Today's Readings and Stuff -- 12 November 2013

some of the mental shocks of a relocation.  Looked outside to see about 2 inches of snow on the ground at daybreak.  Other than on a trip, we had not seen snow since around early 2005, during our second sojourn in east Tennessee.  Saw none during our time in LA (Lower Alabama) that began in 2006 and just ended.  So it's a bit of an attention grabber.  I grew up in (or at least near) this area of NE Ohio and put up with snow and cold until early 1992, had hoped to never see it -- involuntarily at least -- ever again.  Ever.   Didn't quite work out that way.  And we are not even half way through November, not even in the official time of winter for another five weeks or so.  Much of Ohio is pretty flat.  This is not one of those areas, and while it probably would not do as a ski slope, there's enough terrain to encourage extreme caution, and sometimes just staying home.  As we will do today.  Even when we lived up here, the first - and sometimes the second - snowfall of the year was the scary one, as people recalled how to drive in that condition. 

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The Old Testament reading for the day is the beginning of the book of Ezekiel.  This is a bit of a change, some very apocalyptic prophecy.  Mostly fulfilled, some not.  Yet.  Will be.

Ezekiel 1

1	Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
2	In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,
3	The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.
4	And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
5	Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.
6	And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.
7	And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.
8	And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.
9	Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.
10	As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.
11	Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
12	And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.
13	As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
14	And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
15	Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.
16	The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
17	When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.
18	As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.
19	And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
20	Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
21	When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
22	And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.
23	And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.
24	And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.
25	And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.
26	And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
27	And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
28	As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

Ezekiel 2

1	And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.
2	And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
3	And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.
4	For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.
5	And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
6	And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
7	And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.
8	But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.
9	And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;
10	And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

Ezekiel 3

1	Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.
2	So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.
3	And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
4	And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.
5	For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;
6	Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.
7	But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.
8	Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.
9	As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
10	Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.
11	And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
12	Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place.
13	I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing.
14	So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.
15	Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.
16	And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
17	Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
18	When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
19	Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
20	Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
21	Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
22	And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.
23	Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.
24	Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house.
25	But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:
26	And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house.
27	But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.

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The New Testament reading is chapter 9 in Paul's epistle to the Hebrews.

Hebrews 9

1	Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
2	For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
3	And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
4	Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
5	And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
6	Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
7	But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
8	The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
9	Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
10	Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
11	But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12	Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
13	For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14	How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
15	And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
16	For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
17	For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
18	Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
19	For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
20	Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
21	Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
22	And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
23	It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24	For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
25	Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
26	For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27	And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
28	So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.