Well, we seem to have survived Thanksgiving Day. By the way, I absolutely refuse the terms of "turkey day" and the like. No, it's not primarily a religious holiday, not one of the "High Holy Days", but it means something. Means a great deal to me, and triggers quite a few memories, going back to childhood (my own) and also to the days of our young family. Many of those memories are of persons who have Crossed the River Jordan, and there are many others as well. They mean something.
The Lord has been very very VERY good to us, and -- speaking only for myself -- we don't deserve it. It is proper to recall that, and to make a point of thanking Him. Not a bad idea to thank those humans who have made life worthwhile. In some cases, that is not possible due to death, distance, estrangements, and whatever. But still worth the attempt.
We went to the home of one of Wife's nephews and family for the great get-together. A great time was had by all. We ate around 1:00 p.m., then cleaned up and left. There was to be a second gathering with nephew's wife's family, in an adjacent town, with a drop-dead time of 3:30. Cuts down on the gathering after the meal, which as some know is not always the best climate. To say the least.
So we came home, rested after the busy morning and afternoon, washed a BUNCH of dishes, by Yours Truly, by hand. Munched on left-overs. Pretty typical, probably.
But the Occasion pretty much marks the beginning of the "Holiday Season", a period that pretty much begins today and ends on January 1. For most. Yes, in the Orthodox churches, Christmas will be marked on 7 January 2019.
And we have a family occasion on this coming Sunday. Wife's birthday is this coming Sunday, day after tomorrow. I've not been able to get her anything yet, the few dollars I'd set aside to get her something got reassigned to pay an overdue bill. And, while my S.S. check went in on Wednesday, two doctor operations that we'd made arrangement for partial payment siphoned off $50 more than was agreed, which sucked off the money I'd planned to use. So, it may have to wait until this coming Wednesday when her Disability check hits. Not a great deal of money, but something. So I'll get her something, but it won't be much. But we have each other. Worth a lot. We've been through some "stuff" in our lives, not smooth sailing ever. But it's all good.
Wife's turning that donated turkey into a bunch of food. So we'll have the oven, crock pots (two, one big, one small), an air fryer, and other stuff going. Going to smell real good around here! We had put that frozen bird in the refrigerator on Monday evening to thaw. Took it out an hour ago. STILL frozen! She'd planned to butcher it up this morning, cook some, freeze the rest or make into soup, etc. etc. Hard to cut up 14 pounds of frozen bird. So she's got something going to partially thaw it. Oh well.
Supposed to be all the way up to 43° today, an improvement from the 24° I woke up to.. Downright tropical! Might hit 47° on Sunday. And we still have a month to go until official Winter. Yesterday our "high" was 26° below the norm for the day, an average over many years. Set a new record for the low as well. Been the case over much of the nation this month. The "average" high for today, over many years, is 58°. So much for the idiot screams of "global warming", a lie if there ever was one. We're now down to around 9 hours 37 seconds of "day" , losing nearly 2 minutes every day. LONG time until Spring.
And my sleep was, well, not "troubled", but some songs came to mind in that half awake zone that I'm prone to.
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. Any argument on that one?
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
look full in His wonderful face
and the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
Lord, I Need You. This song, this attitude, this cry of the heart, is becoming part of me. I need Him, desperately and every moment. Pay attention to the words.
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1Moreover, when ye shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, ye shall offer an oblation unto the Lord, an holy portion of the land: the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand. This shall be holy in all the borders thereof round about.
2Of this there shall be for the sanctuary five hundred in length, with five hundred in breadth, square round about; and fifty cubits round about for the suburbs thereof.
3And of this measure shalt thou measure the length of five and twenty thousand, and the breadth of ten thousand: and in it shall be the sanctuary and the most holy place.
4The holy portion of the land shall be for the priests the ministers of the sanctuary, which shall come near to minister unto the Lord: and it shall be a place for their houses, and an holy place for the sanctuary.
5And the five and twenty thousand of length, and the ten thousand of breadth, shall also the Levites, the ministers of the house, have for themselves, for a possession for twenty chambers.
6And ye shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand broad, and five and twenty thousand long, over against the oblation of the holy portion: it shall be for the whole house of Israel.
7And a portion shall be for the prince on the one side and on the other side of the oblation of the holy portion, and of the possession of the city, before the oblation of the holy portion, and before the possession of the city, from the west side westward, and from the east side eastward: and the length shall be over against one of the portions, from the west border unto the east border.
8In the land shall be his possession in Israel: and my princes shall no more oppress my people; and the rest of the land shall they give to the house of Israel according to their tribes.
9Thus saith the Lord God; Let it suffice you, O princes of Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice, take away your exactions from my people, saith the Lord God.
10Ye shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath.
11The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain the tenth part of an homer, and the ephah the tenth part of an homer: the measure thereof shall be after the homer.
12And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs: twenty shekels, five and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be your maneh.
13This is the oblation that ye shall offer; the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of wheat, and ye shall give the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of barley:
14Concerning the ordinance of oil, the bath of oil, ye shall offer the tenth part of a bath out of the cor, which is an homer of ten baths; for ten baths are an homer:
15And one lamb out of the flock, out of two hundred, out of the fat pastures of Israel; for a meat offering, and for a burnt offering, and for peace offerings, to make reconciliation for them, saith the Lord God.
16All the people of the land shall give this oblation for the prince in Israel.
17And it shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.
18Thus saith the Lord God; In the first month, in the first day of the month, thou shalt take a young bullock without blemish, and cleanse the sanctuary:
19And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering, and put it upon the posts of the house, and upon the four corners of the settle of the altar, and upon the posts of the gate of the inner court.
20And so thou shalt do the seventh day of the month for every one that erreth, and for him that is simple: so shall ye reconcile the house.
21In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.
22And upon that day shall the prince prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin offering.
23And seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the Lord, seven bullocks and seven rams without blemish daily the seven days; and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering.
24And he shall prepare a meat offering of an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and an hin of oil for an ephah.
25In the seventh month, in the fifteenth day of the month, shall he do the like in the feast of the seven days, according to the sin offering, according to the burnt offering, and according to the meat offering, and according to the oil.
Ezekiel 46
1Thus saith the Lord God; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
2And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.
3Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the Lord in the sabbaths and in the new moons.
4And the burnt offering that the prince shall offer unto the Lordin the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish.
5And the meat offering shall be an ephah for a ram, and the meat offering for the lambs as he shall be able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah.
6And in the day of the new moon it shall be a young bullock without blemish, and six lambs, and a ram: they shall be without blemish.
7And he shall prepare a meat offering, an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs according as his hand shall attain unto, and an hin of oil to an ephah.
8And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of that gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof.
9But when the people of the land shall come before the Lord in the solemn feasts, he that entereth in by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; and he that entereth by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth over against it.
10And the prince in the midst of them, when they go in, shall go in; and when they go forth, shall go forth.
11And in the feasts and in the solemnities the meat offering shall be an ephah to a bullock, and an ephah to a ram, and to the lambs as he is able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah.
12Now when the prince shall prepare a voluntary burnt offering or peace offerings voluntarily unto the Lord, one shall then open him the gate that looketh toward the east, and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, as he did on the sabbath day: then he shall go forth; and after his going forth one shall shut the gate.
13Thou shalt daily prepare a burnt offering unto the Lord of a lamb of the first year without blemish: thou shalt prepare it every morning.
14And thou shalt prepare a meat offering for it every morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of an hin of oil, to temper with the fine flour; a meat offering continually by a perpetual ordinance unto the Lord.
15Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meat offering, and the oil, every morning for a continual burnt offering.
16Thus saith the Lord God; If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons'; it shall be their possession by inheritance.
17But if he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his to the year of liberty; after it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall be his sons' for them.
18Moreover the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession; but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession: that my people be not scattered every man from his possession.
19After he brought me through the entry, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests, which looked toward the north: and, behold, there was a place on the two sides westward.
20Then said he unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meat offering; that they bear them not out into the utter court, to sanctify the people.
21Then he brought me forth into the utter court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and, behold, in every corner of the court there was a court.
22In the four corners of the court there were courts joined of forty cubits long and thirty broad: these four corners were of one measure.
23And there was a row of building round about in them, round about them four, and it was made with boiling places under the rows round about.
24Then said he unto me, These are the places of them that boil, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.
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The completion of 1st John is here. You could do a whole lot of teaching and preaching out of this passage. A whole lot.
1Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
2By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
4For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
6This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
7For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
8And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
9If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
10He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
11And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
14And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
16If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
17All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
18We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
19And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
20And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
21Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
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