Luke 2:51 ~ Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Luke 2:51

51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.


I believe we all feel a little deprived because we aren't given a lot of views of Jesus' growing up years.

We can be assured of this time and what was happening in Jesus and around Jesus:

49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”



Macrobius (ca. AD 400), one of the last pagan writers in Rome, in his book Saturnalia, wrote: “When it was heard that, as part of the slaughter of boys up to two years old, Herod, king of the Jews, had ordered his own son to be killed, he, the Emperor Augustus, remarked, ‘It is better to be Herod’s pig.'

If we assume God is King of the Universe and Lord of Lords, we can assume Jesus was born in 1 A.D., He was three or four when Jesus returned to Nazareth from Egypt.

Jesus saw something of this:

The Flight Into Egypt - Frederick Goodall

By Edwin Longsden, Holy Family in Egypt

Why would Father God send His Son to Egypt?

Isaiah 19
In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”

The Lord sees Salvation as God Sized.

Acts 7:11
Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food.

Mark settles in Africa. Mark founded the Church of Alexandria, one of the most important episcopal sees of Early Christianity.

Jesus in His beginning is in Egypt and continues this to feed all His Children.



Jude the Brother of Christ briefly describes this.

⁵ Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt


Jude has confidence in His Brother, Jesus.

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.





And returning to Nazareth the view was this:

We know Jesus was called the carpenter's son. The Talmud, the Sadducean Council records record and report the difficulty in Luke 1 for Mary. How did she survive in a town of 300 and her parenting skills with Joseph are remembered as being seamless?

Mary had some Help! Joseph had help!

Two times in the Gospels, we are told Mary and Joseph are recognized as very good parents. Whew, we thought Jesus was left willy nilly behind.


James, the Brother of Jesus tells us how Jesus was dealing with life.

James 1
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

James records what Jesus witnessed in His own Brothers:

6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation.

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.



John tells us too. John witnessed Jesus say:

John 15:11
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.



We can be sure, what the men who saw Jesus grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Saw This:

The different readers of the original texts say:

Mark 10:32
And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed,
in awe,
astonished.

The Bible goes on to say afraid. Angels have rehearsed what to say. "Fear Not." In all the seasons and millenniums - this is well done and to the point!



Father God,

Mark records meeting Jesus and feeling with the people, the astonishment of encountering God on earth. This is his First Gospel Chapter of Jesus. Matthew records this as well.

We thank You for the many astonishing things Jesus has given us. Rejoicing in all of Jesus' ways, knowing the names and thoughts of people, helped His Family. Rejoicing in the example of Jesus going home to visit for the Wedding in Cana.

We ask all the Blessings of Jesus continue to fall upon us. And Thank You for Your Willing Holy Spirit. We do not claw out answered prayers, but look to see where Your Holy Spirit willing blesses.

With expectation of seeing more of Your Joy, we ask for Peace, Joy, Gladness, Love, Hope, Protection and Safety, Good Health, and Give Thanks for the Blessings we know You have Given Willingly.

We lift up to you the tender hearts of the ones we love, for their comfort and joy in You. And for this Nation and the people all over the world. In Jesus. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Mark 15:37-39 ~ Truly this man was the Son of God.

The wisdom of what a person says is in direct proportion to his progress in learning the holy Scriptures—and I am not speaking of intensive reading or memorization, but real understanding and careful investigation of their meaning. Some people read them but neglect them; by their reading they profit in knowledge, by their neglect they forfeit understanding. - St. Augustine.





Earthquake Geographical readings:

Thirteen inches above the 31 B.C. event bed is another distinctive “mixed layer” less than one inch thick. The sedimentation rate puts this second earthquake about 65 years after the 31 B.C. earthquake. It seems that the crucifixion earthquake of 33 A.D. was magnitude 5.5, leaving direct physical evidence in a thin layer of disturbed sediment from the Dead Sea.

And Historical Readings

In early writings of the Church Fathers, Jerome in a Letter to Hedibia relates that the huge lintel of the Temple was broken and splintered and fell. He connects this with the rending of the Veil. Says Edersheim, “it would seem an obvious inference to connect again this breaking of the lintel with an earthquake” (p. 610, op. cit.). The lintel was an enormous stone, being at least 30 feet long and weighing some 30 tons!

The Temple Veils were 60 feet long, 30 feet wide, and the thickness of the palm of a man’s hand, wrought in 72 squares. They were so heavy that we are told 300 priests were needed to manipulate each one. The Veil being rent from top to bottom was such a terrible portent because it indicated that God’s Own Hand had torn it in two, His Presence thus deserting and leaving that Holy Place.

Says the Jewish Talmud in Yoma 39b of the events which occurred in 30 A.D.:

“Forty years before the Temple was destroyed [i.e., 40 years before 70 A.D., or in 30 A.D.] . . .the gates of the Hekel [Holy Place] opened by themselves, until Rabbi Yohanan B. Zakkai rebuked them [the gates] saying, Hekel, Hekel, why alarmist thou us? We know that thou art destined to be destroyed...”

For the huge doors of the Temple behind the Veil to open, of their own accord, or in association with the great earthquake, would cause them to pull powerfully against the Veil, and with the lintel falling, at the same time, could have torn it in two from top to bottom.

Mark 15:37-39

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."



Father God,

You have Promised those who search earnestly have found You and will find You.

We give You thanks for Your Presence and we say Thank You for hearing and answering prayers.

All things work together for Good. In Jesus. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Gensis 1 ~ The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Sunday, May 22nd is Trinity Sunday
We had a Wonderful Sermon from the Anglican Rev. Cannon Steven Saul, to Archbishop Foley.

When you think of the awesome power of God, there is a point in time where the Holy Trinity converges in something we have all considered. Even as young, young children we have all sat and thought about the Holy Trinity. And truly contemplated.


Father God begins His Word, Scriptures with The Holy Trinity.

Proverbs tells us Jesus laughed with delight to see all of Creation.

The Holy Spirit is part of Creation, of course.

God speaks The Word, His Will.
The Holy Spirit dwells in all of mankind as the Light, and in Him we live and move and have our being. The Holy Spirit hovered over the waters in Creation.


This is the connecting factor in our lives.


Over His waters, the Holy Spirit Hovered.

Through His Waters, Father God led the Children of God out of bondage. His concern for their lives.

Light poured into the world, Jesus is born. The Spirit bears witness to the life in blood and water.

And in obedience, love, worship, Jesus is bringing His Father the Kingdom; Jesus is Baptized.
And hears beauty from His Father, "My Beloved Son."

Jesus celebrates the Holy Spirit - changing water into Wine.

Jesus heals a man waiting 38 years, beside the waters of the Pool of Bethesda. God's timing is telling us, He has not forgotten us.

Jesus walks upon the waters.

Jesus confronts the crippling fear of doubt upon the waters, and Immediately reaches forth. God Loves us. He won't leave.

Begged to help a blind man, Jesus takes His saliva and the man is made whole. And another blind man was also healed with Jesus' saliva. Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

And in blood and water, Jesus did leave this Life to return us to Life.

Father God,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life,a and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, has come into the world.

Jesus has given, in the Holy Spirit, fulfilling the Father's Word, Jesus gave the right to become children of God. By the Will of God.

Because of the Holy Spirit. We have Life Abundant. We will and do witness His Glory. We have received from His fullness and received Grace upon Grace.

This is the Son of God. Jesus Christ Lord God.

We lift to Father God, thanks for the blessings of our life. We lift our concerns from their ruts Up to the Light of Jesus, with Expectation of His Goodness. We rest in Faith and Joy. We offer our Loved Ones for His Promises with Peace.

And in the Name of Jesus, God sees with us, good.

And give Thanks for Jesus, in the Provision of Father God and Holy Spirit. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Matthew 9:27-34 ~ “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

Matthew 9:27-34

27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied.

29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; 30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” 31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.

32 While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. 33 And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

34 But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”

 In Jesus. Amen.

When Moses was to see God, a great and auspicious occasion, Moses was asked not to see.

Exodus 33
18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 

19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”

 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 

23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

Both Scripture passages reflect this is a process to see God. Beginning with the earnestness of seeking God. And Father God is present.

Exodus 34
5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord,

Jesus!

6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands,a forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” 8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.

Luke 1 finds through the Millenniums the Worship of Father God continues and in the New Covenant God redirects His mercies as He gives us Jesus for our Salvation.

Luke 1:50
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.

The Gospel of John says in the First Chapter:

John 1:45
Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Father God, 


We always want to return to Your Presence and Give Thanks.

Thank You for this time. You have chosen our circumstances. And in them Your Grace, Favor, Joy, Love is here. 

Bless those who provide a Blessing.  Help those who have grave concerns in life. The ability to hand them to Jesus and Let God work His Will.

Thank You for Your Will. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Psalm 91 ~ “Because he holds fast to Me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows My Name. "

Psalm 91

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will saya to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge—
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

Curtis Martin, formerly of the New York Jets, read Psalm 91 before every game.

Curtis Martin and his mother, Rochella, began a long reconciliation process with his father, Curtis Sr.

In 1990, Curtis Sr. checked into a veteran’s hospital for two weeks followed by a six-month stay at a rehabilitation center and was able to remain sober through his death, due to cancer (June 2009 at age 58). In 1998, on Father's Day, Curtis Martin, Sr was honored, by a new, furnished condominium, his father had left the family due to his addictions to cocaine and alcohol. The family members made peace with each other in the final weeks of the elder Martin's life.

Curtis Martin's retirement, in July 2007, completed his career having amassed 14,101 total rushing yards, the fourth highest total in NFL history.

Martin married his longtime girlfriend Carolina Williams in 2010. On December 15, 2011, the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Ava.

He was selected for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 4, 2012 and formally inducted on August 4, 2012. Martin's speech, which he conducted without notes, was widely praised by critics for its sincerity. The Jets retired Martin's No. 28 jersey on September 9, 2012.

On November 11, 2013, Martin was added to the Miami Dolphins' five-man committee to develop the conduct code by owner Stephen M. Ross.


1 Chronicles 29:11
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.

Exodus 14:14
The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.


Father God,

You have told us the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

We thank You for covering us in the Name, Glory and Mercy of Jesus Christ the Lord.

We bless You and give Thanks. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure.  You created goodness in our souls with Your Help increasing our Hope, Faith and Love.

Thank You for being always with us And seeing us through all seasons. Your Mercy and Actions sustain us.

We Thank You for Salvation. You bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. We give You thanks for Your Love and lift our concerns and the ones we love to You. 

In Jesus, we are Your's ! Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Psalm 34 ~ The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Psalm 34

1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

11 Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?

13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
21 Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.


When was the last time you heard of civilian rescue during gunfire?


Pirates of the Caribbean

"You are different."
"Different?"
"Are you not? You protect."
―Syrena and Philip Swift

HONOLULU (AP)

A shooting just above a crowded Kalihi church courtyard injured a man who had just been baptized this afternoon, witnesses said.

A man was shot in the back after being baptized inside a Honolulu church is in stable condition, authorities said.

Paramedics treated 60 yr Tali Talitonu for a gunshot wound to the back at the Samoa-Tokelau Seventh-day Adventist Church on Saturday, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.


A church elder grabbed the shooter's gun hand, pointing the weapon away from the victim and the crowd, and disarmed her, Asuega said.

A church elder, Tony Williams, 57, is being called a hero for his quick action in grabbing the shooter’s gun hand, pointing the weapon away from the victim and the crowd, and disarming her.

“As soon as I heard the bang, I turned around and he already had her,” said Sam Tauolo, a church member who was also baptized today. “The church (service) had just ended, so everybody was coming out. Anybody could have been hit.”

Taleni Asuega, the victim's nephew, said that up to 100 people, including many children, were spilling out into the courtyard when a woman pulled out a gun and shot Talitonu once in the back, near his right shoulder.

Asuega said He said that he didn't know what prompted the violence, the alleged shooter and the victim knew each other.



James 2:14
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?

2 Timothy 1:7
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.

Romans 8:26-27
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.


Father God,

We give You thanks for the brave men and women who risk their lives to make other's safe. The work is not guaranteed for safety.

God bless those willing to be brave in Jesus Christ.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on these brave people; establish the work of their hands for them-- yes, establish the work of their hands.

Because of this bravery, help these brave people know to fear not, for the Lord God is with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †