Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 09 February 2018 with some addition

Happy Friday to all who stop by.

This is one of "those" days.  A drive halfway across the county (ok, not quite but is sure feels like it) to a hospital.  Wife has to have one of her periodic mammograms:  one of the by-products of her conditions is an increased potential for breast cancer.  Her last one was three years ago, at a different location (same network).  And, at the same time they've scheduled some "labs" for both of us.  They're checking me for cholesterol, A1C, etc.  Hers will be more extensive.  And, of course, it has to be "fasting blood work", so no food after 8 p.m. last evening.  Doesn't bother me, but bothers her a whole lot.  The second we get out of here she'll be wanting food now!
And, of course, this is in the midst of a particularly snowy and nasty northeast Ohio winter.  The roads were not really all that clear yesterday, though certainly far better than was the case on Wednesday. Not as bad this morning as I had feared. 
So, I am sitting in waiting area of the mammography department as they do their thing.  Could be worse.
I shouldn't gripe: I spent MANY years driving these roads this time of the year.  Now, that was 35 years ago too, which makes a difference.  At least we haven't -- yet -- got the pounding that is hitting Chicago now and tomorrow.  They're expecting a total of at least a 20 inches of new snow.  On top of the existing.  What was that about Catastrophic Global Warming and the end of snow??
And how does that jibe with tonight's cold?

Anyway, we're  doing the Thing.

+++  Update here +++++
We're home now, and have broke the fast that the "blood work" demanded.  Roads are not great (to say the least) and we did experience some ice.  But it's better than Wednesday was, the road trucks are out (at least in a few places).

While there, for some odd reason I can't explain, a song came to mind, one I'd not heard in a VERY long time.  Couldn't even remember the title, it took a bit of research to find it.  The title is "Children of the Heavenly Father".  It comes from Sweden, which is a bit odd to this "Dutch" (Deutsch) boy.  But it's an old favorite, and has been sung, and still is, in a lot of places, including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (musically, they're great.  Theologically, no.).  And I sang it as a kid and teen.  Now, I miss it.
Note the pause, appropriately, before what I regard as the most important verse:  Though He giveth or He taketh, God His children ne'er forsaketh.  THAT is the phrase that kept running though my mind earlier, and still is.    If you have ever thought, somehow, that the Lord had closed His ears to your cries, that your prayers bounced off the closed gates to Heaven, that all was lost, this hits you.  I've been there.  Perhaps you been have as well.  Or will be.  

Children of the heav’nly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in Heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.

God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish;
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.

Lo, their very hairs He numbers,
And no daily care encumbers
Them that share His ev’ry blessing
And His help in woes distressing.

Praise the Lord in joyful numbers:
Your Protector never slumbers.
At the will of your Defender
Ev’ry foeman must surrender.

+++  Update ends here +++++


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Our day's reading in the Old Testament is chapters 29 and 30 in the Exodus.  Do not lose track of the recognition that these are the very words of the Lord, giving specific and detailed instructions for the methods, personnel, and patterns of worship to be followed. 

Exodus 29

29:1 And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,

29:2 And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them.

29:3 And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams.

29:4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.

29:5 And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod:

29:6 And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.

29:7 Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.

29:8 And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them.

29:9 And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.

29:10 And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.

29:11 And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

29:12 And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.

29:13 And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar.

29:14 But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.

29:15 Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.

29:16 And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar.

29:17 And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head.

29:18 And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

29:19 And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.

29:20 Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.

29:21 And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.

29:22 Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and the right shoulder; for it is a ram of consecration:

29:23 And one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the LORD:

29:24 And thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons; and shalt wave them for a wave offering before the LORD.

29:25 And thou shalt receive them of their hands, and burn them upon the altar for a burnt offering, for a sweet savor before the LORD: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

29:26 And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron's consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before the LORD: and it shall be thy part.

29:27 And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons:

29:28 And it shall be Aaron's and his sons' by a statute for ever from the children of Israel: for it is an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their heave offering unto the LORD.

29:29 And the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons' after him, to be anointed therein, and to be consecrated in them.

29:30 And that son that is priest in his stead shall put them on seven days, when he cometh into the tabernacle of the congregation to minister in the holy place.

29:31 And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the holy place.

29:32 And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

29:33 And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy.

29:34 And if ought of the flesh of the consecrations, or of the bread, remain unto the morning, then thou shalt burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

29:35 And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things which I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them.

29:36 And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it.

29:37 Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.

29:38 Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually.

29:39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:

29:40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering.

29:41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

29:42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.

29:43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.

29:44 And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office.

29:45 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.

29:46 And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.

Exodus 30

30:1 And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.

30:2 A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same.

30:3 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.

30:4 And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal.

30:5 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.

30:6 And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.

30:7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.

30:8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.

30:9 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.

30:10 And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.

30:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

30:12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.

30:13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD.

30:14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD.

30:15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

30:16 And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

30:17 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

30:18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.

30:19 For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:

30:20 When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD:

30:21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

30:22 Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

30:23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,

30:24 And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:

30:25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

30:26 And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,

30:27 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense,

30:28 And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.

30:29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.

30:30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.

30:31 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.

30:32 Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.

30:33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people.

30:34 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:

30:35 And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:

30:36 And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.

30:37 And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD.

30:38 Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.



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The Poetry reading today is Psalm 30.

Psalm 30

30:1 I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.

30:2 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

30:3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

30:4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

30:6 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.

30:7 LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.

30:8 I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.

30:9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?

30:10 Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.

30:11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

30:12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.




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The New Testament passage is chapter 2 in the Gospel of Mark.
The story in verses 2 through 12 remind me of a favorite song using this as the springboard.  My Name Is Lazarus.

Mark 2

2:1 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.

2:2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.

2:3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.

2:4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

2:6 But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,

2:7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

2:8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

2:9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?

2:10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)

2:11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

2:12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

2:13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.

2:14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

2:15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.

2:16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

2:17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

2:18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

2:19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

2:20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

2:21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.

2:22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.

2:23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.

2:24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

2:25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?

2:26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?

2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.