According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
Words and rituals have power. (That is a quintessential Lutheran theological statement.) In my denomination, The Episcopal Church, the liturgy for Good Friday is powerful and solemn. It concludes with people leaving in silence.
Sometimes one should be silent. I invite you, O reader, to read the assigned portions of scripture aloud or to listen to them. Let them sink in. Let them exercise their power over you. And digest them in silence.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 15, 2022 COMMON ERA
GOOD FRIDAY
THE FEAST OF SAINT OLGA OF KIEV, REGENT OF KIEVAN RUSSIA; SAINT ADALBERT OF MAGDEBURG, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; SAINT ADALBERT OF PRAGUE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP AND MARTYR, 997; AND SAINTS BENEDICT AND GAUDENTIUS OF POMERANIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 997
THE FEAST OF SAINTS DAMIEN AND MARIANNE OF MOLOKAI, WORKERS AMONG LEPERS
THE FEAST OF SAINT FLAVIA DOMITILLA, ROMAN CHRISTIAN NOBLEWOMAN; AND SAINTS MARO, EUTYCHES, AND VICTORINUS OF ROME, PRIESTS AND MARTYRS, CIRCA 99
THE FEAST OF SAINT HUNNA OF ALSACE, THE “HOLY WASHERWOMAN”
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
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:
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Psalm 22
Hebrews 10:16-25
John 18:1-19:42
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Who is the servant in Isaiah 52:13-53:12? That has been a debated issue. If one assumes that, as in earlier Servant Songs, the servant is the personification of the exiled nation of Israel (broadly speaking), the former Kingdom of Judah or at least the faithful remnant thereof, one must accept that the redemptive suffering during the Babylonian Exile was supposed to benefit Gentiles also. The text certainly applies well to Jesus, who quoted the beginning of Psalm 22 from the cross. That text, the prayer of one afflicted with a mortal illness, ends on a note of trust in God–certainly on a happy note, unlike Good Friday and the events thereof.
Focusing on the crucifixion of Jesus is proper on Good Friday. As we do so may we ponder Hebrews 10:24, part of one of the pericopes:
We ought to see how each of us may arouse others to love and active goodness.
—The Revised English Bible (1989)
That is a Christlike ethic! “Love and active goodness” summarize Christ well. “Love and active goodness” describe his self-sacrifice succinctly. “Love and active goodness” summarize a faithful response to such selflessness and redemptive suffering.
Yet we frequently arouse each other to anger, usually for selfish purposes. Anger is not necessarily bad, for we should be angry sometimes, as evidence of well-developed consciences. Nevertheless, anger and expressions thereof are frequently destructive, not constructive. This is certainly evident in media, social media, politics, and the comments sections of many websites.
Jesus has shown us a better way. The long-dead author of the Letter to the Hebrews understood that better way well.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 29, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF PERCY DEARMER, ANGLICAN CANON AND TRANSLATOR AND AUTHOR OF HYMNS
THE FEAST OF SAINT BONA OF PISA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MYSTIC AND PILGRIM
THE FEAST OF JIRI TRANOVSKY, LUTHER OF THE SLAVS AND FOUNDER OF SLOVAK HYMNODY
THE FEAST OF JOACHIM NEANDER, GERMAN REFORMED MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
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:
Ezra 9:5-15 or Jeremiah 25:15-38 or 2 Chronicles 7:1-22
Psalm 88
Luke 23:(1-12) 13-49
1 Peter 4:(1-8) 9-11 (12-14) 15-19
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The readings for this day speak of fiery ordeals. In 2 Chronicles 7, Jeremiah 25, Ezra 9, and Psalm 88, they occur because of faithlessness to God. These ordeals–divine punishment–lie in the future for the first two readings and in the past and the present in the last two lections. In the first three readings he sins are collective, but they are individual in Psalm 88. When we turn to Luke 23 and 1 Peter 4 we find that the suffering does not constitute divine punishment. Faith tells us that Jesus did not sin, and the predicted fiery ordeals in 1 Peter 4 result from one’s righteousness and the lack of righteousness of others.
God is unpleasant in the assigned readings from the Hebrew Bible. Perhaps the most concise passage to this effect is Jeremiah 25:27 (The New Revised Standard Version, 1989):
Then you shall say to them, Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink, get drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more, because of the sword that I am sending among you.
I reject Penal Substitutionary Atonement, the idea that Jesus died for my sins. That theory of the atonement portrays God as one in whom to stand in terror, not to love and respect. It depicts God as one who says,
I will not be content until some people torture and execute my innocent Son.
No, I am closer to the Classic Theory of the Atonement, or Christus Victor, of the Conquest of Satan. This theory of the atonement emphasizes the resurrection of Jesus. This makes sense to me because, without the resurrection, Jesus is dead. Dead Jesus cannot save anyone from anything–sins or damnation, especially. Actually, I propose that the entire earthly life of Jesus was the means of atonement. I prefer to leave the mechanics of the atonement vague, in full Eastern Orthodox style.
Good Friday is among the holiest days of the year. It is an occasion to reflect on the atonement and on social structures and institutions that kill the innocent. Good Friday is an especially appropriate day to pray for forgiveness for the evil we have done and the evil done on our behalf. Innocent people still suffer at the hands of other people. Scapegoating continues. State-sponsored violence is not just a matter of the past. The prayer of our Lord and Savior (“Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.”–Luke 23:34a, The Jerusalem Bible, 1966) remains relevant. Furthermore, sometimes they (we) do not know what they (we) are doing.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 10, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN NITSCHMANN, SR., MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND BISHOP; DAVID NITSCHMANN, JR., THE SYNDIC, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY BISHOP; AND DAVID NITSCHMANN, THE MARTYR, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF CECIL FRANCES ALEXANDER, POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN LUDWIG BRAU, NORWEGIAN MORAVIAN TEACHER AND POET
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN LEONARDI, FOUNDER OF THE CLERKS REGULAR OF THE MOTHER OF GOD OF LUCCA; AND JOSEPH CALASANCTIUS, FOUNDER OF THE CLERKS REGULAR OF RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS
ends in thanksgiving for what God has done. This fact applies well to the Easter Triduum, but I choose not to pursue that line of thought further in this post, for to do so would be to get ahead of this day’s portion of the narrative.
Faithful people of God read Isaiah 52:13-53:12 for centuries before the crucifixion of Jesus. As obvious as that statement might seem, it might also surprise some people accustomed to only one lens through which to interpret it. So what about Jewish readings of the passage? The servant of God could be the whole Israelite nation or just the pious minority thereof or a particular holy person, maybe Jeremiah. All of these are possible. The words also fit Jesus well.
I publish these words in the vicinity of Thanksiving Day (U.S.A.) 2013 and shortly before the beginning of the season of Advent. I know that Christmas leads to Good Friday and Easter Sunday. There is much occurring theologically in these assigned readings. Among them are a condemnation of unjust violence and a reminder that God is more powerful than our hatred and fear.
It is well and good to salute Jesus, but that alone is insufficient. We have no mere hero and martyr. No, we have a Lord and Savior, whom we are supposed to follow. He said to keep his commandments and to love each other as he loved his Apostles. Fortunately, we have access to grace, or else accomplishing these goals would be impossible.
So may we heed the advice of Hebrews 10:24:
…and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works….
—Revised Standard Version—Second Edition (1971)
If certain people had thought that way, they would not have sought to kill Jesus.
Following this ethic requires us to seek not affirmation of our opinions, doctrines, and social status, but that which is best for others. Obeying our Lord and Savior—taking up a cross and following him—entails thinking more about others than about oneself. This is difficult yet for the best overall.
Good Friday is a holy day for me. The Episcopal Church’s liturgy for the day moves me deeply, doing what good ritual ought to do—take one out of daily routines and transport one into a different spiritual atmosphere. Reading the assigned lessons has taken me only a short distance along that path, but that brief trip suffices for now. The material is emotionally difficult. It it is not, that fact might speak poorly of the reader.
May divine love fill your soul, O reader, and inspire you to love and good works.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
THE FEAST OF GEORGE DAWSON, ENGLISH BAPTIST AND UNITARIAN PASTOR
THE FEAST OF DOROTHY DAY, SOCIAL ACTIVIST
THE FEAST OF THE INAUGURATION OF THE CHURCH OF NORTH INDIA, 1970
Today, in the Book of Exodus, we read instructions immediately prior to the title event of that text. Among them is to remember that day, to speak of it to one’s children. History tells us of many Passover feasts long after that day. Among those Passover feasts was the one during Holy Week in 29 CE, when Jesus died.
Ritual has a proper place in religion. Via ritual we mark time and set aside certain days. And it is appropriate to observe Good Friday in a manner unlike any other day. In The Episcopal Church we read a Passion account, distributing parts among members of the congregation. The liturgy ends on a deafening and somber silence. The ritual communicates a certain degree of the sadness of the crucifixion. The silence speaks louder than any words can.
We remember the first Passover in joy and the crucifixion in stunned silence. Both responses are appropriate.
LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS 
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