Today's Readings and Stuff -- Sunday, 22 March 2015

Sunday, and we've had lunch.  The sun is shining, the temperature is -- slightly -- above freezing.  Just took a B.P. reading in preparation for a Dr. appointment I have in two weeks, the BP being one of the concerns and the reason for two of the three prescription meds that I take daily, and which seem to be working.  And I believe that they are both in the $4 group at the pharmacy at Wally World, which is a Very Good Thing.

Small turnout at church services this morning.  This is a small (and aging) congregation which means that outreach and evangelism either have not been successful, or not attempted.  Not sure which.  Evangelism is a tough thing in these "rust belt" areas.  Lots of people have completely lost hope,. more so even than in some of the mountain areas that have had generations of poverty; here, people sort of remember the "good old days" when the mills were working around the clock.  Of course, a lot of those paychecks then went to the taverns, the hookers, the gambling addictions (like barbut) that are part of the cultures represented by many of the inhabitants here.  Now the mills are mostly closed, the hookers are older and dead, and while the taverns and gambling still go on, the need to pay for doctors and meds for an aging population of people who've been carousers for 40 years or more, cramps the style.  Lots of empty houses, empty store fronts, empty lots, all the rest.  I guess they were looking for Hope in a bottle, not in the Lord.

Perhaps that's why we were sent here.

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The Old Testament reading is chapters 7,8 in the book of Joshua.
The conquest has barely begun, and already there is sin in the camp.

Joshua 7

1	But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.
2	And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.
3	And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labor thither; for they are but few.
4	So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
5	And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
6	And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
7	And Joshua said, Alas, O LORD God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
8	O LORD, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!
9	For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?
10	And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?
11	Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
12	Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
13	Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.
14	In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man.
15	And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
16	So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:
17	And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:
18	And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
19	And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.
20	And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
21	When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
22	So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
23	And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.
24	And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
25	And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
26	And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.

Joshua 8

1	And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:
2	And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.
3	So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valor, and sent them away by night.
4	And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:
5	And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them,
6	(For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.
7	Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.
8	And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of the LORD shall ye do. See, I have commanded you.
9	Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people.
10	And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.
11	And all the people, even the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley between them and Ai.
12	And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.
13	And when they had set the people, even all the host that was on the north of the city, and their liers in wait on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.
14	And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he wist not that there were liers in ambush against him behind the city.
15	And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
16	And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
17	And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.
18	And the LORD said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city.
19	And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand: and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set the city on fire.
20	And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.
21	And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai.
22	And the other issued out of the city against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side: and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape.
23	And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.
24	And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword.
25	And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.
26	For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
27	Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of the LORD which he commanded Joshua.
28	And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day.
29	And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcass down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.
30	Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,
31	As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.
32	And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.
33	And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.
34	And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law.
35	There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.

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The New Testament reading is verses 25-52 in the 2nd chapter of the Gospel of Luke.
Jesus is born and now to the Temple in Jerusalem.  Where they meet a man, Simeon, who has been waiting expectantly for Him.  His prayers are answered, and he thanks the Lord for that.  Quite worth listening  to him.
The passage concludes with Jesus and the family in the Temple again, years later, around the time He would be completing the Bar Mitzvah.  Starting to see him stepping out, quietly.

Luke 2:25-52

25	And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
26	And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27	And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
28	Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29	Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
30	For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
31	Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
32	A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
33	And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
34	And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
35	(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
36	And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
37	And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38	And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
39	And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
40	And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
41	Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
42	And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
43	And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.
44	But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
45	And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46	And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
47	And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48	And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49	And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
50	And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
51	And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
52	And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.