The Scriptures are Alive. Each Holy Week is different. We don't hear the same Message every Easter.
This year, we need to look and draw from God's Strength and lean in to the Goodness of His Plan. Salvation. We are all in a serious fight on the same levels. We remember the Sacrifice of Jesus and what He had to say about His Plan. Jesus said Life is Joy. And He makes this point with Deliberate Determination in
John's Gospel in Chapters 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 Joy in Life.
When reading detailed accounts of Covid 19 recovery, there is guilt at others infected before the illness was known, there is the haze of thoughts during the illness and the political fallout discussed. When people are facing something like the Exodus, ie Pandemic, you have History being made.
The Ipuwer was displayed for many years in Holland in the Leden Museum of Holland in these frames.
Psalm 78: 1- 39 ~ Things from of old
Ipuwer Papyrus ~ An Egyptian Eyewitness to the Exodus, compare Genesis to the Ipuwer's eyewitness governmental complaining.
In trauma with great change, anxiety and depression - blame is cast.
This exists in a personal level. When someone you care for is depressed, the world outlook becomes very bleak.
Henry VIII, 1552
Was so worried about sweating sickness plague, Henry broke up court and fled to the country. Remaining on the run, to sleep in a fresh bed every night. Up to one third of his court died. Sweating sickness is either sanitation problems which had to do with the removal of human waste and or Hantavirus. Leadership run amok.
Pope Clement VI of the Black Plagues, 1347
Is famous for living sequestered in a large fur coat between two giant fires while shunning everyone during the first Black Plague. Pope Clement was the fourth Avignon pope. He rejected a life of poverty. Moved the court to France, entrenched French dominance of the Church and opened coffers enhancing the regal splendour of the Papacy. Clement helped secure 1346's election of the German king Charles IV, who allied with the papacy. He abandoned his vow of monastic poverty and opposed the Spirituals, Franciscan extremists who observed absolute material poverty. Enlarging the papal palace, he lived like a secular prince, patronized artists and scholars, and elevated his court to one of the most sophisticated of its time. Clement recruited composers and music theorists for his court, including figures associated with the then-innovative Ars Nova style of France and the Low Countries. His nepotism was ultimately reflected in the 44 statues of relatives which surrounded his sarcophagus.
The Truth: As the Black Plague approached, Pope Clement was busy with the Crusades. Pope Clement received information from Guy de Chauliac to place himself surrounded by torches and remain there. One fourth of Clement’s staff died at Avignon. Pope Clement VI attributed the plague to divine wrath, like many theologians of the time, he undertook measures saving both himself and many people from certain death. Clement soon became skeptical of this torch fire recommendation and stayed in Avignon supervising sick care, burials, and the pastoral care of the dying. He never contracted the disease, even though there was so much death around him. The cities ran out of ground for cemeteries, and Clement consecrated the entire Rhone River allowing the consideration of holy ground and bodies could be thrown into it. Clement organized the bodies of the dead to be removed at a time bodies were just abandoned. Clement continued hearing the confessions of the sick and dying.
Blame had to be fixed in the disaster. Popular opinion blamed the Jews for the plague, and pogroms erupted throughout Europe. Clement issued two papal bulls in 1348 (6 July and 26 September), the latter named Quamvis Perfidiam, which condemned violence saying those who blamed the plague on the Jews had been "seduced by that liar, the Devil." Clements went on to emphasise: “It cannot be true that the Jews, by such a heinous crime, are the cause or occasion of the plague, because through many parts of the world the same plague, by the hidden judgment of God, has afflicted and afflicts the Jews themselves and many other races who have never lived alongside them.” Pope Clement urged clergy to take action to protect Jews, as he had done.
1 John 5:4-21
4 You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world. Therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us.
13 This is how we know that we remain in Him and He in us: He has given assurance to us from His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent His Son as the world’s Savior. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.
17 In this, love is perfected with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, for we are as He is in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love. 19 We love because He first loved us.
20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen. 21 And we have this command from Him: The one who loves God must also love his brother.
Jesus Christ didn't do blaming during Holy Week. Jesus spoke of the Joy Life provided Jesus.
David didn't blame when all the families were kidnapped in his band living in a ditch.
Hezekiah didn't decide to knuckle down to give up his ideals as Assyria, The Empire, loomed to take out Israel and leaving Judah, Hezekiah's Portion of Israel, in deep fear. Some of the tribes of Israel were overwhelmed. Hezekiah and Judah, Judea in the time of Jesus, believed in God and in this Faith and Hope, Love created amazing tunnels for water in siege and great determination of a Faithful survival we can see today.
Hezekiah took siege (sheltering in place, cessation of trade, supplies run low) the people were So Determined to help each other survive, the gifting to God of their Spirits, their faith, their time, their talents, their funds - Hezekiah is a time of Victory. Enduring with faith, the incredible hard times, to find Joy in God.
We are Having a the Glimpses of Victory. We have had a day where cases have decreased, hospitals have eased up and deaths have dropped. This isn't the end, but the day has Hope.
We do Not Yet have the Victory. We have watched the Italians have grim determination in the Hospitals from the doctors on You Tube. We have seen The Italians Sing. And we've understood the Italians are two weeks ahead of our illness.
- Fact.
- On the human side of viewing our troubles... History does not record Exodus, Black Plague, Sweating Sickness, Spanish Flu, Swine Flu, Bird Flu or any epidemic - has everyone or anyone has financially, career, governmentally and medically equipped preparedness.
Ipuwer goes on to describe the Pharaoh didn't handle it in a manner where the government showed readiness.
- Fact.
- The entire world has moved in different speeds to respond.
- What we are really facing to succeed is Logistics being produced in a Military Directed Manner. Efficiently, with discussion, with a good Leadership Team. Chosen by our elected President. In mercy and in great fortitude and with depth.
- Supplies being built by companies never producing health supplies.
- Numbers being counted of Hospitals, ICU, ventilators, nursing staff, doctors, State's information, medical supplies.
- Needs being anticipated and directed in a very centralized, and transparent efficiency and increasing rapidly.
- New Buildings. Army medical people.
- To read about HEB putting together our supply chain is amazing.
- New doctors released early from Medical School to commit to our recovery.
- For the size of this Nation, be blessed to hear of the miraculous works people are cooperating to achieve. We are united. We are diligent. We are cared for. We are informed. Look at what is arriving to be Blessed.
- Blessed by the Willingness of our Healthcare Doctors, Nurses and the Hospital Staff.
- Blessed by Groceries and Pharmacies.
- Blessed by those in fields of Necessary Care. Like my son, Alexander, in Commercial Concrete out there every single day picking up supplies and grateful to do so.
- We are blessed by the Police. Shining a light on domestic troubles and holding television conferences about School Food available and Safety.
Fact hold on to Solutions. Hold fast to the Loving self -esteem God Gives.
We open up all our information to share the information with all the citizens and nations of the world.
During crisis we should not sink into despair, but be grateful for the abilities this Nation.
And we have this command from Him: The one who loves God must also love his brother.
We want to know during Holy Week - Where is God?
The Scriptures report Life has Trouble. Jesus Christ Himself says this. We build our lives daily with Spiritual Stones encouraged by God to think of ourselves as 'helpers'. God The Almighty calls His Spirit "Helper". I know I'm grateful to the people from my Church who have reached out to me. Dee, Cindy, Terri and Bible Studies and Neighbors. Family I even dream of.
God is very present in the exact type of care we are United in Bravely Doing. During the end of the Black Plagues, God is seen. During the end of the Spanish Flu, God is seen. During the end of Polio, God is seen. How well we know these histories and we rarely celebrate the end.
Victory will happen. We will celebrate.
Abba, Father,
During the years I worked for Pro Life, one woman told me she had seen amazing prayers answered. She knew Your Words, "God is Love." She always pictured the Light of Christ in the people she loved and the people she prayed for. And in that Love, pictured Your Light shining in them, surrounding them. Praying Your willing Blessings to soak and flow in their lives around her loved ones.
And she reported, that as the morning light arrived, Your Mercies Renew. This woman surely looked to see You loadeth us with Benefits Daily.
We entrust all our cares to You, to Lift Up. We entrust all our Loved ones to You, to Lift Up. We Believe Jesus, Whom You have sent. We Believe You are working today. And Give thanks for our Hope and Future.
Giving Thanks the virus will end. Enjoying hearing Enthusiastic Prayers Pleasing to You. Bless this Nation, our President Trump, our Vice-President Pence, the Leaders of the Virus Task Force, all Doctors, Nurses and Medical Staff. Our Grocers, Police, Necessary, Necessary, Necessary workers, Construction (my son Alexander) and all the EMS Staff united with all people staying home to bring Life to one another.
Rejoicing in Seeking You First and finding Your Heaven upon earth to do Your Will. Asking as Moses did, to Live Life with Love, Peace and Joy.
Let the Light of Jesus Christ, Light of the world, shine in mankind. To know Scripture is to know the Power of God.
Blessed Father God giving us this Holy Week reigning in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Compline or Night Prayer
The Almighty!!!
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