Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 24 January 2015

Dear Wife is still sick.  Neither of us did the night very well, and getting woken up to break up a catfight before dawn did not improve matter.  Cold and dreary and gray, normal for this time of year in NE Ohio near the Great Lakes.  Not happy.
But we've been through worse.

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The Old Testament reading today is chapters 7 and 8 of the Exodus.
I know that all of this occurred a very long time ago.  But, like it or not, it still affects our world today.  Coming out of the bondage, against all odds, from the most powerful empire in the known world at the time, reminds us of the the power of the Lord, a strong thing for the Jews and for the Christians alike.  The areas that surround Israel then, and still today, are the locus of much of the evil that has beset the world for several thousands of years.  And will until The End.
This has Moses getting into Pharaoh's face.  That is the sort of thing that Just Wasn't Done.  Pharaoh was considered to be the closest thing to a god walking around that there was.  The Lord, working through Moses, showed him as powerless.  The Nile was a semi-divine thing, the heartbeat of the agricultural plenty that translated into power in that world.  The Lord, as we see here, turned it to blood, making a mockery of that system.  Yes, the Lord turned that whole world upside down, showing that it is He, and He alone, who is God.  And that reverberates today.

Exodus 7

1	And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.
2	Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.
3	And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
4	But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
5	And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.
6	And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they.
7	And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.
8	And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
9	When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Show a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.
10	And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
11	Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
12	For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
13	And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
14	And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.
15	Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.
16	And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.
17	Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.
18	And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river.
19	And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.
20	And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.
21	And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
22	And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.
23	And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also.
24	And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.
25	And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.

Exodus 8

1	And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
2	And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs:
3	And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs:
4	And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.
5	And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.
6	And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.
7	And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.
8	Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Entreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD.
9	And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?
10	And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God.
11	And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only.
12	And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the LORD because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh.
13	And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields.
14	And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank.
15	But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
16	And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
17	And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
18	And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast.
19	Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
20	And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
21	Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.
22	And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.
23	And I will put a division between my people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be.
24	And the LORD did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies.
25	And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.
26	And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?
27	We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall command us.
28	And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: entreat for me.
29	And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to morrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.
30	And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the LORD.
31	And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one.
32	And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.

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The New Testament reading is chapter 17 of the Gospel of Matthew.  Here we see The Transfiguration of Jesus.  That HAD to make an impression on those who were there, and it is one of those "I wish I could have been there" moments.   But...  note that one of those there was Peter.  And it was Peter who, in a short time after, in a serious moment, denied Christ three times.  And the others ran like rabbits when soldiers came.

Matthew 17

1	And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2	And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3	And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
4	Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5	While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
6	And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
7	And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
8	And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
9	And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
10	And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
11	And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
12	But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
13	Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
14	And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
15	Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
16	And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
17	Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
18	And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
19	Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20	And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21	Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
22	And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:
23	And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.
24	And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?
25	He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?
26	Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.
27	Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 23 January, 2015

decent day, thermometer dropping like a rock now.  Going to have some VERY cold temperatures over the next week, and a lot of snow tomorrow and Sunday.  Will be seeing lows in the single digits and most days the high will be below the freezing point.  So the snow will accumulate.
Dear Wife is running a fever now, and has felt lousy for two or three weeks.  She's scheduled to go into doctor office Monday for "blood work", and perhaps they'll take a look at her then.  We hope so.  And she has an appointment set for a week later to follow up the blood work results.  Perhaps they can do something then.
I keep trying to focus on the fact that every day we are closer to Spring.  LONG way to go yet.

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The Old Testament reading is chapters 4, 5, and 6 of the Exodus.
This gets us into a man named Moses, and how the Lord commissioned him to "get in the face" of the most powerful man in the known world, the Pharaoh of Egypt.   Not an easy mission, had to seem hopeless and guaranteed to get you killed.  Then again, Moses, like a Hebrew boys of his age, was to have been killed as an infant.  His very presence was a miracle.  Guess the Lord had a plan going a long way back.

Exodus 4

1	And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.
2	And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
3	And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
4	And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:
5	That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.
6	And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
7	And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.
8	And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
9	And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.
10	And Moses said unto the LORD, O my LORD, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
11	And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?
12	Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.
13	And he said, O my LORD, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.
14	And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.
15	And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.
16	And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.
17	And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.
18	And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.
19	And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.
20	And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
21	And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
22	And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
23	And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.
24	And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.
25	Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.
26	So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.
27	And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.
28	And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.
29	And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:
30	And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.
31	And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

Exodus 5

1	And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
2	And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
3	And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
4	And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.
5	And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.
6	And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,
7	Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8	And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.
9	Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein; and let them not regard vain words.
10	And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.
11	Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.
12	So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
13	And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.
14	And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?
15	Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?
16	There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.
17	But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.
18	Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.
19	And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.
20	And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
21	And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.
22	And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, LORD, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?
23	For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

Exodus 6

1	Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.
2	And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:
3	And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
4	And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.
5	And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.
6	Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:
7	And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
8	And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.
9	And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
10	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
11	Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.
12	And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?
13	And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
14	These be the heads of their fathers' houses: The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel; Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi: these be the families of Reuben.
15	And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman: these are the families of Simeon.
16	And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari: and the years of the life of Levi were an hundred thirty and seven years.
17	The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimi, according to their families.
18	And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years.
19	And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi according to their generations.
20	And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.
21	And the sons of Izhar; Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri.
22	And the sons of Uzziel; Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Zithri.
23	And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
24	And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korhites.
25	And Eleazar Aaron's son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bare him Phinehas: these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families.
26	These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the LORD said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.
27	These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron.
28	And it came to pass on the day when the LORD spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt,
29	That the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I am the LORD: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee.
30	And Moses said before the LORD, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?

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The New Testament reading is chapter 16 from the Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew 16

1	The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
2	He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
3	And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
4	A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
5	And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
6	Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
7	And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.
8	Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
9	Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
10	Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
11	How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
12	Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
13	When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14	And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15	He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16	And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17	And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18	And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19	And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
20	Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
21	From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
22	Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
23	But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
24	Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25	For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26	For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
27	For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
28	Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 21 January, 2015

A thousand years from now, we can look back on all of this and laugh.  But we're not laughing today, and are not likely to be laughing any time soon.

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The Old Testament reading today is chapters 49 and 50 of the Genesis.  More unfolding of the story of the move of Isaac and the family to the place of refuge in Egypt that Joseph made possible.  Jacob passes away, at a good old age, surrounded by his family and their families as well.  But is buried Back Home.

Genesis 49

1	And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
2	Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
3	Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
4	Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
5	Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
6	O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they digged down a wall.
7	Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
8	Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
9	Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
10	The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11	Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
12	His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
13	Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.
14	Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:
15	And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.
16	Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
17	Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
18	I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.
19	Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.
20	Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.
21	Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.
22	Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
23	The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
24	But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
25	Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
26	The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
27	Benjamin shall raven as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.
28	All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.
29	And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
30	In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace.
31	There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.
32	The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.
33	And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

Genesis 50  

1	And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.
2	And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel.
3	And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days.
4	And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,
5	My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.
6	And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.
7	And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
8	And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.
9	And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.
10	And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
11	And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abelmizraim, which is beyond Jordan.
12	And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them:
13	For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.
14	And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.
15	And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.
16	And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
17	So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
18	And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.
19	And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
20	But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
21	Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.
22	And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years.
23	And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph's knees.
24	And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
25	And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
26	So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

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The New Testament reading is verses 1-20 of the 15th chapter in the Gospel of Matthew.  Now Jesus is accosted by the official religious leaders of the day.

Matthew 15:1-20

1	Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
2	Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
3	But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
4	For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
5	But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
6	And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
7	Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8	This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9	But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
10	And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:
11	Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
12	Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
13	But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
14	Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
15	Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.
16	And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
17	Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
18	But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19	For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
20	These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.