Today's Readings and Stuff -- Sunday, 11 May 2014

Happy Sunday!
Dear Wife not doing too well this morning.  She may yet accompany me to church services this morning, but it is still a 50-50 thing.  Tough on Mother's Day.  Both of our mothers have passed, seven years it's been now.  So we have none to send cards, flowers, etc. to in honor of the day.  Down to one aunt, and her cancer is out of remission and not up to visitors.  Both of our daughters live a LONG way from here, so no visits there.  Older one sent a gift, which was nice.  So it will be a bit short in that sort of remembrance.
And older daughter is having a very rough time.  She is scheduled for major surgery this week.  The doctors have located a very large "mass" behind the uterus.  To be removed this week. Preliminary tests showed no cancer, which is a blessing, but those are preliminary only.  They were planning to sell the house in west Arkansas and her husband would move to the Tulsa area to be near her rather than her going home on weekends and him making the 3-hour drive to her apartment 2 days a week.  Now, who knows?  Should they find cancer, things get grim, fast,  and we expect 12-18 months of chemo, etc.  Not good.  Somehow, I don't think she will be teaching school this coming year.  Right now, husband's with her to help as she can barely get out of bed without help.
Younger daughter is just finishing up her school year.  She'd hoped to be doing an internship over the summer, but instead she's packing up tomorrow and driving from Auburn, Alabama to Tulsa, Oklahoma to be with her sister. 
Not the ideal Mother's Day weekend, and we're kind of trapped here -- no way to make the trek to Oklahoma to be involved.

On another note, we actually Made It to the great-nephew's ball game.  They had the official picture-taking session before we got there, showing off the brand-new uniforms, etc.  Probably, knowing 7-year-old boys, those uniforms will never look this good again.  Game was nothing to brag about, the skill level isn't great.  But  A Great Time Was Had By All, moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grand-parents, etc. in attendance. 
But it was COLD.  It is nearly the middle of May, and the trees by that park are just NOW getting leaves and leaf buds.  We have grass and dandelions, but the wooded areas that compose much of this area away from the industrial sites, all look dead and barren.  Like grainy black&white photos of Dresden after WW2.  We were actually at 80 degrees a few days ago.  A high today of around 65.  Just as well:  we have no air conditioning.  Stopped at store en route from the game and bought a second window fan, which, with open windows and cross-ventilation, should make the place more or less livable in the summer.  A big outlay of $15.

And, while at The Game. saw the guy who was SUPPOSED to have done the prep work on our hovel before our move.  Work was originally to have been totally done by the middle of last September.  Wasn't.  Was promised to be done by middle of October.  The day the promise was made was the very last time we'd seen him until yesterday.  So we cornered him and made our displeasure known.  I am already in trouble with the city over the condition of our place, issues that were supposed to have been fixes more than half a year ago, and payment was already made to this guy.  We employed him because he's buddies with next-door niece's husband's dad, if you can follow that.  Makes being too nasty with him a bit difficult.  He promised to be here Monday to address matters.  We shall see.  Not the most trustworthy individual.

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The Old Testament reading is chapters 1, 2, and 3 of 2nd Kings. 
Elijah is one of those major figures in the Bible.  His time is coming to an end, but he has a successor in Elisha.  And things in the kingdom are not looking up.

II Kings 1

1	After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.
2	Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.”
3	But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?
4	“‘Now therefore thus says the Lord, You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” So Elijah went.
5	The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, “Why have you returned?”
6	And they said to him, “There came a man to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says the Lord, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’”
7	He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?”
8	They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”
9	Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’”
10	But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
11	Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty men with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, “O man of God, this is the king’s order, ‘Come down quickly!’”
12	But Elijah answered them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
13	Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him, “O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight.
14	“Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of fifty men with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in your sight.”
15	Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king
16	and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron–is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?–therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’”
17	So he died according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken. Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son.
18	Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

II Kings 2

1	Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
2	And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
3	And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
4	Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho.
5	The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
6	Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.
7	Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan.
8	Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.
9	When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.”
10	And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.”
11	And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12	And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
13	And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
14	Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.
15	Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him opposite them, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
16	And they said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men. Please let them go and seek your master. It may be that the Spirit of the Lord has caught him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.”
17	But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men. And for three days they sought him but did not find him.
18	And they came back to him while he was staying at Jericho, and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”
19	Now the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful.”
20	He said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.
21	Then he went to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, “Thus says the Lord, I have healed this water; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.”
22	So the water has been healed to this day, according to the word that Elisha spoke.
23	He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!”
24	And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.
25	From there he went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

II Kings 3

1	In the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twelve years.
2	He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, though not like his father and mother, for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made.
3	Nevertheless, he clung to the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from it.
4	Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he had to deliver to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams.
5	But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6	So King Jehoram marched out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel.
7	And he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to battle against Moab?” And he said, “I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
8	Then he said, “By which way shall we march?” Jehoram answered, “By the way of the wilderness of Edom.”
9	So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. And when they had made a circuitous march of seven days, there was no water for the army or for the animals that followed them.
10	Then the king of Israel said, “Alas! The Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.”
11	And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?” Then one of the king of Israel’s servants answered, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.”
12	And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
13	And Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No; it is the Lord who has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.”
14	And Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you.
15	“But now bring me a musician.” And when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him.
16	And he said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I will make this dry streambed full of pools.’
17	“For thus says the Lord, ‘You shall not see wind or rain, but that streambed shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, you, your livestock, and your animals.’
18	“This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord. He will also give the Moabites into your hand,
19	“and you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree and stop up all springs of water and ruin every good piece of land with stones.”
20	The next morning, about the time of offering the sacrifice, behold, water came from the direction of Edom, till the country was filled with water.
21	When all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, all who were able to put on armor, from the youngest to the oldest, were called out and were drawn up at the border.
22	And when they rose early in the morning and the sun shone on the water, the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood.
23	And they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely fought together and struck one another down. Now then, Moab, to the spoil!”
24	But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose and struck the Moabites, till they fled before them. And they went forward, striking the Moabites as they went.
25	And they overthrew the cities, and on every good piece of land every man threw a stone until it was covered. They stopped every spring of water and felled all the good trees, till only its stones were left in Kir-hareseth, and the slingers surrounded and attacked it.
26	When the king of Moab saw that the battle was going against him, he took with him 700 swordsmen to break through, opposite the king of Edom, but they could not.
27	Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel. And they withdrew from him and returned to their own land.

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The New Testament reading is verses 22-36 of the 3rd chapter in the Gospel of John. 

 

John 3:22-36

22	After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing.
23	John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized
24	(for John had not yet been put in prison).
25	Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification.
26	And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness–look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”
27	John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.
28	“You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’
29	“The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.
30	“He must increase, but I must decrease.”
31	He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.
32	He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.
33	Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.
34	For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.
35	The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.
36	Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.