Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 05 January 2016

Sigh.  Another of "those days".  Or weeks, perhaps.

We had this part of the week somewhat planned.  Yesterday, Dear Wife was going to cut my hair.  Today she was going to "watch" the Little One, the great-niece next door.  And a few other things were in the works as well.  Didn't happen.  Wife has been running a low-grade fever for more than a week now.  One of the nasty effects of the autoimmune diseases that she suffers with, is that the immune systems, having nothing better to do, attack the good things in the body.  Things like skin, eyes, heart, kidneys, and, well, you get the idea.  The remedy is drugs that suppress the immune systems,  Which, in turn, keep those systems from fighting the real germs, etc., as well as having their own sometimes nasty side effects.  So she's probably got a low level sinus thing going, or a cold, or whatever.  One of those drugs, a very good one but extremely high dollar, is taken weekly by self-administered injections and is on the schedule for today, but will be skipped.  And we have a doctor appointment set for Monday morning.  At which time, hopefully, her situation will be addressed.  There have been some new, worrisome developments.  Like hives or welts or rashes or something that mysteriously appear on her back or arms or legs, generally where she's resting her arms on the chair or has wrinkles in her dress in the back or such.  A bit of hydrocortisone cream on the affected areas gets some relief, often nearly immediately, and also helps with the intense itching that seems to accompany all of this.  Perhaps the doc can shed some light on this as well.

But the result of all of this is that she wasn't able to be upright long enough to do the barber thing yesterday, and it may be awhile before she can.  So I look like Jeremiah Johnson.

And it also meant that she didn't feel up to taking care of the Little One today, and asked Niece to find an alternate.  Didn't help that great-niece is sick herself.  Niece asked her mother to substitute, but it would appear that this didn't happen either, as niece's car is still next door.  I'd imagine that she had to call off work herself, which is not what they need right now.

Niece and her husband went to doc yesterday for an ultrasound.  She's recently (Christmas Day) announced that "they" are pregnant.   Due in June in fact.  And as a result of yesterday, it is thought that the new arrival will be a boy.  Neat!  And the name is now set.  The father's name is Robert.  His father's name is Robert.  HIS father's name is Robert (and he's still with us).   So we expect to have a Robert IV later this year.  Not the worst heritage, but I'm glad I didn't get my dad's first name, a rather obscure Biblical one, thought not quite as bad as Habakkuk.

So Wife is on the recliner, with a blanket doubled up over her and an orange cat on top of that, staying warm.

She had a rough night, not helped by that "rescue" kitten/cat getting a "bug" or a "conniption" and racing through the place, using us as part of the race course, leading to me tossing her (the cat) out of the bedroom and securing the door.  Wife got a bit of fitful sleep after that, as did I, but when we were wakened at 04:58 by several "starving" creatures at the bedroom door, I got up and fed them, and she decided to relocate to the recliner.  She often sleeps better in it than in bed, and that proved to be the case, and she slept, hard, until nearly 10:00, which was probably what she needed.  I also laid down in bed and slept, hard for an hour or so, and then kept things quiet so she could sleep as long as possible.  I sat quietly and read. 

Not the most exciting life, but we had a place to sleep and food to eat, and the Lord looking over it all.  We're blessed and grateful.  Now, a miraculous healing would be most welcome, but perhaps He has a better plan.  We shall see.

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The Old Testament reading today is chapters 12, 13, and 14 of the Genesis.  Abram is being led by the Lord from where he was to where the Lord wanted him to be.  And we see here the Lord's promises to him, of the possession of a land that his descendants would have.  Descendants that he, Abram, already an old man, had none of.  None.  I'm sure Abram was sorely tempted to wonder, "Are You kidding me, Lord?".  Tempted, because none of this seemed possible in any way.  Except that it did come to pass.  Not without struggle, and those struggles continue to this very day.  Look up on maps some of those locations.  Hebron, for example.  It's on the "West Bank" of the Jordan River, south of Jerusalem.  The ill-named "palestinians" claim it, but it was and still is part of the patrimony granted by the Lord to the Jews.  Same for Bethel, which is north of Jerusalem.  The louts of the U.N. deny all of that, sadly with the connivance of Obama, but the Lord over-rules all of them.
We also see here the appearance of one Melchizedek, king of Salem.  I presume that "Salem" later became known as "Jerusalem". 

Genesis 12

1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. 6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. 8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. 9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. 10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. 14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. 15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. 16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. 17 And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? 19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. 20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

Genesis 13

1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; 4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD. 5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. 8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. 14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. 16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. 17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. 18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.

Genesis 14

1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations; 2 That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. 3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea. 4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emins in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness. 7 And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar. 8 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim; 9 With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five. 10 And the vale of Siddim was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain. 11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. 12 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. 13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. 14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. 15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. 16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. 17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. 21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. 22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, 23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: 24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

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The New Testament passage is verses 1-26 from the 5th chapter in the Gospel of Matthew.
This is the beginning of what is normally called the Sermon on the Mount.  This is as good an exposition of our faith as there is to be found.  One could, and should, meditate at length on every individual verse and phrase.  Doing so for a year, or a month, wouldn't be a bad element of any serious Bible study.  This is setting one's heart to hear and obey the Lord in everything, beginning with our innermost thoughts and attitudes.  It certainly makes my own to be lacking His perfection, but that's the point of having a target.

Matthew 5:1-26

1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:  

2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,  

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.  

5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.  

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.  

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.  

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.  

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.  

13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.  

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 

18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.  

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.  

21 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:  

22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.  

23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;  

24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 

25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.  

26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 04 January 2017

Not a good night for Dear Wife.  After I got up at 05:45 to feed cats, etc. and try to get going, she finally lapsed into a deep sleep, first she'd had all night.  She's still asleep, though at least one cat is in there curled up to give her warmth and some emotional support for both of them.  I don't pretend to understand, never will.  I got up and did the "morning routine" stuff.  Made a tin of muffins for us, but probably over-baked them a bit.  Taste good anyway. 

She'd promised to cut my hair today:  I haven't been to a real barber since around 2003, saves a bit of money over the last 13-1/2 years.  That was the same guy, by the way, who had given Elvis Presley his first military haircut.  Fred has passed on now, but his son is the mayor of that little town in western Arkansas.  Some of those people who, had it not been for our having careened across half the United States, we'd have never met.  That was back in Arkansas, which was both before and after sojourns in east Tennessee, and before our time in Alabama, before our move back to Ohio. 

So, perhaps, I'll get some hairs cut.  Starting to look like Jeremiah Johnson, or the like.  At least one of our neighbors cuts his OWN hair, which I'm not quite ready to do.  I guess that if you put the right size "comb" on the clippers and do the whole thing at a uniform length, it's OK.  Not quite ready for either an all-over buzz cut, or shaving it as one does.  Of course, if I lose much more, it'll be an option.  I've seen photos of my dad at age 30 (before I was born) and he was essentially bald, a receding hairline that took most everything back to the "crown".  I'm a good bit past 30 now, and still have more than he did, so I should be grateful.  I guess.  And, yes, mom cut his hair, and the rest of us boys' hair as well.  Money was well beyond tight.

The news this morning is already full of woe, and rancor, and troubles.  I guess it was ever thus, but it can wear one down.  Certainly can't really be permanently fixed by human efforts, we have thousands of years of history to confirm that.

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The Old Testament reading this morning is chapters 9, 10, and 11 of the Genesis.
Been quite a lot here in just a few days.  From the Creation, to the Fall, to Cain and Abel, to the Flood, and the Tower of Babel.  And now we see Shem and his descendants including Abram - later to be renamed Abraham -- and his wife Sarai, later to be Sarah.  The ancestors of many.  But we also see the start of the Canaanites, and many others who will be present later in the records.   The results of the other two sons of Noah, Ham and Japeth, are and have long been subjects of speculation and controversy.  I don't pretend to know the truth of the matter, and perhaps it is not all that important in the chain of events that leads to the Christ, and to our world today.  I dimply do not know, and doubt that anyone living really does.

Genesis 9

1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. 3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. 4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. 5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. 6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. 7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein. 8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. 11 And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. 12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. 17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth. 18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. 19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread. 20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. 24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. 26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. 29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

Genesis 10

1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. 2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. 3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. 6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. 7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. 8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, 12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city. 13 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, 14 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim. 15 And Canaan begat Sidon his first born, and Heth, 16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite, 17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, 18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. 19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha. 20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations. 21 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born. 22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. 23 And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. 24 And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber. 25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan. 26 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, 27 And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, 28 And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba, 29 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan. 30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east. 31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. 32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

Genesis 11

1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. 10 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: 11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: 13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: 15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: 17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. 18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: 19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters. 20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: 21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. 22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: 23 And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: 25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. 26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. 27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. 28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

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The New Testament passage is chapter 4 of the Gospel of Matthew.
Jesus, having been baptized by John and confirmed by the Spirit, is tempted.  And resists the tempter.  Great success events are often immediately followed by the attacks of the devil.  Even Jesus, so don't be surprised. 
And then He begins calling His disciples.  I don't think they'd woken that morning expecting that.  Possibly they had heard of Him, hard to tell.  But note something:  it records that when He called, they IMMEDIATELY left whatever they were doing, and leaving their whole life and world behind them, abandoned all to follow Him.  That's still the model.  Easy to say, hard to do.

Matthew 4

1 Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. 12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; 13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: 14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. 25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Tuesday, 03 January 2016

Groan!  The alarm went off at 05:45 this morning, as it does every morning that Dear Wife has to "watch" the Great-Niece next door.  She tries to be over there around 06:50 or so.  So I wake, read -- while in bed yet -- the passages shown below, and sometimes related ones.  A short period of prayer and thought, and then up.  Throw on some clothes (wife says they look like they were "thrown on"), feed cats, make her some coffee and breakfast, and the other "morning chores".

Morning is not my time.  Never every has been.  What makes it doubly tough is the rather "unusual" schedule I ran for many many years.  When younger, worked for about five years on an 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. shift.  Unusual, right?  Then worked for several years on an 11 pm - 7 a.m schedule, and then in class (in another town, by the way) from 8 a.m. to around 3 pm.  Then home, snooze a bit.  Oh, and eat something too.  During all of that, was living like a hermit.  Then 4 more years of up at 05:30, be at work 20+ miles away by 7:30, until 4 p.m., then in class -- 24 miles or so, in another leg of the triangle, until around 7 pm, then back home a 12 mile drive.  Eat and sleep a bit.  Then, after marriage and some relocations and becoming a father, up at 6, at work by 7:30, in class by 5, then to sitters for kids, then home and take care of them, sleep a few hours, and get up and do it again.  Even the last 5-1/2 years of my work life, I spent on at least 3 different schedules.  Some had me at work (46 miles away) by 07:30 for 11 hours or so, some had me at work at 5:45 pm until about 05:30, some had variations on this.  So my body has NEVER had a consistent pattern that seems natural to me.  Even now, there are times I can't sleep until nearly dawn, other times I'm collapsing by 10:30 pm.  Trying to set a more regular life now, but sometimes the thoughts and memories keep me awake.  And in the still of the night, sometimes the mind goes places it can't go during the day. 

So I'm up.  Got Wife off to "watch" the Little One.  Took my morning meds and supplements.  Haven't eaten a bite yet (but had two big mugs of coffee).  Have one load of laundry into the dryer now and a second in the washing machine now.  Will try to "nuke" some leftover something in a bit. Then carry a mug of coffee over to Dear Wife. 

Have the TV on right now, which is unusual for me -- I generally just have a tab open on the computer and music playing, but Wife likes it on while she's getting ready.  But I am sick unto death of the lies and propagandizing by the talking heads of the  Fake Stream Media.  Sound like a mix of the Clinton propaganda, with an admixture of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Socialist Labor bunch, NAMBLA, and La Vey's old Church of Satan group.  The Democrat Party, in other words.  Dislike paying for the "privilege" of hearing these creeps.  Something to be said, I guess, for being aware of the Other Side, but it's like swimming in sewage.

So we turn our attention from the darkness to the Light, knowing that the Light will surely prevail.
It is too easy to be mired in the darkness and lose track of the Light.

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The Old Testament passage for the day is chapters 6, 7, and 8 of the Genesis.
Was it only two days ago that we were reading that the Lord looked at what He had made, and said it was good?  How quickly things head in the wrong direction!  Some things never change, do they?  Now sin has entered our DNA, and makes itself known.  Death and violence and evil imaginings.  That certainly has not changed.  So the Lord steps in.  This is the story of Noah and the Flood.  Yes, evil is real, and has consequences.  The reality of evil is denied by all the liberals, of course, but it plays out before us and in our own lives and hearts too.  It's in the DNA, or even more basic than that.  How often have we heard bad behavior excused by the "it's the way I was born"?  Perhaps it is.  That's why the we are told, " you must be born again"!  It's the only way!

Genesis 6

1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. 15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. 17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. 18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. 20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. 21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. 22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Genesis 7

1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. 3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. 4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. 5 And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. 6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. 7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, 9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; 14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. 15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. 16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in. 17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. 18 And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. 23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

Genesis 8

1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged; 2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; 3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. 4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. 6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: 7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. 8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; 9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. 10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; 11 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. 12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more. 13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. 15 And God spake unto Noah, saying, 16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. 17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. 18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark. 20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savor; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

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The New Testament reading is chapter 3 form the Gospel of Matthew.
We've seen the birth of Jesus.  Matthew doesn't did not include anything about His early life, but here we see Him grown up.  And the meeting between He and John.  This is the baptism of Jesus, and the Spirit descending upon Him.  And what amounts to a confirmation of His earthly ministry.
There are those who've made the point that this is much like what still occurs in some family businesses.  Say, for example, Goldman & Son Hardware Store.  At some point, the senior Mr. Goldman will step back, and hand the keys to that son.  Sometimes, particularly in Jewish communities (but not only there), there may be a gathering of the other small businesses and friends there, and Mr. Goldman may set his hands upon the son, and announce the transfer.  Sounds very similar to what is shown here.
And now things get going.

Matthew 3

1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. 13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Monday, 02 January 2017

G'day to all who happen by.  A somewhat nice day, by local standards anyway.  The temperature is not only in the positive numbers, but is actually above the freezing point.  Today at least.  Now. the coming Thursday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday period is expected to have "high" temperatures in the mid-20's, with lows in the low teens.  Not my every dream come true, but still in the positive digits.  Later?  we shall see.  I do note that our former home in central Alabama is predicting lows in the mid-20's in that same period, something they're not accustomed to.  Snow showers there on Saturday as well.  And the weather radar in the area shows some "active" weather right this minute.  Our former home in west Arkansas is predicting lows below freezing over the Tuesday -- Sunday night period, with lows in the teens Friday and Saturday nights.  Our former home in East Tennessee has lows well below freezing in the Wednesday night-Sunday night period, which gets scary driving on the mountain roads there.   Here, at least, there is some road clearing equipment, and by this time of the season, most (I did say "most") of the locals have recalled the techniques for driving in these conditions.

Yesterday was a good day, and I think a good day to begin the year.  Starting the year with church worship service and prayer is a good way to begin, not only the year, but one's day as well.  The Lord will not mind, not a bit, if we look to Him every morning, before the troubles and cares and temptations of the day take hold.  Or the dissipations either:  I confess to spending entirely too much time and attention on things that have no positive eternal significance.  Better to start out with an expressed desire to be obedient to what He says, no matter what.  Something that was reinforced in the worship service and sermon yesterday, and I think more than a few of us were in the same mind.  Let us carry it forward through the year.  With His help.


I had to make a run to the Big Box store this morning for Dear Wife.  Some things we needed simply are not available at our nearby market, not at all.  So off to the Big Box.  Drove by some sad-looking gas stations en route.  We live on the border of the Ohio-Pennsylvania line.  The dolts and louts of Pennsylvania chose to, as of yesterday, add to what was already the nation's highest gasoline tax.  So it went from $0.70/ gallon to $0.78/ gallon.  Since the gas prices on the line were already about $0.22 higher in PA than in Ohio, and there were already a whole lot of those who live near the line coming onto the Ohio side to fill up, that will only increase.  And the PA roads will still be lousy, the traffic signals will still be abominably orchestrated, and the "connected" within PENN-DOT will get raises.  And the operators of the gas stations will take a beating.  Liberalism. Ain't it great?

And I truly dislike having to go to the Big Box stores.  In large part, due to the other customers.  Those who park their carts sideways in the middle of an aisle, preventing any one else from passing through.  Those who walk, three abreast, in other aisles, and very very slowly.  Sometimes stopping totally as they meet up with others like them, utterly oblivious to everyone else who may be on a tight schedule..  Those who decide halfway through that the items they previously put into the cart are not right, and simply toss them onto whatever shelf or rack is closest.  Or similar uncaring rude behaviors.  Sometimes I truly wish that I'd been a hermit monk or the like, going months and years without having to interact with another human being.  Not what I was called to, but being an introvert at heart is not always easy.  Funny thing is, I have no fear of standing before a crowd of a thousand or more and speaking to them.  Have done it.  But interacting with four or five is hard, very.  Oh, well.  Don't need to undergo the Big Box experience for the better part of a month, again.  OK.

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The Old Testament reading, our "morning" reading, is chapters 3, 4, and 5 of the Genesis.  Mentally titled "The Fall".
Yesterday was the Beginning, and the Lord saw that it was good.  Says so, several times.  That was as good as it gets.  Today, the direction changes.  Temptation and sin come into play, and death with that.  And violence as well.  And the Fallen Nature in every one of us from birth.  There are those who believe and loudly proclaim that all people are essentially good.  No.  Sorry.  Not true.  Not at all, me included.  This is where it began. 
Yet I have to believe that the Lord knew of this well before He began His creation.  And did it anyway.  Hence, Jesus.  And we glimpse the fact that Jesus and the Cross is not "Plan B".  I believe that, though I do not understand it.  Especially the "why would He bother?" part of it. 

Genesis 3

1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. 21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. 22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Genesis 4

1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. 2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. 8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. 9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. 13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. 15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. 16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. 17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. 19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. 21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. 22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. 23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. 24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. 25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. 26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

Genesis 5

1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; 2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. 3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth: 4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: 5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. 6 And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: 7 And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: 8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died. 9 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: 10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: 11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died. 12 And Cainan lived seventy years and begat Mahalaleel: 13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters: 14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died. 15 And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: 16 And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters: 17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died. 18 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: 19 And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. 21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. 25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech. 26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: 27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. 28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed. 30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: 31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. 32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

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The New Testament passage for prayerful reflection is chapter 2 of the Gospel of Matthew.
This is the continuation of the appearance of Jesus.  With more disruption.  And death and pain.  Here we see the horrid matter that is called the Slaughter of the Innocents.  Children, ALL children in that district under the age of 2 years, were put to death, quite lawfully by the way, by the designated civil authorities.  Joseph and Mary had had advance warning, and had fled to Egypt with the infant Jesus until Herod died.  Those slaughtered children and their parents all suffered.  Sometimes, suffering has nothing to do with our own sins or failures.  Sometimes, it is part of something larger.  I don't understand that, and certainly don't like it, but here we have a stark example of it.  Again, the Lord knew, a million years in advance, that this would occur.

Matthew 2

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. 13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: 15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, 18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. 19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life. 21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

The First Day of the Year -- Sunday, 01 January, 2017

Happy New Year!
So far, so good.  We shall see what the Lord has in mind for us. 

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The Old Testament passage for today sets, I hope, the theme for the year.

"In the beginning, GOD!"

Lord willing, that will be our theme.  In the beginning, God.  In the midst of things, God!  Throughout everything that we think or do or imagine, put God first.  Not my will, but His.  Worth a try, and I think He is honored in the attempt.  That's worth something.

Genesis 1

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 

5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.  

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.  

7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.  

8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.  

9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.  

10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 

11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.  

12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.  

13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.  

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:  

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.  

16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,  

18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.  

19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.  

20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.  

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.  

22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.  

23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.  

25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.  

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.  

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.  

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.  

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

 

Genesis 2

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 

2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.  

3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. 

4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 

5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.  

6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.  

7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.  

8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 

9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  

10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.  

11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;  

12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.  

13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.  

14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. 

15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 

17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.  

18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.  

19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.  

20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.  

21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;  

22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.  

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.  

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.  

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

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The New Testament reading is also a beginning, in some ways different, but in other ways, part of the same theme. Same Lord, after all.


Matthew 1

1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.  

2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; 

3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;  

4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 

5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;  

6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;  

7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;  

8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;  

9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;  

10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;  

11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:  

12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; 13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;  

14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;  

15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; 

16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.  

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.  

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.  

19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.  

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 

21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 

22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 

23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.  

24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:  

25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.