Archive for the ‘Romans 15’ Tag
Above: Cedars of Lebanon
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-USZ62-75016
Eschatological Ethics
DECEMBER 4, 2022
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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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Isaiah 11:1-10
Psalm 72:1-14 (15-19)
Romans 15:4-13
Matthew 3:1-12
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Stir up in our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the way for your only Son.
By his coming give us strength in our conflicts
and shed light on our path through the darkness of the world;
through your 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), 13
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Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of your only-begotten Son
that at his second coming we may worship him in purity;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 11
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For improved comprehension of Isaiah 11:1-10, O reader, back up to 10:32b-34. There we read that God will destroy the Neo-Assyrian Empire, built on militarism, cruelty, and exploitation. Isaiah 10:34 likens that empire to majestic cedars of Lebanon, cut down by God. Then Isaiah 11 opens with the image of the Messiah, depicted as a twig sprouting from a tree stump.
The Messiah–the ruler of the fully-realized Kingdom of God in Isaiah 11–has much in common with the ideal king in Psalm 72. Both monarchs govern justly. They come to the aid of the oppressed and punish the oppressors. Judgment and mercy remain in balance.
The ethics of the Kingdom of God–whether partially-realized or fully-realized–contradict the conventional wisdom of “the world” and its great powers. The Roman Empire, built on militarism, cruelty, and exploitation, continues as a metaphor to apply to oppressive powers–not only governments–in our time. Spiritual complacency remains a problem. And how we mere mortals treat each other continues to interest God.
Real life is frequently messy and replete with shades of gray. Sometimes one must choose the least bad option, for no good options exist. Whatever one does, somebody may suffer or perhaps die, for example. We live in an imperfect world. But we can, by grace, make the best decisions possible then act accordingly. We can, by grace, love one another selflessly and self-sacrificially. We can, by grace, act based on mutuality and the Golden Rule. We can, by grace, welcome those whom God welcomes. We can, by grace, confront those whom God confronts. We can, by grace, make the most good from an imperfect situation.
May we do so.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 6, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Cedars of Lebanon, 1898
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-matpc-11736
Building Up the Common Good, Part I
DECEMBER 4, 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 11:1-10
Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19
Romans 15:4-13
Matthew 3:1-12
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In TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985) the first word of the reading from Isaiah 11 is “but.” This is an invitation to back up into Isaiah 10, where one reads of God cutting down arrogant Assyrian forces. The metaphor at the end of Isaiah 10 is cutting down the cedars of Lebanon. That makes sense if one knows the background of that portion of scripture.
The prophet uses the term Lebanon trees ironically: Assyrian kings boasted in inscriptions that they cut down these mighty cedars on their heroic journeys to despoil the forests of Lebanon to obtain wood for their building projects in Mesopotamia, but here Assyrians themselves become the ax’s victim.
—The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition (2014), 789
Then we arrive at our reading from Isaiah 11.
But a shoot shall grow out of the stump of Jesse,
it begins. This is a prophecy of a time when an ideal king will rule justly and the society will be peaceable. This is similar to the high hopes in Psalm 72. Matthew 3:1-12 evokes this prophecy of Isaiah (in spirit, at least) and has St. John the Baptist apply it to Jesus, whom he baptizes in 3:13-17.
Romans 15:12, which follows a call to think about others first ad to work for the common good, quotes Isaiah 11:10. The Pauline point is plain: God seeks for all people to praise, follow, and set their hope on Him. The family of God is diverse; some branches of it dislike other branches–even consider some of them to be heretical at best. Some individuals within that family cannot or will not get along with other members thereof.
This has always been true. Nevertheless, the divine mandate to work for the common good, to put other people before oneself, has never ceased to be relevant. For nearly two millennia we have had a role model–Jesus, who went so far as to die.
May we love one another as we love ourselves, recognizing that the common good is indeed that to which God calls us in society. Building ourselves up by exploiting others violates divine commandments and provokes the anger of God, as it should.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 14, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF FANNIE LOU HAMER, PROPHET OF FREEDOM
THE FEAST OF ALFRED 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
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/03/14/building-up-the-common-good-part-i/
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Above: But with Her Babe Upon Her Knee, by Florence Edith Storer
Published in 1912
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-USZC4-2669
The Paradoxical Power and Glory of God
DECEMBER 6, 2022
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The Collect:
Stir up your power, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son.
By his coming nurture our growth as people of repentance and peace;
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 18
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The Assigned Readings:
Isaiah 41:14-20
Psalm 21
Romans 15:14-21
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The readings from Isaiah 41 and Romans 15 remind us of the glory and might of God and of the powerlessness of we mere mortals to work anything more than what Lutheran confessions of faith call “civic righteousness.” It is laudable that we perform good deeds and refrain from committing bad ones as often as we do, but that fact cannot save us from ourselves, from our sin.
Being sure not to detract from divine glory is a recurring theme in the Bible, especially in the Hebrew Bible. That explains the Tower of Babel, Gideon’s army, et cetera. Divine glory seems to shine brightly in both grand gestures and in small, unlikely packages. Such glory is most concentrated in Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnated form of the Second Person of the Trinity. Among the meanings of the Incarnation is that one should look for divine glory in many places, some of them unpredictable, even mundane. The paradox of the Incarnation is multifaceted. One facet is that God, mighty and powerful, assumed the form of a defenseless infant.
So, as we Western Christians prepare for the liturgical celebration of that birth, may we seek and find the glory of God around us, in places expected and otherwise.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 26, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JEREMIAH, BIBLICAL PROPHET
THE FEAST OF ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/07/06/the-paradoxical-power-and-glory-of-god/
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Above: The Conversion of St. Paul, by Luca Giordano
Awe, Terror, and Wonder
JANUARY 27, 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:
Zechariah 4:1-5:11
Psalm 110 (Morning)
Psalms 66 and 23 (Evening)
Romans 15:14-33
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Some Related Posts:
A Franciscan Blessing:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/17/a-franciscan-blessing/
Lord, It is Night:
http://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/lord-it-is-night/
Memories at a Moving Sale for a Friend:
http://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2012/03/10/memories-at-a-moving-sale-for-a-friend/
Weeping:
http://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/weeping/
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Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit–said the LORD of Hosts.
–Zechariah 4:6c, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
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Come now and see the works of God,
how wonderful he is in his doing toward all people.
–Psalm 66:4, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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O come and see what the Lord has done:
what God has wrought in terror among all people.
–Psalm 66:4, A New Zealand Prayer Book (1989)
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Come and see the works of God,
who is held in awe by men for His acts.
–Psalm 66:5, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
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Come and see the marvels of God,
his awesome deeds for the children of Adam….
–Psalm 66:5, The New Jerusalem Bible
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I begin my preparations for each post in this series by reading the assigned lessons. Usually something–a word, phrase, clause, or sentence–stands out in my mind. Such was the case with Zechariah 6:4c. Set in the aftermath of the Babylonian Exile, the rebuilding of the Temple and of Jerusalem seemed unlikely. In fact, certain people attempted to prevent the reconstruction. But they failed–not by human efforts alone, although those proved crucial–but more so by the power of God. There were human instruments of God at work.
Another verse attracted my attention–so much so that I have provided it in four translations. Psalm 66:4/5 (depending on the versification system) speaks of the awe/wonder/terror of God. Consider, O reader, these words from Isaac Watts (1705 and 1719) and altered by John Wesley (also in the 1700s):
Before Jehovah’s awful throne,
Ye nations, bow with sacred joy;
Know that the Lord is God alone,
He can create, and He destroy;
He can create, and He destroy.
—The Hymnal (1933), of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (1869-1958)
Word meanings change over time. “Awful” means “extremely bad” to most English speakers today. Yet its original definition was “awe-inspiring,” a word which the Encarta World English Dictionary defines as
impressive as to make a person feel humble or slightly afraid.
Likewise, “terrible” has a variety of meanings, most of them negative. “Very serious or severe” is one of those. Yet the word can also mean “formidable.” The Old French root for “terrible” derives from the Latin verb meaning “to frighten.”
Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles, had a frightening–terrible, by one definition–encounter with God. And he succeeded in his mission by divine aid, overcoming the forces of might and power arrayed against him. The word “awesome” has become trite in my North American culture. Yet I use that word in its most profound sense here: The works of God are awesome. They are formidable. They are awe-inspiring. They are wonderful.
I have witnesses that power and those works in the lives of others as well as in my life. As I type these words I am watching that power from a distance as it works in the life of one for whom I care very much. I am glad to say honestly that I was an instrument of that power in a particular way at a certain time. And I might be such an instrument in her life again. One lesson I have learned is that hope is always alive in God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 10, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF HENRY VAN DYKE, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND LITURGIST
THE FEAST OF HOWARD THURMAN, PROTESTANT THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM LAW, ANGLICAN PRIEST
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/10/06/awe-terror-and-wonder/
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Above: Palestinian Barrier
Image Source = Marc Venezia
Of Walls, God, and Men
JANUARY 26, 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:
Zechariah 2:1-3:10/2:5-3:10
Psalm 122 (Morning)
Psalms 141 and 90 (Evening)
Romans 15:1-13
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Jerusalem shall be peopled as a city without walls….
–Zechariah 2:8b, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
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TECHNICAL NOTE:
Zechariah 2:1 in Protesteant Bibles equals Zechariah 2:5 in Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox ones.
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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
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/of-walls-god-and-men/
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Above: The Tomb of St. John the Baptist, Lower Egypt
Image Source = Lollylolly 78
The Approaching Kingdom of God
DECEMBER 4, 2022
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Isaiah 11:1-10 (New Revised Standard Version):
A shoot will come from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch will grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 (New Revised Standard Version):
Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the a king’s son.
May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor.
May he live while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
Blessed by the LORD, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may his glory fill the whole earth.
Amen and Amen.
Romans 15:4-13 (New Revised Standard Version):
Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles,
and sing praises to your name;
and again he says,
Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people;
and again,
Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples praise him;
and again Isaiah says,
The root of Jesse shall come,
the one who rises to rule the Gentiles;
in him the Gentiles shall hope.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 3:1-12 (New Revised Standard Version):
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming,
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.
This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.”
Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them,
You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.
The Collect:
Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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St. John the Baptist was one of a line of prophets who spoke of the coming Kingdom of God on earth. John, however, spoke of the short-term arrival of this kingdom. And one of the concepts embedded in the canonical Gospels is that the Kingdom of God was present within and around people; God was active on the earth. In historical context this constituted, among other things, a strong (and justified) criticism of the Roman imperial order. Rome occupied the Jewish homeland, maintained order with fear, and encouraged slavery and economic inequity–even exploitation. Much of this sounds contemporary, does it not?
Jesus was born, lived, died, rose again, and ascended. And yet the Roman imperial order persisted. So understandings of the Kingdom of God changed, becoming more abstractly spiritual than concerned with the present tense. Yet I find the older understanding powerful; I cannot dismiss it. If the Kingdom of God was present when Jesus walked the face of the earth, is it not still here? Could it have faded away after the Ascension? I think not.
So I leave you, O reader, with this: How is the Kingdom of God an indictment of your society and government, perhaps even the dominant form of organized religion in your society? And, when you have your answer(s), what ought you to do with this (these) realization(s)? It cost Jesus his life, and St. John the Baptist before him. What will it cost you?
KRT
Written on May 31, 2010
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The previous post in this sequence:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2013/06/26/devotion-for-saturday-before-the-second-sunday-of-advent-year-a-elca-daily-lectionary/
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2011/11/12/the-approaching-kingdom-of-god/
ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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