Archive for the ‘Psalm 115’ Tag
Above: Jacob’s Ladder, by William Blake
Image in the Public Domain
Grace: Transformation
FEBRUARY 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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Genesis 28:10-17 (18-22)
Psalm 115:1, 9-18 (LBW) or Psalm 142 (LW)
Romans 5:1-11
Mark 8:31-38
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Heavenly Father, it is your glory always to have mercy.
Bring back all who have erred and strayed from your ways;
lead them again to embrace in faith
the truth of your Word and hold it fast;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
or
God our Father, your Son welcomed
an outcast woman because of her faith.
Give us faith like hers,
that we also may trust only in our Love for us
and may accept one another as we have been accepted by you;
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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O God, whose glory is always to have mercy,
be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways,
and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith
to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word;
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), 34
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People reach out to God in the assigned psalms. God, however, reaches out to people in the other readings. The assigned psalms also acknowledge that God has reached out. Reaching extends in both directions.
Divine reaching out is grace. Grace, by definition, is unmerited, free, and not cheap. It costs God much. We can read the canonical Passion narratives and learn what it cost Jesus. And grace imposes demands upon its recipients. Sometimes the cross one bears may be close to literal, not metaphorical. The long line of martyrs attests to a variety of crosses those who have died for the faith have carried.
Regardless of what grace demands of one, it transforms its recipients. Priorities change, for example. Even just that matter leads to consequences, which may be unpleasant or worse. This is a truth which many members of the original audiences of the canonical Gospels understood. One may reasonably imagine such people nodding their heads knowingly at stories of Jesus speaking of suffering for the sake of righteousness and of enduring rejection from relatives.
Those of us fortunate enough not to suffer any of those consequences can still attest that grace has transformed us. Grace has been transforming me for as long as I can remember–since early childhood. It has been transforming me since before I can remember, actually. Grace is a divine initiative; God is the lead actor, so to speak.
If grace should do nothing else, it should make one more gracious. Perhaps you, O reader, know of or know someone who became more difficult and perhaps intolerable following his or her conversion experience. If a conversion experience makes a person obnoxious, something has gone wrong.
Grace transformed Jacob from a trickster into a patriarch and confirmed the covenantal promise applied to him.
How might grace transform you, O reader?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 15, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE NINETEENTH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZACHARY OF ROME, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JAN ADALBERT BALICKI AND LADISLAUS FINDYSZ, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS IN POLAND
THE FEAST OF JEAN BAPTISTE CALKIN, ANGLICAN ORGANIST AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF OZORA STEARNS DAVIS, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF VETHAPPPAN SOLOMON, APOSTLE TO THE SOLOMON ISLANDS
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Figs
Image in the Public Domain
And Pour Contempt On All My Pride
MAY 21, 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:
Jeremiah 9:23-24; 24:1-10
Psalm 115
Mark 11:27-33 and 12:35-37 or Luke 20:1-8 and 20:41-47 or John 21:20-25
2 Corinthians 10:1-17
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Boasting is overrated. It is a pastime for many and a profession for others, but the fact remains that hubris will go before the fall. The only proper boast is in divine grace and the merits of Jesus Christ. A vocation from God is a cause to reflect on one’s responsibility and one’s total dependence on grace, not on one’s greatness or virtues.
Part of the Law of Moses is the reality that we depend completely on God, whom we have an obligation to glorify and to whom to return in repentance whenever we stray. Nevertheless, many of us stray repeatedly and without the habit of repentance. We might, as in the case of the scribes in Mark 12 and Luke 20, engage in or condone economic injustice–in violation of the Law of Moses. More mundanely, we might question the authority of Jesus in our lives. He will win that argument ultimately, of course. We have the gift of free will; may we, by grace, refrain from abusing it often. None of us can use free will properly all the time, but we can, by grace, improve over time.
May we say, with Isaac Watts (1674-1748),
When I survey the wondrous cross
where the young Prince of Glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.
And, consistent with Matthew 25:31-46, may we care for the least of Christ’s brethren.
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/and-pour-contempt-on-all-my-pride/
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Above: The Denial of Saint Peter, by Caravaggio
Image in the Public Domain
Repentance and Restoration
APRIL 6, 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 30:1-14
Psalm 115 or 113
John 7:53-8:11 or Luke 22:1-38 (39-46)
Romans 2:12-29
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Maundy Thursday is an especially appropriate day to repent. We all need to turn our backs to our sins daily, of course, but the commemoration of the final events leading to the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior should remind us all to take a spiritual inventory and turn over some new leaves. Deuteronomy 30, following directly from Chapter 29, tells us that, after idolatry and other sins, as well as their consequences, will come the opportunity for repentance and restoration. The psalms extol God, for whom no idol is a good substitute. Idols come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Some are tangible, but many are not. That which is an idol for one person is not an idol for another individual. All idolatry must cease. Repentance and restoration can still occur.
The pericope from John 7:53-8:11 really belongs in the Gospel According to Luke. One can, in fact, read John 7:52 and skip to 8:12 without missing a beat. The story, whenever it occurred in the life of Jesus, teaches vital lessons. The religious authority figures, we learn, sought to entrap our Lord and Savior. In so doing, we discover, they violated the law, for they provided no witnesses and did not care about the location of the man (Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22). As we read, Jesus reversed the trap, outwitted his opponents, and sent the woman away forgiven. I conclude that certain words from Romans 2 would have fit well in our Lord and Savior’s mouth, given the circumstances:
You teach others, then; do you not teach yourself?
–Verse 21a, The Revised English Bible (1989)
Falling into sin is easy; one can simply stumble into it out of fear or ignorance. St. Simon Peter acted out of fear when he denied knowing Jesus. Fear was understandable, although that fact did not reduce the sin. Yet, as we read in John 21, Christ gave St. Simon Peter the opportunity to profess his love for him as many times as he had denied knowing him. The Apostle accepted the opportunity, although he was not aware of what Jesus was doing at the time.
May we strive, by grace, to sin as rarely as possible. And, when we do sin (many times daily), may we express our penitence and repent. Christ, simultaneously priest and victim as well as master and servant, beckons us to follow him. We will stumble and fall often; he knows that. Get up yet again and resume following me, he says.
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/repentance-and-restoration/
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Above: Ezra
Image in the Public Domain
Legalism and Judgmentalism
MAY 15, 2024
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The Collect:
Gracious and glorious God, you have chosen us as your own,
and by the powerful name of Christ you protect us from evil.
By your Spirit transform us and your beloved world,
that we may find joy in your Son, Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with and
the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 35
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The Assigned Readings:
Ezra 9:5-14
Psalm 115
John 16:16-24
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But we will bless the LORD
from this time forth for evermore.
Hallelujah!
–Psalm 115:18, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice and no one will take your joy from you.
–Jesus in John 16:22, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
Having pain (as in grief) described in the scene from Ezra 9 and 10 well. Ezra was leading returned exiles in a public prayer of confession of sins, during which many people wept bitterly. Yet there was hope in the form of keeping the divine commandments faithfully from that day forward. Unfortunately, that zeal turned into legalism in many people quickly. Such legalism contributed to the crucifixion of Jesus, imminent in John 16.
We humans tend to swing from one extreme to another, thereby missing the sensible, more moderate zone. If we have paid insufficient attention to God and holy living, we might become unpleasant, legalistic, and judgmental individuals in reaction to a conversion experience. I know of one person in particular whom I liked better before she became a Christian.
May we, by grace, follow God in such a way as to draw others to God, not to drive them away and cause others to rue the day we became Christians.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 20, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FIRST DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF SAINT DOMINIC OF SILOS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF SAINT PETER CANISIUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF KATHARINA VON BORA LUTHER, WIFE OF MARTIN LUTHER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/12/20/legalism-and-judgmentalism/
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Above: The Right Reverend Robert C. Wright, Bishop of Atlanta, at the Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta, Georgia, December 14, 2014
Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
In Defense of Ritualism
MAY 13 and 14, 2024
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The Collect:
Gracious and glorious God, you have chosen us as your own,
and by the powerful name of Christ you protect us from evil.
By your Spirit transform us and your beloved world,
that we may find joy in your Son, Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with and
the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 35
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The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 28:29-38 (Monday)
Numbers 8:5-22 (Tuesday)
Psalm 115 (Both Days)
Philippians 1:3-11 (Monday)
Titus 1:1-9 (Tuesday)
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Not to us, O LORD, not to us,
but to your name give glory;
because of your love and because of your faithfulness.
–Psalm 115:1, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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God might be present and imminent, as I concluded in the previous new post, but how we approach God still matters. We should do so with deep reverence. That is why the priestly vestments in Exodus 28 were so elaborate and the ritualism of preparation for service to God in Numbers 8 occurred. Likewise important in the texts is character, for not only must one person perform the rituals dressed properly, but one must do so according to other rules. One of those rules is not to mistake any sacred ritual for a talisman which protects insincere people from the consequences of their sins.
One of the advantages of belonging to and attending a more formal church is participating frequently in a series of sacred rituals presided over by clergy in vestments. The air of formality sets the rituals apart from other occasions in life. With that formality comes reverence. Many congregations, I am convinced, are too informal, especially with regard to the professional and ritual attire of ministers and to rituals themselves. All this helps to explain why I am a practicing ritualist.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 20, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FIRST DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF SAINT DOMINIC OF SILOS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF SAINT PETER CANISIUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF KATHARINA VON BORA LUTHER, WIFE OF MARTIN LUTHER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/12/20/in-defense-of-ritualism/
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Above: A United States $500 Bill from 1918
$500 in 1918= $7,470 in 2011 (Consumer Price Index)
Numbers and Luke, Part V: Illusions and Attachments as Idols
MAY 21 and 22, 2023
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Numbers 14:1-25 (43th Day of Easter)
Numbers 14:26-45 (44th Day of Easter)
Psalm 93 (Morning–43th Day of Easter)
Psalm 97 (Morning–44th Day of Easter)
Psalms 136 and 117 (Evening–43th Day of Easter)
Psalms 124 and 115 (Evening–44th Day of Easter)
Luke 18:18-34 (43th Day of Easter)
Luke 18:35-19:10 (44th Day of Easter)
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Some Related Posts:
Prayer of Praise and Adoration:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/prayer-of-praise-and-adoration-for-the-seventh-sunday-of-easter/
Prayer of Dedication:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/prayer-of-dedication-for-the-seventh-sunday-of-easter/
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I found Richard Elliott Friedman’s Commentary on the Torah (2001) helpful in understanding what happened in Numbers 14. (Aside: If you, O reader, do not have a copy of that excellent book, you might want to purchase one.) The spies/scouts have returned from their mission. Some have warned in dire tones of the dangers there. As Friedman pointed out and I did notice, they had not mentioned God. But Caleb was more optimistic, ready to go back with the rest of the population.
In Numbers 14 the community laments the possibility of going to Canaan. Dying in the desert seems preferable. Even returning to Egypt, where they had been slaves, seems better than going to Canaan. Caleb and Joshua try to calm the people, to no avail. God, angry, threatens to destroy the faithless people, but Moses talks God down. Instead, God decrees, the people will get their wish: they will die in the desert. This does not make them happy either. And those who, against divine instructions, go up against the Canaanites and the Amalekites without God’s blessing and the Ark of the Covenant perish.
As Friedman stresses, the problem was a slave mentality. The faithless people had not had to act before. The Egyptians had acted upon them and made decisions for them. God had liberated them and provided them with manna and quail in the desert. (They did have to eat.) But resettling Canaan would require effort. It would require them to decide then to act.
An entire generation’s experience is not easily reversed.
–Richard Elliott Friedman, Commentary on the Torah (2001), page 475
The faithless Israelites clung tenaciously to nostalgia (for slavery, oddly enough) and to a slave mentality. The rich man in Luke 18:18-23 clung to his wealth, which blinded him to his total dependence on God. Zacchaeus (in Luke 19:1-10) preferred an attachment to Jesus to one to wealth and the illusion of independence.
Illusions and attachments can be the most difficult idols from which to divorce ourselves. An idol, of course, is anything which distracts us from God. Statutes of pagan deities are obvious idols, but concepts can be less obvious and more powerful ones. We depend entirely on God. We cannot pull ourselves up by our spiritual bootstraps. Yes, we have an obligation to cooperate with God, but we cannot save ourselves. And grace–that which we do not do–requires much of us. It requires us to decide then to act. It is free, not cheap.
Which illusions and attachments are your most powerful idols, O reader? I must recognize and confront mine. May you do the same to yours. And may we succeed via grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 21, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ALL FAITHFUL MEMBERS OF THE CLERGY
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, JESUIT
THE FEAST OF HENARE WIREMU TARATOA OF TE RANGA, COMPASSIONATE HUMAN BEING
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN JONES AND JOHN RIGBY, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/numbers-and-luke-part-v-illusions-and-attachments-as-idols/
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Above: The Return of the Prodigal Son, by Leonello Spada
Numbers and Luke, Part I: Respecting God
MAY 14 and 15, 2023
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Numbers 3:1-16, 39-48 (36th Day of Easter)
Numbers 8:5-26 (37th Dayof Easter)
Psalm 93 (Morning–36th Day of Easter)
Psalm 97 (Morning–37th Day of Easter)
Psalms 136 and 117 (Evening–36th Day of Easter)
Psalms 124 and 115 (Evening–37th Day of Easter)
Luke 14:25-15:10 (36th Day of Easter)
Luke 15:11-32 (37th Day of Easter)
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Some Related Posts:
Prayer of Praise and Adoration:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/prayer-of-praise-and-adoration-for-the-sixth-sunday-of-easter/
Prayer of Dedication:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/prayer-of-dedication-for-the-sixth-sunday-of-easter/
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I belong to a wonderful congregation in Athens, Georgia. It is friendly, generous, socially progressive, and open to free intellectual and spiritual inquiry. The parish has become a community leader in environmental stewardship, with plans to improve according to this standard. Of all the churches to which I have belonged, it is the closest fit for me. Yet I think that my parish is too casual. This is not a deal breaker for me, but the place is too casual. So I come to church most Sundays dressed in a suit, a tie, and a fedora. I stand out. In a place where I, once the resident heretic in southern Georgia, am now relatively orthodox (without having changed my mind much), I stand out in another way. Blending in is overrated.
The concept of one’s Sunday Best is a dated one in my increasingly casual North American culture. Without turning church into an occasion for a fashion show, I affirm the underlying principle of Sunday Best: One ought not approach God with a casual attitude. That principle also undergirded the purity and Levitical codes in the Law of Moses.
This God whom we should not approach casually is the one whom we should love more than any person, possession, or other attachment. This is the God who seeks us out when we are lost. This is the God who listens to our insults, waives the death penalty from the Law of Moses, awaits our return, and welcomes us home. (The son in the parable had told his father, via his early request for his inheritance,
I wish that you were dead.
This met the definition of cursing or insulting a parent, an offense which carried the death penalty.)
This is God, worthy of all our respect. May our manner and attitude of approaching God in public and private reflect that reality.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 16, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF RUFUS JONES, QUAKER THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN FRANCIS REGIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF JOSEPH BUTLER, ANGLICAN BISHOP
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/numbers-and-luke-part-i-respecting-god/
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Above: A Long-Playing Record
Image Source = Tomasz Sienicki
Leviticus and Luke, Part V: Like a Broken Record
MAY 7-9, 2023
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Leviticus 20:1-16, 22-27 (29th Day of Easter)
Leviticus 21:1-24 (30th Day of Easter)
Leviticus 23:1-22 (31st Day of Easter)
Psalm 93 (Morning–29th Day of Easter)
Psalm 97 (Morning–30th Day of Easter)
Psalm 98 (Morning–31st Day of Easter)
Psalms 136 and 117 (Evening–29th Day of Easter)
Psalms 124 and 115 (Evening–30th Day of Easter)
Psalms 66 and 116 (Evening–31st Day of Easter)
Luke 11:37-54 (29th Day of Easter)
Luke 12:1-12 (30th Day of Easter)
Luke 12:13-34 (31st Day of Easter)
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Some Related Posts:
Prayer of Praise and Adoration:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/03/prayer-of-praise-and-adoration-for-the-fifth-sunday-of-easter/
Prayer of Dedication:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/03/prayer-of-dedication-for-the-fifth-sunday-of-easter/
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I admit it; I sound like a broken record: Loving people and seeking justice for them matters far more than does keeping an obscure element of the Law of Moses. Speaking of that law code, shall we consider some provisions of it? We read some sexual laws and an order to execute one for the offense of idolatry. Then there is this law:
If anyone insults his father or his mother, he shall be put to death; he has insulted his father and his mother–his blood guilt is upon him.
–Leviticus 20:9, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
To insult is also to curse, the sort of activity the Prodigal Son committed in Luke 15. Yet the father, the God figure in the parable, forgave the son.
We read in Leviticus 21:16 forward that physically handicapped or deformed Levites were forbidden to serve as priests. It seems that such men were not supposed to serve God in that way because their physical imperfections reflected the divine form inadequately. I am glad of progressive attitudes regarding physical differences in modern times; may these ideas flourish.
Then we read about what makes a sacrifice acceptable. I do not care, for none of that has mattered since the first century CE.
Jesus criticized people who were meticulous about legalistic details while they ignored the imperative of social justice. He advocated humility before God, trust in God, and active concern for the conditions and circumstances of others. I think that he cared about blind and disabled Levites, who got to eat well yet were still second-class spiritual citizens.
Speaking of Levites, contact with a corpse made one unclean (Leviticus 22). That concern played a role in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). And who was the hero in that story?
People matter more than arcane laws. Here ends the lesson, again.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 15, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT LANDELINUS OF VAUX, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; SAINT AUBERT OF CAMBRAI, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; SAINT URSMAR OF LOBBES, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND MISSIONARY BISHOP; AND SAINTS DOMITIAN, HADELIN, AND DODO OF LOBBES, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONKS
THE FEAST OF EVELYN UNDERHILL, ANGLICAN MYSTIC
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/leviticus-and-luke-part-v-like-a-broken-record/
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Above: The Sin of Nadab and Abihu
Leviticus and Luke Part II: God Concepts
MAY 1 and 2, 2023
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Leviticus 9:1-14 (23rd Dayof Easter)
Leviticus 10:1-20 (24th Day of Easter)
Psalm 97 (Morning–23rd Day of Easter)
Psalm 98 (Morning–24th Day of Easter)
Psalms 124 and 115 (Evening–23rd Day of Easter)
Psalms 66 and 116 (Evening–24th Day of Easter)
Luke 9:18-36 (23rd Day of Easter)
Luke 9:37-62 (24th Day of Easter)
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My point of reference is that of a modern, liberal, intellectual North American Christian. God is love, I affirm, and the historical figure of Jesus of Nazareth was God incarnate. So my God concept leads me to ask what Jesus would do. Hence the God concept in Leviticus 10 is foreign to me. The sacrifices in Leviticus 9 are likewise alien to me. Parts of the Letter to the Hebrews played back in my head as I read these chapters from Leviticus.
Although I am a ritualist, I do not attach life or death stakes to performing a certain liturgical act just so. What, I wonder, did Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, do that was so bad that they died on what was supposed to be a joyous occasion? I found the following note from the The Jewish Study Bible (Oxford University Press, 2004) helpful:
In biblical thought, however, ritual crimes are dire. Further, the sin of the two brothers was not simply that they went too far in their misguided super-piety. Rather, they acted in utter disregard for the deity. God intended that the manifestations of His Presence would ignite the altar fire, marking His acceptance of His peoples’ devotion. Their intent was for the divine fire to ignite their pans; that is, they were attempting to arrogate control of the deity to themselves. (page 227)
Trying to control God is one sin; misunderstanding God can lead to others. Consider Simon Peter, who grasped that Jesus was the Messiah but not what that entailed–suffering for the Messiah. Then, at the Transfiguration, the Apostle would have institutionalized the event, not distinguishing among Jesus, Moses, or Elijah. Our expectations and best attempts prove inadequate, do they not?
But, for a God concept, I still prefer Jesus to the Yahweh of Leviticus 10.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 13, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTHONY OF PADUA ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
THE FEAST OF GILBERT KEITH (G. K.) CHESTERTON, AUTHOR
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/leviticus-and-luke-part-ii-god-concepts/
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Above: Epitaph of a Centurion
Exodus and Luke, Part VIII: Damaged Relationships
APRIL 24 and 25, 2023
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 33:1-23 (16th Dayof Easter)
Exodus 34:1-28 (17th Day of Easter)
Psalm 97 (Morning–16th Day of Easter)
Psalm 98 (Morning–17th Day of Easter)
Psalms 124 and 115 (Evening–16th Day of Easter)
Psalms 66 and 116 (Evening–17th Day of Easter)
Luke 7:1-17 (16th Day of Easter)
Luke 7:18-35 (17th Day of Easter)
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The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelite people, ‘You are a stiffnecked people. If I were to go in your midst for one moment, I would destroy you. Now, then, leave off your finery, and I will consider what to do to you.'”
–Exodus 33:5, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
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I detect several consistent patterns in my life. One of them pertains to what happens after I fall out with an institution. I return after some time, but never with the same enthusiasm. The water might be under the bridge, but I cannot forget the flood. So the breach remains in my memory. Things can be better, but not as they were before. Perhaps this is a spiritual failing. (Relationships with individuals are a different matter; I have reverted to a pre-falling out state with them. Institutions are frequently impersonal by nature, however.) I offer neither a defense nor a condemnation of myself relative to this reality relative to institutions; no, I am content at the moment to make an objectively accurate statement.
The relationship between God and the Israelites was damaged, not broken, in Exodus 33. Moses functioned as an intermediary, for there was a distance between God and the people. The narrative would have us believe that the people were entirely to blame, but I argue that God, as the narrative presents God, shared in the blame. Were the people supposed to love and follow a deity who sent away those who had not adored the Golden Calf as punishment for the adoration of that idol?
The relationship between Jesus and the religious authorities (eventually broken) in the Gospel of Luke. And, in Luke 7, our Lord found a Gentile–a Roman officer, no less–whose great faithfulness impressed him. This spoke well for the Centurion but not of those religious authorities.
To tie everything together in a big theological bow, God did come among many of our forebears, and they did not perish. The Incarnation of God in Jesus constituted God among us, with us, and for us. It was how God bridged the gap. Things would not be as they were before. No, they would be better.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 9, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT COLUMBA OF IONA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY AND ABBOT
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/exodus-and-luke-part-viii-damaged-relationships/
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LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS 
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