Today's Readings and Stuff -- Sunday, 07 February 2016

a pretty good day so far.
Today is the day of the overblown event called the Super Bowl.  TV channels have been clogged with it for weeks. I am not watching it.  I caught a few minutes of it in the middle of the first quarter, and that was quite enough for me.  I'm not much for TV anyway, and most sports are more fun to play than to watch.  Even at that, I'm not an athlete / sports type, and never have been.  Games can be fun, but they are games.  Building one's life around a game makes no sense to me, but then much of what is "in" makes no sense to me.
Wife is up and moving a little bit, well enough to concoct an evening meal, which we're eating now.  She'll probably be in bed within the hour, she has to "watch" the Beloved Great-Niece tomorrow, something they both eagerly look forward to. 

Church services this morning got intense, particularly early in the study group.  Two of us were just "led" to say some things, and we seemed to be in sync as well.  I think that Something Is Going On, not sure what as of yet, but Something, or more likely Some One is at work.  At least, I believe that to be the case.  I told them that the small town we live in is nearly as needing of the Lord as the most distant never-churched missionary field.  I believe that to be true, which speaks poorly of us.  A number of "cultural Christians", but even that group's numbers shrink weekly.    We have a mission and it's time to be about it.  We have no excuse.

Last night there was some sort of big "debate" on TV, the Republican candidates in the upcoming New Hampshire primary election.  I did not watch.  Not only do I not live in New Hampshire, but I doubt that any candidate, no matter how worthy, can truly fix the nation's problems.  Several, in both major political clans, could probably make things worse.  Our problems need Divine help, and few seem to be interested in seeking that. 
This will not turn out well.

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The Old Testament reading today is chapters, 1, 2, and 3 of Leviticus.  Now we get into the system of worship, employing the newly built Tabernacle and the Aaronic priesthood and Levitical asssistants. 

Leviticus 1

1	And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,
2	Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.
3	If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.
4	And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
5	And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
6	And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.
7	And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire:
8	And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:
9	But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD.
10	And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish.
11	And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar.
12	And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat: and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:
13	But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water: and the priest shall bring it all, and burn it upon the altar: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD.
14	And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the LORD be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons.
15	And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar:
16	And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes:
17	And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD.

Leviticus 2 

1	And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:
2	And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD:
3	And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.
4	And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.
5	And if thy oblation be a meat offering baked in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil.
6	Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon: it is a meat offering.
7	And if thy oblation be a meat offering baked in the frying pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.
8	And thou shalt bring the meat offering that is made of these things unto the LORD: and when it is presented unto the priest, he shall bring it unto the altar.
9	And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD.
10	And that which is left of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.
11	No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.
12	As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the LORD: but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savor.
13	And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.
14	And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears.
15	And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meat offering.
16	And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

Leviticus 3

1	And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD.
2	And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
3	And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
4	And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
5	And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD.
6	And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the LORD be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.
7	If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the LORD.
8	And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar.
9	And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat thereof, and the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
10	And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
11	And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the LORD.
12	And if his offering be a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD.
13	And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about.
14	And he shall offer thereof his offering, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
15	And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
16	And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savor: all the fat is the LORD's.
17	It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.

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The New Testament reading is verses 23-39 in Matthew chapter 24

Matthew 24:23-39

23	Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24	For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25	Behold, I have told you before.
26	Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27	For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28	For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29	Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30	And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31	And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32	Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33	So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34	Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35	Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36	But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37	But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38	For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39	And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.