Today's Readings and Stuff -- Sunday, 09 September 2018

Happy Sunday to all.  I hope it has been a good day.

It has been raining here since last night, supposed to continue all night and into tomorrow morning some time.  Some areas were predicted to get as much as 5", and all areas to get quite a bit of rain.  There are reports of power outages all around us, some of which may be due to the storms and standing water and consequences of that.
So it makes for a gray and dreary day.

Added to that is the awareness that in a few days we will remember that day, 17 years ago now, when the attacks on America took place on 9/11/2001.  I will say more about that on that day.

But the big item in my mind is that, in just a few hours, we will mark our 30th wedding anniversary.  She has been such a blessing, and we thank the Lord for bringing us together against all hope.  We also thank Him for holding us up in and through some very difficult situations, and does so today. Things are not where we would have liked them to be, but He is driving this bus, and He's been faithful.  We thank Him.
We found a forgotten "gift card" from Christmas that is worth $20 towards a meal at a local Hot Heads Burrito restaurant just Across The Line from here, so we'll mark the anniversary with a dinner "out", something we are very rarely able to do (and generally only when someone else is buying, as the case here).  Not the classic venue for a big anniversary dinner, but it will do.
I would have liked to buy her something nice and to have a big family get-together, but this will do. 


Song of the day.  "Praise Him, Jesus Our Blessed Redeemer".
This is one of the MANY that was brought to us by Fanny Crosby, the blind hymn author. 

Praise Him praise Him Jesus our blessed Redeemer Sing O earth His wonderful love proclaim Hail Him hail Him highest archangels in glory Strength and honor give to His holy Name Like a shepherd Jesus will guard His children In His arms He carries them all day long Chorus: Praise Him praise Him tell of His excellent greatness Praise Him praise Him ever in joyful song Praise Him praise Him Jesus our blessed Redeemer For our sins He suffered and bled and died He our Rock our hope of eternal salvation Hail Him hail Him Jesus the crucified Sound His praises Jesus Who bore our sorrows Love unbounded wonderful deep and strong Praise Him praise Him Jesus our blessed Redeemer Heavenly portals loud with Hosannas ring Jesus Saviour reigneth forever and ever Crown Him crown Him Prophet and Priest and King Christ is coming over the world victorious Power and glory unto the Lord belong

And all God's people said, AMEN!

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Isaiah 19

1The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.

2And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.

3And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

4And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts.

5And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.

6And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.

7The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.

8The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.

9Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded.

10And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.

11Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?

12Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the Lord of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.

13The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Memphis are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.

14The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.

15Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.

16In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which he shaketh over it.

17And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts, which he hath determined against it.

18In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the Lord of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction.

19In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord.

20And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the Lordbecause of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.

21And the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord, and perform it.

22And the Lord shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the Lord, and he shall be entreated of them, and shall heal them.

23In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.

24In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:

25Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

Isaiah 20

1In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it;

2At the same time spake the Lord by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.

3And the Lord said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;

4So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

5And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.

6And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape?