Archive for March 2022
Above: The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
Image in the Public Domain
Holy Week Begins
APRIL 2, 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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Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:1-5, 9-16 (LBW) or Psalm 92 (LW)
Philippians 2:5-11
Matthew 26:1-27:66 or Matthew 27:11-54
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Almighty God, you sent your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ,
to take our flesh upon him and to suffer death on the cross.
Grant that we may share in his obedience to your will
and in the glorious victory of his resurrection;
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), 19
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Almighty and everlasting God the Father,
who sent your Son to take our nature upon him
and to suffer death on the cross
that all mankind should follow the example of his great humility,
mercifully grant that we may both follow
the example of our Savior Jesus Christ in his patience
and also have our portion in his resurrection;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 39
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In context, Isaiah 50:4-9a is an odd lection to read on this Sunday. The speaker–the prophet/servant (Second Isaiah)–is pious yet merely human, therefore, sinful. He believes that the suffering of the exiles during the Babylonian Exile has been justified. Yet he also anticipates the divine vindication of that exiled population, for the glory of God. Applying this reading to sinless Jesus (who suffered an unjust execution as an innocent man) requires astounding theological gymnastics.
The hymn St. Paul the Apostle quoted back to the Philippian Christians in the 50s C.E. indicates something about the development of Christology by that time. One may wonder how old the human was when St. Paul quoted it. One may keep wondering, for one has no way of knowing. Yet one may know that the time from which it originated was at or near the dawn of Christianity.
Palm Sunday functions as the Reader’s Digest version of Holy Week through Good Friday in many churches. It does on the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship lectionary. So be it. With that in mind, I invite you, O reader, to ponder the injustice of what Jesus suffered during Holy Week. I also encourage you to place yourself inside the narrative and to ask yourself who you would have been in the story. Depending on your honest answer, you may have uncovered a sin (or sins) of which to repent.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 29, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CHARLES VILLERS SANFORD, COMPOSER, ORGANIST, AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF DORA GREENWELL, POET AND DEVOTIONAL WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHN KEBLE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND POET
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JONAS AND BARACHISIUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 327
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Icon of the Raising of Lazarus
Image in the Public Domain
Metaphorical Resurrections
MARCH 26, 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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Ezekiel 37:1-3 (4-10) 11-14
Psalm 116:1-9
Romans 8:11-19
John 11:1-53 or John 11:47-53
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Almighty God, our redeemer, in our weakness we have failed
to be your messengers of forgiveness and hope in the world.
Renew us by your Holy Spirit, that we may follow your commands
and proclaim your reign of love;
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), 19
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Almighty and eternal God, because it was your will that your Son
should bear the pains of the cross for us
and thus remove from us the power of the adversary,
help us so to remember and give thanks for our Lord’s Passion
that we may receive remission of our sins
and redemption from everlasting death;
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 38
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Life and death are themes in three of the four readings.
- We read a portion of Psalm 116, by someone grateful to have recovered from a serious illness.
- We read Romans 8:11-19, in which the relationship of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus enables our adoption as “sons” (literally, in verse 14) of God. (Verses 16 and 17, in the Greek text, do use the neuter “children,” however.) Through the Son of God, each Christian is a son of God, therefore, an heir. That metaphor from the Hellenistic culture, in which sons, not daughters, inherited, may require explanation in 2022.
- We read a portion of John 11, in restores his beloved friend, St. Lazarus of Bethany, to life. The Fourth Gospel presents this event as the proverbial last straw that led to the crucifixion of Christ.
Ezekiel 37:1-14 is the odd reading out. It is about the restoration of Judah, defeated and scattered, after the end of the Babylonian Exile. Ezekiel 37:1-14 is not about the resurrection of the dead; the language is visionary and poetic.
In a poetic way, however, the four readings fit together well. Individuals, communities, societies, congregations, institutions, et cetera, need metaphorical resurrection. They need restoration to a better state in God. I know this about myself.
The current version of myself is one of many who have existed. The current version is not as happy and well-adjusted as the one who existed before Bonny, ma chèrie, died violently. I need a resurrection and a restoration.
Perhaps you, O reader, relate to that analysis. Maybe you resemble that remark. Fortunately, hope for all of us exists in God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 28, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JAMES SOLOMON RUSSELL, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, EDUCATOR, AND ADVOCATE FOR RACIAL EQUALITY
THE FEAST OF ELIZABETH RUNDLE CHARLES, ANGLICAN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT GUNTRAM OF BURGUNDY, KING
THE FEAST OF KATHARINE LEE BATES, U.S. EDUCATOR, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF RICHARD CHEVNIX TRENCH, ANGLICAN ARCHBISHOP OF DUBLIN
THE FEAST OF SAINT TUTILO, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND COMPOSER
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Hosea
Image in the Public Domain
Sincere, Selfless Faith
MARCH 19, 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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Hosea 5:15-6:2
Psalm 43 (LBW) or Psalm 138 (LW)
Romans 8:1-10
Matthew 20:17-28
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God of all mercy, by your power to hear and to forgive,
graciously cleanse us from all sin and make us strong;
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), 18
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Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
your mercies are new every morning,
and though we have in no way deserved your goodness,
you still abundantly provide for all our wants of body and soul.
Give us, we pray, your Holy Spirit
that we may heartily acknowledge your merciful goodness toward us,
give thanks for all your benefits,
and serve you in willing obedience;
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 37
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The selection of verses for the First Reading is odd. These three verses, out of context, sound pious. In textual context, however, one reads that the people in Hosea 6:1-2 were insincere, and that God knew it. One realizes that the people in Hosea 6:1-2 were self-serving.
Sts. James and John, via their mother, St. Mary Salome, a maternal aunt of Jesus, were self-serving, too. They sought positions of honor, not service and sacrifice. Jesus modeled the opposite of being self-serving. St. James and John eventually followed his example, though.
The authors of Psalms 43 and 138 offered honest faith, fortunately. So did St. Paul the Apostle, who had a better life (by conventional standards) as Saul of Tarsus, persecutor of early Christianity. As St. Paul, he suffered beatings, incarceration, and finally, martyrdom.
I do not pretend to have a completely selfless faith. I know I am not a spiritual giant. Yet I try to grow spiritually in Christ daily. I aspire to be the best possible version of myself in Christ daily, with mixed results. The effort is essential; God can work with it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 2, 2022 COMMON ERA
ASH WEDNESDAY
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS 
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