Archive for the ‘Easter Week’ Tag
Above: Tango Postcard, 1920
Image in the Public Domain
A Daring Dance with God
APRIL 16, 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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Acts 2:14a, 22-32
Psalm 105:1-7
1 Peter 1:3-9
John 20:19-31
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Almighty God, we have celebrated with joy
the festival of our Lord’s resurrection.
Graciously help us to show the power of the resurrection
in all that we say and do;
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), 21
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Grant, almighty God,
that we who have celebrated the mystery of the Lord’s resurrection
may by the help of your grace bring forth
the fruits thereof in our life and conduct;
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), 50
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Given that I have written lectionary-based devotions for more than a decade, I choose not to use this post to focus on a passage that may not seem like the obvious bullseye.
John 20:30-31 is probably the original conclusion to the Fourth Gospel. That conclusion ends:
…that through this belief [that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God] you may have life in his name.
—The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
This theme, present also in the readings from Acts and 1 Peter, is where I dwell today, instead of defending St. Thomas the Apostle again. Two words attract my attention:
- Belief, in the full, Biblical sense, is trust. Whenever someone asks me if I believe in God, I ask what that person means. In vernacular English, “believe” indicates acceptance of a preposition. In the English-language vernacular, to believe in God is to affirm the existence of God. I always affirm the existence of God. I usually trust in God. Likewise, to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God is to trust that he is both of those.
- “Life” refers to eternal life. In Johannine theology, eternal life is knowing God via Jesus. Logically, beginning with Johannine theological assumptions, to trust that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God leads to eternal life. If x, then y.
These are articles of faith; we have no evidence for them or against them. When trust in God is required, the quest for certainty constitutes idolatry. Certainty feels comforting. We can be certain of much, either by proving or disproving propositions. Yet much falls into the gray zone of faith; we have it or lack it. That uncertainty may unnerve us. Fundamentalism undercuts trust in God by offering the crutch of false certainty.
Somewhere, years ago, I heard an intriguing spiritual metaphor–performing a daring dance with God. That daring dance is the dance of trust, of faith. It is daring from a human perspective. May God have this dance?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 18, 2022 COMMON ERA
MONDAY IN EASTER WEEK
THE FEAST OF ROGER WILLIAMS, FOUNDER OF RHODE ISLAND; AND ANNE HUTCHINSON, REBELLIOUS PURITAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT CORNELIA CONNELLY, FOUNDER OF THE SOCIETY OF THE HOLY CHILD JESUS
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARY ANNA BLONDIN, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE SISTERS OF SAINT ANNE
THE FEAST OF MARY C. COLLINS, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MISSIONARY AND MINISTER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS MURIN OF FAHAN, LASERIAN OF LEIGHLIN, GOBAN OF PICARDIE, FOILLAN OF FOSSES, AND ULTAN OF PERONNE, ABBOTS; SAINTS FURSEY OF PERONNE AND BLITHARIOUS OF SEGANNE, MONKS
THE FEAST OF SAINT ROMAN ARCHUTOWSKI, POLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1943
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Supper at Emmaus, by Caravaggio
Image in the Public Domain
Limited Expectations and Vision
APRIL 9, 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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Daniel 12:1c-3 or Jonah 2:2-9
Psalm 150 (LBW) or Psalm 146 (LW)
1 Corinthians 5:6-8
Luke 24:13-49
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Almighty God, give us the joy of celebrating our Lord’s resurrection.
Give us also the joys of life in your service,
and bring us at last to the full joy of life eternal;
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), 21
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Almighty God the Father,
through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ
you have overcome death and opened the gate of everlasting life to us.
Grant that we, who celebrate with jo the day of the Lord’s resurrection,
may be raised from the depth of sin by your life-giving Spirit;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 49
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Major lectionaries for Sundays and other holy days usually provide readings without specifying a morning or an evening service. Some exceptions exist. There are, for example, the main and the evening for services for Easter Day, as well as the Easter Vigil.
The main purpose for the evening service on Easter Day is to tell the story in Luke 24:13-49–the road to Emmaus story. One textual curiosity is the timing of the Ascension of Jesus–immediately after the events of Luke 24:13-49 or forty days later (Acts 1:6-12). That the same author (St. Luke) wrote both accounts adds to the confusion.
Anyway, Luke 14:13-49 tells us that God prevented the disciples on the road to Emmaus from recognizing Jesus for a while. That explanation seems unnecessary; one may surmise reasonably that those disciples did not expect to encounter Jesus. Therefore, they did not recognize him. Are you, O reader, likely to recognize someone walking around when you think that person is dead? We humans tend not to see what we do not expect to see. We look yet we do not see.
God acts. The evidence surrounds us, and we miss much of it. The proof is not wearing camouflage. No, we are paying inadequate attention. This statement applies daily. In science, people speak of
life as we know it.
I suspect that the universe teems with life, most of it not life as we know it. If we were to encounter it, we would probably not recognize it. Blessings often assume forms we do not recognize. We encounter a plethora of blessings daily and fail to recognize many of them.
How do you, O reader, and I need to expand our definitions and expectations so we can recognize more of what God has done and is doing?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 17, 2022 COMMON ERA
EASTER DAY
THE FEAST OF DANIEL SYLVESTER TUTTLE, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
THE FEAST OF EMILY COOPER, EPISCOPAL DEACONESS
THE FEAST OF LUCY LARCOM, U.S. ACADEMIC, JOURNALIST, POET, EDITOR, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MAX JOSEF METZGER, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1944
THE FEAST OF WILBUR KENNETH HOWARD, MODERATOR OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Easter Celtic Cross
Image Scanned from a Church Bulletin
Happy Easter!
APRIL 9, 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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Acts 10:34-43
Psalm 118:1-2, 15-24
Colossians 3:1-4
John 20:1-9 (10-18) or Matthew 28:1-10
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O God, you gave your only Son
to suffer death on the cross for our redemption,
and by his glorious resurrection
you delivered us from the power of death.
Make us die every day to sin,
so that we may live with him forever in the joy of the resurrection;
through 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), 20-21
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Almighty God the Father, through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ,
you have overcome death and opened the gate of everlasting life to us.
Grant that we,
who celebrate with joy the day of our Lord’s resurrection,
may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 47
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I have been writing lectionary-based devotions for more than a decade. In that time, I have exhausted what I can write for the main service of Easter Day.
So be it. Trying to explain the resurrection is pointless. (I have heard people debate the mechanics of it, pointlessly.) One may read an attempt by St. Clement I of Rome, circa 96 C.E., in his Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Clement). That attempt is pious yet inadequate. No explanation is adequate.
Therefore, O reader, I refer you to the assigned readings (especially from the New Testament) and wish you a happy Easter–all fifty days of it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 16, 2022 COMMON ERA
HOLY SATURDAY
THE FEAST OF SAINT BERNADETTE OF LOURDES, ROMAN CATHOLIC VISIONARY
THE FEAST OF CALVIN WEISS LAUFER, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMNODIST
THE FEAST OF ISABELLA GILMORE, ANGLICAN DEACONESS
THE FEAST OF MIKAEL SUMA, ALBANIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, FRIAR, AND MARTYR, 1950
THE FEAST OF PETER WILLIAMS CASSEY, AFRICAN-AMERICAN EPISCOPAL DEACON; AND HIS WIFE, ANNIE BESANT CASSEY, AFRICAN-AMERICAN EPISCOPAL EDUCATOR
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Easter Celtic Cross
Image Scanned by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Resurrected Lives, Part I
APRIL 9, 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:
Acts 2:22-41 or Job 19:7-27c
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Matthew 28:1-10
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The reading from Job 19 might seem at first to be an odd selection for Easter Sunday. The choice makes much sense on this occasion, however. The lesson reminds us that even innocent people suffer, despite what certain conventionally pious people, such as alleged friends who insult the afflicted, claim. Reading the Book of Job and the Gospel of John together highlights the falseness of the arguments of Job’s alleged friends, for, in the Johannine Gospel, the crucifixion of Jesus is Christ’s glorification.
Psalm 118 is a prayer of thanksgiving for victory in battle. The theme of victory certainly applies to Easter, central to the Christian liturgical year. Likewise the resurrection of Jesus is central to Christianity, as 1 Corinthians 15, in its entirety, affirms.
The body of Christian doctrine is varied and frequently self-contradictory, given the wide variety of competing denominations. An orthodox Christian in one denomination is simultaneously a heretic, according to the standards of many other denominations. Yet, for all the variation in doctrines not essential to salvation, a few doctrines are mandatory. The Incarnation is one. The atonement (with at least three interpretations of it dating to the Patristic Era) is a second. The resurrection of Jesus is a third.
In the academic study of history one, assuming that one’s facts are correct and one’s chronology is in order, one must still be able to answer one question satisfactorily:
So what?
St. Paul the Apostle, in 1 Corinthians 15, answers that question ably down the corridors of time. Through the resurrection of Jesus, we read (especially after verse 11), we Christians, liberated from our former states of sin, have hope; we lead resurrected lives. Otherwise, if the resurrection is false,
…we of all people are most to be pitied.
–1 Corinthians 15:19b, The Revised English Bible (1989)
Yet we are not, thanks to God.
Happy Easter!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 30, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOAN OF ARC, ROMAN CATHOLIC VISIONARY AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF APOLO KIVEBULAYA, APOSTLE TO THE PYGMIES
THE FEAST OF JOSEPHINE BUTLER, ENGLISH FEMINIST AND SOCIAL REFORMER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS LUKE KIRBY, THOMAS COTTAM, WILLIAM FILBY, AND LAURENCE RICHARDSON, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND MARTYRS
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/05/30/resurrected-lives-part-i/
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This is post #400 of LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS.
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Above: Icon of the Resurrection
Image Scanned by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
The Light of Christ, Part II
APRIL 8-9, 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:
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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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
APRIL 9, 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:
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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Above: Icon of the Resurrection
Image in the Public Domain
Christ, Violence, and Love
APRIL 9, 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:
Exodus 34:27-28 (29-35) or Deuteronomy 9:8-21
Psalms 71:15-24 or Psalm 75 or Psalm 76
John 21:20-25 or Luke 24:36-49 or John 20:19-31
2 Corinthians 3:7-11 (4:16-5:1) 5:2-5 (6-10) or Revelation 1:1-3 (4-8) 9-20
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Once again we read of the coexistence of divine judgment and mercy. This time the emphasis is on mercy, given the context of the assigned lessons. The bleakest reading comes from Genesis 34, where we learn of two brothers committing violence (including honor killings) in reaction to either the rape of their sister (Dinah) by a foreign man or to her consensual non-marital sexual relations with a foreigner. This story contrasts with the crucifixion of Jesus, in which those complicit in that act of violence unambiguously targeted an innocent man.
We who call ourselves Christians have a responsibility to follow Jesus–Christ crucified, as St. Paul the Apostle wrote. St. Paul, as Saul of Tarsus, had approved of the execution of at least one Christian, St. Stephen (Acts 7:54-8:1a). Saul of Tarsus had also dragged other Christians to prison (Acts 8:1b-3).
We who call ourselves Christians also have a responsibility to follow Jesus, the resurrected one. May we die to our sins. May we die to our desires to commit or condone violence against those we find inconvenient and/or who threaten our psychological safety zones. May we die to the desire to repay evil for evil. May we die to the thirst for revenge. And may God raise us to new life in the image of Christ. May we seek to glorify God alone and succeed in that purpose, by grace.
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
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/10/10/christ-violence-and-love/
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Above: The Angel in Christ’s Tomb
Image in the Public Domain
Divine Power and Perfect Love
APRIL 9, 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:
Deuteronomy 7:1-26
Psalms 71:15-24 or Psalm 75 or Psalm 76
John 5:19-30
2 Corinthians 1:1-17 (18-22) or Philippians 1:1-2 (3-11) 12-20
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Concepts of God interest me. God, we read, delivers the faithful (sometimes). On other occasions, faithful people suffer for the sake of righteousness, without deliverance. God is a judge, we read, but God also acts mercifully and finds the Hebrew people attractive, despite the record of murmuring, of committing idolatry, and of committing other violations of the Law of Moses.
Deuteronomy 7, placed in the mouth of Moses long after his death, commands Hebrews to destroy the people of Canaan, not to marry them or to come under their influence otherwise. That is a description of genocide. That is something I cannot imaging Jesus advocating. When I read Deuteronomy 7 I do so through the lenses of what the late Donald Armentrout called “Gospel glasses.” To do otherwise would be for me to be disingenuous as a Christian.
Jesus died violently for a set of reasons. Among them was the fact that some people considered him to be an enemy of God. After all, Leviticus 24 orders the execution of blasphemers. If I am to be consistent while condemning the execution of alleged blasphemers in the Islamic world because of my values of religious toleration and of attempting to emulate Christ, I must also condemn such violence committed in the name of God in the Jewish and Christian traditions.
One meaning of the crucifixion is that human beings executed Jesus unjustly. One meaning of the resurrection is that God defeated the evil plans of those human beings–not with violence, but with power and perfect love.
May we leave terminal retribution to God, whose judgment is infinitely better than ours, and of whom mercy is also a quality.
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
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/10/10/divine-power-and-perfect-love/
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Above: Goliath Laughs at David, by Ilya Repin
Image in the Public Domain
Unexpected Agents of Grace
APRIL 21-23, 2022
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The Collect:
O God of life, you reach out to us amid our fears
with the wounded hands of your risen Son.
By your Spirit’s breath revive our faith in your mercy,
and strengthen us to be the body of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 33
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Samuel 17:1-23 (Thursday)
1 Samuel 17:19-32 (Friday)
1 Samuel 17:32-51 (Saturday)
Psalm 150 (All Days)
Acts 5:12-16 (Thursday)
Acts 5:17-26 (Friday)
Luke 24:36-40 (Saturday)
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Hallelujah!
Praise God in his holy temple;
praise him in the firmament of his power.
Praise him for his mighty acts;
praise him for his excellent greatness.
Praise him with the blast of the ram’s horn;
praise him with the lyre and harp.
Praise him with timbrel and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe.
Praise him with resounding cymbals;
praise him with loud-clanging cymbals.
Let everything that has breath
praise the LORD.
Hallelujah!
–Psalm 150, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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The reasons to praise God are myriad, beyond any human capacity to count. One of those reasons is that God frequently works via people some of us (at best) consider unlikely agents of grace.
Consider David, O reader. Yes, I know that 2 Samuel 21:19 has Elhanan, son of Jair from Bethlehem kill Goliath of Gath, and that 1 Chronicles 20:5 has the same Elhanan kill Lahmi, brother Goliath. If that is not sufficiently confusing, David plays the lyre for King Saul in 1 Samuel 16 yet has not gone to work for the monarch yet in chapter 17. These contradictions result from the combining of differing traditions in the canon of scripture. Such contradictions are commonplace in the Old Testament, starting in the early chapters of Genesis. One needs merely to read the texts with great attention to detail to detect them.
I use 1 Samuel 17, in which David, not Elhanan, kills Goliath, for that is the version the framers of the lectionary I am following chose.
In 1 Samuel 17 young David seemed to be the least likely person to rid Israel of the menace Goliath posed. A crucified troublemaker from the Galilee seemed to be an unlikely candidate for an inspiring and timeless religious figure. Apostles hiding in fear after the crucifixion of Jesus seemed to be unlikely candidates for leaders in a movement to change the world. They faced persecution; most of them died as martyrs. As Jesus said,
Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
–Luke 6:22-23, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
The theme of seemingly unlikely agents of grace occurs in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). It is easy to overlook the fact that many in the original audience found the idea of a good Samaritan shocking, even beyond improbable.
The real question I address is not the identities of agents of grace but human biases regarding who is more or less likely to be one. We mere mortals need to learn theological humility, especially regarding how we evaluate each other. Do we even attempt to look upon each other as God perceives us?
The composite pericope from Acts 5 reminds us that functioning as an agent of grace might lead one to harm. Sometimes people suffer for the sake of righteousness because the light exposes darkness for what it is.
…the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
–John 1:5, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2010)
Perhaps we do not recognize agents of grace sometimes because we are caught up in the darkness and are oblivious to that fact. Mustache-twirling villains, commonplace in simplistic morality plays, are rare in real life. Most “bad guys” imagine themselves to be good, or at least engaged in necessary, if unpleasant work.
Another reason for failing to recognize agents of grace is functional fixedness. We simply do not expect something, so we do not look for it. We seek agents of grace as we know them and miss those agents of grace who do not fit our preconceptions.
How might God surprise you, O reader, with unexpected (to you) agents of grace? And what will that grace cost you?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 18, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARC BOEGNER, ECUMENIST
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/12/18/unexpected-agents-of-grace/
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Above: Women at the Empty Tomb, by Fra Angelico
Image in the Public Domain
Jesus, the Resurrection, and the Presence of God
APRIL 20, 2020
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The Collect:
Almighty God, you give us the joy of celebrating our Lord’s resurrection.
Give us also the joys of life in your service,
and bring us at last to the full joy of life eternal,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 32
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The Assigned Readings:
2 Samuel 6:1-15
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Luke 24:1-12
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The presence of God was a frightful thing in much of the Old Testament. It was not always so, for Abraham and God got along quite well and casually, according to much of Genesis. God seems to have been the patriarch’s best friend. God seems to have been more distant (at least in presentation) by the Book of Exodus. In 2 Samuel 6 unfortunate Uzzah, who reached out to steady the Ark of the Covenant because the oxen pulling the cart had stumbled, died.
The LORD was incensed at Uzzah. And God struck him down on the spot for his indiscretion, and he died there beside the Ark of God.
–Verse 7, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
Why acting to prevent the Ark of the Covenant from falling to the ground constituted an indiscretion, much less an act worthy of death by the proverbial hand of God, eludes me. I do not think that it was indiscretion, but a faithful and respectful action. Nevertheless, I acknowledge that the faith community which repeated this story as part of its oral tradition until someone thought to write it down understood the matter differently.
Getting too close to the presence of God was, according to many for a long time, fraught with peril. But what about those stories of God and Abraham taking strolls together, once with the patriarch haggling with God over the lives of people he did not know? Perceptions of God have changed much over time.
This is a devotion for Wednesday in Easter Week, hence the reading from the beginning of Luke 24. There the tomb is empty and Jesus is elsewhere. The narrative catches up with him in the pericope which begins with verse 13. The link between the two main assigned readings is the physical presence of God. It is a cause of peril for one who touches the Ark of the Covenant in 2 Samuel 6 yet not in the Gospels. There Jesus walks, talks, and dines with people, much as God did with Abraham.
To focus on the resurrection theme in Luke 24 I turn to two other readings. I imagine certain followers of Jesus, once they had recovered from the shock of the resurrection, reciting part of Psalm 118:
The same stone which the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the LORD’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
On this day the LORD has acted;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
–Verses 22-24, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
I think also of 1 Corinthians 15:17-19 (The New Revised Standard Version, 1989):
If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
I admit to doubts regarding certain doctrines and dogmas of the Church, but affirming the resurrection of Jesus is mandatory if one is to be a Christian. Without the resurrection we are left with Dead Jesus, who cannot redeem anybody from anything. The resurrection is therefore an indispensable of the process of atonement. Actually, the resurrection is the final stage in that process, one I understand as having commenced with the Incarnation.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 18, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARC BOEGNER, ECUMENIST
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/12/18/jesus-the-resurrection-and-the-presence-of-god/
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LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS 
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