Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 19 March 2016

Last day of (official) Winter.  Tomorrow is Spring.  But snow is a forecasted possibility.
Cats woke me at 04:55 wanting breakfast.  So I did.  Came back and she was awake, so we got up.  Had some breakfast, she's now "kicking back" on the recliner, under blankets, with eyes  closed.  So I'm supposed to be quiet.
woke to around 26 degrees, will get up probably to about 41 or so.  At least it's not three feet of snow.

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The Old Testament reading today completes the book of Deuteronomy, with chapters 33 and 34.  Moses' part of the story is done.

Deuteronomy 33 

1	And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
2	And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.
3	Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.
4	Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.
5	And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.
6	Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.
7	And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies.
8	And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;
9	Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.
10	They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.
11	Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.
12	And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.
13	And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
14	And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,
15	And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
16	And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.
17	His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
18	And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.
19	They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.
20	And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.
21	And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel.
22	And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.
23	And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south.
24	And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
25	Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
26	There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
27	The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
28	Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.
29	Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.

Deuteronomy 34

1	And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,
2	And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea,
3	And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.
4	And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.
5	So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.
6	And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.
7	And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
8	And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.
9	And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.
10	And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,
11	In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land,
12	And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel.

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The New Testament reading is verses 24-56 of Luke chapter 1.  Some marvelous poetry here.  And trusting obedience.  And a great beginning.

Luke 1:24-56

24	And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
25	Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
26	And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27	To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28	And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29	And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30	And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31	And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32	He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33	And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34	Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35	And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36	And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37	For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38	And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
39	And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
40	And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41	And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42	And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43	And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44	For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45	And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
46	And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47	And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48	For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49	For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
50	And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51	He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52	He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
53	He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54	He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55	As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
56	And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 18 March 2016

Well, we are now seeing more than 12 hours of daylight per the NOAA types.  Sunday marks the first official day of Spring.  Snow is also likely.  There are some reasons that I miss living in the South.  Weather is one of them.

Yet the plans are also for a get-together Sunday afternoon with some old friends.  Back some 40+ years ago, I developed first a business, then a personal friendship with some people.  Been in their home many times, frequently several times a week for months and years on end.  The man was married, had three then four daughters.  The girls almost regarded me as a big brother and we got along well.  What with all of our moves around the country that began nearly 30 years ago, we had less and less contact.  During the absence, the older girl married twice, now has grandchildren herself.  The second daughter is married, and also blind.  The third daughter passed away.  And the youngest of the lot now has two kids (that I know of) but no husband in sight.  And the man's wife has also passed away.  After that he remarried, to someone I had known slightly.  So the oldest and youngest are coming into town from a Loooong way off, and there is a get-together at the man's sister's home.  Whether he will bring the new wife is an open question, there's some hostility there. It seems that, unbeknownst to some of us, he had a second family going, one with with his current wife.  She had two kids, now grown, by him. Needless to say, his legitimate daughters are less than happy.  Could be tense.  But they all would like to see me, so we will do this.  Delicately.

Wife is hurting, the cold front that is headed in hits her built-in barometers.

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The Old Testament reading is chapters 31 and 32 of Deuteronomy.  Tomorrow's reading will complete this run through Deuteronomy for the year.  So this is pretty close to Moses' last words, his will and testament and testimony.

Deuteronomy 31

1	And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.
2	And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
3	The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
4	And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.
5	And the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you.
6	Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
7	And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.
8	And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
9	And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel.
10	And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,
11	When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
12	Gather the people together, men and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:
13	And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
14	And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.
15	And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.
16	And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.
17	Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?
18	And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
19	Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.
20	For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.
21	And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.
22	Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.
23	And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.
24	And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,
25	That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,
26	Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
27	For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?
28	Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them.
29	For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
30	And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.

Deuteronomy 32

1	Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
2	My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:
3	Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
4	He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
5	They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.
6	Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?
7	Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will show thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.
8	When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
9	For the LORD's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
10	He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.
11	As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:
12	So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.
13	He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock;
14	Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.
15	But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
16	They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger.
17	They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
18	Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.
19	And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters.
20	And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.
21	They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
22	For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
23	I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them.
24	They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust.
25	The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.
26	I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men:
27	Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the LORD hath not done all this.
28	For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them.
29	O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!
30	How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?
31	For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.
32	For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter:
33	Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.
34	Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures?
35	To me belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.
36	For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.
37	And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted,
38	Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, and be your protection.
39	See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
40	For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.
41	If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.
42	I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.
43	Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.
44	And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun.
45	And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel:
46	And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.
47	For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
48	And the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying,
49	Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession:
50	And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people:
51	Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of MeribahKadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel.
52	Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel.

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The New Testament reading is verses 1-23 in the first chapter in the Gospel of Luke.
This is the account before the birth of Jesus, this gets into the birth of John the Baptist, the (earthly) cousin of Jesus.

Luke 1:1-23

1	Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,
2	Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
3	It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
4	That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
5	THERE was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6	And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7	And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
8	And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
9	According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
10	And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
11	And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12	And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13	But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14	And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15	For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16	And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17	And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
18	And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19	And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
20	And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
21	And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
22	And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
23	And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 17 March 2016 St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's.
Now, disclaimer here:  I have not a single drop of Irish, nor of Italian blood in my veins.  Zero.  (the story from my Italian friends is that, while Patrick is normally thought of as Irish, in fact his parentage was Italian (Roman), his real name Pasquale.  I have no opinion).  But I live at the edge of a small town that was primarily settled in the 1800's by immigrants from Ireland, escaping the depredations of the English overlords.  (the other large ethnic group is Italian, so it still works).  Thus, St. Pat's is A Big Deal in these parts.  Even those who are not Irish use the day for excess drinking, even more than their normal high expectations.  I do NOT intend to be out on the highways this evening, nor even this afternoon, avoiding those who get an early start.
Heck of a way to mark the feast day of a saint.
Your mileage may vary.

Dear Wife had a very bad night, is having a bad morning as well.  Seems to be running a fever, slept little, and in a lot of pain.

Sunday marks the first day of Spring.  Still seeing a possibility of snow that day.  Meanwhile, our former residence in Alabama saw 80 degrees yesterday.

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The Old Testament passage is chapters 28 and 29 of Deuteronomy.  Moses is winding down his last declarations and warnings.  Ones that will be ignored all too soon.

Deuteronomy 29 

1	These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.
2	And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;
3	The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles:
4	Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.
5	And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.
6	Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the LORD your God.
7	And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them:
8	And we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh.
9	Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.
10	Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel,
11	Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:
12	That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day:
13	That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
14	Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;
15	But with him that standeth here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day:
16	(For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nations which ye passed by;
17	And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:)
18	Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;
19	And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:
20	The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.
21	And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:
22	So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the LORD hath laid upon it;
23	And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:
24	Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?
25	Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt:
26	For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them:
27	And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book:
28	And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.
29	The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 30

1	And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,
2	And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
3	That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
4	If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:
5	And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
6	And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
7	And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.
8	And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day.
9	And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers:
10	If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
11	For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
12	It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
13	Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
14	But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
15	See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
16	In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
17	But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
18	I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
19	I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
20	That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

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The New Testament reading concludes the Gospel of Mark with chapter 16.  A whole lot packed into a short read.  Jesus is arisen from the dead, meets with some, ascends into Heaven after leaving instructions for His followers then, and for us today.

Mark 16

1	And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
2	And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
3	And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
4	And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
5	And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
6	And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
7	But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
8	And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.
9	Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
10	And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
11	And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
12	After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.
13	And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.
14	Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
15	And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16	He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17	And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18	They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19	So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20	And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 16 March 2016

a bit of the "lick and a promise" today.  I was up well before her, and, armed with a list, headed off for the monthly trip to the Big Box store to stock up most of the groceries and consumables for the coming month.  Stopped at the nearby truck stop's car island and filled the nearly empty tank.  Then headed out.  Ran by an ATM and got cash to pay the rent on our little hovel.  Then home through a cold rain and swirling winds.  Unpacked, at breakfast (at 11:00) and took the "morning" BP meds, etc.  She was up by then and helped put stuff in the freezer and refrigerator.  Then she kicked back until about 14:30 at which point we headed out to "sit" her nephew's kids while the parents went of to the parent-teacher conference.  Then back out, to the neighborhood grocery, there to get some corned beef for the St. Pat's meal, and there encountered a very nice lady from church.  She and Wife had an extended conversation, good for both of them, helpful for both as well.  I hope.  Back home to elevate the swollen foot and ankle.  Then a quick meal of a burger.  And she's back taking a nap while the blanket that normally covers her recliner is in the washer.  Seems one or more of our cats decided to "decorate" it, perhaps marking his territory, in our absence.  When it's done, I "get" to wash dishes.  By then she'll probably want to go to bed.
Fun life, huh?

And that is how you blow through a whole day without much to show for it.

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Today, chapter 28 of Deuteronomy, Moses' "swan song" and last words, perhaps.

Deuteronomy 28

1	And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2	And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
3	Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
4	Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
5	Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
6	Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
7	The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
8	The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
9	The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
10	And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
11	And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
12	The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
13	And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
14	And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
15	But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
16	Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.
17	Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.
18	Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
19	Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
20	The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.
21	The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
22	The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
23	And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
24	The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
25	The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
26	And thy carcass shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.
27	The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.
28	The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:
29	And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.
30	Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.
31	Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.
32	Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long; and there shall be no might in thine hand.
33	The fruit of thy land, and all thy labors, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:
34	So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
35	The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.
36	The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.
37	And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.
38	Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.
39	Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
40	Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.
41	Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.
42	All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
43	The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
44	He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
45	Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:
46	And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
47	Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
48	Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
49	The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
50	A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young:
51	And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.
52	And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
53	And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:
54	So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:
55	So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.
56	The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,
57	And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.
58	If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;
59	Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.
60	Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.
61	Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
62	And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God.
63	And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.
64	And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
65	And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
66	And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:
67	In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
68	And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

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The New Testament passage is verses 27-47 from the 15th chapter in the Gospel of Mark.
Jesus is on the cross, dies, is buried.  A very tough day.
But there's more to it.

Mark 15:27-47

27	And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.
28	And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.
29	And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
30	Save thyself, and come down from the cross.
31	Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.
32	Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
33	And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34	And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
35	And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.
36	And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.
37	And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
38	And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
39	And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
40	There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;
41	(Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.
42	And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
43	Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.
44	And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.
45	And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
46	And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.
47	And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.