Archive for the ‘Idolatry’ 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: Clarke County Jail, Athens, Georgia
Image Source = Google Earth
God is Watching Us
MARCH 27, 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:
Hosea 11:1-11
Psalm 105
Colossians 3:1-11
John 18:15-27
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God is a like a loving father in Hosea 11:1-11. The people of Israel and Judah are like a perpetually rebellious son in that passage. Not only does God call for the people (plural) to repent in Hosea 1:1-11, but God also repents of destructive plans. Mercy follows judgment.
In context, those collective, persistent sins involved committing idolatry and treating human beings badly. Authors in both the Old and New Testaments banged the drum of the message that God cares deeply about the treatment of human beings, especially vulnerable ones, by individuals, communities, systems, institutions, and governments.
Recently, in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, where I live, I read about a local miscarriage of justice. Without ever receiving either proper mental health care or a trial, an elderly, mentally ill woman spent nearly a year in the Clarke County jail. The District Attorney’s Office had refused to drop the charges at the time the article went to print. There should never have been any legal charges, just proper mental health care.
When governments act unjustifiably, they do so in the name of the people. I say,
Don’t you dare do that in my name!
I say,
Repent of injustice.
I say,
God is watching us.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 7, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF FRANÇOIS FÉNELON, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF CAMBRAI
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALDRIC OF LE MANS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANGELA OF FOLIGNO, PENITENT AND HUMANITARIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT GASPAR DEL BUFALO, FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARIES OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD
THE FEAST OF SAINT LUCIAN OF ANTIOCH, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR, 312
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2021/01/07/god-is-watching-us/
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Above: Hosea
Image in the Public Domain
Idolatry
MARCH 6, 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:
Hosea 1:1-11 (Protestant and Anglican)/Hosea 1:1-2:2 (Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox)
Psalm 25
Colossians 1:1-14
John 12:20-36
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The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel.
–Hosea 1:1, Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible (2019)
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The reading from Hosea provides a timeframe. Dates of reigns are approximate, on the B.C.E.-C.E. scale, due to the use of relative dating in antiquity. Furthermore, if one consults three sources, one may find three different sets of dates for the reigns of the listed monarchs. With that caveat, I cite The Jewish Study Bible to tell you, O reader, the following regnal spans:
- Azariah (Uzziah) of Judah: 785-733 B.C.E.
- Jotham of Judah: 759-743 B.C.E.
- Ahaz of Judah: 743-735-727/715 B.C.E.
- Hezekiah of Judah: 727/715-698-687 B.C.E.
- Jeroboam II of Israel: 788-747 B.C.E.
- Fall of Samaria: 722 B.C.E.
The chronological problem is obvious: Kings Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah do not belong in Hosea 1:1. However, one may know that the decline of the northern Kingdom of Israel followed the death of King Jeroboam II, just as the decline of the southern Kingdom of Judah began during the reign of King Hezekiah. The beginning of a kingdom’s decline informs the reading of Hosea, set in the northern Kingdom of Israel. One may reasonably conclude that the lessons of this book were also for subjects in the Kingdom of Judah.
Divine judgment is a prominent theme in this reading from Hosea. Divine forgiveness will come up in Chapter 2. For now, however, the emphasis is on judgment. In that context, one reads that idolatry is a form of spiritual adultery and prostitution.
All the LORD’s paths are mercy and forgiveness,
for those who keep his covenant and commands.
–Psalm 25:10, The Revised New Jerusalem Bible (2019)
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Whoever serves me, must follow me,
and my servant will be with me wherever I am.
–John 12:26a, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
The invitation in Lent is to walk out of the darkness and into the light. The invitation is not to let the darkness overtake one. The invitation is to follow Jesus in the shadow of the cross.
The most enticing form of idolatry may not involve statues or anything else tangible. No, the most enticing form of idolatry may be the temptation to think of God as being manageable. God is not manageable. God is not domesticated. And God is not a vending machine. God judges. God shows mercy. God forgives the sins of the penitent. And God deserves more love than anyone and anything else in our lives.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 6, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2021/01/06/idolatry-part-iv/
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Above: Supper at Emmaus, by Caravaggio
Image in the Public Domain
Regarding Faith and Reason
APRIL 11, 2021
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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 10:1-20
Psalm 150
1 Thessalonians 1
Luke 24:13-25
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Easter is a season with eight Sundays, the last one being Pentecost. Take heart, O reader; we have much more Easter to celebrate.
One theme in this Sunday’s readings is that the Jewish-Christian God is the universal deity, not a tribal god. Yes, Gentiles are welcome at the party of salvation, too. That salvation is possible because of the other theme, the resurrection of Jesus. In the context of Luke 24, this is a truth two small groups of people announced to St. Simon Peter in one day. Furthermore, these two groups had not coordinated their stories, as criminals rehearse the false alibis.
We who live nearly two millennia after these events have a challenge first-hand witnesses lacked. We either accept the resurrection on faith or we reject it on lack of faith. We can neither prove nor disprove it. I choose to accept it.
This is not as big a leap of faith for me as it is for many others. Yes, I embrace reason and accept science. I recognize much merit in the Enlightenment, which influences how I think. I am a modernist, not a postmodernist. I also know from experience that Enlightenment and scientific categories, as we usually define them, do not account for everything. Reason is a gift from God. I, as a practicing Episcopalian, incorporate reason into my faith. I also understand that reason takes me far, but not all the way to the empty tomb. Reason is a tool in my toolbox of faith; it is not an idol.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 5, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE SUNDAY OF THE PASSION: PALM SUNDAY, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF ANDRÉ, MAGDA, AND DANIEL TROCMÉ, RIGHTEOUS GENTILES
THE FEAST OF EMILY AYCKBOWM, FOUNDRESS OF THE COMMUNITY OF THE SISTERS OF THE CHURCH
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIANO DE LA MATA APARICIO, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY AND EDUCATOR IN BRAZIL
THE FEAST OF PAULINE SPERRY, MATHETMATICIAN, PHILANTHROPIST, AND ACTIVIST; AND HER BROTHER, WILLARD LEAROYD SPERRY, CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, ETHICIST, THEOLOGIAN, AND DEAN OF HARVARD LAW SCHOOL
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM DERHAM, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND SCIENTIST
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2020/04/05/regarding-faith-and-reason-iii/
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Above: The Tribute Money, by Peter Paul Rubens
Image in the Public Domain
God’s Coins
APRIL 21, 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:
Acts 8:1-2, 9-25
Psalm 23
2 Peter 2:1-11
Mark 12:13-17
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The context for the reading from Mark 12 is Holy Week. As one reads the chapter, one should notice the tension building up to the crucifixion in Chapter 15.
Jesus had the ability to spring traps on people who tried to ensnare him. The Roman coin bore the idolatrous image of Emperor Tiberius, allegedly the “Son of God, ” the heir of Augustus, supposedly the “Savior of the World.” The hypocrisy of Christ’s would-be ensnarers was evident physically by the possession of such a coin.
St. Augustine of Hippo, writing in On the Psalms 58, provided sage advice:
Caesar seeks his image; render it. God seeks his image; render it. Do not withhold from Caesar his coin. Do not keep from God his coin.
In Tractates on John 40, St. Augustine wrote,
We are God’s money.
Empires, kingdoms, and nation-states rise and fall, but God lasts forever. The latter deserves more love than the former. Divine love, depending on the translation of Psalm 23, either pursues or accompanies us. This grace, which is free, imposes demands and obligations on us in public and private morality. We have an obligation to be God’s coins.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 27, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CORNELIUS HILL, ONEIDA CHIEF AND EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF HUGH THOMSON KERR, SR., U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND LITURGIST; AND HIS SON, HUGH THOMSON KERR, JR., U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, SCHOLAR, AND THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF JAMES MOFFATT, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, SCHOLAR, AND BIBLE TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN THE GEORGIAN, ABBOT; AND SAINTS EUTHYMIUS OF ATHOS AND GEORGE OF THE BLACK MOUNTAIN, ABBOTS AND TRANSLATORS
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2019/06/27/gods-coins/
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Above: A Stamp Depicting Jonah in the Boat
Image in the Public Domain
The Inner Jonah, Part I
MARCH 15, 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:
Jonah 1
Psalm 121
Philippians 1:15-30
Matthew 26:20-35
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The story of Jonah is a work of satirical fiction that teaches timeless truths. It is the tale of a reluctant prophet who flees God’s call before finally accepting the vocation and succeeding, much to his disappointment. The book is a story about repentance, God’s mercy on our enemies, God’s refusal to conform to our expectations, and the foolishness of religious nationalism.
St. Paul the Apostle, perhaps writing from prison in Ephesus, circa 56 C.E., wrote:
It is my confident hope that nothing will prevent me from speaking boldly; and that now as always Christ will display his greatness in me, whether the verdict be life or death.
–Philippians 1:20, The Revised English Bible (1989)
Christ, in Matthew 26, was obedient to God–soon to the point of death. His final journey to Jerusalem had a result far different from that of the trek of pilgrims who sang Psalm 121.
Each of us has an inner Jonah. Each of us likes certain categories more than we ought and other categories we should reject. We like for God to bless people like ourselves and overlook our sis, and to smite our enemies, collective and individual. To some extent, we define ourselves according to who we are not. Therefore, if our enemies and those we dislike change, what does of identity become?
Defense mechanisms are frequently negative. When we embrace them and flee from God, they certainly are. When we embrace them and find divine grace scandalous, they are surely negative. When we embrace them and choose not to speak the words of God boldly or at all, they certainly are idolatrous.
May we, by grace, eschew this and all other forms of idolatry.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 23, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT IVO OF CHARTRES, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/05/23/the-inner-jonah-part-i/
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Above: The Good Shepherd
Image in the Public Domain
Good and Bad Shepherds
APRIL 21, 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:
Ezekiel 34:25-31
Psalm 28
1 Timothy 4:6-16
Luke 15:4-10
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On the Revised Common Lectionary the Fourth Sunday of Easter is Good Shepherd Sunday. David Ackerman’s Beyond the Lectionary (2013) continues this custom.
Shepherd is a sufficiently common metaphor for monarch in the Hebrew Bible that serious students should not be surprised to encounter it. In Ezekiel 34 the bad shepherds are Kings of Judah who have ignored the Law of Moses, practiced and condemned idolatry, presided over economic exploitation, and generally harmed the people. Toward the end of the lifespan of the Kingdom of Judah some of the last kings are about to experience the just desserts the author of Psalm 28 sought for his enemies.
In contrast to the bad shepherds of Ezekiel 34 we find Jesus in Luke 15 and St. Timothy in 1 Timothy 4. Pastors are shepherds too, after all, and sound teaching matters greatly. In the temporal context of 1 Timothy 4, when certain doctrines we Christians of today take for granted were developing and others did not exist yet, the definition of sound teaching depended more on oral tradition than it does today–on written sources and established creeds. Some of the particulars of 1 Timothy are culturally specific, but one can identify timeless principles behind those examples. As for Jesus, he is the good shepherd who seeks everyone, although not all lost sheep will repent.
May leaders seek and effect the best interests of the people, by grace. These might be political, institutional, or religious leaders, but all of them are shepherds. May they be good shepherds. Whenever any are bad shepherds, may they repent and become good shepherds. If, however, they insist on being bad shepherds, may good shepherds replace them.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 13, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN DAVID JAESCHKE, GERMAN MORAVIAN ORGANIST AND COMPOSER; AND HIS GRANDSON, HENRI MARC HERMANN VOLDEMAR VOULLAIRE, MORAVIAN COMPOSER AND MINISTER
THE FEAST OF MILTON SMITH LITTLEFIELD, JR., U.S. PRESBYTERIAN AND CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMNAL EDITOR
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT, U.S. POET, JOURNALIST, AND HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2017/06/13/good-and-bad-shepherds-2/
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Above: Jeremiah, by Lorenzo Monaco
Image in the Public Domain
Idolatry and Social Justice
FEBRUARY 14, 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:
Jeremiah 7:1-5
Isaiah 29:9-10, 13-16
James 1:12-16
Matthew 6:7-13
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David Ackerman has selected a cohesive set of readings for Ash Wednesday.
In Jeremiah 7 the prophet, delivering his Temple sermon, grouped social injustice, violence, economic exploitation, idolatry, adultery, and false oaths together. Abandon these practices, Jeremiah decreed, and YHWH will return to the Temple. The prophet’s words were immediately for naught, of course; the public did not repent–turn around. A prediction of renewal of that divine-human relationship after the Babylonian Exile came in Isaiah 29, after the condemnation of a skewed view of that relationship, one in which one mistakes the potter for the clay.
The author of Matthew and James reminded their audiences that God does not tempt anyone. Those writers also encouraged repentance before God.
I do not know anyone who opposes the idea of social justice. I do, however, know people who understand that concept differently. Invariably, somebody, acting in the name of social justice will commit social justice and probably be oblivious to that fact. We humans do, after all, have social and personal moral blinders. I like that Jeremiah 7 defines social justice in concrete terms. Nevertheless, even those standards are subject to disagreement regarding how best to avoid committing them. So, of course, someone will invariably support an economically exploitative policy while genuinely opposing economic exploitation.
May God deliver us from being either oblivious to the demand for social justice, defined as how we treat each other–individually and collectively–or from our blind spots regarding how best to effect social justice. May God also deliver us from all forms of idolatry, such as those that stand between us and social justice.
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
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2017/06/05/idolatry-and-social-justice/
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Above: Odd Fellows Widows’ and Orphans’ Home, Corsicana, Texas, 1910
J149681 U.S. Copyright Office
Copyright deposit; Jno. J. Johnson; 1910
Copyright claimant’s address: Ennis, Tex.
Photographer = John J. Johnson
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-USZ62-133853
The Idol of Public Respectability
MAY 9, 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:
Proverbs 1:1-7
Psalm 119:145-176
Mark 12:35-37 or Luke 20:41-47
1 John 2:3-29
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The term “fear of God” should be “awe of God,” for the latter translation conveys the concept accurately. Certain distractions can draw our attention away from God and the awe thereof. Among these are suffering (not necessarily a distraction, per Psalm 119, yet a distraction for many), worldly appetites (also not necessarily distractions inherently, but distractions for many), and false teaching (always a distraction). The issue is idolatry. An idol is an object, teaching, philosophy, or practice that draws attention and awe away from God. Many idols for many people are not idols for many other people. If someone treats something as an idol, it is an idol for that person.
One can seem to be holy and free of idols yet be disingenuous. In the parallel readings from mark (extended) and Luke Jesus condemns those who put on airs of righteousness yet crave public respectability and devour the property of widows, in violation of the Law of Moses. The spiritual successors of the scribes Jesus condemned are numerous, unfortunately. Some of them even have their own television programs.
Public respectability is not a virtue in the Gospel of Luke:
Alas for you when the world speaks well of you! This was the way their ancestors treated the false prophets.
–Luke 6:26, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
That saying’s companion is:
Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, then your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the prophets.
–Luke 6:23, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
This is a devotion for the Feast of the Ascension. The selection of these lections seems odd, I admit, but one can make the connection. After the Ascension Jesus was no longer physically present with his Apostles. Afterward, however, the Holy Spirit descended upon them and empowered them to do much to spread the word of Jesus and to glorify God. Of the original Apostles (including St. Matthias, who replaced Judas Iscariot) only two did not die as martyrs. St. John the Evangelist suffered much for God and died of natural causes. Those Apostles (minus Judas Iscariot) did not crave and did not receive public respectability. They did, however, glorify God and change the world for the better.
May we resist the idol of public respectability and, by grace, live so as to glorify God and benefit our fellow human beings.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 12, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARTIN DOBER, MORAVIAN BISHOP AND HYMN WRITER; JOHANN LEONHARD DOBER, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND BISHOP; AND ANNA SCHINDLER DOBER, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF EDITH CAVELL, NURSE AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT KENNETH OF SCOTLAND, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT NECTARIUS OF CONSTANTINOPLE, ARCHBISHOP
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/10/12/the-idol-of-public-respectability/
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Above: Christ Pantocrator
Image in the Public Domain
Christ, Victorious II
APRIL 14, 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:
Zechariah 13:1-9
Psalm 60 or 108
John 16:25-33
2 Corinthians 6:11-7:1
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The assigned psalms have national themes. Psalm 108 is considerably more upbeat than Psalm 60. The national theme continues in Zechariah 13, in which God will, in the future (relative to the composition of the text), purify the Davidic Dynasty, the people of the realm, and the land of sin (namely idolatry) and false prophets. That vision of the future remains unrealized in 2 Corinthians and the Gospel of John.
In John 16 one reads what might seem like an odd statement in the context of the narrative of the Fourth Gospel. Jesus, shortly prior to his brutal execution, tells his Apostles:
In the world you will have suffering. But take heart! I have conquered the world.
–John 16:33b, The Revised English Bible (1989)
Jesus is about to die on a cross, but he has conquered the world? Jesus will, of course, remain dead for only a few days. He has conquered the world. What more can any person or power do to him after his resurrection? He has conquered the world. Many of the faithful will suffer for the sake of righteousness. Some of them will die for it. Yet the blood of the martyrs waters the church. The world is a mess and has always been one, but, in the words of “This is My Father’s World,” a great hymn, “God is the ruler yet.” Jesus has conquered the world. If we do not recognize this reality, we need to look beyond outward appearances.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 11, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT PHILIP THE EVANGELIST, DEACON
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/10/11/christ-victorious-ii/
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LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS 
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