Today's Readings and Stuff -- Monday, 28 January 2019

Happy Monday.  I hope.


A song for the day, one that some may not recognize.  That's Him.

A tender blade of grass so green Crushed in the footprint of the Nazarene Sprang back and waved a message to a bird on the wing That's Him In a mighty old river in the noonday sun An outcast kept crying, "I tell you He's the One" Then, a voice out of Heaven said, "I'm pleased with My Son" That's Him That's Him, He's Sharon's rose That's Him, our Morning Star that glows He's Alpha, Omega, the beginning and the end That's Him Angry waves splashing everywhere He's asleep in the boat, does He even care? We're all so afraid, He just keeps lying there That's Him Then He raised His hands above His head Said, "Peace, be still" and the water fled A wave tapped the wind on the shoulder and said, "Shh, that's Him" That's Him, that's Him There'll be two at work in a field one day One will be left, the other called away One falls to his knees, "It's too late" he'll say 'Cause that's Him With one foot on the sea and one on the shore Declaring the time, it will never be anymore The trumpet will shout like never before That's Him That's Him, He's Sharon's rose, that's Him Our Morning Star that glows He's Alpha, Omega, beginning and the end That's Him He's Alpha, Omega, the beginning and the end That's Him, that's Him


Am trying to keep things properly in perspective.
First, Wife's bladder/kidney infection is no better.  Pretty much what classes as "normal" for us after she has a round of antibiotics for something else, so it's not totally a surprise.  No fun and painful, but not completely surprising.  She decided to try something new, so she called our insurance company and got the number for the "tele-med" operation that they cover.  Meaning we don't need to go to the doctor for something like this, so in this case the operation is out of Cleveland Clinic, a pretty reputable and professional operation.  She contacted them, and, after about 40 minutes in a hold pattern, got to talk to a Nurse Practioner there, who agreed and called in a prescription for this very malady.  It's been sent to a local pharmacy on this side of The Line (her license doesn't extend across the state line), and we're waiting for notification that it's been filled.  A whole $ 3.81 after insurance, for which we are very grateful.

Second, the horrid Ice Giants stuff.  We woke to a toasty +2° this morning.  The heater under the hovel helped preserve the pipes and we have running water (thank You Lord) uninterrupted.  That's good.  What's bad is that shortly after we woke, breakers tripped that protect that circuit.  So I unplugged the cord after resetting the breaker, sensing a VERY hot cord, which is not a good sign.  We're supposedly to get up to 36° today, which seems downright semi-tropical in comparison.  But Wednesday's "high" is predicted at +2° with a low of -7°.   In comparison, our former home is expected to see +62° today, the one before that to see +54°.  Both sound much much better.  Oh, well.


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Exodus 5

1And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

2And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.

3And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

4And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.

5And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.

6And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,

7Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.

8And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.

9Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.

10And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.

11Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.

12So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.

13And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

14And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?

15Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?

16There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.

17But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord.

18Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.

19And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.

20And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:

21And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

22And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?

23For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

Exodus 6

1Then the Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.

2And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord:

3And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them.

4And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.

5And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.

6Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:

7And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

8And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the Lord.

9And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.

10And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

11Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.

12And Moses spake before the Lord, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?

13And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

14These be the heads of their fathers' houses: The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel; Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi: these be the families of Reuben.

15And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman: these are the families of Simeon.

16And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari: and the years of the life of Levi were an hundred thirty and seven years.

17The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimei, according to their families.

18And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years.

19And the sons of Merari; Mahli and Mushi: these are the families of Levi according to their generations.

20And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.

21And the sons of Izhar; Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri.

22And the sons of Uzziel; Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Zithri.

23And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

24And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korhites.

25And Eleazar Aaron's son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bare him Phinehas: these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families.

26These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the Lord said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.

27These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron.

28And it came to pass on the day when the Lord spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt,

29That the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I am the Lord: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee.

30And Moses said before the Lord, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?

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Psalm 20

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.

1The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;

2Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;

3Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.

4Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.

5We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions.

6Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.

7Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

8They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.

9Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call.

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Matthew 20

1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.

5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.

6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.

8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.

11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,

12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

17And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,

18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,

19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

20Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.

21And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.

22But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

23And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

24And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.

25But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

29And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.

30And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.

31And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.

32And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?

33They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.

34So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.