Today's Readings and Stuff -- Sunday, 01 February 2015

We have made it int the what will, for a while, be the last of the months with a long name.  I like the months with short names:  May, Jun, etc.  Not the ones with long names like December, January.  Short is good. 
We had a major winter storm yesterday and getting another one today.  I'm hoping to be able to make it to church services this morning, but we shall see what the roads are like.  Don't feel like playing a "dodge-em" game on the highway or wrapping around a tree.  No fun.  We shall see.
I hate winter in NE Ohio.  Starting to think that the practice of hibernation isn't such a bad idea.

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The Old Testament reading today is chapters 27 and 28 of the Exodus.  VERY explicit directions.  Perhaps one might take from that the realization that the Lord takes this matter very seriously, and any old way isn't what He wants?

Exodus 27

1	And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.
2	And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.
3	And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basins, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.
4	And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brazen rings in the four corners thereof.
5	And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.
6	And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.
7	And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.
8	Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.
9	And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:
10	And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.
11	And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.
12	And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.
13	And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.
14	The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
15	And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
16	And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.
17	All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.
18	The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.
19	All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.
20	And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.
21	In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

Exodus 28

1	And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.
2	And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.
3	And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
4	And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
5	And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.
6	And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.
7	It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together.
8	And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
9	And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:
10	Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.
11	With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.
12	And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial.
13	And thou shalt make ouches of gold;
14	And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathed work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathed chains to the ouches.
15	And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.
16	Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.
17	And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.
18	And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
19	And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.
20	And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.
21	And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.
22	And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathed work of pure gold.
23	And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.
24	And thou shalt put the two wreathed chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate.
25	And the other two ends of the two wreathed chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it.
26	And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward.
27	And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.
28	And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod.
29	And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.
30	And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.
31	And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.
32	And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent.
33	And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:
34	A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.
35	And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.
36	And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
37	And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.
38	And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.
39	And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework.
40	And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.
41	And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.
42	And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:
43	And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.

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The New Testament reading is verses 23-46 in the 21st chapter of the Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 21:23-46

23	And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
24	And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.
25	The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?
26	But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.
27	And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
28	But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
29	He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
30	And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.
31	Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
32	For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
33	Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
34	And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
35	And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36	Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
37	But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38	But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
39	And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40	When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
41	They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
42	Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
43	Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
44	And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
45	And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
46	But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.