Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 25 December CHRISTMAS DAY

CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas, all.
Very brief.  Dear Wife is getting some things around as we prepare to head out, in another hour or so, to go to niece's place for the Great Family Gathering, Meal, and Gift Exchange.  Yay, and all that.
Things are a bit, a tiny but real bit, improved from last year's gathering and for that we are grateful.
So we shall go do that festive stuff.  She's not up to a great deal, but she has been looking forward to this for a good while, so we shall go and A Good Time Shall Be Had By All.  Ah, well.

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The Old Testament reading is the book of Haggai.  Another of those names rarely heard these days.

Haggai 1

1	In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,
2	Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built.
3	Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4	Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?
5	Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
6	Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
7	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
8	Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
9	Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
10	Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.
11	And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.
12	Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD.
13	Then spake Haggai the LORD's messenger in the LORD's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.
14	And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,
15	In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

Haggai 2

1	In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying,
2	Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,
3	Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
4	Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:
5	According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.
6	For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
7	And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
8	The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
9	The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.
10	In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
11	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,
12	If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.
13	Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.
14	Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.
15	And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD:
16	Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.
17	I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD.
18	Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid, consider it.
19	Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.
20	And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,
21	Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;
22	And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.
23	In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.

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The New Testament reading is chapter 16 of the Revelation.

Revelation 16

1	And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
2	And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
3	And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
4	And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5	And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6	For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
7	And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8	And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9	And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
10	And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
11	And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
12	And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13	And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14	For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
15	Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16	And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17	And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
18	And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
19	And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
20	And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
21	And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.