10 January 2015

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 10 January 2015

VERY cold here, still.  It was -4 degrees when I woke this morning, as of this moment it is all the way up to +12.  Farenheit, that is.  Yes, it is cold.  Hot water line to bathroom sink is frozen, has been all day.  Still is.  We are told that tomorrow, Sunday, it may actually get all the way up to +31, which is likely to be the "warmest" day of the coming calendar week.  Lows will all be just above the 0 mark.  Back door was frozen shut against this morning.  Again.  It freed up, briefly, around noon or thereabouts, but is frozen again.
And I had hoped to run to the pharmacy today.  Didn't.  Need to do so tomorrow, because I have one med, a mandatory every morning pill that I have only one left, and another that I have 4 left.  Will pick them both up at the same trip.  31 degrees is more like what I want to drive in, than 12 degrees is.
We've been stuck inside all day, cold drafts easily felt, and nothing that can be done for it.  Dressing a bit warm, dreading what the gas bill will look like.  But this too shall pass.

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1
Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
2
And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
3
And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
4
And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
5
And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.
6
But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.
7
And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.
8
Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
9
And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;
10
The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.
11
And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.
12
Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham:
13
And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
14
And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,
15
Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:
16
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.
17
And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.
18
And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.
19
And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begat Isaac:
20
And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
21
And Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22
And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD.
23
And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
24
And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25
And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.
26
And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.
27
And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.
28
And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29
And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
30
And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
31
And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
32
And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
33
And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
34
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.


1
And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.
2
And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
3
Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;
4
And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
5
Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
6
And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:
7
And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.
8
And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.
9
And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife; and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.
10
And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.
11
And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.
12
Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.
13
And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:
14
For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.
15
For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.
16
And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.
17
And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
18
And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.
19
And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.
20
And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.
21
And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.
22
And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.
23
And he went up from thence to Beersheba.
24
And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.
25
And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well.
26
Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.
27
And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?
28
And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;
29
That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD.
30
And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.
31
And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.
32
And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.
33
And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.
34
And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:
35
Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.




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The New Testament reading is verses 1-17 in chapter 9 of the Gospel of Matthew.

1
And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.
2
And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
3
And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.
4
And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
5
For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?
6
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.
7
And he arose, and departed to his house.
8
But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
9
And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
10
And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.
11
And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
12
But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
13
But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
14
Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
15
And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
16
No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
17
Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

09 January 2015

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 09 January 2015

it is awful cold here.  Going to around -2 tonight which, combined with high winds out of Alberta, Canada, will combine to yield a wind chill effect of between -20 and -25 degrees F.  It's called an Ohio winter.  Somehow, "Global Warming" sounds like a good idea.  Too bad it is not true.

Went to take a shower this morning, the drain in the tub/shower was frozen up and not allowing drainage at all.  VERY brief shower ensued, followed by an effort lasting until well into the late afternoon before it cleared at all.  Finally did.  Hurrah.  Better yet, the "back" door, the one we almost always use, which has been frozen shut for three days, finally FINALLY thawed enough to open.  Of such small graces are we blessed.

Oh, and a good bit of snow besides, with more on the way.  I HAVE to go to the pharmacy tomorrow, I have two meds that are about to run out.  We are not expecting a thaw, meaning ANY temperatures above 32 degrees F until the latter part of next week.  So, like it or not, I'll have to head out, very carefully.  It's a long time until Spring hits, and in this part of the country, the Vernal Equinox does not mean sunshine, warm temps, birds singing, flowers, all that .  It's just another day:  I can recall one time when I was a small kid, when we had SNOW on May 1.  Snow.  In May.  So this weather, lousy as it is, is not entirely unprecedented.

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The Old Testament reading is chapters 23 and 24 in the Genesis.  The story of Abraham is drawing closer to an end, and it is here that his son and heir Isaac takes a wife, Rebekah.  An arranged marriage, as they often were, but it seems to have worked, and many of those entered into in our modern ways don't always seem to work as well.

1
And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.
2
And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
3
And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,
4
I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
5
And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,
6
Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.
7
And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.
8
And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,
9
That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you.
10
And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
11
Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.
12
And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.
13
And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.
14
And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,
15
My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
16
And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.
17
And the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure
18
Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.
19
And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.
20
And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.


1
And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
2
And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
3
And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
4
But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
5
And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?
6
And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.
7
The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.
8
And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.
9
And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
10
And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.
11
And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.
12
And he said O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham.
13
Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:
14
And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast showed kindness unto my master.
15
And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
16
And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
17
And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.
18
And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
19
And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
20
And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
21
And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
22
And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;
23
And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in?
24
And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.
25
She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.
26
And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.
27
And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.
28
And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother's house these things.
29
And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.
30
And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.
31
And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.
32
And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that were with him.
33
And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.
34
And he said, I am Abraham's servant.
35
And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.
36
And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.
37
And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:
38
But thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.
39
And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.
40
And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house:
41
Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.
42
And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:
43
Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;
44
And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master's son.
45
And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
46
And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also.
47
And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, the daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.
48
And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter unto his son.
49
And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.
50
Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
51
Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken.
52
And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
53
And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.
54
And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.
55
And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.
56
And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
57
And they said, We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth.
58
And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
59
And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.
60
And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
61
And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
62
And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.
63
And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.
64
And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
65
For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.
66
And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
67
And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.





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The New Testament reading is chapter 8 of the Gospel of Matthew.  This is the time immediately after Jesus came down of the mountain.


1
When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
2
And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
3
And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
4
And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
5
And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
6
And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
7
And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
8
The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
9
For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
10
When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
11
And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
12
But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
13
And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
14
And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.
15
And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.
16
When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
17
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
18
Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.
19
And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
20
And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
21
And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
22
But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
23
And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
24
And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
25
And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
26
And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
27
But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
28
And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
29
And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
30
And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
31
So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.
32
And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.
33
And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.
34
And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

 




08 January 2015

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 08 January 2015

ahh yes.  Waking at 06:00 to +1 degree outside.  Nothing quite like it.  I hope.  Dear Wife had to be next door to "watch" beloved great-niece while mom and dad are off to work.  Watched the Little One a few hours yesterday afternoon as well.  Niece had previously arranged another "sitter", but in the +7 degree weather, didn't want to take her out in that.  Tried to call off, but instead had to go in earlier than planned as four others already had called off.  So Dear Wife has the little one as mom works 7 a.m. to 7 p.m..  Dad should be home by 6:30 or so.  I'm running some coffee over in a little bit. 
Oh, and our back door, the one we mostly use, is frozen shut.  Evidently had some water run off the roof, missing the gutter there, and get into things.  Had it open briefly yesterday morning, then couldn't get it to latch -- ice got into the latch and had to use a hair dryer to thaw enough to open it.  So we go out the other door now, and it's a much longer slog through the snow and ice.
I miss the Deep South, awfully.

I see by the news that there is additional violence in France.  Not only did the Islamic heathens murder a dozen yesterday in Paris, but there was another shooting of a police officer last night in another location.  Perp is also thought to be an adherent of the Religion of Pieces.  Yep.  Celebrate Diversity.  Right!???

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The Old Testament passage here is chapters 20, 21, and 22 of the Genesis. More of the accounts of Abraham.  Quite a life he led, and much of what roils our world even today, thousands of years later, comes out of what went on in his life, then.  Our lives matter, long after we are gone, too.


1
And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.
2
And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
3
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.
4
But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, LORD, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?
5
Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.
6
And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
7
Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.
8
Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.
9
Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.
10
And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?
11
And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.
12
And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
13
And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt show unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
14
And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
15
And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.
16
And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.
17
So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
18
For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.


1
And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
2
For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
3
And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
4
And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.
5
And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.
6
And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.
7
And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.
8
And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
9
And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.
10
Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
11
And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.
12
And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
13
And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
14
And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15
And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
16
And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
17
And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.
18
Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.
19
And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
20
And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
21
And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
22
And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:
23
Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.
24
And Abraham said, I will swear.
25
And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.
26
And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing; neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.
27
And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.
28
And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
29
And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?
30
And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.
31
Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them.
32
Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.
33
And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.
34
And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.


1
And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3
And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
4
Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5
And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
6
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
7
And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9
And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10
And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11
And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12
And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13
And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14
And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
15
And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
16
And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
19
So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
20
And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;
21
Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,
22
And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.
23
And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
24
And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.





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The New Testament passage is chapter 7 in the Gospel of Matthew.  This is the final section of the Sermon on the Mount.


1
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
6
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
7
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9
Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10
Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
12
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
13
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
15
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
24
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
28
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
29
For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.