Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 10 January 2018

Actually above freezing for a few hours today.  Supposed to hit 55° tomorrow!  But Sunday's "high" still looking to be around +16°.  And remain in that region for the week thereafter.  Boo!  But I am reminded that tomorrow we pick up another minute and 18 seconds of daylight.  That's some progress, albeit grudging and slow.  But it's something.
We still have no water here, and I am told we're not the only ones in that fix.  I was at the hardware store again this afternoon (after picking up a refill of one of Wife's meds.  I was by no means the only person looking for the same items to deal with the same issues.  And we're not even halfway through January, the usual worst weather is yet to come.  In fact, starting Friday, just a few days from now, we're supposedly going to get one of those monumental snow events.  4"-8" perhaps, 8"-12" also possible.
Brother-in-law had promised to come by late this afternoon and we'd make another attempt on the broken water lines in the crawl space.  No sign of him nor word from him.  He knows a lot more about this than I do, so I'm relying rather heavily on him.  But no show.  I imagine that there was a reason.


Our Psalm today suggests the song of the day.  How Majestic Is Your Name
There are two very distinct versions, I like them both very much.  Here is the other, the one I'm more familiar with and have sung.  Though our version was longer by a good bit.

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Today from the Old Testament, chapters 19 and 20 of the Genesis.
Now, fair warning.  The behavior of Lot's daughters is pretty bad.  His getting drunk allowed it.  And the results of that bad behavior troubled the earth for a very long time, and perhaps today even.

Genesis  19

19:1		And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
19:2		And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
19:3		And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
19:4		But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
19:5		And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
19:6		And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
19:7		And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
19:8		Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.
19:9		And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
19:10		But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
19:11		And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
19:12		And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
19:13		For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
19:14		And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
19:15		And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
19:16		And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
19:17		And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
19:18		And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my LORD:
19:19		Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
19:20		Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.
19:21		And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.
19:22		Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
19:23		The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
19:24		Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
19:25		And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
19:26		But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
19:27		And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:
19:28		And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.
19:29		And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.
19:30		And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
19:31		And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:
19:32		Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
19:33		And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
19:34		And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
19:35		And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
19:36		Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.
19:37		And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
19:38		And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

Genesis 20

20:1		And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.
20:2		And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
20:3		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.
20:4		But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, LORD, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?
20:5		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.
20:6		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.
20:7		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.
20:8		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.
20:9		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.
20:10		And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?
20:11		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.
20:12		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.
20:13		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 shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
20:14		And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
20:15		And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.
20:16		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.
20:17		So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
20:18		For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.

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The selection for today in the Poetry category is Psalm 8

Psalms 8

8:1		O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
8:2		Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
8:3		When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
8:4		What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
8:5		For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
8:6		Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
8:7		All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8:8		The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
8:9		O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

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The day's reading in the New Testament is chapter 8 in the Gospel of Matthew
Verse 34 and around it has always troubled me.  Here, Jesus did a great thing for a poor fellow.  The result?  "Go away!"

Matthew 8

8:1		When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
8:2		And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
8:3		And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
8:4		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.
8:5		And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
8:6		And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
8:7		And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
8:8		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.
8:9		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.
8:10		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.
8:11		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.
8:12		But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
8:13		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.
8:14		And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.
8:15		And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.
8:16		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:
8:17		That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
8:18		Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.
8:19		And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
8:20		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.
8:21		And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
8:22		But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
8:23		And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
8:24		And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
8:25		And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
8:26		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.
8:27		But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
8:28		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.
8:29		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?
8:30		And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
8:31		So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.
8:32		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.
8:33		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.
8:34		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.