\u201cWhat\u2019s in a name? That which we call a rose \/ By any other name would smell as sweet.\u201d Arguably, Juliet\u2019s words about Romeo in the famous balcony scene from Shakespeare\u2019s play are among the most frequently quoted in Western culture. She speaks aloud, unaware that he is below in the garden, listening. Juliet wonders why the man she loves must bear the name of the family with whom her family is in a blood feud; she reflects on the properties of names and their relationship to the things they represent. Not only do Shakespeare\u2019s works exemplify the limitations of names and of language itself, but also our creaturely ability and freedom to play within those limits.<\/p>\n\n
Doxology. I love \u201clogy\u201d words, the \u201cspeaking of\u201d words. These words, such as psychology, sociology, biology and even theology, abound in contemporary American language. James Luther Mays, in his commentary on the Psalms, states that \u201cour tendency is to see the world as a complex to be explained and exploited.\u201d We are so conscious of being, conscious of our world that often our \u201cpoetic and mythological vision is dimmed\u201d (\u201cInterpretation: A Commentary for Teaching and Preaching,\u201d John Knox Press, 1994, p. 138).<\/p>\n\n
The \u201cologies\u201d attempt to be scientific and objective, and attempt to make ideas manageable. Perhaps these words are among the best examples of our creatureliness. This is why I particularly love \u201cdoxology,\u201d which is the \u201cspeaking of praise\u201d to God. This makes it the perfect word for Psalm 29; we use a word that is all about \u201cthe speaking of praise\u201d to God in order to describe a song that is all about sound and voice; Qowl<\/em>, the Hebrew word for voice, sound, noise, appears nine times within five of the song\u2019s verses. And yet, this one word, with its quiet, lyrical sound, cannot contain the psalm.<\/p>\n\n Praise God whose powerful voice cannot be contained in a few words, but whose glory and action in our lives we yet can celebrate with our voices, our words.<\/p>\n\n In today\u2019s reading, Peter asks, \u201cCan anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?\u201d (v. 47).<\/p>\n\n Luke\u2019s relating of Peter\u2019s experiences prior to this statement, from his vision of the clean and unclean on the sheet and his encounter with the gentile centurion, Cornelius, in Chapter 10, suggest that perhaps the apostle might be on the path to truly trusting in Jesus and in God, rather than in earthly things. We are all familiar with the Peter of the gospels, who is afraid, lacking trust, who denies not only Jesus\u2019 assertions about what is to come in Jerusalem but also denies even knowing Christ. That Peter appears to have all but disappeared in this story. Though he is \u201cpuzzled\u201d by the vision sent by God, he does not hesitate to obey the Spirit\u2019s instructions when the Spirit says to go with Cornelius\u2019 men.<\/p>\n\n Peter\u2019s growing trust mirrors his growing understanding. His trust in God allows Peter to articulate his belief to those present, which translates itself into the action of baptism and sharing. Then he is able to articulate the same to those in Jerusalem who questioned his actions regarding the gentiles. They, in turn, trust this revelation through Peter, which leads to praise of God and to the forming of a community greater than any of the apostles thought possible.<\/p>\n\n Take a moment and read the part of Eucharistic Prayer C (Book of Common Prayer, p. 372), which asks for \u201cdeliverance from the presumption of coming to this Table for solace only, and not for strength; for pardon only, and not for renewal.\u201d How might this prayer be related to today\u2019s gospel reading?<\/p>\n\n Isaiah 42:1-9 \u201cWhat\u2019s in a name? That which we call a rose \/ By any other name would smell as sweet.\u201d Arguably, Juliet\u2019s words about Romeo in the famous balcony scene from Shakespeare\u2019s play are among the most frequently quoted in Western culture. She speaks aloud, unaware that he is below in the garden, listening….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201221,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[23,32,52,3],"tags":[161],"class_list":["post-766637","bible_study","type-bible_study","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-studies","category-epiphany","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-epiphany-1a"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":23,"label":"Bible Studies"},{"value":32,"label":"Epiphany"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":161,"label":"Epiphany 1A"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/766637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bible_study"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/766637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":951837,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/766637\/revisions\/951837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=766637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=766637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=766637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Acts 10:34-43<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
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Matthew 3:13-17<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
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