Above: Christ Pantocrator
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Christ, Victorious II
APRIL 23, 2023
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The Collect:
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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The Assigned Readings:
Zechariah 13:1-9
Psalm 60 or 108
John 16:25-33
2 Corinthians 6:11-7:1
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The assigned psalms have national themes. Psalm 108 is considerably more upbeat than Psalm 60. The national theme continues in Zechariah 13, in which God will, in the future (relative to the composition of the text), purify the Davidic Dynasty, the people of the realm, and the land of sin (namely idolatry) and false prophets. That vision of the future remains unrealized in 2 Corinthians and the Gospel of John.
In John 16 one reads what might seem like an odd statement in the context of the narrative of the Fourth Gospel. Jesus, shortly prior to his brutal execution, tells his Apostles:
In the world you will have suffering. But take heart! I have conquered the world.
–John 16:33b, The Revised English Bible (1989)
Jesus is about to die on a cross, but he has conquered the world? Jesus will, of course, remain dead for only a few days. He has conquered the world. What more can any person or power do to him after his resurrection? He has conquered the world. Many of the faithful will suffer for the sake of righteousness. Some of them will die for it. Yet the blood of the martyrs waters the church. The world is a mess and has always been one, but, in the words of “This is My Father’s World,” a great hymn, “God is the ruler yet.” Jesus has conquered the world. If we do not recognize this reality, we need to look beyond outward appearances.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 11, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT PHILIP THE EVANGELIST, DEACON
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/10/11/christ-victorious-ii/
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LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS 
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