Tuesday • 9/5/2023 •
Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week After Pentecost (Proper 17)
This morning’s Scriptures are: Psalm 26; Psalm 28; 1 Kings 8:65–9:9; James 2:14–26; Mark 14:66–72
This morning’s Canticles are: following the OT reading, Canticle 13 (“A Song of Praise,” BCP, p. 90); following the Epistle reading, Canticle 18 (“A Song to the Lamb,” Revelation 4:11; 5:9–10, 13, BCP, p. 93)
Welcome to Daily Office Devotions, where every Monday through Friday we draw insights from that day’s Scripture readings, as given in the Book of Common Prayer. I’m Reggie Kidd, and I’m grateful to be with you. This Tuesday in the Season After Pentecost our readings come from Proper 17 of Year 1 in the Daily Office Lectionary.
It’s not for no reason that the Office of Morning Prayer includes this daily invitation to confession: “And so that we may prepare ourselves in heart and mind to worship him, let us kneel in silence, and with penitent and obedient hearts confess our sins, that we may obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy.”
We all—all of us—carry within ourselves an outsized capacity for self-deception and rebellion against the God who loves us and cares for us. So, each morning we are invited to clear the deck, and start afresh.
Image: The Denial of St Peter, Gerard Seghers 1591-1651. oil on canvas, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Each of today’s readings invites reflection on a potential soft spot: divided loyalty (Solomon), dead orthodoxy (James), and cowardly betrayal (Peter).
Solomon and divided loyalty. I once heard it said, “Saul had no heart for God, David had a whole heart for God, and Solomon had half a heart for God.” The saying lacks nuance, but it captures some broad truths. Especially when it comes to Solomon.
Yahweh appears to Solomon in the same fashion he had earlier in 1 Kings 3 when Solomon had wisely asked for, and had received, wisdom. Now, on the heels of the spectacular successes and blessings of the building of God’s temple and “the king’s house and all that Solomon desired to build” (1 Kings 9:1), Yahweh comes to him again. He comes to remind Solomon of where all the goodness comes from. He wants Solomon to know that he does not have the option of giving part of his heart to the Lord, while allowing the rest of his heart to “go and serve other gods and worship them” (2 Kings 9:6). The consequences of such duplicity will be grave: “I will cut Israel off from the land that I have given them” (1 Kings 9:7,8). The beautiful temple will become a heap of ruins, and Solomon will make of Israel an object lesson in bad things happening to bad people.
Solomon’s story will indeed take the bad turn Yahweh warns him about. His story is told so your story and my story don’t have to. Lord, have mercy.
James and dead orthodoxy. James pokes a finger in the eye of those of us who hide cold and unloving hearts behind correctly articulated theological statements. James anticipates the saying of my teacher and colleague John Frame: “Theology is application.” James’s and Professor Frame’s point is that your true theology is what you live. Lex vivendi lex credendi. “The law of living is the law of believing.” Our only justification for calling ourselves God’s children is that we show it in our lives!” Lord, have mercy!
Peter and cowardly betrayal. Unlike the person (whether real or imagined) that James is sparring with, Peter wants to do better—he really does. When Peter turns coward and denies even knowing Jesus, his mouth doesn’t run contrary to his heart, but it does run ahead of his heart. Nor is there any Solomonic half-heartedness here. We know he’s “all in”—but until Pentecost and the baptism, indwelling, and empowering of the Spirit of God, it’s clear that he’s simply not ready to back up brave words. There’s a good lesson there for every one of us. Lord, have mercy!
Whether it’s for our half-heartedness, our pretense, our bluster, or whatever, it is always good to start the day this way:
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
We can pray that way because we know that in the God of the Bible is infinite mercy and readiness to forgive.
Be blessed this day,
Reggie Kidd+