Archive for the ‘February 18’ Category
Above: The Sacrifice of Isaac, by Caravaggio
Image in the Public Domain
The Time of Testing
FEBRUARY 18, 2024
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Genesis 22:1-18
Psalm 6
Romans 8:31-39
Mark 1:12-15
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
O Lord God, you led your ancient people through the wilderness
and brought them to the promised land.
Guide now the people of your Church, that, following our Savior,
we may walk through the wilderness of this world
toward the glory of the world to come;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
or
Lord God, our strength,
the battle of good and evil rages within and around us,
and our ancient foe tempts us with his deceits and empty promises.
Keep us steadfast in your Word, and,
when we fall, raise us again and restore us
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), 17-18
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
O almighty and eternal God, we implore you
to direct, sanctify, and govern our hearts and bodies
in the ways of your laws and the works of your laws
and the works of your commandments
that through your mighty protection, both now and ever,
we may be preserved in body and soul;
through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 33
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I know an Episcopal priest who handles well one’s claim not to believe in God. He asks those who claim not to believe in God to describe the deity in whom they do not believe. Invariably, that person describes a total bastard deity in whom the priest does not believe either.
Biblically and creedally, belief in God is trust in God. Of course, the most popular understanding of “believe in God” may be to affirm the existence of God. Therefore, for the sake of clarity, my answer to whether I believe in God begins with,
What do you mean?
Once I hear the answer to that question, I continue with my reply. For the record, I always affirm the existence of God and usually trust in God.
The portrayal of God in Genesis 22:1-18 is that of a total bastard deity in whom I do not believe, regardless of how one defines belief in God. That portrayal of God is of a vicious, monstrous deity.
No, I do not believe in that God. I do, however, believe–trust–in God, who is love from whom nothing can separate us. I do believe–trust–in God, who is on our side in the midst of troubles and persecution. I do believe–trust–in God, whose kingdom breaks into our troubled world. I do believe–trust–in God, who comforts–not afflicts–the faithful.
The Lord’s Prayer contains a petition for God to
save us from the time of trial.
Divine testing of the faithful is a Biblical concept. The Wisdom of Solomon 3:5-6 tells us of the righteous deceased:
Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
like gold in the furnace he tried them,
and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them.
—Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition
Trusting is one matter; abuse is another. I believe–trust–in God, who tests, not abuses.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 15, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE NINETEENTH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZACHARY OF ROME, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JAN ADALBERT BALICKI AND LADISLAUS FINDYSZ, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS IN POLAND
THE FEAST OF JEAN BAPTISTE CALKIN, ANGLICAN ORGANIST AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF OZORA STEARNS DAVIS, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF VETHAPPPAN SOLOMON, APOSTLE TO THE SOLOMON ISLANDS
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Four Men in the Fiery Furnace
Image in the Public Domain
Glorifying God
FEBRUARY 18, 2024
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Daniel 3:1, 4-28
2 Timothy 1:1-14
Mark 10:32-45
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
These three readings testify that suffering is frequently part of a faithful life, and that the suffering faithful enjoy the presence of God.
The readings from Daniel 3 and 2 Timothy 1 speak for themselves, but the lesson from Mark 10 needs some unpacking.
James and John, sons of Zebedee, were also sons of Mary Salome, sister of St. Mary of Nazareth. They were, therefore, first cousins of Jesus. In an alternate version (Matthew 20:20-38) this story, Mary Salome made the request on their behalf. At that point James and John had yet to grasp certain key points, such as the impending crucifixion of Jesus, which our Lord and Savior predicted more than once. They sought glory; Jesus called for carrying one’s cross and following him.
The call to Christian discipleship is the call to follow Jesus, even through times of persecution and suffering. God will glorify as God sees fit; we ought not to seek glory for ourselves. No, we should glorify God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 20, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOSEPH AUGUSTUS SEISS, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, LITURGIST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF CHARLES COFFIN, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF HANS ADOLF BRORSON, DANISH LUTHERAN BISHOP, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF JOHANN FRIEDRICH HERTZOG, GERMAN LUTHERAN HYMN WRITER
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2019/06/20/glorifying-god-vi/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Temptations of Jesus
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
For St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church, Athens, Georgia
Lent 2019
Texts: Mark 1:12-13; Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13
Reading the Bible for spiritual formation is an ancient Benedictine practice. My primary purpose in writing this short piece is to ask, how do the accounts (mainly the Lukan and Matthean ones) of the temptations of Jesus challenge us, both as individuals and a parish, to follow Jesus better than we do.
The Temptation to Turn Stones into Bread
Bread was especially precious in ancient Palestine, with relatively little arable land.
We are blessed to be able to purchase our bread inexpensively at stores. Bread is abundant in our context, so we probably take it for granted more often than not. We can, however, think of some tangible needs related to scarcity.
One challenge is not to permit tangible needs to overtake intangible necessities. We all depend entirely on God and dwell within a web of mutual responsibility and dependence. According to the late Henri Nouwen, this temptation is the temptation to be relevant. Relevance is not necessarily bad; in fact, it is frequently positive. However, maintaining the proper balance of tangible and intangible needs is essential. Furthermore, Christ’s refusal to cave into the temptation to use his power to make bread—to cease to depend on God—ought to remind us never to imagine that we do not depend entirely on God.
Questions
- Do we permit tangible needs to distract us from intangible necessities? If so, how?
- Do we manifest the vain idea that we do not depend entirely on God? If so, how?
The Temptation to Jump from the Pinnacle of the Temple
Many scholars of the New Testament have proposed what the pinnacle of the Temple was.
That matter aside, this temptation is, according to Nouwen, the temptation to be spectacular. It is also the temptation to attempt to manipulate God by trying to force God to intervene in a miraculous way. That effort, like turning stones into bread, would indicate a lack of faith.
We humans frequently like the spectacular, do we not? We tell ourselves and others that, if only God would do something spectacular, we will believe. We are like those who, in the Gospels, only wanted Jesus to do something for them, and not to learn from him.
Questions
- Does our attraction to the spectacular distract us from the still, small voice of God? If so, how?
- Does our attraction to the spectacular reveal our lack of faith? If so, how?
- Does our attraction to the spectacular unmask our selfishness? If so, how?
The Temptation to Worship Satan in Exchange for Earthly Authority
Many Palestinian Jews at the time of Christ thought of Satan as the power behind the Roman Empire and of the Roman pantheon as a collection of demons. Jesus affirmed God the Father as the only source of his identity.
This temptation is about idolatry, power, and morally untenable compromises.
Many well-intentioned people—ministers, politicians, and appointed office holders, for example—have, in the name of doing good, become corrupt and sacrificed their suitability to do good. They have sacrificed their moral integrity on the altar of amoral realism.
Some compromises are necessary, of course. As Reinhold Niebuhr reminded us, we cannot help but commit some evil while trying to do good, for human depravity has corrupted social systems and institutions.
Questions
- Have we established our identity apart from God? If so, how?
- How have we, with good intentions, committed or condoned evil?
- Have we made morally untenable compromises? If so, how?
The Good News
The good news is both collective and individual.
I discover the principle, then: that when I want to do right, only wrong is within my reach. In my inmost self I delight in the law of God, but I perceive in my outward actions a different law, fighting against the law that my mind approves, and making me a prisoner under the law of sin which controls my conduct. Wretched creature that I am, who is there to rescue me from this state of death? Who but God? Thanks be to him through Jesus Christ our Lord! To sum up then: left to myself I serve God’s law with my mind, but with my unspiritual nature I serve the law of sin.
–Romans 7:21-25, The Revised English Bible (1989)
Jesus has modeled the way to resist temptation—to trust God and to understand scripture.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 10, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR C
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 SAINT JOHN OGLIVIE, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT MACARIUS OF JERUSALEM, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post:
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2019/03/10/thoughts-and-questions-about-the-temptations-of-jesus/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Amos
Image in the Public Domain
Love, the Fulfillment of the Law of Moses
FEBRUARY 18, 2024
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Amos 2:4-8, 13-16
Psalm 25:16-18
Galatians 5:2-12
Matthew 23:27-36
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The author of Psalm 25 was an observant Jew contending with enemies who disapproved of his piety. He trusted in God, to whom he appealed for help.
That piety was sorely lacking in the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. (Aside: I recommend reading all of Amos 2, for doing so makes the designated passages thereof more meaningful than they are otherwise.) That lack of piety, made manifest in ritual offenses and violations of human dignity (including the infamous selling of the poor for a poor of sandals in 2:6) YHWH was most displeased. Dire consequences ensued.
Although Amos supported the Law of Moses, the attitude of St. Paul the Apostle in Galatians was different. For St. Paul requiring a Gentile convert to Christianity to become a Jew first was wrong. The apostle had written earlier in that epistle that the Law of Moses was like a disciplinarian or house servant who performed his or her work until the arrival of Christ (Chapter 3:23f):
The distinction between circumcised and uncircumcised is irrelevant in Christ. What counts is faith that expresses itself in love, because love is the fulfillment of the Law (5:14; Romans 13:8-10).
—The New Interpreter’s Study Bible (2003), page 2087
That love was absent from the attitudes and actions of certain scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23:27-36.
In all fairness I feel obligated to defend the motivations of the Judaizers, of whom St. Paul was critical. Although I am grateful for St. Paul and his work, from which I, as a Gentile, benefit, I acknowledge the pious motives of the Judaizers, defenders of tradition, as they understood it. I think of them as pious folk who took to heart passages such as Amos 2 and Psalm 25. Nevertheless, their error, I perceive, was on of which I have been guilty: maintaining barriers God has knocked down.
We humans like boundaries, literal as well as metaphorical. They tell us who falls into what category. There are divinely established categories, I affirm, but they are not necessarily ours. Furthermore, we might not know where the differences between God’s plan and our definitions lie. This fact complicates one’s quest to lead a holy life, does it not?
I offer no easy answers regarding how to read God’s mind, for nobody cam read the divine mind. I do, however, suggest that trusting in God’s grace to treat each other selflessly and self-sacrificingly is a fine spiritual discipline, for love is the fulfillment of the Law of Moses, which contains both timeless principles and culturally specific examples thereof.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 5, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ANDERS CHRISTENSEN ARREBO, “THE FATHER OF DANISH POETRY”
THE FEAST OF OLE T. (SANDEN) ARNESON, U.S. NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN HYMN TRANSLATOR
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2017/06/05/love-the-fulfillment-of-the-law-of-moses/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Ezra Reads the Law to the People, by Gustave Dore
Image in the Public Domain
The Sin of Favoritism
FEBRUARY 18, 2024
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Deuteronomy 10:12-22 or Nehemiah 9:1-38
Psalm 6
John 7:1-13
Galatians 2:1-14 (15-21) or Galatians 1:1-24 or James 1:1-16 (17-27) or James 1:17-2:10 (2:11-13)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was under threat in John 7. He was, according to certain critics, a blasphemer. Those critics knew Leviticus 24:10-23 well; the punishment for blasphemy is death (by stoning). Saul of Tarsus, the future St. Paul the Apostle, thought that he was acting righteously when he stood by during the death of at least one Christian. Then he learned that he was wrong, that God showed no partiality or favoritism among the faithful, whether Jew or Gentile.
That caution against spiritual arrogance–sometimes expressed violently–is evident also in James 1 and 2. There we read that we have divine instructions to be impartial. To treat a prominent or wealthy person better than a poor person is impious, we read. The text also reminds us of the obligation to treat the poor and the vulnerable justly and with respect, thereby echoing Deuteronomy 10. Society and social institutions do, as a rule, favor the well-off and penalize the poor, do they not? This is societal sin.
Societal remorse for and repentance of this point and others would be nice. The scene in Nehemiah 9 follows the reading of the Law of Moses to Jews in Jerusalem after the end of the Babylonian Exile. Many people, upon hearing what they should have been doing, felt guilty and wept. Their leaders told them to rejoice in God (Nehemiah 8:9-12). Then the people fasted and confessed their sins. Next, in Chapter 10, they repented–turned their backs on their sins.
I want my society to express remorse for exploiting all vulnerable people, sometimes violently.. I want my society not to weep but to act to correct its foolish ways that harm the poor and all other vulnerable people. I want other societies to do the same. I want us to succeed in this great work, by grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 9, 2016 COMMON ERA
PROPER 21: THE TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF SAINT DENIS, BISHOP OF PARIS, AND HIS COMPANIONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF SAINT LUIS BERTRAN, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY PRIEST
THE FEAST OF ROBERT GROSSETESTE, SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF WILHELM WEXELS, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR; HIS NIECE, MARIE WEXELSEN, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN NOVELIST AND HYMN WRITER; LUDWIG LINDEMAN, NORWEGIAN ORGANIST AND MUSICOLOGIST; AND MAGNUS LANDSTAD, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, FOLKLORIST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMNAL EDITOR
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/10/09/the-sin-of-favoritism/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Original Text
Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Loving God, who loves us, mourns with us, and rejoices with us,
the death of dreams and aspirations is among the most traumatic losses to endure.
It cuts to the emotional core of a person, causing great anguish, grief, and anger.
Regardless if the dream was indeed the one a person should have followed
(assuming that it was not morally wrong, of course),
the pain and disappointment are legitimate, I suppose.
I have known these emotions in this context more than once.
I wish them upon nobody, not even those who inflicted them upon me.
May we, by grace, function as your ministers of comfort
to those experiencing such a death or the aftermath of one
and who are near us or whom you send our way.
And may we, by grace, help others achieve their potential
and refrain from inflicting such pain upon others.
In the name of Jesus, who identified with us, suffered, died, and rose again. Amen.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 19, 2014 COMMON ERA
HOLY SATURDAY, YEAR A
Posted April 19, 2014 by neatnik2009 in April 1, April 10, April 11, April 12, April 13, April 14, April 15, April 16, April 17, April 18, April 19, April 2, April 20, April 21, April 22, April 23, April 24, April 25, April 26, April 27, April 28, April 29, April 3, April 30, April 4, April 5, April 6, April 7, April 8, April 9, Ascension, Ash Wednesday, Easter Sunday, February 10, February 11, February 12, February 13, February 14, February 15, February 16, February 17, February 18, February 19, February 20, February 21, February 22, February 23, February 24, February 25, February 26, February 27, February 28, February 29, February 4, February 5, February 6, February 7, February 8, February 9, Friday in Easter Week, Good Friday, Holy Monday, Holy Saturday-Easter Vigil, Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday, June 1, June 10, June 11, June 12, June 13, June 2, June 3, June 4, June 5, June 6, June 7, June 8, June 9, March 1, March 10, March 11, March 12, March 13, March 14, March 15, March 16, March 17, March 18, March 19, March 2, March 20, March 21, March 22, March 23, March 24, March 25: Annunciation, March 26, March 27, March 28, March 29, March 3, March 30, March 31, March 4, March 5, March 6, March 7, March 8, March 9, Maundy Thursday, May 1, May 10, May 11, May 12, May 13, May 14, May 15, May 16, May 17, May 18, May 19, May 2, May 20, May 21, May 22, May 23, May 24, May 25, May 26, May 27, May 28, May 29, May 3, May 30, May 31: Visitation, May 4, May 5, May 6, May 7, May 8, May 9, Monday in Easter Week, Palm Sunday, Pentecost, Saturday in Easter Week, Thursday in Easter Week, Tuesday in Easter Week, Wednesday in Easter Week
Tagged with Anger, Grief
Above: Lent Wordle
I found the image in various places online, including here: http://standrewauh.org/a-study-for-lent/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The congregational response to “We pray to you, O God” is “Hear our prayer.”
We pray for the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, that it may show the face of Christ to the world and draw people to you,
We pray to you, O God.
We pray for
- Katharine, our Presiding Bishop;
- Robert and Keith, our Bishops; and
- Beth, our Rector;
- and all clergy and lay members,
- that they may serve you faithfully,
We pray to you, O God.
We pray for
- Barack, our President;
- Nathan, our Governor;
- Nancy, our Mayor; and
- all others who hold positions of authority and influence,
that justice may prevail,
We pray to you O God.
That we may, by grace, do your will each day,
We pray to you, O God.
That all who suffer may find succor,
We pray to you, O God.
We pray for (_____) and all who have died, that they may enjoy and glorify you forever,
We pray to you, O God.
We pray for our own needs and those of others.
Congregationally specific petitions follow.
The Celebrant adds a concluding Collect.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 2, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE
Above: Cain and Abel
Genesis and Mark, Part V: Sin and Attitudes
FEBRUARY 18, 2024
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 4:1-26
Psalm 84 (Morning)
Psalms 42 and 32 (Evening)
Mark 2:18-28
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Some Related Posts:
Prayer:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/prayer-for-the-first-sunday-in-lent/
Prayer of Praise and Adoration:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/prayer-of-praise-and-adoration-for-the-first-sunday-in-lent/
Prayer of Confession:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/prayer-of-confession-for-the-first-sunday-in-lent/
Prayer of Dedication:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/prayer-of-dedication-for-the-first-sunday-in-lent/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Much time had passed since the days when the Law of Moses was relatively new. Lifestyles had changed, as had social, cultural, and political realities. Yet, within Judaism, the Law of Moses remained a divine instructions. So teachers interpreted the Law to fit within their then-current contexts. That was essential background for grasping correctly one reason that Jesus irritated so many people so much. Keeping the Law just so was not a mater of maliciousness; it was an issue of both righteousness and identity, as practitioners understood them.
Jesus walks around, heals many people on the Sabbath, plucks ears of corn on the Sabbath, and eats with notorious sinners. In so doing he called into question the basis of the lived faith of many people. He was courting danger. I wonder, in fact, how well many self-described Christians of today would respond to a preacher who questioned traditional doctrines and practices and dined with notorious sinners. I leave that question with you, O reader. And I ask how I would respond to such a person.
Jesus argued by words and words that his critics had gotten the Law wrong. They had ossified it, despite their attempts to reinterpret it for new circumstances. They had focused so much on arbitrary rules that they had overlooked human necessities. They needed to be flexible. They needed to allow for grace more than they did.
Meanwhile, in Genesis 4, there were two brothers–Cain, an agriculturalist, and Abel, a pastoralist. Both made offerings to God, who accepted that of Abel but rejected that of Cain. The story implies (by lack of details concerning Cain’s offering) that his was substandard. The text does indicate clearly that Cain had a bad attitude. He did kill Abel, after all. Yet the murderer came under divine protection. He lived the rest of his life in exile, but he had divine protection. Grace and judgment coexisted.
God, addressing Cain in verse 7 said,
Surely if you do right,
There is uplift.
But if you do not do right
Sin crouches at the door;
It urge is toward you,
Yet you can be its master.
—TANAKH: The Holy Scripures
The image of sin crouching at the door as if to ambush one is vivid. Sin mastered the character of Cain. That was not a foregone conclusion, though. And sin need not master any of us. I suspect that when sin approaches most often, it does so dressed up as righteousness. In Mark 2, it convinced some people because it came in the guise of Sabbath law.
We must be on guard against the appearance of righteousness without the substance thereof. And we must also mind our attitudes. Cain had a bad attitude in Genesis 4. Our Lord’s opponents in Mark 2 also had bad attitudes. A good attitude alone is insufficient for righteousness, but it cannot hurt–and it can help.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 7, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT DOMITION OF HUY, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP
THE FEAST OF HARRIET STARR CANNON, COFOUNDER OF THE COMMUNITY OF SAINT MARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT ROSE VENERINI, FOUNDER OF THE VENERINI SISTERS
THE FEAST OF SAINT THEODARD OF NARBONNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP, AND SAINTS JUSTUS AND PASTOR, MARTYRS
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/genesis-and-mark-part-v-sin-and-attitudes/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: An Old Family Bible
Image Source = David Ball
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
God of glory,
as we prepare to study the Bible,
may we approach the texts with our minds open,
our intellects engaged,
and our spirits receptive to your leading,
so that we will understand them correctly
and derive from them the appropriate lessons.
Then may we act on those lessons.
For the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Amen.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 7, 2011 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF HENRY MELCHIOR MUHLENBERG, SHEPHERD OF LUTHERANISM IN THE AMERICAN COLONIES
THE FEAST OF FRED KAAN, HYMNWRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHN WOOLMAN, ABOLITIONIST
Posted October 7, 2011 by neatnik2009 in April 1, April 10, April 11, April 12, April 13, April 14, April 15, April 16, April 17, April 18, April 19, April 2, April 20, April 21, April 22, April 23, April 24, April 25, April 26, April 27, April 28, April 29, April 3, April 30, April 4, April 5, April 6, April 7, April 8, April 9, Ascension, Ash Wednesday, Easter Sunday, February 10, February 11, February 12, February 13, February 14, February 15, February 16, February 17, February 18, February 19, February 20, February 21, February 22, February 23, February 24, February 25, February 26, February 27, February 28, February 29, February 4, February 5, February 6, February 7, February 8, February 9, Friday in Easter Week, Good Friday, Holy Monday, Holy Saturday-Easter Vigil, Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday, June 1, June 10, June 11, June 12, June 13, June 2, June 3, June 4, June 5, June 6, June 7, June 8, June 9, March 1, March 10, March 11, March 12, March 13, March 14, March 15, March 16, March 17, March 18, March 19, March 2, March 20, March 21, March 22, March 23, March 24, March 25: Annunciation, March 26, March 27, March 28, March 29, March 3, March 30, March 31, March 4, March 5, March 6, March 7, March 8, March 9, Maundy Thursday, May 1, May 10, May 11, May 12, May 13, May 14, May 15, May 16, May 17, May 18, May 19, May 2, May 20, May 21, May 22, May 23, May 24, May 25, May 26, May 27, May 28, May 29, May 3, May 30, May 31: Visitation, May 4, May 5, May 6, May 7, May 8, May 9, Monday in Easter Week, Palm Sunday, Pentecost, Saturday in Easter Week, Thursday in Easter Week, Tuesday in Easter Week, Wednesday in Easter Week
Tagged with Kenneth Randolph Taylor, Poetry and Prayers
Above: A Scene from the March for Troy Davis, September 16, 2011
Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
God of justice,
may we have proper priorities.
Taking our cues from the prophets and Jesus,
may we eschew idolatry,
love you fully,
love our neighbors as we love ourselves,
care for widows and orphans,
plead their cases,
feed the hungry,
clothe the naked,
visit the sick and the imprisoned,
resist and condemn judicial corruption and other official injustice,
and value the most vulnerable members of society.
May we love the unloved,
comfort the comfortless,
give hope to the hopeless,
include the improperly excluded,
and recognize your image in each other.
May we succeed by grace and for your glory and our common good.
Amen.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 22, 2011 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT THOMAS OF VILLANOVA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF VALENCIA
THE FEAST OF PHILANDER CHASE, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Posted September 22, 2011 by neatnik2009 in April 1, April 10, April 11, April 12, April 13, April 14, April 15, April 16, April 17, April 18, April 19, April 2, April 20, April 21, April 22, April 23, April 24, April 25, April 26, April 27, April 28, April 29, April 3, April 30, April 4, April 5, April 6, April 7, April 8, April 9, Ascension, Ash Wednesday, Easter Sunday, February 10, February 11, February 12, February 13, February 14, February 15, February 16, February 17, February 18, February 19, February 20, February 21, February 22, February 23, February 24, February 25, February 26, February 27, February 28, February 29, February 4, February 5, February 6, February 7, February 8, February 9, Friday in Easter Week, Good Friday, Holy Monday, Holy Saturday-Easter Vigil, Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday, June 1, June 10, June 11, June 12, June 13, June 2, June 3, June 4, June 5, June 6, June 7, June 8, June 9, March 1, March 10, March 11, March 12, March 13, March 14, March 15, March 16, March 17, March 18, March 19, March 2, March 20, March 21, March 22, March 23, March 24, March 25: Annunciation, March 26, March 27, March 28, March 29, March 3, March 30, March 31, March 4, March 5, March 6, March 7, March 8, March 9, Maundy Thursday, May 1, May 10, May 11, May 12, May 13, May 14, May 15, May 16, May 17, May 18, May 19, May 2, May 20, May 21, May 22, May 23, May 24, May 25, May 26, May 27, May 28, May 29, May 3, May 30, May 31: Visitation, May 4, May 5, May 6, May 7, May 8, May 9, Monday in Easter Week, Palm Sunday, Pentecost, Saturday in Easter Week, Thursday in Easter Week, Tuesday in Easter Week, Wednesday in Easter Week
Tagged with Kenneth Randolph Taylor, Poetry and Prayers
LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS 
You must be logged in to post a comment.