, proclaimed to shepherds, is potentially good news for people of various socio-economic backgrounds and cultural origins. Grace is good news, is it not? Yet grace, although free, is costly, not cheap. It demands much of us. And there is potentially bad news from a certain point of view. To follow Jesus–to be a disciple–might cost one more than one wants to pay. It has cost many people their lives.
On this Christmas Day and on all other days may we accept the challenge to take up a cross and follow Jesus, the Word made flesh and the Light who shines in the darkness without the darkness overcoming it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 10, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN SCHEFFLER, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF GEORG NEUMARK, GERMAN LUTHERAN POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHN HINES, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/the-incarnated-light/
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Above: Christ Pantocrator
Job and John, Part XXIII: Overturning Expectations
NOT OBSERVED IN 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 38:1-18 (March 6)
Job 40:1-24 (March 7)
Psalm 97 (Morning–March 6)
Psalm 51 (Morning–March 7)
Psalms 16 and 62 (Evening–March 6)
Psalms 142 and 65 (Evening–March 7)
John 12:30-36a (March 6)
John 12:36b-50 (March 7)
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The glorification of Jesus in the Gospel of John is his crucifixion. This is an unlikely glorification, for crucifixion was a humiliating and protracted form of execution. And, according to the Law of Moses, one who died on a tree was cursed. Yet Jesus was not cursed. He was, in the Johannine Gospel, the Passover Lamb, for he died on the cross on the same day that sacrificial animals met their fates at the Temple.
Overturning expectations seems to be one of the things God does. This is both comforting and disturbing. I would prefer that God apologize to Job, but that is not how the Book of Job reads. That disturbs me. Yet I derive comfort from God transmuting shame into honor and glory, as in the case of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. As for my doubts, questions, and causes for discomfort, I take them to God.
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-xxiii-overturning-expectations/
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Above: A Samaritan Synagogue
Image Source = Library of Congress
Job and John, Part VI: Support
FEBRUARY 10 and 11, 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 6:14-30 (February 10)
Job 7:1-21 (February 11)
Psalm 19 (Morning–February 10)
Psalm 136 (Morning–February 11)
Psalms 81 and 113 (Evening–February 10)
Psalms 97 and 112 (Evening–February 11)
John 2:1-12 (February 10)
John 2:13-25 (February 11)
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Job needed friends. He got Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite instead. Alas for Job! And he lamented the lack of support. I would prefer strangulation too; at least it would get me away from those alleged friends.
Counterpoints occur in John. We being with John the Baptist, whose movement had fewer followers than that of Jesus. John continued to point toward our Lord. Then, in Chapter 4, Jesus commenced the longest recorded conversation in the canonical Gospels. This conversation was with not only a woman–unheard of in many circles–but with a Samaritan woman–even more scandalous. Many interpreters–out of mysogyny or tradition or both–have assumed that she had a dubious sexual reputation, but there is no textual proof for that. She could, for example have been in a levirate marriage–legal under the Law of Moses. Jesus helped the woman at the well. I can only imagine what harm Eliphaz, Bildad, or Zophar would have wrought.
Until the next segment of our journey….
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 15, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR B
THE FEASTS OF SAINT OLGA OF KIEV, REGENT OF KIEVAN RUSSIA; ADALBERT OF MAGDEBURG, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; ADALBERT OF PRAGUE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP AND MARTYR; AND BENEDICT AND GAUDENTIUS OF POMERANIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF SAINT DAMIEN DE VEUSTER, A.K.A. DAMIEN OF MOLOKAI, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINT EGBERT OF LINDISFARNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND SAINT ADALBERT OF EGMONT, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT MELLITUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/job-and-john-part-vi-support/
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Above: Job and His Alleged Friends
Job and John, Part IV: Ideology
FEBRUARY 7 and 8, 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 4:1-21 (February 7)
Job 5:1-27 (February 8)
Psalm 97 (Morning–February 7)
Psalm 51 (Morning–February 8)
Psalms 16 and 62 (Evening–February 7)
Psalms 142 and 65 (Evening–February 8)
John 2:1-12 (February 7)
John 2:13-25 (February 8)
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I have combined the readings for February 7 and 8 to keep Eliphaz the Temanite material together. Doing this has another effect: keeping miracle at Cana and the Johannine account of the cleansing of the Temple together. Shall we proceed?
Job had bad excuses for friends. Exhibit A is Eliphaz the Temanite, who defended his concept of God by insisting that Job must have done something to warrant suffering. After all, in Eliphaz’s view, the good prospered and the bad suffered. This was demonstrably false theology. Just look around: Truly bad people prosper and morally sound people suffer. The Gospel of John, like all canonical Gospels, written from a post-Resurrection perspective, places a prediction of our Lord’s suffering at the beginning of our Lord’s suffering at the beginning of the text. If Eliphaz was correct, Jesus should not have suffered. But he did. So Eliphaz was incorrect.
There is more to John 2:1-25. The story of the miracle at Cana speaks of extravagance. In Jesus, it tells us, was something new–well, old really–but new relative to the perspective of the people at the time–and unstinting. This was not a rejection of Judaism; rather it emerged from Judaism. Jesus was, after all, a practicing Jew. Yet the cleansing of the Temple–placed at the beginning of our Lord’s ministry in John, in contrast to the Synoptic chronology–did indicate a rejection of the Temple system, which placed undue burdens on those who could least afford them. Money changers profited from the religious imperative to exchange idolatrous Roman currency before buying a sacrificial animal. But Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice in time.
The character of Eliphaz the Temanite experienced cognitive dissonance over Job’s sufferings. Eliphaz resolved that dissonance by doubling down on his ideology, even though evidence contradicted it. The emergence of Jesus pointed to a new (to humans) approach to God. In each case predictable conservatism clung to the old ways of thinking. But the dogmas of the past were inadequate to the demands of the then-current reality. Conservatism is not inherently bad; it is just not appropriate at all times and in all places. The question concerns what one seeks to conserve. Sometimes a revolutionary is just what God ordered.
May our assumptions–especially those so deeply embedded that we do not think of them as assumptions–not prevent us from recognizing God’s ways of working. And may these assumptions not blind us to our own errors.
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-iv-ideology/
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Above: Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones, by Gustave Dore
Freedom in Jesus
JANUARY 14 and 15, 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:
Ezekiel 36:33-37:14 (January 14)
Ezekiel 37:15-28 (January 15)
Psalm 136 (Morning–January 14)
Psalm 123 (Morning–January 15)
Psalms 97 and 112 (Evening–January 14)
Psalms 30 and 86 (Evening–January 15)
Romans 5:1-21 (January 14)
Romans 6:1-23 (January 15)
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The Ezekiel and Romans readings function best when one reads them continuously. Lectionaries are useful, but sometimes they are too choppy.
We begin with the lessons from Ezekiel. Exiles will return to their ancestral homeland; that is one meaning of the Valley of Dry Bones. Another traditional interpretation infers the resurrection of the dead before the last judgment. I see no reason that is flawed. But, as a narrative matter, the former reading of the text takes me my next point, which is that, in the homeland, God and the people will commune:
I will make a covenant of friendship with them–it shall be an everlasting covenant with them–I will establish them, and I will place My Sanctuary among them forever. My Presence shall rest over them; I will be their God and they shall be My People. And when My Sanctuary abides among them forever, the nations shall now that I the LORD do sanctify Israel.
–Ezekiel 37:26-28, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
What Ezekiel understood as the Second Temple applies nicely to Jesus, in whom we have reconciliation with God, in whom our offenses are lifted from us and through whom we have justification. It is in Jesus that we are free from slavery to sin. Voltaire said that we human beings are free as we choose to be. If we choose to give ourselves over to someone’s authority, we lose a measure of freedom. And even coercion cannot deprive a person of inner freedom if he or she opts to retain it. Mohandas Gandhi was a free man in some prison cells, for example. Likewise, if we choose to enslave ourselves to sin and shame, we have ourselves to blame. But, if we seek liberty in Christ, we have grace and enough free will to choose to follow him to thank.
One of the most difficult forms of slavery to break is that of honor and shame. What others think of us does affect us, so we have to care about that somewhat. What other people say about influences whether we obtain certain employment (or keep it), for example. Yet the most important assessment comes from God. May the divine assessment be,
Well done, good and faithful servant.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 25, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF OUR LORD
THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR B
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/freedom-in-jesus/
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Above: Moses with the Ten Commandments, by Rembrandt van Rijn
The Spirit of the Law
JANUARY 10, 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:
Ezekiel 18:1-4, 19-32
Psalm 97 (Morning)
Psalms 16 and 62 (Evening)
Romans 2:17-29
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Be assured, O House of Israel, I will judge each one of you according to his ways–declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn back from your transgressions, let them not be a stumbling block of guilt for you. Cast away all the transgressions by which you have offended, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit, that you may not die, O House of Israel. For it is not My desire that anyone shall die–declares the Lord GOD. Repent, therefore, and live!
–Ezekiel 18:29-32, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
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Circumcision was a mark signifying that owed everything–including one’s existence–to God. Therefore it was supposed to remind one of the necessity and appropriateness of responding favorable to God. Such a response entailed how one treated one’s fellow human beings. That was in the Law of Moses.
The Law of Moses is fascinating. It is simultaneously compassionate (calling for loving one’s neighbor as oneself) and violent (calling for stoning for many offenses). It treats men and women as well as the rich and the poor equally sometimes yet subordinates women at others. It also declares all the blends in my wardrobe to be unlawful, prohibits touching the skin of a pig (so much for footballs and some foods!) and permits slavery. I do not know what to make of the Law of Moses sometimes.
Our Lord, quoting the Law itself, summarized it well overall, channeling Rabbi Hillel (died 10 CE) and saying to love God fully and to love one’s neighbor as oneself. As Rabbi Hillel continued,
Everything else is commentary. Go and learn it.
Certain provisions of the Law are specific to geographical, economic, historical, and cultural conditions. In such instances, I look to the spirit, not the letter, of certain laws. Yet slavery is always wrong; I stand by that statement. I do not know what to make of the Law of Moses sometimes.
So be it.
Ezekiel and Paul called people back to the spirit of the Law; love God fully and love one’s neighbor as one loves oneself. May we human beings inspire each other to do that and to do it better and more often.
And I plan to ask God about the slavery and stoning provisions one day.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 14, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT MATHILDA, QUEEN OF GERMANY
THE FEAST OF KEREOPA AND MANIHERA OF TARANAKI, ANGLICAN MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF PAVEL CHESNOKOV, COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF PETER GRAVES, ACTOR
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/08/15/the-spirit-of-the-law/
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Above: Robinson’s Arch, at the Site of the Former Second Temple, Jerusalem
Temples Consumed By Fire
JANUARY 4, 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:
Isaiah 63:15-65:7
Psalm 103 (Morning)
Psalms 93 and 97 (Evening)
Luke 2:41-52
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Our holy Temple, our pride,
Where our fathers praised You,
Has been consumed by fire….
–Isaiah 64:10a, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
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It happened that, three days later, they found him in the Temple….
–Luke 2:46a, The New Jerusalem Bible
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The Temple–each in its own time–was the center of early Judaism. Solomon had ordered the construction of the First Temple, the one which Chaldeans/Neo-Babylonians destroyed. The Second Temple dated to 516 BCE. This–in its expanded state–was the Temple which Jesus knew. The Second Temple was, in the time of Jesus, the center of a religious system which separated the wealthy from the poor and the Gentiles from the Jews. Those who converted currency at the Temple so that devout people could purchase their sacrificial animals with non-idolatrous money did so in such a way as to exploit those devout individuals. And the Second Temple–with a Roman fortress next door–was the seat of collaboration. This was the Temple which the Romans destroyed in 70 CE.
The Gospel of Luke dates to after that religiously cataclysmic event. I wonder how the original audience responded to the story of Jesus conversing with the teachers there. How we humans understand an account has much to do with our current reality. We read our present circumstances into stories of past events. Certainly this happened many times during the composition of the canonical Gospels. And it has occurred many times subsequently as people have encountered those accounts.
Our holy Temple, our pride,
Where our fathers praised You,
Has been consumed by fire:
And all that was dear to us is ruined.
–Isaiah 64:10, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
What is your destroyed holy Temple? Explore the metaphor. Let it sink in. And know that after the First Temple came the Second Temple. And Judaism has survived without a Temple. Perhaps your metaphorical Temple is not necessary after all.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 22, 2012 COMMON ERA
ASH WEDNESDAY
THE FEAST OF ERIC LIDDELL, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARY TO CHINA
THE FEAST OF SAINT PRAETEXTATUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF ROUEN
THE FEAST OF RASMUS JENSEN, LUTHERAN MISSIONARY TO CANADA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS THALASSIUS, LIMNAEUS, AND MARON, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONKS
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/08/11/temples-consumed-by-fire/
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Above: Saint John the Baptist
True Liberation
JANUARY 1, 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:
Isaiah 61:1-11
Psalm 97 (Morning)
Psalms 99 and 8 (Evening)
Luke 1:57-80
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The spirit of the LORD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me;
He has sent me as a herald of joy to the humble,
To bind up the wounded of heart,
To proclaim release to the captives,
Liberation to the imprisoned;
To proclaim a year of the LORD’s favor
And a day of vindication by our God….
–Isaiah 61:1-2, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
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The text from Luke 1 echoes Isaiah 61. In each case a prophet will proclaim a message from God, who “has visited his people” and liberated them (Luke 1:67, New Jerusalem Bible). This seems like an excellent time to point out the obvious: Post-Exilic Judea was part of the Persian Empire and Post-Hasmonean Judea was part of the Roman Empire. The Persians were generally more friendly that the Romans, at least.
So what kind of liberation was this? It was not political autonomy or independence. No, this was spiritual liberation–freedom (with rules) to love and follow God in daily practices and attitudes. Any lack of liberty–such as slavish legalism–was self-imposed. This spiritual liberation did not–and does not–depend on outside political or legal forces. In other words, this is an internalized liberation. Many martyrs have exhibited it under great stress. I have been writing hagiographies for my SUNDRY THOUGHTS weblog lately. Again and again I have encountered examples of this pattern. These martyrs still died, but they died as free men and women, even though they were prisoners.
Regardless of your circumstances, O reader, may you be free.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 22, 2012 COMMON ERA
ASH WEDNESDAY
THE FEAST OF ERIC LIDDELL, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARY TO CHINA
THE FEAST OF SAINT PRAETEXTATUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF ROUEN
THE FEAST OF RASMUS JENSEN, LUTHERAN MISSIONARY TO CANADA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS THALASSIUS, LIMNAEUS, AND AND MARON, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONKS
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/08/11/true-liberation/
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ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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