Archive for the ‘Violence’ Tag
Above: Good Shepherd
Image in the Public Domain
Sacred Violence and Good Shepherds
APRIL 21, 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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Acts 4:23-33
Psalm 23
1 John 3:1-2
John 10:11-18
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God of all power,
you called from death our Lord Jesus Christ,
the great shepherd of the sheep.
Send us as shepherds to rescue the lost,
to heal the injured,
and to feed one another with knowledge and understanding;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
OR
Almighty God,
you show the light of your truth to those in darkness,
to lead them into the way of righteousness.
Give strength to all who are joined in the family of the Church,
so that they will resolutely reject what erodes their faith
and firmly follow what faith requires;
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), 22
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Almighty God, merciful Father,
since you have wakened from death the Shepherd of your sheep,
grant us your Holy Spirit that we may know the voice of our Shepherd
and follow him that sin and death may never pluck us out of your hand;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 52
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The Fourth Sunday of Easter is Good Shepherd Sunday on more than one lectionary.
- YHWH is the Good Shepherd in Psalm 23. In that text, only divine goodness and steadfast love either pursue or accompany the psalmist. The enemies, not invited to the divine banquet, do not harm the psalmist.
- Jesus is the Good Shepherd in John 10. He knows his sheep, who, in turn, recognize him. And the Good Shepherd sacrifices himself for his sheep.
- Yet many in the “the world”–kosmos, in Greek–fail to recognize God and Jesus. These spiritually blind people live according to the values which the Beatitudes (Matthew 5) and the Beatitudes and Woes (Luke 6) contradict. Many of these spiritually blind people are conventionally religious, by the standards of their cultures or subcultures.
“Sacred violence” is a value of the kosmos, the morally disordered world. Notice the absence of “sacred violence” in Psalm 23 and John 10, O reader. God does not smite the psalmist’s foes. God does, however, force them to watch a grand banquet to which God did not invite them. And the perpetrators of the violence in John 10 are not acting out of divine love. These two readings contradict some disturbing stories of violence committed in the name of God and allegedly in obedience to divine commands. Elijah’s massacre of the prophets of Baal Peor (1 Kings 18:40-41) comes to my mind immediately.
I, having read the full canon of the Bible–all 73 books–reject the stereotype of God changing character between Testaments. Divine judgment and mercy exist in balance in both the Old and the New Testaments. Beautiful passages about divine mercy exist in both Testaments. Likewise, so do harrowing passages about divine judgment.
I am a Christian. Therefore, my concept of God hinges on Jesus of Nazareth. I read stories about Jesus dying violently, not having people killed. I read about Jesus expressing righteous anger, something everyone should do. Yet I read no stories about Jesus ordering hatred or violence. So, God, as I understand God, does not order hatred and violence either. No, God is love. God triumphs over hatred and violence with love.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 21, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FOURTH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH, AND JOHANN CHRISTIAN BACH, COMPOSERS
THE FEAST OF SAINT LUCIA OF VERONA, ITALIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC TERTIARY AND MARTYR, 1574
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARK GJANI, ALBANIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1947
THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF FLÜE AND HIS GRANDSON, SAINT CONRAD SCHEUBER, SWISS HERMITS
THE FEAST OF SAINT SERAPION OF THMUIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Mephibosheth Before David
Image in the Public Domain
Hesed
APRIL 28, 2024
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
2 Samuel 9:1-13a
Psalm 68:17-20
Revelation 19:1-10
Mark 8:1-10
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The reading from 2 Samuel 9 contains a wonderful Hebrew word, hesed, which can mean “faith” or “kindness.” For example, in 9:1 we read,
David inquired, “Is there anyone still left in the House of Saul with whom I can keep faith for the sake of Jonathan?”
—TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
The New Revised Standard Version (1989) uses the other translation:
David asked, “Is there anyone left of the House of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
Kindness is not always a simple matter. Treating Mephibosheth, the self-described “dead dog” and crippled son of Jonathan with mercy and prestige is easy enough. Furthermore, the miracle (the Feeding of the 4000) in Mark 8 is an example of extravagant and unambiguous kindness. But what about the contents of the other readings?
Babylon (the Roman Empire) has fallen in Revelation 18. The regime based on violence, oppression, and economic exploitation is no more. Those who benefited from relationships to the empire mourn its passing. We read of rejoicing in Heaven in Revelation 19. But what about the innocent victims of the fall of the empire? Might they also mourn the passing of the empire?
In Psalm 68 (a liturgy for a festival celebration in the Temple), taken in full, we read of God’s judgment and mercy. Yes, divine hesed is present, but so is God crushing the heads of his enemies (verse 21). As I have written repeatedly, good news for the oppressed is frequently catastrophic news for the unrepentant oppressors. Perhaps the enemies whose heads God crushes were harming the widows and orphans mentioned in verse 5.
There is more than enough divine hesed to go around, but each of us has the individual responsibility to practice hesed toward each other also. Furthermore, we have the collective responsibility to practice hesed institutionally, including as nation-states.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 14, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT METHODIUS I OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PATRIARCH
THE FEAST OF DOROTHY FRANCES BLOMFIELD GURNEY, ENGLISH POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF HANS ADOLF BRORSON, DANISH LUTHERAN BISHOP, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2017/06/14/hesed/
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Above: Joshua and the Israelite People
Image in the Public Domain
Resisting Evil Without Joining Its Ranks
MARCH 17, 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:
Deuteronomy 7:1-5
Psalm 141:1-4
Romans 13:1-7
Mark 13:21-23
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On this, the penultimate Sunday of Lent, we read of Jesus nearing Jerusalem. If I could summarize the ministry of Jesus in one word, that word would be love, often in opposition to authority figures. I raise that point because of the readings from Deuteronomy 7 and Romans 13, I refuse to condone or commit genocide and to support an oppressive government.
The context of Deuteronomy 7, certainly read in the context of two exiles, is the fact that sin is contagious; people influence each other. That fact, however, does not justify genocide, as the text does. Also, I cannot imagine Jesus commanding his followers to kill populations–or individuals.
As for Romans 13, certain leaders of the young and vulnerable church sought to avoid persecution of the church and counseled a “go along and get along” approach to the empire much of the time–except for sacrificing to false gods, of course. As I read Jesus in the Gospels, however, he died at the hands of the Roman Empire on the charge of being a threat to imperial security. He challenged authority, but not violently. St. Paul the Apostle was wrong in Romans 13:1-5.
Psalm 141, unfortunately, turns toward violence after verse 4. To choose not to be like evildoers is commendable. Sometimes violence might even be justifiable, as in the case of self-defense or the defense of others. But we must be careful not to become like our enemies as we resist them. If we fail in that objective, what good will we be able to commit?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 9, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT COLUMBA OF IONA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY AND ABBOT
THE FEAST OF GERHARD GIESCHEN, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHANN FRANCK, HEINRICH HELD, AND SIMON DACH, GERMAN LUTHERAN HYMN WRITERS
THE FEAST OF THOMAS JOSEPH POTTER, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2017/06/09/resisting-evil-without-joining-its-ranks/
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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: Mosaic, Church of the Multiplication, Tabgha, Israel
Image in the Public Domain
Spiritual Blindness
APRIL 28, 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:
1 Samuel 21:1-15 or 2 Kings 4:38-44
Psalm 49:(1-12) 13-20
Matthew 15:29-39; 16:10-12 or Mark 8:1-26
2 Corinthians 8:1-6 (7-15) 16-24
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Stories of a holy person feeding a multitude with a small amount of food and having leftovers rhyme, if you will, O reader, in the Bible. This day we read an account of Elisha feeding 100 men and parallel stories of Jesus feeding 4000 men (plus uncounted women and children) in Matthew 15 and about 4000 people in Mark 8. The mechanics of such feelings do not interest me, but the theological importance of them does. The Kingdom of God is here, and we can perceive that reality, if we are spiritually attuned. In the Kingdom of God one finds abundance for everyone; artificial scarcity is a human creation.
Meanwhile, in 2 Corinthians 8, St. Paul the Apostle is raising funds for the Church at Jerusalem. This becomes explicit in Chapter 9. He, quoting Exodus 16:18, originally about manna, makes a point about wealth, monetary and physical:
The one who had much did not have too much,
and the one who had little did not have too little.
–2 Corinthians 8:15, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
After all, we cannot take our money and possessions with us when we die. In this life we ought to use them for positive purposes. So, for example, if a rebel leader (David) pretending to be in the employ of King Saul needs bread for himself and his men takes the display bread reserved for priests to eat, the physical need overrides the ritual rules. (Yet, in 1 Samuel 22, the lie had fatal consequences for the priests.)
In the Kingdom of God scarcity is absent. So is the violence of someone such as King Saul. The ways of God are not the ways of human beings, despite our repeated attempts to make God fit into our categories. Part of this problem of attempting to make God fit into our categories is unavoidable, for, when we ponder God, we must do so from a human perspective. It is the only way we can think about God. Yet we must, if we are wise, recognize that our point of view is rather restricted. Our perspective might be, for example, the spiritual blindness of the Apostles of the leaven of the Pharisees. Reality is much broader than our narrow perspectives, we read. Are we willing to open our spiritual eyes?
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/spiritual-blindness-2/
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Above: Icon of the Resurrection
Image in the Public Domain
Christ, Violence, and Love
MARCH 31, 2024
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
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
MARCH 31, 2024
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
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: Christ on the Cross, by Gerard David
Image in the Public Domain
Kyrie Eleison
MARCH 29, 2024
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Ezra 9:5-15 or Jeremiah 25:15-38 or 2 Chronicles 7:1-22
Psalm 88
Luke 23:(1-12) 13-49
1 Peter 4:(1-8) 9-11 (12-14) 15-19
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The readings for this day speak of fiery ordeals. In 2 Chronicles 7, Jeremiah 25, Ezra 9, and Psalm 88, they occur because of faithlessness to God. These ordeals–divine punishment–lie in the future for the first two readings and in the past and the present in the last two lections. In the first three readings he sins are collective, but they are individual in Psalm 88. When we turn to Luke 23 and 1 Peter 4 we find that the suffering does not constitute divine punishment. Faith tells us that Jesus did not sin, and the predicted fiery ordeals in 1 Peter 4 result from one’s righteousness and the lack of righteousness of others.
God is unpleasant in the assigned readings from the Hebrew Bible. Perhaps the most concise passage to this effect is Jeremiah 25:27 (The New Revised Standard Version, 1989):
Then you shall say to them, Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink, get drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more, because of the sword that I am sending among you.
I reject Penal Substitutionary Atonement, the idea that Jesus died for my sins. That theory of the atonement portrays God as one in whom to stand in terror, not to love and respect. It depicts God as one who says,
I will not be content until some people torture and execute my innocent Son.
No, I am closer to the Classic Theory of the Atonement, or Christus Victor, of the Conquest of Satan. This theory of the atonement emphasizes the resurrection of Jesus. This makes sense to me because, without the resurrection, Jesus is dead. Dead Jesus cannot save anyone from anything–sins or damnation, especially. Actually, I propose that the entire earthly life of Jesus was the means of atonement. I prefer to leave the mechanics of the atonement vague, in full Eastern Orthodox style.
Good Friday is among the holiest days of the year. It is an occasion to reflect on the atonement and on social structures and institutions that kill the innocent. Good Friday is an especially appropriate day to pray for forgiveness for the evil we have done and the evil done on our behalf. Innocent people still suffer at the hands of other people. Scapegoating continues. State-sponsored violence is not just a matter of the past. The prayer of our Lord and Savior (“Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.”–Luke 23:34a, The Jerusalem Bible, 1966) remains relevant. Furthermore, sometimes they (we) do not know what they (we) are doing.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 10, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN NITSCHMANN, SR., MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND BISHOP; DAVID NITSCHMANN, JR., THE SYNDIC, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY BISHOP; AND DAVID NITSCHMANN, THE MARTYR, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF CECIL FRANCES ALEXANDER, POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN LUDWIG BRAU, NORWEGIAN MORAVIAN TEACHER AND POET
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN LEONARDI, FOUNDER OF THE CLERKS REGULAR OF THE MOTHER OF GOD OF LUCCA; AND JOSEPH CALASANCTIUS, FOUNDER OF THE CLERKS REGULAR OF RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/10/10/kyrie-eleison-2/
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Above: Ezra Reads the Law to the People, by Gustave Dore
Image in the Public Domain
The Sin of Favoritism
FEBRUARY 18, 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:
Deuteronomy 10:12-22 or Nehemiah 9:1-38
Psalm 6
John 7:1-13
Galatians 2:1-14 (15-21) or Galatians 1:1-24 or James 1:1-16 (17-27) or James 1:17-2:10 (2:11-13)
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The life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was under threat in John 7. He was, according to certain critics, a blasphemer. Those critics knew Leviticus 24:10-23 well; the punishment for blasphemy is death (by stoning). Saul of Tarsus, the future St. Paul the Apostle, thought that he was acting righteously when he stood by during the death of at least one Christian. Then he learned that he was wrong, that God showed no partiality or favoritism among the faithful, whether Jew or Gentile.
That caution against spiritual arrogance–sometimes expressed violently–is evident also in James 1 and 2. There we read that we have divine instructions to be impartial. To treat a prominent or wealthy person better than a poor person is impious, we read. The text also reminds us of the obligation to treat the poor and the vulnerable justly and with respect, thereby echoing Deuteronomy 10. Society and social institutions do, as a rule, favor the well-off and penalize the poor, do they not? This is societal sin.
Societal remorse for and repentance of this point and others would be nice. The scene in Nehemiah 9 follows the reading of the Law of Moses to Jews in Jerusalem after the end of the Babylonian Exile. Many people, upon hearing what they should have been doing, felt guilty and wept. Their leaders told them to rejoice in God (Nehemiah 8:9-12). Then the people fasted and confessed their sins. Next, in Chapter 10, they repented–turned their backs on their sins.
I want my society to express remorse for exploiting all vulnerable people, sometimes violently.. I want my society not to weep but to act to correct its foolish ways that harm the poor and all other vulnerable people. I want other societies to do the same. I want us to succeed in this great work, by grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 9, 2016 COMMON ERA
PROPER 21: THE TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF SAINT DENIS, BISHOP OF PARIS, AND HIS COMPANIONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF SAINT LUIS BERTRAN, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY PRIEST
THE FEAST OF ROBERT GROSSETESTE, SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF WILHELM WEXELS, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR; HIS NIECE, MARIE WEXELSEN, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN NOVELIST AND HYMN WRITER; LUDWIG LINDEMAN, NORWEGIAN ORGANIST AND MUSICOLOGIST; AND MAGNUS LANDSTAD, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, FOLKLORIST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMNAL EDITOR
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/10/09/the-sin-of-favoritism/
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Above: Yael Killing Sisera, by Palma the Younger
Image in the Public Domain
Violence, Victory, Hatred, and Perfect Love
APRIL 19, 2022
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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:
Judges 4:17-23; 5:24-31a
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Revelation 12:1-12
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The reading from Revelation, told in the language of symbols, is about the persecution of Christians. Martyrs in Heaven have conquered evil forces by dying, but their counterparts in the Church Militant remain vulnerable. Their day to sing, in the words of Psalm 118:16 (The Book of Common Prayer, 1979),
The right hand of the LORD has triumphed!
the right hand of the LORD is exalted!
the right hand of the LORD has triumphed!
resides in the future.
Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, knew how to triumph. She used a mallet to drive a tent pin through the temple of Sisera, the Canaanite army commander, until the pin went into the ground.
This is a devotion for Tuesday in Easter Week. Liturgically the death and resurrection of Jesus are therefore recent events. According to the Classic Theory of the Atonement, or Christus Victor for short, the proper emphasis falls on the reality that Jesus was dead only briefly. His resurrection thwarted evil plots, making clear the superior power of God, of perfect love. Jesus was a sacrifice, not a person committing or condoning deadly violence.
As I have written online many times, I am not naive. I understand that some evildoers will refuse to amend their ways. I grasp that human sinfulness necessitates a rescue operation sometimes, and that such missions have body counts much of the time. Yet I cannot imagine Jesus advocating for needless violence and militant religion. He was, after all not a zealot, a member of that group which sought to expel the Romans from Palestine forcefully.
The call to love my neighbors as I love myself reminds me that even those who would destroy me are my neighbors. Jesus interceded on behalf of such as these; should any of us who claim to follow him do any less?
The battle is God’s. We have the right to defend ourselves against threats, but may we never give in to hatred, a greater foe.
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/violence-victory-hatred-and-perfect-love/
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LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS 
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