Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 08 February 2018

Another day closer to decent weather, I guess.  Yesterday was pretty nasty, and not just around here.  Our family (daughter and husband), friends, former neighbors and former co-workers in NW Arkansas, western Oklahoma, etc. got and are getting hit with ice storms and other lousy weather.  More "global warming" no doubt.  But we gain about another 2-1/2 minutes of "day" today, and a second or two more than that tomorrow.  So we are making some headway, at least by the astronomer's measure.  The weather people, not so much.  But I've seen this show before.  We'll get there, eventually.  But being down to around 11° last night means that the drain from the shower is frozen, so she got a quick one and I didn't get one at all.  So stay upwind from me, please.

Snowing right now, in fact.  Not heavily, but you can't see where I shoveled yesterday afternoon, so I "get" to do it again.  And, perhaps, brush off the vehicle.  We have to be halfway across the county at 08:00 tomorrow, and I would prefer to avoid needing to dig out out in the dark.  Not that I get a vote in that little matter either.

I can hear the weekly pickup from the garbage service outside right now.  They usually come through here right around now on Thursday.  I put our trash out last night, as I normally do.  Niece's husband next door usually puts theirs out around 07:00, just as he leaves for work.  But last week, the service came through at 06:40, so their can wasn't out there yet, which has led to some strange work-arounds all week.  Isn't it amazing how the little things that we generally don't even think of, can upset things in odd and unexpected ways?  It doesn't take much, does it?  Most people throw away far too much stuff as it is.  Packaging stuff mostly.  We don't toss much packaged stuff, we don't buy much packaged stuff anyway, it's too expensive for us and it's not like we have a tight schedule these days.  Tossing an empty bag that had flour in it doesn't take much space.

Been struggling with some thoughts that hit me after a song of the day the other day, CeCe Winan's "Alabaster Box".  Love the song anyway, but a line in the lyrics (well, several,actually) are pounding on me.
One is the line about "you don't know the cost of my praise".  Well, it's true.  Our praise is in part a recognition of the magnificence of the Lord, and no argument there.  But it's also in large part a recognition of how low we were, how enmeshed in sin and pain, how utterly hopeless we were.  And are, without Him.  The "cost of my praise" is a recognition of what it cost Him to bring us so far.  Yes, there is a sort of cost to us, a recognition of the pain and suffering and utter hopelessness He brings us from.  Our sin should make us sorrowful, and penitent.  It's a serious thing.  I for one have known people who were so entrenched in their life and character of sin that they fully expected Hell and damnation, and some of them have attained that.  I also know some who, and I'm one, were miraculously delivered. 
Another line from the song is "you were not there the night that Jesus found me".  And that is also true.  Each one of us has a story, a story and memory of hitting rock bottom.  And, given the option of life through Him, or despair and death, were granted life.  That's a song worth singing!


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more here today on the details of the Tabernacle and of the system of worship to be associated with it in the service of the Lord.  Detailed instructions, some of our "creative" types would probably chafe at it.

Exodus 27

27:1 And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.

27:2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.

27:3 And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basins, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.

27:4 And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brazen rings in the four corners thereof.

27:5 And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.

27:6 And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.

27:7 And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.

27:8 Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.

27:9 And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:

27:10 And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.

27:11 And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.

27:12 And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.

27:13 And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.

27:14 The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.

27:15 And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.

27:16 And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.

27:17 All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.

27:18 The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.

27:19 All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.

27:20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.

27:21 In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

Exodus 28

28:1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.

28:2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.

28:3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

28:4 And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

28:5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.

28:6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.

28:7 It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together.

28:8 And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

28:9 And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:

28:10 Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.

28:11 With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.

28:12 And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial.

28:13 And thou shalt make ouches of gold;

28:14 And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathed work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathed chains to the ouches.

28:15 And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.

28:16 Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.

28:17 And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.

28:18 And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.

28:19 And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.

28:20 And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.

28:21 And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.

28:22 And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathed work of pure gold.

28:23 And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.

28:24 And thou shalt put the two wreathed chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate.

28:25 And the other two ends of the two wreathed chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it.

28:26 And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward.

28:27 And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.

28:28 And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod.

28:29 And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.

28:30 And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.

28:31 And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

28:32 And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent.

28:33 And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:

28:34 A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.

28:35 And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

28:36 And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

28:37 And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.

28:38 And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.

28:39 And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework.

28:40 And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.

28:41 And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.

28:42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:

28:43 And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.




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Psalm 29

29:1 Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.

29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

29:3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.

29:4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

29:5 The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.

29:6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.

29:7 The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.

29:8 The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.

29:9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.

29:10 The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.

29:11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.




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Our reading today in the New Testament has us beginning the Gospel of Mark.    So, chapter 1.  Mark gets down to business pretty quick.

Mark 1

1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

1:2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

1:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

1:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

1:5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

1:6 And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;

1:7 And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.

1:8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

1:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

1:10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:

1:11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

1:12 And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness.

1:13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

1:16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

1:17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

1:18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.

1:19 And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.

1:20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.

1:21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.

1:22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

1:23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

1:24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

1:25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.

1:26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

1:27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

1:28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

1:29 And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

1:30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.

1:31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.

1:32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.

1:33 And all the city was gathered together at the door.

1:34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

1:36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.

1:37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.

1:38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.

1:39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.

1:40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

1:41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

1:42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

1:43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;

1:44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

1:45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.