the church of the
ascension
in the city of
new york
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thursday, February 26
Psalm 37: 1-18 / Titus 1: 1-16 / John 1: 29-34
The first sentence in the King James Version of John's Gospel is memorable: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The text appointed for today is equally beautiful. John recognizes Jesus as the Lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world when he sees the "Spirit" descend upon him and remain there.
The Psalm and the Epistle present the age-old problem of good and evil. The Psalmist advises us not to be concerned about "evildoers" but to "trust in the Lord," who will cause the swords of the wicked, drawn against the poor and needy, to turn on themselves, thereby leaving the land to the righteous. "The meek shall inherit the earth," he concludes. Paul's letter to Titus may be in response to the latter's plea for help in managing the Christian community on Crete. Paul does not mince words. He reminds Titus to "ordain" elders in each town, "blameless" men who are faithful to their wives and to Christian doctrine. He also warns Titus, his "true-born son in the faith which we share," about converts who are "unruly talkers and deceivers" ("out of all control" in the New English Bible). It appears that the early Christians had difficulty in maintaining their identity while curbing the fanaticism of some of their followers. Isn't this situation similar to the Church's today? On the one hand we struggle against the materialism of the world around us. On the other we try to limit the damage done by misguided fanatics who insist that their interpretation of Scripture is the only valid one.
— Charles Hill
The first sentence in the King James Version of John's Gospel is memorable: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The text appointed for today is equally beautiful. John recognizes Jesus as the Lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world when he sees the "Spirit" descend upon him and remain there.
The Psalm and the Epistle present the age-old problem of good and evil. The Psalmist advises us not to be concerned about "evildoers" but to "trust in the Lord," who will cause the swords of the wicked, drawn against the poor and needy, to turn on themselves, thereby leaving the land to the righteous. "The meek shall inherit the earth," he concludes. Paul's letter to Titus may be in response to the latter's plea for help in managing the Christian community on Crete. Paul does not mince words. He reminds Titus to "ordain" elders in each town, "blameless" men who are faithful to their wives and to Christian doctrine. He also warns Titus, his "true-born son in the faith which we share," about converts who are "unruly talkers and deceivers" ("out of all control" in the New English Bible). It appears that the early Christians had difficulty in maintaining their identity while curbing the fanaticism of some of their followers. Isn't this situation similar to the Church's today? On the one hand we struggle against the materialism of the world around us. On the other we try to limit the damage done by misguided fanatics who insist that their interpretation of Scripture is the only valid one.
— Charles Hill
