Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 20 Martch 2014

in a few hours, the astronomers tell us we will reach the point at which we enter the Vernal Equinox.  Translated, that means today, or properly this afternoon, it will be Spring.  It's about time, I am weary of the cold and snow and ice.  Weary does not really capture all of it.  Dreary.  I hear periodically from our friends in places we've lived, places in the Smokies, in the Ozarks, in the Ouachita mountains and in the the Cumberlands and Appalachian mountains.  The cold lingers there, particularly in the higher elevations, but it can also be beautiful.
We have a small amount of terrain here, but scenic does not quite describe it -- more like rows of empty houses, abandoned factories, and closed businesses.  Streets and avenues of shattered dreams and broken hearts.  I know the feeling.  The Lord makes possible a different, better perspective on things, but the hurt is there all too clear to see and words alone will not remedy that.  at least, words uttered by mere humans.  Perhaps that is part of why we were led to come here. 

Doing some work around the house, as weather, finances, and my energy levels permit.    Perhaps we shall get this done someday.

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The morning reading from the Old Testament takes in a major change.  Moses is gone, and an new era begins. 

Joshua, chapters 1, 2, and 3 of Joshua.  The people pass over Jordan into the land.

Joshua 1

1	Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,
2	Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
3	Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
4	From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
5	There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6	Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7	Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
8	This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
9	Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
10	Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,
11	Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it.
12	And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying,
13	Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, The LORD your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land.
14	Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valor, and help them;
15	Until the LORD have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the LORD your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD's servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising.
16	And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go.
17	According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the LORD thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses.
18	Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage.

Joshua 2

1	And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.
2	And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country.
3	And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.
4	And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:
5	And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.
6	But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
7	And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.
8	And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;
9	And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.
10	For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.
11	And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.
12	Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have showed you kindness, that ye will also show kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token:
13	And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.
14	And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.
15	Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.
16	And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.
17	And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.
18	Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee.
19	And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.
20	And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.
21	And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.
22	And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not.
23	So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them:
24	And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.

Joshua 3

1	And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
2	And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host;
3	And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.
4	Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.
5	And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.
6	And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.
7	And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.
8	And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.
9	And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.
10	And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
11	Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.
12	Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.
13	And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the LORD of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.
14	And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;
15	And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)
16	That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
17	And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

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The New Testament reading is verses 57-80 of chapter 1 in the Gospel of Luke.  The birth of the baby we know as John the Baptist, earthly cousin of Jesus.  And another marvelous proclamation by his father.

Luke 1:57-80

57	Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
58	And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
59	And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
60	And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
61	And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
62	And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
63	And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
64	And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
65	And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
66	And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
67	And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68	Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
69	And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
70	As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
71	That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
72	To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
73	The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
74	That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
75	In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
76	And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
77	To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
78	Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79	To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
80	And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Sunday, 09 March, 2014

missing church again this morning.  Dear Wife has some sort of Awful Thing going.  She dosed herself up last evening with decongestants and pain killers and Who Knows What Else so that we could meet some of her family at a nearby joint.  Cousin's daughter's husband was playing in a band there, and they wanted to make it look like the band has a "following" so we were part of the cast.  Food wasn't bad and priced reasonably and they'd didn't get upset that wife & I wre drinking Coke rather than booze. 
Just for the unaware: in this area, restaurants - other than the fast food joints or the family friendly places like IHOP, etc. - frequently have a liquor license as well, lots of people with Eastern and Southern European origins very often have a beer or four at dinner.  And sometimes at lunch as well.  And on a weekend night, even more so.  Some of us don't drink at all, so others seem duty-bound to try to keep the average consumption up, and some were making a valiant effort.  But it was basically a neighborhood-type place, most everyone knew each other and have probably been spending their weekend evenings together for decades.  Not a "meat market" or heavy drinker place, just a a neighborhood gathering place.  Not my preference, but have seen worse in my Old Days.   Went OK but by the time we got home she was about to collapse.  Dosed her up on various "stuff" and put her to bed under a PILE of blankets.  She was cold, and by that I mean not only felt cold, she WAS cold.  Not sure what's going on.  Probably is an effect of not having a thyroid gland at all after it was removed some years ago.  Thought to play a part in regulating body temperature.  And much else besides.
When the cats woke me for the 05:30 ( now 06:30 with the time change) Royally Commanded Breakfast (one smallish can shared among 3), she decided to transfer to the Living Room recliner which helps her sleep due to the head elevation and also the feet (always cold) being near the heat.  And she's still there, conked out.  I didn't think it good to try to rouse her and take her to church.  Didn't want to leave her alone, Just In Case.  And, as we seek our next church home, want her along.  I've made that pick on my own before, the last three in three states in fact.  But it's not ideal.  Had some interesting dreams on the subject though, so perhaps there's a reason for the long delay.
I'm not feeling real good myself, though I can willpower my way through.  But the sleep-in is nice, and particularly the morning after the semi-annual time change.

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The Old Testament passage for the day is chapters 8, 9, and 10 of the book of Deuteronomy,

Deuteronomy 

1	All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.
2	And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
3	And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
4	Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
5	Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.
6	Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
7	For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
8	A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;
9	A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.
10	When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.
11	Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:
12	Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;
13	And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;
14	Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
15	Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;
16	Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;
17	And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.
18	But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
19	And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.
20	As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 9

1	Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven,
2	A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak!
3	Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.
4	Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.
5	Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
6	Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.
7	Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the LORD thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD.
8	Also in Horeb ye provoked the LORD to wrath, so that the LORD was angry with you to have destroyed you.
9	When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:
10	And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.
11	And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.
12	And the LORD said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.
13	Furthermore the LORD spake unto me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
14	Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they.
15	So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands.
16	And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God, and had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the LORD had commanded you.
17	And I took the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and brake them before your eyes.
18	And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
19	For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also.
20	And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also the same time.
21	And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust: and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount.
22	And at Taberah, and at Massah, and at Kibrothhattaavah, ye provoked the LORD to wrath.
23	Likewise when the LORD sent you from Kadeshbarnea, saying, Go up and possess the land which I have given you; then ye rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and ye believed him not, nor hearkened to his voice.
24	Ye have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you.
25	Thus I fell down before the LORD forty days and forty nights, as I fell down at the first; because the LORD had said he would destroy you.
26	I prayed therefore unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand.
27	Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not unto the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin:
28	Lest the land whence thou broughtest us out say, Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness.
29	Yet they are thy people and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest out by thy mighty power and by thy stretched out arm.

Deuteronomy 10

1	At that time the LORD said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood.
2	And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark.
3	And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand.
4	And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them unto me.
5	And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the LORD commanded me.
6	And the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mosera: there Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest's office in his stead.
7	From thence they journeyed unto Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbath, a land of rivers of waters.
8	At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.
9	Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, according as the LORD thy God promised him.
10	And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also, and the LORD would not destroy thee.
11	And the LORD said unto me, Arise, take thy journey before the people, that they may go in and possess the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give unto them.
12	And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
13	To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?
14	Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.
15	Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.
16	Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.
17	For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:
18	He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.
19	Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
20	Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.
21	He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.
22	Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.

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The New Testament reading today is verses 28-44 of Mark chapter 12.

Mark 12:28-44

28	And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29	And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30	And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31	And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
32	And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
33	And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
34	And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
35	And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David?
36	For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
37	David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.
38	And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,
39	And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:
40	Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.
41	And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
42	And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
43	And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
44	For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 28 December, 2013

last Saturday of 2013.
end of th year, tim to be taking stock of hte year just passing by and some thoughts, goals, plans, hopes for the new year coming.  Yes, the 1st is an arbitrary milepost, but it's as good as any other.  One of my memory verses is , "behold, I make all things new".  The Lord said that, and I've found it to be true just in my years, and I know that He has more in store.  It's not a bad thing to prayerfully request His leading and insight into what we should be about, as one of our callings is to be about our Father's business.  I've found to my regret that if I don't intentionally plan around that, the hours and weeks will be filled with other things.  Harmless in themselves, probably, but not building the Kingdom either.  Have considered the truth that some of the saddest words in the language are, "of only ...".  "If only I had done x", for example.  Don't want to keep making that mistake.
Dear Wife is still sick in bed.  Seems likely that she has a sinus infection.  She's prone to them, gets a couple every year.  We have stuck away a little bit of black market antibiotics and she'll b getting into them just to try to address the matter.  If/when her Disability kicks in -- now two YEARS in the process, approval granted but not yet in effect - then she qualifies immediately for Medicaid.  Given the reality of the Obamacare catastrophe, not sure if that will really be a help in time or not.  And I've got $20 and some change to last the next 18 days.  Doesn't cover a doctor visit plus meds, just doesn't.
Cats - we have three - were in a brawl when I was trying to sleep.  If I could have done so, would have thrown the two brawlers out into the snow to fend for themselves.  Am not a pet person of any sort, but she finds that the cats snuggle up to her and comfort her when she is sick - which is often -- and particularly when I have to be away from the house, as at work or store or whatever.  So I let them stay.  This morning though, well, if a taxidermist was in reach and within the budget, he would have had a couple commissions, put it that way

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The Old Testament passage is Zechariah 7, 8, and 9.

Zechariah 7

1	And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;
2	When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to pray before the LORD,
3	And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?
4	Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying,
5	Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?
6	And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
7	Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?
8	And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,
9	Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
10	And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.
11	But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
12	Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.
13	Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:
14	But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.

Zechariah 8

1	Again the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,
2	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.
3	Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.
4	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
5	And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.
6	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts.
7	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;
8	And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.
9	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.
10	For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.
11	But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the LORD of hosts.
12	For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.
13	And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.
14	For thus saith the LORD of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not:
15	So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.
16	These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:
17	And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.
18	And the word of the LORD of hosts came unto me, saying,
19	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.
20	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:
21	And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also.
22	Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.
23	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

Zechariah 9

1	The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the LORD.
2	And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise.
3	And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.
4	Behold, the LORD will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.
5	Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
6	And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
7	And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth: but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.
8	And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes.
9	Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
10	And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.
11	As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.
12	Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;
13	When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.
14	And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the LORD God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.
15	The LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar.
16	And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.
17	For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids.

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The New TEstament reading is chapter 19 of the Revelation.  To repeat something said in previous postings, I generally avoid any commentary on the Revelations whatever.  I don't believe I understand it well enough to put forth much of anything, and the Lord has not really shown me much here.  The imagery is surely striking, and there is a lot of vivid symbolism, but I've heard to many heated arguments by well-meaning people with completely completely contradictory interpretations of the various matters that I have so far chosen to stay out of the fray.

Revelation 19

1	And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
2	For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
3	And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
4	And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
5	And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
6	And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
7	Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8	And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
9	And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
10	And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
11	And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12	His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13	And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14	And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15	And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16	And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
17	And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18	That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
19	And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20	And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21	And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.