The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as people make merry when dividing spoils. For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed, as on the day of Midian. For every boot that tramped in battle, every cloak rolled in blood, will be burned as fuel for flames. For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David’s throne, and over his kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this!
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Thus says the LORD: You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, and the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel. He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD, his God; and they shall remain, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; he shall be peace.
Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has removed the judgment against you he has turned away your enemies; the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, he will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”Posted in Uncategorized
The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah. In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot ; he shall do what is right and just in the land. In those days Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure; this is what they shall call her: “The LORD our justice.”
Posted originally on the conservative tree house on November 25, 2021 | Menagerie | 27 Comments
On Giving Thanks to the Creator: “As thou takest thy seat at table, pray. As thou liftest the loaf, offer thanks to the Giver. When thou sustainest thy bodily weakness with wine, remember Him Who supplies thee with this gift, to make thy heart glad and to comfort thy infirmity. Has thy need for taking food passed away? Let not the thought of thy Benefactor pass away too.
As thou art putting on thy tunic, thank the Giver of it. As thou wrappest thy cloak about thee, feel yet greater love to God, Who alike in summer and in winter has given us coverings convenient for us, at once to preserve our life, and to cover what is unseemly. Is the day done? Give thanks to Him Who has given us the sun for our daily work, and has provided for us a fire to light up the night and to serve the rest of the needs of life…”
On Eating:
“When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat bread, do so thanking Him for being so generous to you. If you drink wine, be mindful of Him who has given it to you for your pleasure and as a relief in sickness. When you dress, thank Him for His kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself at God’s feet and adore Him who in His wisdom has arranged things in this way. Similarly, when the sun goes down and when it rises, when you are asleep or awake, give thanks to God, who created and arranged all things for your benefit, to have you know, love and praise their Creator.”
On Worldly Troubles:
“Troubles are usually the brooms and shovels that smooth the road to a good man’s fortune; and many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away hunger.”
This is one of the coins found in Pompeii. It is not officially Roman, but privately minted and used for small change partly due to a shortage of copper quadrans. Yet, even more fascinating is that there were private coins in circulation in 79 AD. They represented the deity Bes.
Bes was an Ancient Egyptian deity who was worshipped as a protector of households. Perhaps with the rumblings of Vesuvius, these coins took on a hope to prevent disaster. Bes, in particular, protected mothers and children during childbirth. While Bes made its way to Rome from the Middle Kingdom of Egypt, Bes was also an import from Africa, where he was the god in Nubia and/or Somalia. The Egyptians were not a black race but red. In 1500 BC, Egypt conquered all of Nubia, creating a great empire that stretched all the way from the Euphrates in Syria to the 5th Cataract of the Nile. This became the wealth of Egypt for over 500 years, and Egypt exploited gold mines also in Nubia.
The Pharaohs of the New Kingdom, like Tutankhamun, were the most powerful rulers on the face of the earth. Nevertheless, Bes was an African god responsible for such varied tasks as killing snakes, fighting off evil spirits, watching after children, and aiding women in labor by fighting off evil spirits, and thus present with Taweret at births. Therefore, it appears that since Bes drove off evil, he became to symbolize the good things in life. In the Egyptian New Kingdom, tattoos of Bes could be found on the thighs of dancers, musicians, and servant girls. They have even discovered Bes masks and costumes.
Worship of Bes spread from Egypt to Syria and then later into the Roman and Persian Empires. A female variant of Bes seems to have been popular in Minoan Crete, but the male version appears to be the norm. Bes was even popular among the Phoenicians around 650 BC. The Balearic Islands, Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera are where the belief that Bes drove away snakes. The island of Ibiza derives its name from the Bes’ name, for the first Phoenician settlers in 654 BC saw the island was void of any sort of venomous snakes, which they attributed to Bes. Later the Roman name Ebusus was derived from this designation.
What is very interesting has been the discovery of these privately minted coins of Bes that were rather common among the population of Pompeii. Given the origins of this diety, we can assume it had to do with protecting them from the volcano rather than the majority of the city infested by snakes or pregnant women.
by Leonardo De Vinci
Here we can see how cultures shared one another’s beliefs, and while many people saw these deities as pagan gods, they were never viewed as the creator. To this day, we too have often a variation where saints are in charge of certain things. Saint Anne, the mother of Mary, is often called on for healing infertility. She is also considered a patroness of pregnancy and women in labor.
QUESTION: What is your view on the death penalty. The Biden administration asked to reinstate the death penalty which seems to be a contradiction to everything else they stand for.
WQ
ANSWER: This entire issue of the death penalty seems to be based upon the assumption that there is no God or afterlife. Therefore, the death penalty is the worse they can do to someone. I think those that support the death penalty must fear death themselves. I think the worst possible sentence is LIFE IN PRISON, for that is a form of torture that never ends. There are people who deliberately pick fights in prison with someone they believe will kill them. I personally think if you made the sentence an option for the defendant between life in imprisonment and death, you might be surprised at how many would choose death. I certainly would. Timothy McVey told his lawyers not to appeal, and he refused to ask for clemency from the president. He would have been tortured by guards and probably inmates for life if not kept in a 5 x 10 cell in solitary confinement for life.
I do not see how the death penalty could be the worst possible sentence. I tend to subscribe to the thought of Socrates when he was sentenced to death. It is with a migration of the soul to where they see all their old friends, or it is like a midsummer night sleep so peaceful we are not disturbed by a dream. Either way that is far less to endure than life imprisonment. In this respect, I would be pro-choice.
I have created this site to help people have fun in the kitchen. I write about enjoying life both in and out of my kitchen. Life is short! Make the most of it and enjoy!
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