Today's Readings and Stuff-- Friday, 01 January 2021

😀

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Let us begin again.

A new year.  Welcome.  We've been allowed to see it.  Let us use that opportunity to glorify the Lord.

Song of the week, perhaps.  Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.   Sing along.  Do it twice.  

And a second one, Open The Eyes Of My Heart.

I'm trying a reading plan that I used for years before trying some others.  It's available, should you wish, from my old friends in the Gideons.  It's broken down with readings in the morning and a second passage in the evening.  Nice to read the first passage while in the morning routines, the evening later on.  Although at one time I did the morning one during my lunch break at work.  Give it a try.  I can not over-emphasize the importance of regular, methodical, intentional, daily, prayerful time in the Word of God.  I have often, sadly, been shocked to encounter those in the church -- including in the pulpit I fear -- who have NEVER read the entire Bible.  That's understandable, I guess, for those who have no access or who simply can't read.  For the rest, it staggers me.    It's a disgrace.

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This contains in the first four words, what is one of the most crucial statements that can be made:  "In the beginning, GOD! ".  

Morning reading:

GENESIS 1

The Creation

1In the beginning  God created the heavens and the earth.  

2Now the earth was  formless and empty,  darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.  3Then God said, “Let there be light,”  and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light “day,” and He called the darkness “night.” Evening came and then morning: the first day.

6Then God said, “Let there be an expanse  between the waters, separating water from water.”  7So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above the expanse.  And it was so. 8God called the expanse “sky.”  Evening came and then morning: the second day.

9Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place,  and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry land “earth,” and He called the gathering of the water “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, “Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.”  And it was so. 12The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13Evening came and then morning: the third day.

14Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs  for festivals  and for days and years.  15They will be lights in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth.” And it was so. 16God made the two great lights — the greater light to have dominion over the day and the lesser light to have dominion over the night — as well as the stars.  17God placed them in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth, 18to dominate the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness.  And God saw that it was good. 19Evening came and then morning: the fourth day.

20Then God said, “Let the water swarm with  living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 21So God created the large sea-creatures  and every living creature that moves and swarms in the water,  according to their kinds. He also created every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22So God blessed them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”  23Evening came and then morning: the fifth day.

24Then God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that crawl, and the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25So God made the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and creatures that crawl on the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26Then God said, “Let Us  make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.  They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth,  and the creatures that crawl  on the earth.” 

27So God created man in His own image;

He created him in the image of God;

He created them male and female. 

28God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth,  and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls  on the earth.” 29God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This food will be for you,  30for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth — everything having the breath of life in it. I have given every green plant for food.”  And it was so. 31God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.  Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.

GENESIS 2

1So the heavens and the earth and everything in them  were completed.  2By the seventh  day God completed His work that He had done, and He rested  on the seventh day from all His work that He had done.  3God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it He rested  from His work of creation.  

Man and Woman in the Garden

4These are the records  of the heavens and the earth, concerning their creation at the time  that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. 5No shrub of the field  had yet grown on the land,  and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not made it rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground. 6But water would come out of the ground and water the entire surface of the land. 7Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground  and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils,  and the man became a living being. 

8The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,  and there He placed the man He had formed. 9The Lord God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden,  as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 

10A river went  out from Eden to water the garden. From there it divided and became the source of four rivers.  11The name of the first is Pishon, which flows through the entire land of Havilah,   where there is gold. 12Gold from that land is pure;  bdellium  and onyx  are also there. 13The name of the second river is Gihon, which flows through the entire land of Cush. 14The name of the third river is the Tigris,  which runs east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 

15The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. 16And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden,  17but you must not eat  from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”  18Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper as his complement.”  19So the Lord God formed out of the ground every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it.  And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man  no helper was found as his complement. 21So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man,  and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. 22Then the Lord God made the rib He had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man.  23And the man said:

This one, at last, is bone of my bone

and flesh of my flesh;

this one will be called “woman,”

for she was taken from man. 

24This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.  25Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame.

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MATTHEW 1

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

1The  historical record   of Jesus Christ, the Son of David,  the Son of Abraham: 

From Abraham to David

2Abraham fathered  Isaac,

Isaac fathered Jacob,

Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers, 

3Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar,

Perez fathered Hezron,

Hezron fathered Aram, 

4Aram fathered Amminadab,

Amminadab fathered Nahshon,

Nahshon fathered Salmon,

5Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab,

Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth,

Obed fathered Jesse, 

6and Jesse fathered King David.

From David to the Babylonian Exile

Then  David fathered Solomon by Uriah’s wife, 

7Solomon fathered Rehoboam,

Rehoboam fathered Abijah,

Abijah fathered Asa, 

8Asa  fathered Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, 

Joram fathered Uzziah, 

9Uzziah fathered Jotham,

Jotham fathered Ahaz,

Ahaz fathered Hezekiah,

10Hezekiah fathered Manasseh,

Manasseh fathered Amon, 

Amon fathered Josiah, 

11and Josiah fathered Jechoniah and his brothers

at the time of the exile to Babylon. 

From the Exile to the Messiah

12Then after the exile to Babylon

Jechoniah fathered Shealtiel,

Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel,

13Zerubbabel fathered Abiud,

Abiud fathered Eliakim,

Eliakim fathered Azor, 

14Azor fathered Zadok,

Zadok fathered Achim,

Achim fathered Eliud,

15Eliud fathered Eleazar,

Eleazar fathered Matthan,

Matthan fathered Jacob,

16and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary,

who gave birth to  Jesus who is called the Messiah. 

17So all the generations from Abraham to David were 14 generations; and from David until the exile to Babylon, 14 generations; and from the exile to Babylon until the Messiah, 14 generations. 

The Nativity of the Messiah

18The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit.  19So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man,  and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly. 

20But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit.  21She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus,   because He will save His people from their sins.” 

22Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

23See, the virgin will become pregnant

and give birth to a son,

and they will name Him Immanuel, 

which is translated “God is with us.” 

24When Joseph got up from sleeping, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her  25but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son.  And he named Him Jesus. 

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 12 November 2020

 We are approaching the half-way point in November.  So the first "official" day of Winter is slightly more than a month from now.  Can't say that pleases me overmuch, but it does mark an inflection point at least.  That's worth something, I guess.  Trying hard to find something positive to look at, rather than what I see all around me.  At least there's none of that awful snow stuff on the ground here.  This moment anyway.  The "farmer's almanac" had been predicting an unusually heavy snow season this year.  Comes with the territory I guess.  I have contacts who live in places quite near some active volcanoes, seismically active areas, areas with warfare -- including what looks like warfare in the United States -- and other pleasantries, so I guess this is ok in comparison.

Wife and I spent about all day yesterday "watching" the great-nephew while his mom was volunteering for a "book fair" at daughter's school, and dad was sleeping after a 12-hour night shift.  Fun, but a 3-1/2 year old boy can be quite energetic, and the weather kept us inside.  A challenge.  And we "get" to do it again tomorrow.  More "fun".  And I just got back home:  wife's nephew's wife locked herself and the kids out of their house, with her husband on his 12-hour night shift.   We have a key, so I "got" to run up along the state line and let them in.  She's got plenty on her hands:  a daughter turning 9 and a son turning 14, with all that entails.  And she has a nasty case of breast cancer.  The doctors, when this began, told her that the version she has implies a survival rate of around 13%  or so, perhaps less.  She just completed the bouts of chemotherapy, now goes in next Thursday for surgery.   Several of my one-time friends in this area lost their wives to breast cancer, one lost both his first and his second wife to it.  Bad area for it?  So letting her into her house is a small favor to do, all things considered.  Doesn't help that she was raised in a dysfunctional family of aggressive unbelievers, and is continuing that with her kids.  Outreach is discouraged, to say the least.  Perhaps a window will open.

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EZEKIEL 23

Two Harlot Sisters

1The word of the Lord came again to me, saying:

2“Son of man, there were two women,

The daughters of one mother.

3They committed harlotry in Egypt,

They committed harlotry in their youth;

Their breasts were there embraced,

Their virgin bosom was there pressed.

4Their names: Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister;

They were Mine,

And they bore sons and daughters.

As for their names,

Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.

The Older Sister, Samaria

5“Oholah played the harlot even though she was Mine;

And she lusted for her lovers, the neighboring Assyrians,

6Who were clothed in purple,

Captains and rulers,

All of them desirable young men,

Horsemen riding on horses.

7Thus she committed her harlotry with them,

All of them choice men of Assyria;

And with all for whom she lusted,

With all their idols, she defiled herself.

8She has never given up her harlotry brought from Egypt,

For in her youth they had lain with her,

Pressed her virgin bosom,

And poured out their immorality upon her.

9“Therefore I have delivered her

Into the hand of her lovers,

Into the hand of the Assyrians,

For whom she lusted.

10They uncovered her nakedness,

Took away her sons and daughters,

And slew her with the sword;

She became a byword among women,

For they had executed judgment on her.

The Younger Sister, Jerusalem

11“Now although her sister Oholibah saw this, she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister’s harlotry.

12“She lusted for the neighboring Assyrians,

Captains and rulers,

Clothed most gorgeously,

Horsemen riding on horses,

All of them desirable young men.

13Then I saw that she was defiled;

Both took the same way.

14But she increased her harlotry;

She looked at men portrayed on the wall,

Images of Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,

15Girded with belts around their waists,

Flowing turbans on their heads,

All of them looking like captains,

In the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea,

The land of their nativity.

16As soon as her eyes saw them,

She lusted for them

And sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

17“Then the Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love,

And they defiled her with their immorality;

So she was defiled by them, and alienated herself from them.

18She revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness.

Then I alienated Myself from her,

As I had alienated Myself from her sister.

19“Yet she multiplied her harlotry

In calling to remembrance the days of her youth,

When she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.

20For she lusted for her paramours,

Whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys,

And whose issue is like the issue of horses.

21Thus you called to remembrance the lewdness of your youth,

When the Egyptians pressed your bosom

Because of your youthful breasts.

Judgment on Jerusalem

22“Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord God:

‘Behold, I will stir up your lovers against you,

From whom you have alienated yourself,

And I will bring them against you from every side:

23The Babylonians,

All the Chaldeans,

Pekod, Shoa, Koa,

All the Assyrians with them,

All of them desirable young men,

Governors and rulers,

Captains and men of renown,

All of them riding on horses.

24And they shall come against you

With chariots, wagons, and war-horses,

With a horde of people.

They shall array against you

Buckler, shield, and helmet all around.

‘I will delegate judgment to them,

And they shall judge you according to their judgments.

25I will set My jealousy against you,

And they shall deal furiously with you;

They shall remove your nose and your ears,

And your remnant shall fall by the sword;

They shall take your sons and your daughters,

And your remnant shall be devoured by fire.

26They shall also strip you of your clothes

And take away your beautiful jewelry.

27‘Thus I will make you cease your lewdness and your harlotry

Brought from the land of Egypt,

So that you will not lift your eyes to them,

Nor remember Egypt anymore.’

28“For thus says the Lord God: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hand of those you hate, into the hand of those from whom you alienated yourself. 29They will deal hatefully with you, take away all you have worked for, and leave you naked and bare. The nakedness of your harlotry shall be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotry. 30I will do these things to you because you have gone as a harlot after the Gentiles, because you have become defiled by their idols. 31You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will put her cup in your hand.’

32“Thus says the Lord God:

‘You shall drink of your sister’s cup,

The deep and wide one;

You shall be laughed to scorn

And held in derision;

It contains much.

33You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,

The cup of horror and desolation,

The cup of your sister Samaria.

34You shall drink and drain it,

You shall break its shards,

And tear at your own breasts;

For I have spoken,’

Says the Lord God.

35“Therefore thus says the Lord God:

‘Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back,

Therefore you shall bear the penalty

Of your lewdness and your harlotry.’ ”

Both Sisters Judged

36The Lord also said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations. 37For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them. 38Moreover they have done this to Me: They have defiled My sanctuary on the same day and profaned My Sabbaths. 39For after they had slain their children for their idols, on the same day they came into My sanctuary to profane it; and indeed thus they have done in the midst of My house.

40“Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and there they came. And you washed yourself for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments. 41You sat on a stately couch, with a table prepared before it, on which you had set My incense and My oil. 42The sound of a carefree multitude was with her, and Sabeans were brought from the wilderness with men of the common sort, who put bracelets on their wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43Then I said concerning her who had grown old in adulteries, ‘Will they commit harlotry with her now, and she with them?’ 44Yet they went in to her, as men go in to a woman who plays the harlot; thus they went in to Oholah and Oholibah, the lewd women. 45But righteous men will judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.

46“For thus says the Lord God: ‘Bring up an assembly against them, give them up to trouble and plunder. 47The assembly shall stone them with stones and execute them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn their houses with fire. 48Thus I will cause lewdness to cease from the land, that all women may be taught not to practice your lewdness. 49They shall repay you for your lewdness, and you shall pay for your idolatrous sins. Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.’ ”

EZEKIEL 24

Symbol of the Cooking Pot

1Again, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, write down the name of the day, this very day—the king of Babylon started his siege against Jerusalem this very day. 3And utter a parable to the rebellious house, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

“Put on a pot, set it on,

And also pour water into it.

4Gather pieces of meat in it,

Every good piece,

The thigh and the shoulder.

Fill it with choice cuts;

5Take the choice of the flock.

Also pile fuel bones under it,

Make it boil well,

And let the cuts simmer in it.”

6‘Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“Woe to the bloody city,

To the pot whose scum is in it,

And whose scum is not gone from it!

Bring it out piece by piece,

On which no lot has fallen.

7For her blood is in her midst;

She set it on top of a rock;

She did not pour it on the ground,

To cover it with dust.

8That it may raise up fury and take vengeance,

I have set her blood on top of a rock,

That it may not be covered.”

9‘Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“Woe to the bloody city!

I too will make the pyre great.

10Heap on the wood,

Kindle the fire;

Cook the meat well,

Mix in the spices,

And let the cuts be burned up.

11“Then set the pot empty on the coals,

That it may become hot and its bronze may burn,

That its filthiness may be melted in it,

That its scum may be consumed.

12She has grown weary with lies,

And her great scum has not gone from her.

Let her scum be in the fire!

13In your filthiness is lewdness.

Because I have cleansed you, and you were not cleansed,

You will not be cleansed of your filthiness anymore,

Till I have caused My fury to rest upon you.

14I, the Lord, have spoken it;

It shall come to pass, and I will do it;

I will not hold back,

Nor will I spare,

Nor will I relent;

According to your ways

And according to your deeds

They will judge you,”

Says the Lord God.’ ”

The Prophet’s Wife Dies

15Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 16“Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down. 17Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips, and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.”

18So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded.

19And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things signify to us, that you behave so?”

20Then I answered them, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 21‘Speak to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the delight of your soul; and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. 22And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips nor eat man’s bread of sorrow. 23Your turbans shall be on your heads and your sandals on your feet; you shall neither mourn nor weep, but you shall pine away in your iniquities and mourn with one another. 24Thus Ezekiel is a sign to you; according to all that he has done you shall do; and when this comes, you shall know that I am the Lord God.’ ”

25‘And you, son of man—will it not be in the day when I take from them their stronghold, their joy and their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that on which they set their minds, their sons and their daughters: 26that on that day one who escapes will come to you to let you hear it with your ears? 27On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you shall speak and no longer be mute. Thus you will be a sign to them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”

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I PETER 5

Shepherd the Flock

1The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

Submit to God, Resist the Devil

5Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

“God resists the proud,

But gives grace to the humble.”

6Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Farewell and Peace

12By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.

13She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son. 14Greet one another with a kiss of love.

Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.