Archive for the ‘Zephaniah 3’ Tag
Above: Icon of the Magnificat
Image in the Public Domain
Feeling Uncomfortable
DECEMBER 20, 2020
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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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Micah 5:1-5
Luke 1:46-56
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-45
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The Fourth Sunday of Advent is, appropriately, a time to focus on the Messiah. As I wrote in the previous post, Zephaniah 3:14-20 is not a messianic prophecy. Micah 5:105 is, however.
The Magnificat is a beautiful and a familiar text. Perhaps the main problem one has when reading a familiar text is going on autopilot. I challenge you, O reader, as much as I challenge myself, to resist that temptation. Read the Magnificat again, with eyes as fresh as possible. Consider the theme of reversal of fortune; that theme is prominent in the Gospel of Luke. Does that portrayal of God make you uncomfortable? Does it challenge any of your values?
The Magnificat is one of the texts that remind me of an observation I read on the back of a church bulletin years ago:
The purpose of the Gospel is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.
That description applies to the Gospel of Luke.
Then turn with me, O reader, to Hebrews 10:5-10, usually a text for Good Friday. One may recall that the Passion Chorale is present in the Christmas Oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach. Reading Hebrews 10:5-10 on this Sunday and hearing Hans Leo Hassler‘s Passion Chorale in the Season of Christmas reminds us of why the Incarnation occurred.
That becomes very uncomfortable quite quickly. If we find it uncomfortable, we need to consider how Jesus felt on the cross.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 11, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHN SWERTNER, DUTCH-GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND HYMNAL EDITOR; AND HIS COLLABORATOR, JOHN MUELLER, GERMAN-ENGLISH MORAVIAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMNAL EDITOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT AENGUS THE CULDEE, HERMIT AND MONK; AND SAINT MAELRUAN, ABBOT
THE FEAST OF SAINT EULOGIUS OF SPAIN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF TOLEDO, CORDOBA; AND SAINT LEOCRITA; ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 859
THE FEAST OF FRANCIS WAYLAND, U.S. BAPTIST MINISTER, EDUCATOR, AND SOCIAL REFORMER
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAL PRENNUSHI, ALBANIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1948
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2020/03/11/feeling-uncomfortable/
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Above: Icon of the Holy Trinity, by Andrei Rublev
Image in the Public Domain
A Glorious Mystery
DECEMBER 13, 2020
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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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Zephaniah 3:14-20
Luke 1:67-80
Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 1:57-66
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St. John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah. Perhaps one would expect the pericope from the Hebrew Bible to be a messianic prophecy, given the cluster of readings for this Sunday in Advent. One would be mistaken. Zephaniah wrote of a time when God would rule directly on the planet; the prophet did not write of the Messiah. Bishop N. T. Wright picked up on God ruling directly on the planet, as in Zephaniah 3. Wright wrote in Jesus and the Victory of God (1996) that God (YHWH), not Jesus, is the king in Biblical eschatological prophecy, even in the New Testament.
I write and think of the Trinity with all due theological caution; I prefer not to commit any of the plethora of Trinitarian heresies. My reading of the history of Christian theology informs me that well-meaning attempts to explain the Trinity have frequently led to or bolstered heresies. I also know that I have been guilty of entertaining notions bordering on Sabellianism, although I did not know that term when I did so. Yes, I affirm that Jesus of Nazareth (the human being whom Roman officials executed on false allegations in 29 or 30 C.E.) was the incarnated form of the Second Person of the Trinity. In my mind, “Jesus” runs together with “Second Person of the Trinity” after the beginning of the Incarnation. Likewise, I refrain from calling the pre-Incarnation Second Person of the Trinity “Jesus” or “Christ,” due to my chronological manner of thinking. And, when I write “God,” the meaning varies, according to context. Sometimes I mean the Trinity. On other occasions, I narrow to the focus to one of the three Persons (literally, “masks,” in Greek) of the Trinity, especially YHWH. (That is mask, as in a mask a Greek actor used.) Etymology is one issue. How accurate Greek word choices are is another matter. Sometimes language fails us; even our our descriptions cannot always do justice to reality. I do not attempt to explain the Trinity, a glorious mystery.
How can I explain the Trinity when even orthodox Trinitarian theology makes no sense? The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are co-eternal, right? Okay. Then how can the Holy Spirit proceed from the Father or from the Father and the Son? And does one accept or reject the filioque clause? Orthodox Trinitarian theology, established by a series of Ecumenical Councils, is as close to the Trinitarian reality as one can get in this life. Nevertheless, The confusion that results from following orthodox Trinitarian theology proves that one should accept the glorious mystery, refrain from overthinking it, and revel in that mystery. The beautiful reading from Philippians provides some advice for this revelry:
- “Let your tolerance be evident to everyone.”
- Do not worry; trust in God.
- “Fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honor, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise.”
The context for this counsel is Christian community, of course.
The translation is The Jerusalem Bible (1966).
May we, in the words of the Larger Westminster Catechism,
glorify God, and fully…enjoy Him forever.
The details of Trinitarian theology, Trinitarian reality, and Messianic prophecy will tend to themselves.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 10, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARIE-JOSEPH LAGRANGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF SAINT AGRIPINNUS OF AUTUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; SAINT GERMANUS OF PARIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; AND SAINT DROCTOVEUS OF AUTUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF FOLLIOT SANDFORD PIERPOINT, ANGLICAN EDUCATOR, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN OGLIVIE, SCOTTISH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1615
THE FEAST OF SAINT MACARIUS OF JERUSALEM, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2020/03/10/a-glorious-mystery-part-ii/
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Above: Christ Pantocrator
Image in the Public Domain
The Kingdom of God
DECEMBER 22 and 23, 2023
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The Collect:
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come.
With your abundant grace and might,
free us from the sin that would obstruct your mercy,
that willingly we may bear your redeeming love to all the world,
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 19
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The Assigned Readings:
Zephaniah 3:8-13 (December 22)
Zephaniah 3:14-20 (December 23)
Psalm 96 (Both Days)
Romans 10:5-13 (December 22)
Romans 13:11-14 (December 23)
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He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with his truth.
–Psalm 96:13, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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The language of the Kingdom of God functions on more than one level. It describes the following, with some germane scriptural passages favoring one definition above the other two:
- an earthly future when God’s order has replaced corrupt, violent, and exploitative human systems;
- an earthly place where God’s order has replaced corrupt, violent, and exploitative human systems; and
- Heaven.
There is also a sense of the Kingdom of God being partially manifest in the present; the Regnum Dei has arrived, yet there is more to come. In a political sense, the Kingdom of God functions as a criticism of violent, corrupt, and economically exploitative human systems. Thus, for example, any way in which the Judean monarchy or the Roman imperium differed from the Kingdom of God was a way in which it missed the mark–sinned.
One function of divine judgment in the Bible is to prompt repentance. Judgment has a purifying function, as in Zephaniah 3:8-20, a vision of a righteous time and place. The restored, purified remnant of Judah will live faithfully in the presence of God. Furthermore, the passage says, justice will prevail and shame will be absent and unnecessary.
Those who have benefitted from the mercies of God ought to live accordingly, thanking God with their lives, as grace enables them to do so. The love of God is universal, so the previous sentence applies to everyone. To respond to perfect love with as close to that as humanly possible does not constitute symmetry, but God accepts it graciously. The Kingdom of God, the Gospels tell us, is inside us and around us. It has arrived partially; its fullness will come in time. May our lives, by grace, indicate something of that part of the Kingdom of God which is present.
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, whom the Roman Empire executed, may we remember that he entered a violent world in which he was a target from the beginning of this incarnated life. Yet:
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
–John 1:5, New Revised Standard Version (1989)
The darkness remains, but so does the light. And God is the King, despite appearances to the contrary.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 27, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ARTHUR CAMPBELL AINGER, ENGLISH EDUCATOR, SCHOLAR, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT AEDESIUS, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY; AND SAINT FRUDENTIUS, FIRST BISHOP OF AXUM AND ABUNA OF THE ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX TEWAHEDO CHURCH
THE FEAST OF THE VICTIMS OF THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/10/28/the-kingdom-of-god-2/
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Above: Zephaniah
Do Not Be Afraid
DECEMBER 12, 2021
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Zephaniah 3:14-20 (Revised English Bible):
Zion, cry out for joy;
raise the shout of triumph, Israel;
be glad, rejoice with all your heart,
daughter of Jerusalem!
The LORD has averted your punishment,
has swept away your foes.
Israel, the LORD is among you as king;
never again need you fear disaster.
On that day this must be the message to Jerusalem:
Fear not, Zion, let not your hands hang limp.
The LORD your God is in your midst,
a warrior who will keep you safe.
He will rejoice over you and be glad;
he will show you his love once more;
he will exult over you with a shout of joy
as on a festal day.
I shall take away your cries of woe
and you will no longer endure reproach.
When that time comes;
I shall deal with all who oppress you;
I shall rescue the lost and gather the dispersed.
I shall win for my people praise and renown
throughout the whole world.
When that time comes I shall gather you
and bring you home.
I shall win you renown and praise
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes before your eyes.
It is the LORD who speaks.
Canticle 9, from The Book of Common Prayer, page 86:
(Isaiah 12:2-6)
Surely, it is God who saves me;
I will trust in him and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense,
and he will be my Savior.
Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing
from the springs of salvation.
On that day you shall say,
Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name;
Make his deeds known among the peoples;
see that they remember that his Name is exalted.
Sing the praises of the Lord, for he has done great things,
and this is known in all the world.
Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy,
for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Philippians 4:4-7 (New Revised Standard Version):
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Luke 3:7-18 (New Revised Standard Version):
John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him,
You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin 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.
And the crowds asked him,
What then should we do?
In reply he said to them,
Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.
Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him,
Teacher, what should we do?
He said to them,
Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.
Soldiers also asked him,
And we, what should we do?
He said to them,
Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying,
I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.
So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
The Collect:
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
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Some Related Posts:
On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry Announces that the Lord is Nigh:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/on-jordans-bank-the-baptists-cry-announces-that-the-lord-is-nigh/
Advent Prayers of Dedication:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/advent-prayers-of-dedication/
Advent Prayers of Praise and Adoration:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/advent-prayers-of-praise-and-adoration/
An Advent Prayer: Expectant God:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/an-advent-prayer-expectant-god/
An Advent Prayer: Divine Light:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/an-advent-prayer-divine-light/
An Advent Prayer: The Word of God is Near:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/an-advent-prayer-the-word-of-god-is-near/
An Advent Prayer of Confession:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/an-advent-prayer-of-confession/
Advent Prayers of Thanksgiving:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/advent-prayers-of-thanksgiving/
An Advent Blessing:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/an-advent-blessing/
An Advent Prayer: Expectant Hearts:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/an-advent-prayer-expectant-hearts/
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If anyone had a good reason to fear, an exile living in the territory of a foreign power infamous for its cruelty did. If anyone had a good reason to fear, someone living under foreign occupation did. If anyone had a good reason to fear, someone likely to suffer and perhaps die for merely being a Christian did. Yet the words of Zephaniah were comforting ones; a remnant would return one day. They did, thanks to God and the Persians. And Paul, who advised the Philippians not to worry, had suffered for his faith and became a martyr in time.
Sometimes, when we fear, we act foolishly, even cruelly, toward each other. We seek our self interests at the expense of others. We exploit each other and condone the exploitation others commit. We act as if the Golden Rule is
He who has the gold makes the rules.
All who act accordingly need to repent–to turn around, to change one’s mind.
The confidence of love is vastly superior to the uncertainty of fear and the perfidious deeds which flow from it. Yes, the world is dark and evil runs rampant. But God is doing a new thing; a great light is about to shine upon us. The world into which that light was born was one in which a tyrant killed innocents as part of an effort to murder one perceived threat. Light confronts darkness, so darkness cannot tolerate it. But, in the end, light scatters the darkness.
So may we, confident in God, act toward each other in love and compassion. It is what Jesus did.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 1, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE EIGHTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, YEAR B
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/08/09/do-not-be-afraid-2/
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Above: Visitation, by Jacques Daret, Circa 1435
The Mother of My Lord
DECEMBER 21, 2023 (YEAR B)
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FIRST READING FOR YEARS A AND B: Zephaniah 3:14-18a (Revised English Bible):
Zion, cry out for joy;
raise the shout of triumph, Israel;
be glad, rejoice with all your heart,
daughter of Jerusalem!
The LORD has averted your punishment,
has swept away your foes.
Israel, the LORD is among you as king;
never again need you fear disaster.
On that day this must be the message to Jerusalem:
Fear not, Zion, let not your hands hang limp.
The LORD your God is in your midst,
a warrior who will keep you safe.
He will rejoice over you and be glad;
he will show you his love once more;
he will exult over you with a shout of joy
as on a festal day.
FIRST READING FOR YEAR C: Song of Songs 2:8-14 (Revised English Bible):
Bride
Hark! My beloved! Here he comes, bounding over mountains, leaping over the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
There he stands outside the wall, peering in at the windows, gazing through the lattice.
My beloved spoke, saying to me:
Rise up my darling; my fair one, come away.
For see, the winter is past! The rains are over and gone;
the flowers appear in the countryside; the season of birdsong is come,
and the turtle-dove’s cooing is heard in our land;
the green figs ripen on the fig trees and the vine blossoms give forth their fragrance.
Rise up, my darling; my fair one, come away.
RESPONSE: Psalm 33:1-5, 20-22 (Revised English Bible):
Shout for joy in the LORD, you that are righteous;
praise comes well from the upright.
Give thanks to the LORD on the lyre;
make music to him on the ten-stringed harp.
Sing to him a new song;
strike up with all your skill and shout in triumph,
for the word of the LORD holds true,
and all his work endures.
He is a lover of righteousness and justice;
the earth is filled with the LORD’s unfailing love.
We have waited eagerly for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts are glad,
because we have trusted in his holy name.
LORD, let your unfailing love rest on us,
as we have put our hope in you.
GOSPEL: Luke 1:39-45 (Revised English Bible):
Soon afterwards Mary set out and hurried away to a town in the uplands of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby stirred in her womb. Then Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed in a loud voice,
God’s blessing is on you above all women, and his blessing is on the fruit of your womb. Who am I, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? I tell you, when your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby in my womb leapt for joy. Happy is she who has faith that the Lord’s promise to her would be fulfilled!
The Collect:
Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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This day’s readings consist of a combination of verse and prose poetry. Sometimes the most appropriate contemplation of a wondrous event entails poetry.
I have spent the last few minutes typing the readings from a hardcover Bible and contemplating them along the way. At this moment my contemplations take me to a spiritual place where words are woefully inadequate. This, I think, is a healthy sign. So I encourage you to ponder these lessons and let them take you to a profound spiritual place beyond words, and to exist there for a while.
May the peace of the incarnated God be with you now and always.
KRT
Written on June 3, 2010
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/the-mother-of-my-lord/
Above: Grapes (as in the father’s vineyard from the Gospel reading)
Hearing and Doing
DECEMBER 19, 2023
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Zephaniah 3:1-13 (Revised English Bible):
Woe betide the tyrant city,
filthy and foul!
She heeded no warning voice,
took no rebuke to heart;
she did not put her trust in the LORD,
nor did she draw near to her God.
The leaders within her were roaring lions,
her rulers wolves of the plain
that left nothing over till morning.
Her prophets were reckless and perfidious;
her priests profaned the sanctuary
and did violence to the law.
But the LORD in her midst is just;
he does no wrong;
morning after morning he gives his judgment,
every day without fail;
yet the wrongdoer knows no shame.
I have wiped out this arrogant people;
their bastions are demolished.
I have destroyed their streets;
no one walks among them.
Their cities are laid waste,
abandoned and unpeopled.
I said,
Surely she will fear me;
and will take my instruction to heart,
all the commands I laid on her
that her dwelling-place might escape destruction.
But they hastened all the more
to perform their evil deeds.
Therefore wait for me, says the LORD,
wait for the day when I stand up to accuse you;
I have decided to gather nations
and assemble kingdoms,
in order to pour my wrath on them,
all my burning anger;
the whole earth will be consumed
by the fire of my jealousy.
Then I shall restore pure lips to all peoples,
that they may invoke the LORD by name
and serve him with one accord.
My worshipers, dispersed beyond the rivers of Cush,
will bring offerings to me.
On that day, Jerusalem,
you will not be put to shame for any of the deeds
by which you have rebelled against me,
because I shall rid you then
of your proud and arrogant citizens,
and never again will you flaunt your pride
on my holy mountain.
I shall leave a remnant in you,
lowly and poor people.
The survivors in Israel will find refuge in the LORD’s name.
They will do no wrong, nor speak lies;
no words of deceit will pass their lips;
they will feed and lie down
with no one to terrify them.
Psalm 34:1-8 (Revised English Bible):
I shall bless the LORD at all times;
his praise will be ever on my lips.
In the LORD I shall glory;
the humble will hear and be glad.
Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exult his name together.
I sought the LORD’s help; he answered me
and set me free from all my fears.
They who look to him are radiant with joy;
they will never be put out of countenance.
Here is the one who cried out in his affliction;
the LORD heard him and saved him from all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD is on guard
round those who fear him, and he rescues them.
Taste and see that the LORD is good.
Happy are those who find refuge in him!
Matthew 21:28-32 (Revised English Bible):
[Jesus said,]
But what do you think about this? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first, and said, ‘My son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will, sir,’ the boy replied; but he did not go. The father came to the second and said the same. ‘I will not,’ he replied; but afterwards he changed his mind and went. Which of the two did what the father wanted?
They [chief priests and elders of the nation] replied,
The second.
Then Jesus said,
Truly I tell you: tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For when John came to show you the right way to live, and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes did; and even when you had seen that, you did not change your minds and believe him.
The Collect:
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
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It is not enough to hear what God. No, one must listen in that way which leads to action.
I suspect that much disobedience to God flows from misunderstanding, not purposeful evasion. In the name of God people have embarked on Crusades, Inquisitions, and religious wars. In the name of God people continue to slaughter others and/or lay heavy and needless burdens on their fellow human beings, not recognizing the equality which flows from the image of God each of us bears and from the Holy Spirit, which respects no human-defined boundaries. Often many of we mere mortals accept as proper the reality in which we socialize.
Yet the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
Actually, deeds reveal creeds. Talk is cheap, but actions tell the truth. So repentant tax collectors (Roman collaborators and tax thieves) and prostitutes were better off spiritually than certain members of the religious respectable class.
As the prophet Samuel said when he anointed the young David, God looks inward; people look at the outside.
KRT
Written on June 1, 2010
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/hearing-and-doing/
ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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