Today's Readings and Stuff -- Sunday, 15 February 2015

+3 degrees right now (around 4:30 p.m.) going to around 10 below tonight, and the 10-day forecast does not show ANY days above freezing, and several sub-zero nights.  49 in area we moved from, 38 where older daughter lives, 51 where younger daughter lives, and 16 where my sister lives.  We do not seem to have moved to the best possible weather area.  But we are picking up another 2 minutes 34 seconds of daylight today, up to 10 hours 38 minutes.  Two weeks from today is the first day of Daylight Savings Time, and Spring is about two weeks after that.  Just have to get past this awful spell.  Had frozen, or at least semi-frozen hot water pipes this morning, they're evidently inadequately insulated as they run through the crawl space.  On the wish list for Spring, I guess.  We got them going to the kitchen and bathroom sinks. Haven't tried the shower -- that can wait for tomorrow.  And did a LOT of laundry Friday, knowing this weather was coming.  So we may wait several more days before trying.
But we had word from nephew in the next county south, they are heated by a fuel oil furnace and the line into the place from the tank FROZE.  So they were getting by, sort of, with two elderly electric space  heaters, blankets, and sweatsuits.  They've managed, just a bit ago, to get that line at least semi-thawed and they're getting intermittent heat now.   So I guess we're in better shape.

Too bad that Global Warming is a lie.

We stayed home from church services this morning, probably not the only ones doing so:  the news was full of church service cancellations, the turnpike was closed most of the night, and the warnings were out that "if you don't HAVE to be on the roads, stay home!".  Haven't heard much traffic on our road and that is in line with my instincts.  Supposed to hit +15 tomorrow and +22 by Tuesday, and that will seem awful warm by comparison.

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The Old Testament reading is chapters 20 and 21 of Leviticus.

Leviticus 20 

1	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2	Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.
3	And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
4	And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not:
5	Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.
6	And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.
7	Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.
8	And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.
9	For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
10	And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
11	And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
12	And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them.
13	If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
14	And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.
15	And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.
16	And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
17	And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.
18	And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
19	And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, nor of thy father's sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.
20	And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.
21	And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.
22	Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out.
23	And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.
24	But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people.
25	Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean.
26	And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.
27	A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.

Leviticus 21

1	And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people:
2	But for his kin, that is near unto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother.
3	And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled.
4	But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
5	They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.
6	They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.
7	They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God.
8	Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the LORD, which sanctify you, am holy.
9	And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
10	And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes;
11	Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;
12	Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD.
13	And he shall take a wife in her virginity.
14	A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.
15	Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him.
16	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
17	Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.
18	For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous,
19	Or a man that is broken-footed, or broken-handed,
20	Or crookbacked, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;
21	No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.
22	He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy.
23	Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.
24	And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.

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The New Testament reading concludes the Gospel of Matthew, being chapter 28.
Yesterday we read of Jesus' crucifixion, death, and burial.
Now, as Paul Harvey was known to say, we see "the rest of the Story".
Lots can happen in three days.  Lots did.
Up from the grave He arose!", and we have hope.

Matthew 28

1	In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
2	And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
3	His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
4	And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
5	And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6	He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7	And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
8	And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
9	And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
10	Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
11	Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
12	And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
13	Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.
14	And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.
15	So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
16	Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
17	And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
18	And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19	Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20	Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.