2 Samuel 7:18 ~ You established for Yourself Your people Israel to be Your people forever. And You, O Lord, became their God.

2 Samuel 7:18, 23-29


  Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?



 And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? 

And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God. 

And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. 

And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. 

For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ 

Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant.  Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. 

For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.

Life rarely rests in one angle. These Christmas Holy Days have been a beautiful season, always with a hitch or two. And yet... this week has seen the unexpected death of the Uncle the family has been far flung. A sinus infection. Cal spending his 25th birthday looking for a home for a beloved pet and being asked graciously to take what he would like. A death related disagreement. A good sized Tantrum. Two cases of flu in the family, with a triumphant break in a good-sized fever. An abandoned Christmas family gathering with parlay. Forgotten Christmas presents. The death of a treasured orphaned Key Cat, with a heart shaped nose. A Very Kind Pine Forest Animal Clinic, very loving. More or less a Christmas um... time bomb.

Maybe saints really had a clue about those monasteries. With verdant hills, growing grapes and the tendrils of little pea vines.

How easy it is the week of the BOOOOOM to recount the Rather Difficult Week.

To get the blessings out of life, if you don't DIG for them, they will pass you by like the Wide highway of Life.

Creation, we are told, waits with longing for the revealing of the Sons of God. When we move, dwell and have our souls/homes for Father God, we want to see the daily Blessings. Letting our personal Temple encourage God to enjoy being within.  The blessings we remember are the ones we should recall.

~ The warmth of being understood and enjoyed. Fellows in a ship. Fellowship.
~ Phone calls from sons. Wanting to be home. After the college years of 'Busy'. 
~ Seeing and appreciating Good News in the News.
~ Family to have a tree with and help to have that tree accomplished. Blessings of memories.
~ Receiving the blessing of invitations. Going home happy and nourished.
~ Gathering multiply with families, being able to pray with them to convey the years with love and gratitude.
~ Being blessed with Church Family. And made to feel loved.
~ Having small children to bake noxious gluten free cookies with!!! And stop sign colored Christmas Trees.
~ Overcoming distress. Being valued when you have That Look and the unspoken cry is heard. And valued when your words were hasty and loud. The Grace of Forgiveness Received.
~ The opportunity to give.
~ Having the opportunity to see gifts bless others.
~ Love covers a Multitude of sin. Love. This is what God is. John walked with Him in awe.
~ The blessings of seeing God gives us VERY imperfect people to have Imperfect solutions and seeing just as we see in God's Word. Growing us up as adults. Grrr.
~ Being able to see blessings clearly and not rosy glasses.
~ Saints of God believe in different degrees of faith. Learning not to have the final, instructive say so.

~ The joy a small cat brings and the memories of that love he gave.
~ Accepting the bumps with the Blessings while remembering the Blessings!!!

Father God, we have Faith in hearing You - hearing the Word of Christ. Hope in Your Word the plans You have for us, declares our Lord God, plans for welfare and not for evil, to giving us a future and a hope. Love, believing that Our Father God loves so much He still so earnestly loves the world, He gave Jesus His only Son, that believing in Him, we receive eternal life. Knowing faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. In the name of Jesus going forth with the bridegroom dwelling within in the Joy and Strength of the Lord Jesus.

With Your blessing shall the house of Your servant be Blessed Forever.

Amen.

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Zechariah 4 ~ Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.

Zechariah 4

And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. 3 And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” 4 And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 10 For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.

“These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.” 11 Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” 12 And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil is poured out?” 13 He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

Matthew 1

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS


Matthew 1 begins just like Zechariah 4. God is rebuilding Israel. An angel visits. John begins with Light coming into the World. Jesus is bringing the Holy Spirit to the World. Emmanuel is God with us.

Witnesses, God uses witnesses, like John the Baptist, because so many wondrous acts of God prove His Words exactly are this:

Isaiah 55:6-9
6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.


Be Blessed this Holy Days and even in days of sinus infection ~ we believe in faith.

John 1:16
For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.


Amen!

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Psalm 116 ~ I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

Psalm 116

1 I love the LORD, because he has heard
my voice and my supplications.
2 Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
4 Then I called on the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I pray, save my life!”

5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
our God is merciful.
6 The LORD protects the simple;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return, O my soul, to your rest,
for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.
9 I walk before the LORD
in the land of the living.
10 I kept my faith, even when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted”;
11 I said in my consternation,
“Everyone is a liar.”

12 What shall I return to the LORD
for all his bounty to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the LORD,
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
16 O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the child of your serving girl.
You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice
and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!



Who listens to you?
And are they good when you have an imperfect circumstance?
Imperfect circumstances... who has those?
Not the Holy Saints, by their own fault, we read about in History. History is written, according to Winston Churchill, by the victors.


Imperfect circumstance? God likes those. According to Facebook and a lot of the people we know are explained by the goodness or badness as we scroll through those pages.


According to Facebook, God does not give you perfect people and no problems, He gives you trouble and people trouble to allow you to do the prime objective - Grow up to go - HOME.

People talk and talk. But where do their hips move. And what do you hear behind what they perfectly convey?

And who cares to improve the lives of others???

Philemon 1:20
Yes, brother, may I have joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

Real Christians seek to make Him known in what they put their hand out towards. We cannot be works driven. Yet, even the demons believe and shudder at the Word of God. Faith without works is dead.

Relationships that do not bounce are dead. We all want life long friendships with loyalty. That comes from having the Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. in different seasons to Bounce. To Forgive. To be able to trust the other person.

Servanthood.

The pesky problem with servants... they eventually need something from you. Allon-bacuth means oak of weeping. Jacob, on the lam - with the worst marital problems on the planet - the horrid novel The Red Tent - says it was so bad Jacob started really, really, really being interested in the sheep. We are the wisdom people...let's all vote for polygamy.

Back to the topic. The problem with servants is they require something. Jacob on the lam - oh my, oh my humor - Jacob has to Stop. And take care of

Genesis 35
8 And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.


And you know life has a lot of problem solving and connecting the dots...lOOk at the way Scripture is placed together; how paragraphs join. There is a REASON the Scripture did not arrive with Subtitles.

Genesis 35
7 and there he (Jacob) built an altar and called the place El-bethel,[God at/of/for Bethal] because there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled from his brother.

Jacob is having to flee - over Words - not sticks and stones (what a joke) until really important words were spoken. God reveals Himself - to Jacob who was fleeing death and buried a servant loved for her dearness to them. Compassion to the compassionate.

Recall with me - Jesus did not have dinner with Pharisee members without open hearts and did not become best pals with Caiaphas. Caiaphas was Forgiven. Jesus THE LORD - does not make hearts change. HE reveals HIMSELF to ... Joseph who showed Mercy to Mary. Joseph showed COMPASSION and was Mary's neighbor - in times of extreme distress.


Jesus is the LORD GOD wanting to save ... the world.

But the Gospel begins here, in the manger, where Creator comes to creation, where Creator is held by creation, where Mary picks up her God and holds him close and kisses His face and suddenly, wondrously, everything in this aching cosmos, everything in this wounded creation, is made glorious by such a simple act-that God came here and dwelt.

This, oh this, is the fearsome thing of grace. Alleluia, alleluia, world without end.  ~ C.Lowenfield


Why for Heaven's sake to we think we have to be perfect. Perfection is God. Salvation is God being perfect. Salvation requires an unusual depth of love. 

God reaches down to... Peter. Remember, unfortunate Peter is... horrors... married. It's about time the Catholic Church remembered - no... it was for walking on water and trying to Be GOD that Peter was having to be rescued. What I'm saying is marriage should be Upheld,  for people trying to be part of a HOLY Family and say the Hebrew witnesses (see the Ryland Papyrus in Manchester England for 60 A.D. Fragments fittingly attributed to the disciple John) could 'not' remember the correct word for siblings of Jesus and children of Joseph and Mary. No, in clarity, Joseph and Mary made a perfect blended family.

Gosh. It's just possible... maybe... that saints have children, a spouse, problems, temptations, ugly words and might be - not Eve - deciding if they are God - but human.

Gosh - it's just possible that plaster saints are - plaster covered.


Let's look at Paul writing to the Philippians...


Philippians 1

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers {sup class Bishops} and deacons:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

"For Heaven's sake" - you think they are needing Grace - hmmmm.


3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.


Halos are good. Especially at Christmas time. Halo is Light entering Mankind. A phenomenon recorded as factual. But this halo is requiring some Myth Busting. Paul is saying what he says in another passage - When Paul remembers someone Paul prays - not that Paul is in constant thought in prayer for a specific individual. We seem to think St. Anthony in Heaven - wants to hear about your car keys and isn't in Paradise with Jesus. Now the truth is, Virginia, that St. Anthony is a Saint of God in Paradise. But 36% of the World is Christian. And a lot of the people alive today are Catholic. Catholic Church? Is St. Anthony a Santa Claus? OR. Is it entirely possible that... Jesus is sovereign and with compassion for sheep of HIS - HE has compassion on the understanding need - THAT

WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT....


We are too UNHOLY for the LOVE OF CHRIST TO REACH TO US...

Matthew 9:36
But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were faint and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.



6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Encouagement!!!

7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

Having the rough patches in all circumstances and still being HELD IN THE HEART!!!

8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Christ Jesus has this affection to yearn - for plaster saints - no for YOU! How HIGH is this love, the Word of God tells us this love is Amazing.

12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

St. Francis knew he had to use both words and deeds to proclaim the Gospel. And paraphrasing him -
"Preach the gospel always, and if necessary, use words." Words came (creating sticks and stones!) and actions were made catching the attentions of the talkers.


15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.


Yes, and I will rejoice!
For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance

God says prayer is with - reward. We can expect people who love us to bounce (because we jostle them) - we can expect
deliverance like the way the centurion expected a Word of God would do the trick.

20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

Not works - but like the Syrian woman - we hope even for the crumbs of God's Table  and we repay our Savior by not deliberately treating HIM as our waiter or hand Him the broom to fix our messes.

21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

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