Archive for the ‘Babylonian Exile’ Tag
Above: Icon of Christ Pantocrator
Image in the Public Domain
Following Jesus
MARCH 26, 2024
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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 49:1-6
Psalm 71:1-12 (LBW) or Psalm 18:1-7, 17-20 (LW)
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
John 12:20-36
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Lord Jesus, you have called us to follow you.
Grant that our love may not grow cold in your service,
and that we may not fail or deny you in the hour of trial. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 19
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Almighty and everlasting God,
grant us grace so to pass through this holy time of our Lord’s Passion
that we may receive the pardon of our sins;
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), 42
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In context, the identity of servant in Isaiah 49:1-6 is vague. The servant is probably the personification of a faithful subset of the exiled population during the Babylonian Exile. I do not look for Jesus in the Hebrew Bible as if he is Waldo in a Where’s Waldo? book. Therefore, I conclude that linking Isaiah 49:1-6 to Jesus so as to identify him as the servant in that text requires extraordinary theological gymnastics.
Salvation is a process, not an event. To be precise, salvation is a process the Church mediates via the sacraments. That statement indicates the influence of Roman Catholicism in my theology. (And I grew up a Methodist!) Read 1 Corinthians 1:18 again, O reader:
…but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
—The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
The divine passive indicates that God is doing the saving. God is the central actor. Human selfishness places people in the center of theology. (Now I sound like Karl Barth.)
As we barrel toward the crucifixion of Jesus, we read John 12:25:
Those who love their life will lose it, and those who hate their live in this world will keep it for eternal life.
—The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
Eternal life, in Johannine theology, is know God via Jesus. Johannine eternal life may begin in this life.
“Hate” is an unfortunate translation choice in John 12:25. The operative Greek word means “love less than.” Reading John 12:25 in the context of John 12:26, 12:25 should read:
…and those who love their life in this world less than me (Jesus) will keep it for eternal life.
In the four canonical Gospels, we read of Jesus issuing individualized calls to discipleship, depending on circumstances. Yet the common thread is subordinating everything to Jesus.
Why not? Jesus gave himself.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 9, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF DIETRICH BONHOEFFEFR, GERMAN LUTHERAN MARTYR, 1945
THE FEAST OF JOHANN CRUGER, GERMAN LUTHERAN ORGANIST, COMPOSER, AND HYMNAL EDITOR
THE FEAST OF JOHN SAMUJEL BEWLEY MONSELL, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND POET; AND RICHARD MANT, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF DOWN, CONNOR, AND DROMORE
THE FEAST OF LYDIA EMILIE GRUCHY, FIRST FEMALE MINISTER IN THE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
THE FEAST OF MIKAEL AGRICOLA, FINNISH LUTHERAN LITURGIST, BISHOP OF TURKU, AND “FATHER OF FINNISH LITERARY LANGUAGE”
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM LAW, ANGLICAN PRIEST, MYSTIC, AND SPIRITUAL WRITER
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: St. Mary of Bethany and Jesus (Nicholas Ge)
Image in the Public Domain
Selfless Love
MARCH 25, 2024
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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 42:1-9
Psalm 36:5-10
Hebrews 9:11-15
John 12:1-11
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O God, your Son chose the path which led to pain
before joy and the cross before glory.
Plant his cross in our hearts,
so that in its power and love we may come at last to joy and glory;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 19
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Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ
chose to suffer pain before going up to joy,
and crucifixion before entering into glory,
mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross,
may find this path to be the way of life and peace;
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), 41
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In context, the servant in Isaiah 42:1-9 is the Jewish people personified, created and appointed to be a covenant people and a light to the nations. In context, this group was about to emerge from the Babylonian Exile, which the Deuteronomistic theology of the Bible explained as divine punishment for persistent, collective violation of the moral mandates in the Law of Moses. To identify this servant with sinless Jesus requires theological gymnastics.
Yet here we are.
Hebrews 9:11-15 presents Jesus as the mediator of a new covenant via his sacrificial death (and his resurrection). Do not forget the resurrection, O reader. Without it, we have dead Jesus, who can do nothing to redeem anyone.
But I am getting ahead of the story.
Each of the canonical Gospels contains a version of the story of a woman anointing Jesus. Scholars tell us that there were two anointings–one of Christ’s head and another one of his feet–and that the Johannine account merges elements of both. So be it. In the Gospel of John, the setting was the home of Sts. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany, and St. Mary of Bethany was the anointer. We read of her, with her hair down (in the style of a harlot, not a respectable woman who could afford expensive nard ointment from India), behaving in an undignified and loving way. We read that this anointing foreshadowed the anointing of Jesus’s corpse a few days later.
Displays of selfless love may shock one. Ponder what Jesus did later that week, O reader. Ponder what St. Mary of Bethany did at the beginning of the week, too. Consider that these acts were different from each other yet had much in common. The application of any given timeless principle varies according to who, when, and where one is.
What does the playing out of selfless love entail and look like where and when you are, O reader?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 8, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF HENRY MELCHIOR MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANISM; HIS GREAT-GRANDSON, WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND LITURGICAL PIONEER; AND HIS COLLEAGUE, ANNE AYERS, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERHOOD OF THE HOLY COMMUNION
THE FEAST OF SAINT DIONYSIUS OF CORINTH, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF GODFREY DIEKMANN, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, PRIEST, ECUMENIST, THEOLOGIAN, AND LITURGICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF SAINT HUGH OF ROUEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP, ABBOT, AND MONK
THE FEAST OF SAINT JULIE BILLIART, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME
THE FEAST OF TIMOTHY LULL, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, SCHOLAR, THEOLOGIAN, AND ECUMENIST
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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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: Healing of the Man Born Blind, by El Greco
Image in the Public Domain
Spiritual Blindness
MARCH 12, 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 42:14-21
Psalm 142
Ephesians 5:8-14
John 9:1-41 or John 9:13-17, 34-39
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Eternal Lord, your kingdom has broken into our troubled world
through the life, death, and resurrection of your Son.
Help us to hear your Word and obey it,
so that we become instruments of your redeeming 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), 18
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Almighty God, because you know
that we of ourselves have no strength,
keep us both outwardly and inwardly that we may be defended
from all adversities that may happen to the body
and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul;
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), 36
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Light and darkness function as literal descriptions and as metaphors. Pseudo-Paul, in Ephesians, reminds us down the corridors of time to live as children of light and to eschew the fruitless works of darkness. We read Psalm 142, in which the psalmist (not David) suffered from pursuers who committed fruitless works of darkness. When we turn to Isaiah 42, near the end of the Babylonian Exile, we read that God will vindicate sinful exiles for the sake of divine glory. The vindication of the Jewish exiles would become an example of God’s loyalty and ability to save, we read. The darkness is both literal (for the man born blind) and spiritual (for those who rejected him and questioned his parents) in John 9. Likewise, light is both literal and spiritual for the man.
The canonical Gospels include stories (some of them Synoptic doubles or triples) of Jesus healing blind people. These accounts frequently double as commentaries on spiritual blindness. John 9:1-41 does.
The Pharisees of John 9:1-41 sere spiritually blind. Jesus contradicted their expectations. He refused to meet their standards.
Criticizing long-dead Pharisees is easy; it is like fishing with dynamite. However, honestly evaluating oneself spiritually can be challenging and uncomfortable. Ask yourself, O reader, how often Jesus, in the canonical Gospels, contradicted your expectations and violated your standards. As yourself how you may have responded or reacted to Jesus, had you been present in certain Biblical scenes. You may suffer from spiritual blindness Jesus can heal.
According to a story that may be apocryphal, a woman on the lecture circuit of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) spoke in a particular town. After she had completed her prepared remarks, the speaker asked if anybody in the audience had questions. One man raised his hand. The woman called on him. He asked,
If what you say is true, how do you explain Jesus turning water into wine?
The speaker replied,
I would like him better if he had not done that.
Each of us has some threshold past which one says or thinks,
I would like Jesus better if he had not done or said that.
Be honest about yourself, O reader. I am honest about myself. Christ makes all of us uncomfortable sometimes. That is our problem, not his. The desire to domesticate Jesus is ancient and misguided.
The description of God in the Hebrew Bible is that of an undomesticated deity–one who is, who refuses all human attempts at control, and sometimes acts on motivations we may not understand. So be it.
If you, O reader, expect me to offer easy answers to challenging questions, I will disappoint you. I do not pretend to grasp the nature of God. I argue with certain Biblical texts. This is unavoidable when certain Biblical texts contradict other Biblical texts. And I embrace a fact of spiritual life: What I do not know outweighs what I do know. I possess a relatively high comfort level with the unknown. Yet, on occasion, I still wish that Jesus had not done or said x. Sometimes I continue to crave false certainty over trust in God.
I know that I have spiritual blind spots.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 8, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPHINE BAKHITA, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN
THE FEAST OF CORNELIA HANCOCK, U.S. QUAKER NURSE, EDUCATOR, AND HUMANITARIAN; “FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE OF NORTH AMERICA”
THE FEAST OF SAINT JEROME EMILIANI, FOUNDER OF THE COMPANY OF THE SERVANTS OF THE POOR
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN OF MATHA AND FELIX OF VALOIS, FOUNDERS OF THE ORDER OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPHINA GABRIELA BONINO, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF THE HOLY FAMILY
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA ESPERANZA DE JESUS, FOUNDER OF THE HANDMAIDS OF MERCIFUL LOVE AND THE SONS OF MERCIFUL LOVE
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: The Miracle of the Catch of 153 Fish
Image in the Public Domain
Positive Identity
MAY 1, 2022
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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:
Acts 15:1-11
Psalm 19
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
John 21:1-14
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Psalm 19 tells us that divine teaching is perfect and that it renews life and makes the simple wise. Objectively, circumcision is part of the Law of Moses (Leviticus 12:3). Objectively, circumcision is a Biblical practice since Genesis 17:9-14. One need not think of of Judaizers at the time of earliest Christianity as evil people.
Yet consider the argument of St. Paul the Apostle in Acts 15:7b-12, O reader. Why ignore the absence of any mention of circumcision in Deuteronomy? Why overlook the references to “circumcision of the heart” in Deuteronomy 10:16 and 30:6? And why value circumcision of the flesh more than “circumcision of the heart” (Jeremiah 9:25-36)? Why overlook the lesser emphasis on physical circumcision before the Babylonian Exile relative to during and after the Babylonian Exile?
Circumcision was also a matter of identity. It marked a man as belonging to the covenant.
One person’s mark of identity can be another person’s barrier, though. This is where the reading from Acts 15 hits home for you, O reader, and for me. Each of us has something that is a matter of spiritual identity. That something is also an obstacle to someone else. How can we remain faithful to God without throwing out the proverbial bathwater? How can we know what we must retain at all costs? I offer no easy answers to challenging questions.
The reading from 2 Thessalonians 2 refers to apostasy–turning away from God. Returning to fishing in John 21 may not have constituted apostasy, but it was a bad idea. The question of what to do next was challenging. The old and familiar pattern had an appeal. Continuing to follow Jesus was a better idea.
May we find our identity in following Jesus.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 11, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT THEODOSIUS THE CENOBIARCH, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
THE FEAST OF CHARLES WILLIAM EVEREST, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF MIEP GIES, RIGHTEOUS GENTILE
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAULINUS II OF AQUILEIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC PATRIARCH OF AQUILEIA
THE FEAST OF RICHARD FREDERICK LITTLEDALE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2021/01/11/positive-identity-part-ii/
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Above: Icon of the Resurrection
Image Scanned by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
The Light of Christ, Part II
MARCH 30-31, 2024
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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:
At least three of the following sets:
Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26
Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13 and Psalm 46
Genesis 22:1-18 and Psalm 16
Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 and Exodus 15:1b-13, 17-18
Isaiah 55:1-11 and Isaiah 12:2-6
Ezekiel 20:1-24 and Psalm 19
Ezekiel 36:24-28 and Psalms 42 and 43
Ezekiel 37:1-14 and Psalm 143
Zephaniah 3:14-20 and Psalm 98
Then:
Romans 6:3-11
Psalm 114
Matthew 28:1-10
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The history of the Great Vigil of Easter is interesting. We do not know when the service began, but we do know that it was already well-established in the second century C.E. We also know that the Great Vigil was originally a preparation for baptism. Reading the history of the Easter Vigil reveals the elaboration of the rite during ensuing centuries, to the point that it lasted all night and was the Easter liturgy by the fourth century. One can also read of the separation of the Easter Vigil and the Easter Sunday service in the sixth century. As one continues to read, one learns of the vigil becoming a minor afternoon ritual in the Roman missal of 1570. Then one learns of the revival of the Easter Vigil in Holy Mother Church in the 1950s then, in North America, in The Episcopal Church and mainline Lutheranism during the liturgical renewal of the 1960s and 1970s. Furthermore, if one consults the U.S. Presbyterian Book of Common Worship (1993) and The United Methodist Book of Worship (1992), on finds the ritual for the Great Vigil of Easter in those volumes.
The early readings for the Easter Vigil trace the history of God’s salvific work, from creation to the end of the Babylonian Exile. The two great Hebrew Biblical themes of exile and exodus are prominent. Then the literal darkness ends, the lights come up, and the priest announces the resurrection of Jesus. The eucharistic service continues and, if there are any candidates for baptism, that sacrament occurs.
One of the chants for the Easter Vigil is
The light of Christ,
to which the congregation chants in response,
Thanks be to God.
St. Paul the Apostle, writing in Romans, reminds us down the corridors of time that the light of Christ ought to shine in our lives. May that light shine brightly through us, by grace, that we may glorify God every day we are on this side of Heaven.
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
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/05/29/the-light-of-christ-part-iv/
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Above: Icon of the Crucifixion, by Andrei Rublev
Image in the Public Domain
Love and Active Goodness
MARCH 29, 2024
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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:
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
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/05/29/love-and-active-goodness/
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Above: Triumphal Entry
Image in the Public Domain
A Faithful Response, Part II
APRIL 2, 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:
Liturgy of the Palms:
Matthew 21:1-11
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Eucharistic Liturgy:
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:1-13
Matthew 27:1-66
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Rejoice, heart and soul, daughter of Zion!
Shout with gladness, daughter of Jerusalem!
See now, your king comes to you;
he is victorious, he is triumphant,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
He will banish chariots from Ephraim
and horses from Jerusalem;
the bow of war will be banished.
He will proclaim peace for the nations.
His empire shall stretch from sea to sea,
from the River to the ends of the earth.
–Zechariah 9:9–10, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
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The author of the Gospel of Matthew invoked that image of the triumphant Messiah on the Day of the Lord when crafting the account of the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The procession was just one parade into the city that day; there was also a Roman military parade. The separation of religion, state, and oppression did not exist, especially in Jerusalem during the time of Passover, the annual celebration of God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. At the first Passover animal blood prompted the angel of death to pass over the Hebrew homes and delivered Hebrews from the consequences of sins of Egyptians.
Two of the assigned readings seem ironic on Palm/Passion Sunday. Isaiah 50:4-11, set in the context of the latter days of the Babylonian Exile, teaches that (1) the Hebrew nation’s suffering was just, and (2) righteous exiles accepted that. Yet we Christians hold that Jesus was blameless, without sin. The suffering author of Psalm 31 ultimately affirms trust in God. Yet we read in Matthew 27 that Jesus perceived that God had forsaken him. My analysis is twofold: (1) Many passages of scripture prove to be appropriate for a variety of circumstances, and (2) much of the Biblical narrative is paradoxical.
Philippians 2 and Matthew 27, taken together, affirm the humility and obedience of Jesus. We should follow Christ’s example, we read in Philippians 2. That is a high calling, and perhaps a fatal one.
The vision of Zechariah 9:9-10 has yet to become reality. Until then we must trust in God, despite how foolish doing so might seem, and persevere in humility and obedience to God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 25, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BEDE OF JARROW, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND FATHER OF ENGLISH HISTORY
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALDHELM OF SHERBORNE, POET, LITERARY SCHOLAR, ABBOT OF MALMESBURY, AND BISHOP OF SHERBORNE
THE FEAST OF SAINT MADELEINE-SOPHIE BARAT, FOUNDRESS OF THE SOCIETY OF THE SACRED HEART; AND ROSE PHILIPPINE DUCHESNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN AND MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT MYKOLA TSEHELSKYI, UKRAINIAN GREEK CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/05/25/a-faithful-response-part-iii/
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Books and a Globe, from the Library, St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church, Athens, Georgia, June 9, 2017
Photograph by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
God’s Work, Our Task
MARCH 31, 2024
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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:
2 Kings 4:18-20, 32-37
Isaiah 52:1-2
Acts 13:26-31
Mark 16:9-20
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In the lessons for this day, we read of different forms of death and resurrection to life.
The Shunammite widow’s son was essential to her well-being in that patriarchal society, in which widows and orphans were particularly vulnerable. The revivification of the son by God via the prophet Elisha was for the benefit of both mother and son.
The death of the Kingdom of Judah and the ensuing Babylonian Exile was traumatic. The exile did end, however, albeit without the restoration of the kingdom. Indeed, the realities of life after the conclusion of the exile did not march the promises recorded in scripture. The Jews lived under foreign rule in a poor province, after all. Eventually Judea experienced independence for about a century, but then the Romans came. The Jews of Palestine lived in exile at home.
The resurrection of Jesus was a game changer. Without it we Christians would have a dead Jesus and would be the most pitiable people anywhere (1 Corinthians 15:19). Yet Jesus did not remain on the Earth for long afterward. No, he gave his followers a mandate.
The work of God is properly our task as human beings. We have orders to love sacrificially, build each other up, and care for each other’s needs. We have commands to share the good news of the Incarnation via Jesus and of his saving life, death, and resurrection. I do not pretend to grasp the full meaning of Jesus being the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), but I affirm that the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus play crucial parts in that truth.
May we, by grace, being glory to God, draw people to Christ, and strengthen others in their faith.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 11, 2017 COMMON ERA
TRINITY SUNDAY, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF SAINT BARNABAS THE APOSTLE, COWORKER OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2017/06/11/gods-work-our-task/
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LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS 
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