Today's Readings and Stuff -- Monday, 26 February 2018

Last Monday in February.
Some sign of progress towards a better time of the year:  our "day" is now up to 11 hours 7 minutes, and we are said to be gaining 2 minutes 41 seconds more by tomorrow.  So the Equinox, the first of Spring and the 12  hour "day" is coming on.  None too soon, of that I am sure.  I despise winter and have, my whole life. Snow is evil!

Been a wild weekend, beginning Friday evening.
We were commanded to appear at a get-together Friday evening.  Fun, I guess.  But as noted, next-door-niece and husband were there, with kids, including the baby now all of 8 months old.  Some swelling on his head was noted, and they decamped for the children's hospital.  Much to-do, and a CAT scan revealed a hairline skull fracture.  Not exactly unknown in kids that age who are wanting to walk, so pulling themselves up on whatever will hold still, and frequent falls.  But with some pretty ghastly cases of child abuse revealed in this region, everyone was suddenly in that "CYA" and "let's be sure" mode.  So, full body X-rays, which showed no other fractures, examinations of the Little Guy, which revealed none of the chronic bruises associated with abuse.  And an ambulance transport (with a $2500 bill now due) to the main campus of the Children's Hospital, a good 90 minute distant.  At which the medical people did NOTHING, except to troop doctors in and out so as to generate "billable hours", some invoices already received!  And, of course, several persons from Children's Services, all of who presume that the parents are guilty of High Crimes.  And kept the family cooped up, REFUSING to let the baby have a bottle even!, until around 8 a.m.  With frequent interviews from the CSB types.  Until around 8 a.m.  Then turned them loose without even any directions on caring for the baby.  Niece is on the phone with their pediatrician right now, looking for that.  Oh, and they've placed an order for a baby-sized protective helmet for him.  Yes, it seems that matters like this happen often enough that someone is manufacturing protective headgear to protect the little ones until they are good at walking.
So that had the whole family in disarray.

And then ..
As noted, our decades of living far away from here meant that the family-type gatherings that Wife highly values didn't include her.  With us being back, she wants to be in on as many of these as finances and, in particular, her health, permit.  OK.
So, there was one of those Big Deals yesterday.  Big get-together of those sharing Wife's maiden name, to be held about half an hour west of here.  We went.  Big get-together.  Lots of the "do you remember when .......?" stuff.  Lots of interesting stories, I guess.
What I thought interesting, particularly in light of the events of Friday night/Saturday morning, was one of the individuals in attendance.  He USED to be a nurse.  No longer.  Seems he got caught up in a drug scandal, and lost his licensing.  Not exactly unknown.  So he's in school again (not sure who is paying, but it's one of those on-line things), gaining the credentials to be a Hospital ADMINISTRATOR!  So, his druggie record keeps him from having direct patient care, but he will be credentialed to boss around those who do.  And, perhaps, have access to some of the drug cabinets.  This is known as "progress", I guess.
Oh, and he was there with his "boyfriend" or something like that.
We got to hear and see the various accounts and participants in some cases of what we've come to refer to as "serial monogamy". 

It was late when we got home from all this togetherness and mirth.  The day was done and I have little to show for it.  Frequently the case, I fear. 

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Today in the Old Testament, Leviticus 23 and 24

Leviticus 23

1  And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

3  Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

4  These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

5  In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord's passover.

6  And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.

7  In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

8  But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

9  And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

10  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest

11  And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

12  And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord.

13  And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the Lord for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.

14  And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

15  And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:

16  Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord.

17  Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord.

18  And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the Lord, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the Lord.

19  Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.

20  And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest.

21  And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

22  And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God.

23  And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

24  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

25  Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

26  And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

27  Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

28  And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God.

29  For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

30  And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.

31  Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

32  It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.

33  And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

34  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord.

35  On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

36  Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.

37  These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:

38  Beside the sabbaths of the Lord, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the Lord.

39  Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.

40  And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.

41  And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

42  Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:

43  That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

44  And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.

Leviticus 24

1  And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2  Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually.to cause: Heb. to cause to ascend

3  Without the veil of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the Lord continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations.

4  He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the Lord continually.

5  And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.

6  And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord.

7  And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

8  Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.

9  And it shall be Aaron's and his sons'; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the Lord made by fire by a perpetual statute.

10  And the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: and this son of the Israelite woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp;

11  And the Israelite woman's son blasphemed the name of the Lord, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses: (and his mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:)

12  And they put him in ward, that the mind of the Lord might be shewed them.

13  And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

14  Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.

15  And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin.

16  And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death.

17  And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.killeth…: Heb. smiteth the life of a man

18  And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast.beast for…: Heb. life for life

19  And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him;

20  Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again.

21  And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death.

22  Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the Lord your God.

23  And Moses spake to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses.

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The Poetry reading for today is Psalm 41

Psalm 41

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.

 

1  Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble

2  The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies

3  The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

4  I said, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.

5  Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?

6  And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.

7  All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt.

8  An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.

9  Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

10  But thou, O Lord, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them.

11  By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.

12  And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever.

13  Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.

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The New Testament reading today is chapter 13 of the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 13

1  And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!

2  And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

3  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,

4  Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?

5And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:

6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.

8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.

11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.

13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

14  But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:

15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:

16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.

17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.

19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.

20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:

22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,

25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.

26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:

29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.

30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.

31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.

35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:

36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.