2611AFC031326 – I say, can you see? ← PODCAST LINK 😀

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John 9:25^b – “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”  (↔ Music Link)

Ephesians 5:11 – ¹¹ Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

Psalm 23:4 –
⁴ Even though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death
    I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff—
    they comfort me.

1 Samuel 16:7 ^c – […] the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him. When you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Thank you again for all of your well wishes and prayers. It turns out I’m in another “unhealthy” situation. On the big toe on my right foot I somehow tore the skin a little bit, and now it has an infection and brought about something called Cellulitis. Thanks to God for my great podiatrist. He put me on a couple of super antibiotics, and it’s starting to look a little better. For a moment, I was a bit concerned that I might lose that toe, or more, but now everything’s OK so there we are and thanks. Now let’s get to it.

A savvy reader might understand that what we’re going to be looking at today has to do with the word SEE. There are 6 in Hebrew that are translated as SEE come and 7 Greek words that are translated as SEE. There are over 1,000 references like that throughout the Old Testament and New Testament. The title, as you have probably figured out, is a clumsy parody about the opening words of our National Anthem, “Oh say can you see?”

Already we are past the half-way point this Season of Lent. Sunday is Laetare Sunday so named because of the introit (entrance antiphon) which in Latin begins with “Laetare Jerusalem: et conventum facile omnes qui diligitis eam: gaudete cum laetitia, …” which means “Rejoice, O Jerusalem: and come together all you that love her: rejoice with joy, …” For this special Sunday, the vestments and church appointments are rose-colored (“pink”). Rose vestments are also used during Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday in Advent (see gaudete above). On this Sunday, we hear the story of “the man born blind,” or “blind from birth.”

Today I want to start with the Key Verse from the New Testament Gospel of John. We should begin with an excerpt just above the Key Verse to help provide some context. John 9:5-7 – ⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” ⁶ When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, ⁷ saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. This takes place just outside the Temple. Jesus is walking with his Disciples, and they see a man who has been blind from birth. Now, everyone knew who this guy was because his station was just outside the Temple entrance and he received alms from passersby. He wore the cloak of one who is a beggar and forbidden to enter into the temple. We covered the significance of this in 2443AFC102524 – … but now I can see.

Jesus recognized this man, knowing that he was blind from birth. At that time a common belief was that imperfections were caused by sin, either the sins of the individual, or the sins ancestors – usually their parents. Jesus tells them “it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.” Another good point to notice: sometimes, whether we recognize it or not, God works through us in ways to give him greater Glory. That can sometimes be a very surprising consequence of allowing God into our lives. I firmly believe we should always ask God to bless us in ways that help us in all that he asks of us as well as everything he allows to happen to us. (see Prayer to Seek God’s Will)

Now, I have my own theory about why Jesus made clay out of spit. He used dirt and water much in the same way our Heavenly Father used clay from the ground to make our primary Ancestor Adam. This is just a non-theological guess, but perhaps what Jesus did was give the guy some new eyeballs. (?!) To some readers that might sound silly but, it’s something I had thought about. Anyway, Jesus tells this guy to go wash in the pool of Siloam. And then the Gospel provides us with the translation saying “sent.” There are times when God sends us someplace that may not make too much sense to us, but according to his Will there’s a good reason for it. (When is there never a good reason to do God’s Will?) This man tells the Pharisees that “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went there and washed and was able to see.” Jesus’ action was followed by instruction. The man’s compliance resulted in his deliverance from blindness and gained for him the right of entrance in the Temple to worship.

This brings us to our Key Verses from The Apostle Paul. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. If we call upon the Lord to show us His will, and He does, which would be better? To obey, or to disobey? The obvious answer is, of course, to obey which is why The Apostle Paul goes on to say, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” All of us have had experience with the situation where we say, “It was so dark I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face.” We are also familiar with the adage,, “Let’s try to shine a little light on this incident,” or even, “this may shed a little light on what’s actually happening.” Bringing things into the light means establishing Truth. “And the truth will set you free.” Free from what? Well, certainly from the darkness which is what this Psalmist is talking about when saying, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for you are with me.” Wherever there is light, there is no darkness. How about if we suppose that the shadow of death is the sinfulness of the world? What are the wages of sin?

“DEATH.” If sin is the darkness of the World, then Truth is the Light of the World and the Light of the World is Jesus who is Truth. When the Light of Truth was gifted to the beggar, he was able to go in and praise God who alone is Truth. When the man blind from birth obeyed the instructions of the Messiah, he was able to see the World in the Light of Truth. We all want to Live in the Light of Truth. Hmm … but how do we do that?

Matthew 7:7-8 – ⁷ “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Ask for Light. Search for Light. Diligently try to enter into the Light because of the promise in John 6:63 ^c, 68 ^c – […] Your words are spirit and life. (↔ Music Link) You have the Words of Eternal Life. There is a Key that unlocks that door about which we ask and for which we seek: our hearts. Because why?

Because the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. What does the Lord see in the heart of the one who asks for, searches for, and steps forward obediently to enter into the Light? How’s this for an answer? 1 Peter 2:9 – ⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. God sees the heart of someone who is Priest, Prophet, and King – someone who is in the company of the Adelphos of Jesus.

Praise the Lord! our God is SO GOOD !!

I say now, can you see? Are we pursuing the light? A friend of mine once told me, “It’s like playing tag with Jesus. You chase him until he catches you!” It’s also like what we tell our catechumens: ”God is totally committed to Loving you with the Love that is Everlasting.” It’s all part of the Absolutely Perfect Plan of Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy, Everlasting Love, Eternal Salvation, Immutable Justice, Irreproachable Wisdom, and Incomparable Grace. We all know about YOLO-F. Why not choose to Live out Forever in the Light of The New Heavens and the New Earth? Can I, can you, can we SEE? Indeed we can – if we Walk in the Light! (↔ Music Link)

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

2610AFC030626 – When is too much enough?

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Exodus 17:7 – ⁷ He called the place Massah ^a and Meribah, ^b because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

^a Test or Testing – an actual physical place which stands as a memorial to the disbelief of these earthlings and the enormity of God’s patience
^b There are two physical places with this name – Meribah at Raphadim and Meribah at Kadesh. Raphadim is near Sinai where God in his Endless Mercy provided water for the Israelites despite their unfaithfulness. (See Exodus 17) Kadesh is where – decades later after the last of the unfaithful had died – and Moses angrily struck the rock which God had told him to speak to so the water would flow without human action. God’s command was meant to demonstrate his Holiness. Instead it demonstrated human arrogance, and that cost Moses and Aaron their opportunity to enter Canaan. That penalty demonstrates that previous grace never extends to current disobedience.

Romans 5:8 – ⁸ But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

John 4:28-30 – ²⁸ Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, ²⁹ “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah,^[a] can he?” ³⁰ They left the city and were on their way to him.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope! Oh, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all be filled with the beautiful Light of Hope! There is such Joy and Peace in the lives of Believers. Those dual blessings come to us through the Holy Spirit, yes? How about a quick refresher in the Gifts and Fruit of the Holy Spirit?

HOLY SPIRIT GIFTS AND FRUITS

7 Gifts:
Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude (Courage), Knowledge, Piety (Reverence), and Fear of the Lord (Wonder/Awe) See 1 Corinthians 12:4–11

9 Fruit “flavors”:
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience (Or Forbearance), Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, And Self-Control. See Galatians 5:22-23

What a good God we have who freely blesses us with so many Gifts – more than enough Gifts to live a Holy Life. Is there anything lacking in these 16 Graces with which our Father in Heaven has graciously offered us in super-abundance so that, whenever we ask to receive or choose to accept each and/or all, the amount available to us is not diminished!

Perhaps you respond like me when I hear about how the Israelites were quarrelsome and frustrated by their circumstances. “Ingrates! Get over it!” We need to remember, though, that they were newbies to this idea of being a Great Nation. This incident at Raphadim was most likely some three to six months into their wandering in the desert of Zin. Remember now that it is recounted in Chapter 17 of Exodus. (↔ Click Link) 38 years later, in Chapter 8 of Deuteronomy, (Important review for New Testament studies.) they will be on the verge of entering The Promised Land. They will have to fight for it city-by-city, and were commanded by God to utterly annihilate ALL the earthlings in every city! Doesn’t that seem like “overkill,” literally?? WAY too much to allow. Perhaps if we see that command for ourselves, it might sink in a little better. Here are a couple of references –

Deuteronomy 7:1-2 (GNT) [1]– ¹ “The Lord your God will bring you into the land that you are going to occupy, and he will drive many nations out of it. As you advance, he will drive out seven nations larger and more powerful than you: the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ² When the Lord your God places these people in your power and you defeat them, you must put them all to death. Do not make an alliance with them or show them any mercy. In a latter reinforcement of these commands from God to Joshua, we read in Deuteronomy 20:16-18 – ¹⁶ But as for the towns of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not let anything that breathes remain alive. ¹⁷ You shall annihilate them—the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites – just as the Lord your God has commanded, ¹⁸ so that they may not teach you to do all the abhorrent things that they do for their gods, and you thus sin against the Lord your God.

An example of those abhorrent things is the veneration of the idol Moloch (or Molech). Worshippers of this aberration of human nature built huge bronze statue of a grotesque beast (← Here is what it looked like!!) with the head of a bull and the body of a man with outstretched hands. There was a large bronze brazier in front of the image. The image and brazier were heated red hot. Infants and children were placed in Moloch’s hands to be burned alive. Their bodies would fall into the brazier and be burned beyond recognition. The World has developed a less obvious form of the sacrifice of innocents to a more palatable “god.” We kill preborn and newborn infants in the womb and on the operating table for the deity called Self. It is no less evil than what was done in the name of Moloch.

The annihilation of 7 – SEVEN! – entire nations is hard to believe in our times. We call that genocide. AT THAT TIME God called it Immutable Justice. Those people in Canaan had around 430 years to seek and to find God who revealed himself  to them in the abundance and productivity of their lands and cities, in the totality of Creation, and in the nascent natural affinity for God in each earthling’s heart. They ignored him. They made their own “gods” of wood, or stone, or precious metals. They committed execution by torture on their own infants by burning them ALIVE in the metal hands of their deity name Moloch (← Here’s what that looks like!!) God decreed that these City-States had more than enough time and opportunity to repent of their evil ways, and – rather than wipe them out in a smaller deluge – he would help the Israelites take over the land little by little (so that it would not be taken all at once and wild beasts overwhelm them) It was God’s decree that all of them should perish by the sword, and the Israelites were going to be the instruments of God’s Immutable Justice.

The Israelites really had no idea what was in store for them. And, as is often said throughout the first five books of the Bible, they were a stiff-necked people, both stubborn and fickle. That’s a bad combination, isn’t it? It is one of those emotional synergies which often overflows into anger and really stupid decisions. I’ve been there way too many times. How about you? Do we ever feel like we’ve had too much to handle? Hmmm.

Are we sometimes (or often) in a snit about something or someone? Do we ever get to the point where we say, “That’s it! I’ve had enough! I’m out of here!” That attitude seemed to be common among the Israelites. And who did they blame for it? Well, Moses of course. He was the guy that got them into this mess and they figured it must be his fault because somebody had to be wrong. OK, on Moses’ behalf, we should probably also say he was pretty new at being The Leader. Because of his very close and personal relationship with God, he knew that he could go to God and say “What in the world am I going to do with these people?” He had more than enough of their tantrums, whining, and opposition. He realized that his acquired leadership skills at that time were insufficient for resolving the problem before him, so he turned again to his God Who responded with another mighty miracle, drawing water from the flinty rock. Later on in this post we’ll see why that was such an important Type in Christology.

How about these declarations?

• I can’t believe a loving God would do such a terrible thing!
• Why would God take him/her away from us so soon?
• The Lord gives and the Lord takes. That’s just the way it works.
• I don’t know what I did to turn God against me, but not only does he not answer me, he gives me even more to handle. I’m not so sure I want to be part of all of that.

The Israelites got angry with God and blame him for their being miserable, When in fact it was their fault because they were being so stubborn. All they needed to do was to say yes Lord whatever you want and guess what. They said that over and over again and then did just the opposite. So many times we claim that we want to serve the Lord, but (I’ve said this before) only in an advisory capacity. Like the Israelites, we can be stubborn and fickle, too. And also, like the Israelites, we cuss and moan about it, while what we really need to do is humble ourselves before God and ask for the faith, the discernment, the patience and perseverance, and especially the humility to cast down our idols of self and make God preeminent in all things. “Easier said than done, Mr. Chick!” Of course, that is true. If it was easy, everyone would do it.

Or would they? Is it really that difficult to do like Moses did to turn our backs on all the drama and say, “God what should I do now?”, and then DO IT? Why do we often seem to harden our hearts and to become fickle and stubborn? “Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness” and ‘ If today you hear his voice harden not your hearts.” (↔ Music Link) Do not fall asleep during that Psalm. We must not let the repetitive nature of it distract us. If we make that same mistake, the mistake the Israelites made at Miraba, Then we make it difficult if not impossible for the next part of God’s miraculous love for take effect. We will not be able to draw Living Water from The Rock.

We will remain sinners who refused to be saved. How stiff necked and stubborn is that, huh? And look at what The Apostle Paul said to us in Romans 5:8 – ⁸ But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. You see, this time it was God that struck the Rock of Ages, and from it, blood and water flowed and a New Covenant was established. We could be turning our backs on experiencing God’s Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy, Everlasting Love, Eternal Salvation, Immutable Justice, Irreproachable Wisdom, and Incomparable Grace. It seems to me that sounds like it would be another of those really stupid decisions.

It is important that we remember that the woman at the well (Jacob’s well in Sychar) was a Samaritan, and therefore not “eligible” to inherit all the blessings that would come through the Messiah. She made herself eligible, as well as many in Sychar, through repentance and believing the Gospel. That’s exactly the same process we should be using every single day. “Let anyone who is thirsty [as in hunger and thirst for righteousness (↔ Click Link)]come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink.”

It literally took another extraordinary Miracle for the Israelites to get their heads on straight. That lasted only a short while because – as the Lord God had predicted – they did not annihilate the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. They disobeyed and intermarried, proceeded to try to “fit in” by taking up the idolatry condemned by the Lord, and continued to be stubborn and fickle for which they were repeatedly – often severely – punished by God until at last God said, “Too much is enough! I’m going to fix this once and for ALL. Son, come over here. It’s time for Phase Two-of-Four in the Absolutely Perfect Plan.” Wanna know what phase three and four are?

Phase Three – A New Heaven and a New Earth. Phase Four – The Resurrection for Eternal Life – YOLO-F. Hell-o-o-o-o-o-o!    Or Oh Hell.

On that Last Day Jesus’ Prophecy will be fulfilled as in Matthew 25:44-46 – ⁴⁰ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’(↔ Music Link)  ⁴¹ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴² for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ ⁴⁵ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Too much is more than enough, and that is how the Lord does everything – with extravagant generosity. Jesus would have died for you, or for me, but instead, he died for every single living soul ever created and made alive “from conception in the womb unto natural death.” We should hear, heed, and obey that rather than hardening our hearts. Praise the Lord!. God is good ALL the time! …and …?

I hope this wasn’t too much, but that it was still enough.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

[1] Passages marked (GNT): Good News Translation (GNT) are from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)© 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

2606AFC020626 – By, In, and For Light

Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. And please, when you visit there, use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post.  
Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Please forward this to them and ask them also to share it to others.

Isaiah 58:8-10 –
⁸ Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator^[a] shall go before you,
    the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
⁹ Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
    you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

If you remove the yoke from among you,
    the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
¹⁰ if you offer your food to the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
    and your gloom be like the noonday.

Psalm 112:4 – (GNT) [1]
⁴ Light shines in the darkness for good people,
    for those who are merciful, kind, and just.

1 Corinthians 2:4 – ⁴ My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power

Matthew 5:14-16 – ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light  shine before others, (↔ Music Link)  so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

John 8:12 – (GNT)^{1 12} Jesus spoke to the Ph arisees again. “I am the light of the world,” he said. “Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.”

John 1:4-5 – (AKJV) [2] ⁴ In him was life; and the life was the light of men. ⁵ And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Greek katelaben , attain, come upon, comprehend, find, obtain, perceive, (over-)take, overpowered, extinguished, overcome, perceive, receive: take hold of exactly, with decisive initiative (eager self-interest); to grasp something in a forceful (firm) manner; (figuratively) to apprehend (comprehend), “making it one’s own.” John 1:4-5 – (GNT) ^{1 4} The Word was the source of life, and this life brought light to people. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.

John 1:3-5 – ³ All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴ in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and Peace to each of you from God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit. What do you think? Did we start off with enough Scripture? As we develop the theme given in the title, we plan on linking the Scripture to those prepositions. That will be done, of course, by looking at the word “Light” and how that word relates to Jesus. We will begin with Jesus’ declaration to the Pharisees in John 8:12: I am the light of the world. The Apostle John’s Gospel uses the word “Light” about two-dozen times – more than any other Gospel. This is especially true in the Prologue which I usually cite as being John 1:1-34. Now, if we contrast John 8:12 with Matthew 5:14, The passage from John is a declaration of Jesus’ Divinity. The passage in Matthew is a reminder to believers that they can reflect the Light of Jesus through their good works, through the process of being a true Disciple.

This brings to mind the publication by Sherry Wendell which is titled Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus. This topic has been brought up by many authors, but Wendell’s is the most comprehensively developed in recent years. One of the statements in the opening of her book declares that only 30% of people who were Baptized Catholic are still active. By implication an even more startling statistic is that 70% of people who were Baptized Catholic are not reflecting the light of Christ. I suppose I could say that my personal pet peeve in that area is that Catholics don’t really know Scripture. St Jerome famously said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” Not only is the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church divided, but there are so many denominational divisions – At least 45,000! – and Pentecostal and charismatic churches are growing in number faster than any other types of Christian groups. There are also increasing numbers of “sorta-kinda-Christian” Churches. These are Churches that project an image of Jesus that is not biblical, and not theologically compatible with True Discipleship. We won’t be discussing those here.

One other point I usually try to make clear – my own personal belief – is that it is possible for us to both reflect the Light of Christ and also to radiate the Light of Christ – I paraphrase The Apostle Paul here – “if only the Light [Spirit] of Christ is in you.” I came to this understanding during Easter Vigil services when the Baptismal Candle is lit, and then everyone lights their own individual candles off of the flame from the Baptismal Candle which came from the New Fire which represents the radiant Light of Christ. Therefore, it seems to me, that we have (and share) the opportunity to radiate the light of Christ. Again, to me, that’s a pretty exciting realization!

In the passage from Matthew where it says (v. 16) “Just so, your light must shine before others,” we could define Just so – which is the Greek word houtōs – with other words such as thus or in this way, along this line, even so, or as just described (a city on a mountain or a lamp on a lampstand). And, campers, why are we supposed to let our light shine before all? Well that boils down the exact reason we have a Church, we have a religion, we have a credo, and we have Scripture – so that in the Light of Christ, reflected in our Good Works, others may see the good works that we do. Because why? Because, it is all for the glory of God! Now, as we know, there are atheists, agnostics, pretenders, and just-good-folks  all of whom do good deeds. And yes, (I believe) God is glorified in their good works because their generous nature is a Gift from God. Nonetheless, it seems to me it all comes back to that prescription of intentionality. If we bathe our good works in the Light of Love, then they are seen as gifts from God and not from ourselves. This is why last week I place a musical “word of understanding” in our post. It was here: I want to be like Jesus so I want to be a Christian In My Heart. (↔ Music Link).

Now, I know that Jesus was not a Christian; he was a very radical Jew. Nonetheless, The Apostle Paul teaches us in Ephesians 3:17 – ¹⁷ and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. And of course we also have Galatians 4:6 – ⁶ And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” All of this – ALL. OF. THIS. – is because Christianity is not about rules, not about rituals and rites, not about vainglorious repetitions, but instead Christianity is all about RELATIONSHIPS – especially relationships with God (and remember, that word G O D means the God as Holy Trinity – God the Father, God the Only Begotten Son, and God the Holy Spirit).

Now, let’s tackle those prepositions. First up – BY. By Light. The Apostle John tells us in his prologue that Jesus was with God from the Beginning, In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. In verse 9 he says, “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” Here, Jesus is referred to as The Word and the Light. In verses 3-5 he tells us ³ All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴ in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. Here The Apostle John equates Jesus with Word (Logos), Life, and Light. Jesus and the Holy Spirit were there with the Father of Light (yep, that means the Father of Jesus), so – in a manner of speaking – everything that was created was created BY … Light.

Next up IN. In Light. Here’s another example of a reason to know Scripture: Genesis 1:1-5 – In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, ² the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. ³ Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ⁴ And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. Ah-HA! The first created phenomenon was LIGHT. Reminds me of I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. There is quite a punch in those words! Jesus, born as Light, from Light, In Light, BY Light – FOREVER AND EVER. Now, if we intentionally believe that, we’ve gotten hold of a very powerful revelation about the Nature of God.

Last up FOR. For Light. As stated earlier, I think we can not only reflect the Light of Jesus, but also radiate the light of Jesus. At this point I’d like to ask all of us to answer a question: How many of us reading this post know a person who just glows with the Light and Life of the Spirit in Christ? You can see it in their face, hear it in their voice, feel it in their touch. If such a person were to put a hand on your shoulder and look you square in the eyes and say “ Jesus loves you,” you would know that being in their presence fits the definition of “Where two or more are gathered in my Name …” Belovéd, we are created in the likeness and image of God. That means that we can both reflect and radiate the likeness and image of God. In other words, we are made for Light!

As I wrap this up, I want to “hark back” to November 30^th, 2025, the first Sunday of Advent and a short digression presented there:

• There are two kinds of people in the world – Christian and non-Christian.
• There are two kinds of Christians in the world – Catholic and non-Catholic
• There are two kinds of Catholics in the world – Active and dormant
• There are two kinds of active Catholics – happy and unhappy.

The happy Catholics go to Church because they love to be in the presence of God as part of the Body of Christ who are all worshipping with other Catholics (happy and/or unhappy!). The unhappy Catholics go to church because it is their only way to fulfill their Sunday obligation.

Whenever we TRUST in God enough to fully SURRENDER to his Presence and his Will, then we reaffirm that we BELIEVE God’s Word so that we can RECEIVE him in the Holy Eucharist as The Real Presence of His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. That is By, In, and For Light – the Light of Christ (↔ Music Link) which is Light which must be shared. When we intentionally do that, we get the results described in Isaiah 58:8 –
⁸ Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
    the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

That is not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power – the Power of the Holy Spirit,

That is indeed Light from Light! And then there is this from Isaiah 42:6 (GNT) –
⁶ “I, the Lord, have called you and given you power
    to see that justice is done on earth. (Micah 6:8 – AGAIN!)
Through you I will make a covenant with all peoples;
    through you I will bring light to the nations.

Our Immortal, Invisible God can act even as he is silent as Light – think of that adelphos, God is silent as Light! (↔ Music Link) Now it is time for me to go silent, too, and so I thank you for coming along with me this far. Light a candle for me and for all the folks for whom Scripture is a chore, and for whom Church is only a place to be seen. Perhaps the Light on your candle will light up another part of the World with the Light of Christ, because we are indeed created by, in, and for Christ who is the Light of the World, and for, in, and by him so are we the Light of the World.  Because why? Because
⁴ Light shines in the darkness for {and FROM} good people,
    for those who are merciful, kind, and just. AMEN.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!

Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

[1] Passages marked (GNT): Good News Translation (GNT) are from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)© 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

[2] The Authorized (King James) Version of the Bible (‘the KJV’), the rights in which are vested in the Crown in the United Kingdom, is reproduced here by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press. The Cambridge KJV text including paragraphing, is reproduced here by permission of Cambridge University Press.

2605AFC013026 – WWJnD (and the Bee-Attitudes) ← PODCAST LINK 😀

Read it online here, please. Reading it online allows the email version to reach many more subscribers. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. And please, when you visit there, use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post.
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Zephaniah 2:3 –
³ Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,
    who do his commands;
seek righteousness, seek humility;
    perhaps you may be hidden
    on the day of the Lord’s wrath.

Psalm 146:5-6 –
⁵ Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God,
⁶ who made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (GNT) [1] ³⁰ But God has brought you into union with Christ Jesus, and God has made Christ to be our wisdom. By him we are put right with God; we become God’s holy people and are set free. ³¹ So then, as the scripture says, “Whoever wants to boast must boast of what the Lord has done.”

Matthew 5:6 – ⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and Peace to each of you from God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit. We are already in the 4^th week in Ordinary Time. This week I would like to look at some recommendations about walking with Christ. How much time do we devote to actually being with Jesus every day? Time is the only resource that is equally accessible to everyone. My late friend Joann Hauler used to say, “We all get the same suitcase. How we pack is what makes the difference.” There are 168 hours in a week. If we suppose that it takes 30 minutes to get dressed and go to church, an hour in church, and 30 minutes to get back home, that’s two hours a week given to God. Two divided by 168 = 1.2% of a week. That’s a pretty small tithe! A true and willing tithe – 10% – would be about 17 hours a week. Seventeen divided by 7 = 2.4 hours per day. Not many of us are able (or willing!) to arrange our lives to put in that much time daily. Still, how can we follow The Apostle Paul’s teaching to “pray without ceasing?” Well, one way is to make our whole day a prayer as described in 2221AFC052722 – Make me an offer(ing)

Why do we choose to spend so little time with our Creator with our Savior with our blessed Lord? The longer I think about it the more I believe it comes down to one simple word: attitude. The Apostle Paul told us in Philippians 2:5 – ⁵ The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had: This brings to mind something from the 80’s,

What Would Jesus Do?

Talk about a loaded question! It seems that in our lives it boils down to something more like, “What would Jesus NOT do?” (WWJnD?) He probably wouldn’t do a lot of the things that churn up our consciences. Maybe that is what should churn up our consciences! I envision that idea of conscience as “that little old man in the back-right corner of my brain.” If he is a pest at times it is only because I am so often a fool at times, and either argue with him or ignore him. That pretty much always turns out to be a mistake. As St. Paul rightly pointed out so many times, it comes down to attitude.

There’s a word I’ve always had trouble with in my personal and public life. “Drop the attitude!” I certainly heard that often while growing up in Denver. Think of “attitude” and the outcome of a judgment of someone or something (most noun-forms would fit here – person, place, animal, thing, or idea) a judgment that is rife with emotion. It can be a positive or negative thing. “He’s got a great attitude!” “You’ve got a really bad attitude young man!” A friend who performed comedy often says, “He’s suffering from a bad altitude.” While obviously a punny malaprop, it really gets at the core idea of attitude in a very graphic way. Turn on that movie screen inside the front of your forehead and imagine a biplane headed cross-country. With a good altitude, the pilot (that little guy I mentioned) can clear most obstacles easily. With a bad altitude, everything from the chicken coop to the mountains can end up in a catastrophic crash.

We can ask ourselves “What sort of attitude must I have to make my life more like the attitude of Jesus? Well, first we could look at what that means. The Apostle Paul consistently tells us that we need to model our lives in the image and form of the life of Christ. There is an interesting preposition in this passage of Philippians 2:5 (above) that conveyed that quite clearly to the Philippians – and to us if we are attentive: also in Christ Jesus. The conjunction – also – in Greek is kai, and another way to read it in this passage is “indeed” or “even.” The preposition used there is έν [en]. The connotation is of something that is permanently and naturally (uncontrived) unchanging in place, time, or condition, something that is an integral part of the location or entity. Jesus’ attitude of love, ἀγάπη, was and is a permanent, natural, integral aspect of Jesus as Lord.

That’s the kind of LOVE Paul is reminding us Jesus commanded us to cultivate and share.

To me the verse, “Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus” now comes out as “Ensure that your disposition toward all things is identical to the predominant and fundamental disposition of Christ: Perfectly modest, humble, and unselfish and utterly consecrated to the service of God and one another.” Paul has an uncanny way of packing 10 pounds of meaning into a 3-pound jar!

NOW, how does our attitude stack up with that? The Apostle Paul tells us Christ required, and submitted to, humility before all other things. It took humility to obey. It took humility to empty himself and become an earthling. It took humility to direct his life and our hearts to God. It took humility to lay down his Life as an Act of Love. It takes Love to be humble. “Be Humble Like Jesus.” B.H.L.J. I guess if I really want to do that, I should stop imagining T-shirts and bumper-stickers with that printed in big, bold letters.

The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:1 – (GNT) ¹ I may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong  (↔ Click Link) or a clanging bell. Using the same transformative imagery here, that could be imagery in 1st Corinthians and transposing it here: “You should be a symphony of loving kindness rather than the loud noise of selfish conceits.” My life should ring like a crystal bell; instead it sounds like an empty garbage can kicked down a very long staircase. Our attitude cannot, must not, be an attitude of self-aggrandization.

Something like that would look like the sound of a dozen trash cans being kicked down the stair. Maybe it would be better to just listen to that little old guy in the back of my head, zip my lip, and light up my heart so I can clearly see all the things I do that Jesus wouldn’t do. What did he tell us to do?

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Not power, not fame, not money, not carnal desires; RIGHTEOUSNESS. Do the right thing. Do right things better and better things right. Where do we start? ³ Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his commands; seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the Lord’s wrath. Seek him? Where? Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob. We find God in the company of the Peoples who are blessed by God, in the community of the People of F.A.I.T.H. When? When we gather together (↔ Music Link)? Because why? Because we are created in the likeness and image of God, and God is COMMUNITY. How can we know that?

Simple: the very second we start walking with him, we are in his community, just the two of us, “and where two or more are gathered … .” Are we then united with him?But God has brought you into union with Christ Jesus, and God has made Christ to be our wisdom. By him we are put right with God; we become God’s holy people and are set free. Free from … ? All that the World has to offer. Now, that is something to boast about! But not by us because it is God who has done all that we need to find a great ALTITUDE – a Heavenly Altitude. So then, as the scripture says, “Whoever wants to boast must boast of what the Lord has done.”

Where does Scripture say that? Right here: Jeremiah 9:23-24 – (GNT)
²³ The Lord says,

“The wise should not boast of their wisdom,
    nor the strong of their strength,
    nor the rich of their wealth.
²⁴ If any want to boast,
    they should boast that they know and understand me,
because my love is constant,
    and I do what is just and right.
These are the things that please me.
I, the Lord, have spoken.”

There we go! We have God’s Word on it! Our Love must also be constant, we must also do what is just and right (Micah 6:8 – again! Lots of good resources there.). And if we learn to be just, merciful, humble, and make our entire day an offering of Praise, Adoration, and Thanksgiving? What then? Well, that “tithe” of our Time jumps up well beyond 1.2%; however, that’s still nothing to brag about, because it is only a portion – perhaps even a  just portion – of all that we are, and all that we have, but Jesus paid it all. (↔ Music Link) I want to be like Jesus so I want to be a Christian In My Heart. (↔ Music Link) How about you? well, here are some suggestions from the Bee-Attitude Hive:
Bee kind always.

We are called human beings, not human doings. Click these links ~~

• So in happy moments, be praising God.
• In difficult moments, be seeking God.
• In quiet moments, be worshiping God.
• In painful moments, be trusting of God.
• In every moment, be thanking God. (← Don’t miss this one to read OUT LOUD )
• Use the Bee-Attitudes every day!
• “BEE”-attitudes
• Bee wise Proverbs 8:33
• Bee strong Ephesians 6:10
• Bee glad Psalm 32:11
• Bee merciful Luke 6:36
• Bee content Hebrews 13:5
• Bee courteous 1 Peter 3:8
• Bee faithful Revelation 2:10
• Bee kind Ephesians 4:32
• Bee thankful Psalm 100:4
• Bee at Peace Philippians 4:6-7
• Bee Reverent Proverbs 9:10
• BHLJ OK (← Check it out!)

For those of you who are reading this online, there is a special addon after the photo at the end of this section. It will help us to remember things we should do because Jesus would do them. WWJnD? Anything that does not arise out of humble Love – and he never bragged about that. He just did it. WE can knuckle down, buckle up, and give it our best shot. If we give what we’ve got, we’ve got enough to give. Aim correctly, shoot straight.

STAY ON TARGET!

Ad astra per aspera cum spe!!!

Sow the seeds God gave you,
not your “wild oats” from that other guy.

          Today I will:

1. Pay Attention.
2. Listen.
3. Be Open-Minded.
4. Not Gossip.
5. Speak Quietly.
6. Show Respect.
7. Be Agreeable When Suitable.
8. Apologize Appropriately.
9. Give Constructive Criticism.
10. Take Responsibility For My Actions.
11. Do right things better and better things right.
12. Above all, be honest. Integrity is not for sale.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!

Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

2604AFC12326 – The Light at the Middle of the Tunnel ← PODCAST LINK 😀

Read it online here, please. Reading it online allows the email version to reach many more subscribers. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. And please, when you visit there, use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post.
Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Please forward this to them and ask them also to share it to others.

Isaiah 9:1^a,b-2^a (GNT) [1] – ^a There will be no way for them to escape from this time of trouble. ^1b The land of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali was once disgraced, but the future will bring honor to this region […]

^{2a 2} The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light.

Psalm 27:1 – (GNT)
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    I will fear no one.
The Lord protects me from all danger;
    I will never be afraid.

1 Corinthians 1:10 – (GNT) ¹⁰ By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ I appeal to all of you, my friends, to agree in what you say, so that there will be no divisions among you. Be completely united, with only one thought and one purpose.

Matthew 4:12-13 – (GNT) ¹² When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he went away to Galilee. ¹³ He did not stay in Nazareth, but went to live in Capernaum, a town by Lake Galilee, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali.  

ʻŌmea ~~ May the God of Peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Here we are already at the 3^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. As always, there is some really good stuff in our readings for this weekend so let’s begin with that Key Verse from the Gospel. We see that Jesus has left Nazareth and relocated to Capernaum in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali. What, or who, or where is that? Let’s begin with the “who” part of that.

Zebulun was the sixth son of Leah and the tenth son of Jacob. His name means “to dwell,” because Leah hoped he would stick around and live near to her. Zebulun’s descendants settled in the norther portions of the Promised Land between the Mediterranean and the Sea of Galilee – after the earlier inhabitants had been subdued (but not eliminated as God had commanded). They were unable to drive out the tribes of Canaan from their territory, and that became a serious omission and costly problem later on. The territory they were allotted was in upper Galilee, a desirable area of low, rolling hills, fertile land, and a major trade route between Galilee and the Mediterranean. They eventually became entrepreneurial seafaring people who organized and operated trade routes on land and sea.

Naphtali was the 6^th son of Jacob and the 2^nd child of Bilhah (she was the servant of Rachael, Leah’s sister). Rachael named him Naphtali – which means “my struggle” – because she felt his birth gave her better leverage (against Leah) with Jacob’s complex family. They also settled near the sea of Galilee and became known as military strategists and warriors who later fought in the services of Barak and Deborah – two of the excellent military leaders described in the Book of Judges. Nonetheless, like Zebulun, they were unable to drive the Canaanites out of their birthright territory. Naphtali is a region of rocky hills and rugged mountains, and that affected the areas where people chose to settle and to defend in war. I’ve set a map below to give you a little bit of an idea how this was all laid out geographically. Each of these three maps goes from Tyre to Gaza; the one on the right is a NASA image of that area.

Next up: Why those names and places are important.

The walk from Nazareth to Capernaum was about 40 miles. On the center map, you can see Nazareth about due-west of the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum is on the North end of the Sea of Galilee.

In our Old Testament Key Verse, we learn that those tribes and the territories they controlled were once smashed by the invading Assyrians; but the Lord promises that from those ruins near “Galilee of the gentiles” would arise a King who would drive away that darkness and desolation with Magnificent Light thereby restoring Justice and Peace. Jesus didn’t get up one morning and say, “Mom, let’s move over to Capernaum. It’s going to be better for your health and I can set up a shop there.” No. This was a strategic move to fulfill a Prophecy, the very prophecy we’ve been studying in the Book of Isaiah.

Here, then, is the power of these images. Naphtali and Zebulun were wealthy, powerful tribal areas in the middle of very fertile land which hosted several trade routes. After the Assyrians came in and wrecked all that, they backed off, left a mess, decided not to try to capture Jerusalem, and demanded tribute from everyone they defeated. They were a right nasty bunch, they were! Their war crimes – as we would call them today – were brutal. Flaying, decapitations, impaling, torture by the most cruel means, terror, gouged out eyes and tongues and genitalia. Enough. They were bad, alright, but later conquerors in that same region would be worse (Babylonia for example). That was a very, very dark time for the Nations of Israel and Judah. The promise of a conquering King, a Messiah (remember, that means “anointed one?”) was a Light in and of itself. It took a while though – like about 750 years +/- 60. Nonetheless, Tradition kept that Hope alive, and Tradition came to Reality when Jesus started his ministry with the words from Matthew 4:17 – (GNT) ¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach his message: “Turn away from your sins, because the Kingdom of heaven is near!” or as the Apostle Mark put it “Repent and believe the Gospel!” (See Mark 1:15)

Knowing all this is, for us, a peek into the mind and heart of the Psalmist, King David himself in this instance. Psalm 27 is one of about 9 different “Psalms of Confidence.” For example, in verse 3 he states that even if entire armies encamp around him, he will not fear because God is near and he trusts in God. In verse 13 he says, I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord // in the land of the living. He says, ”I trust God” and backs that up with “I believe God.”

The Land of the Living” is an “nickname” for the Temple in Jerusalem where believers could enter into the Worship of The Presence of God. Whenever I hear that phrase, “in the land of the living,” I feel the Hope my soul holds for God’s gifts a.k.a. charisms χάρισμα (khárisma) – the Grace of the Holy Spirit and the abilities that come with His indwelling – and blessings – μακάριος (makarios) – extraordinary blessings from God which create and/or amplify our charisms – sort of like The Apostle Paul’s Grace that is sufficient, or as in John 1:16 (GNT) – ¹⁶ Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another. Other translations read :Grace upon Grace.

That is an apt description of the repeated, progressive, cumulative increases in well-being which comes to Believers who completely Trust the Lord, who live by the adage “Trust and Obey.” (↔ Music Link) I had to use that music link, even though I use it often, because I hope you will take pause, and meditate on the lyrics as they appear in the recycled electrons on your screen. Now I would like to return to the first phrase of our Old Testament Key Verse, There will be no way for them to escape from this time of trouble.

What does that mean?

Well, it’s pretty obvious, yes? I encourage you to take some time this week and read chapters 8-10 of the Book of Isaiah. You will hear how the Lord used the Assyrians as a club to break away the idolatrous lives of Israel and Judah. In this verse (It’s Isaiah 8:23 in the Hebrew texts) God is essentially saying, “You asked for it, and now you’re going to get it.” What is “it?” Correction. They would feel what it’s like to deal with God’s wrath and the punishment for their obstinate refusal to Love, Trust, and Obey. There’s kind of a cycle like that. I see it like this:

• God Loves us and we acknowledge and return that Love. (↔ Music Link) 
• Because of our shared Love we begin to trust God
• When we trust God we discover that we have hope in God
• When we have hope we find it easier to obey God
• Once we begin to obey God we want to serve God
• As we serve God we begin to believe in God
• When we believe in God we begin to worship God
• As we worship God we commune with God
• Our communion with God helps us to thank God
• As we thank God we then know why we love God

Now then, why is this essay called the light in the middle of the tunnel? Well some time ago I wrote about The Light at the Beginning of the Tunnel (← Check it out! In 2401AFC010524) We all know we’re not supposed to look for the Light at the end of the tunnel. That’s the World’s view of it anyway. Those of us who know and Love God know that we have the fulfilling of a promise and the continuation of a blessing: The Light of the World is Jesus. (↔ Music Link) and Jesus is right in the middle of everything for us, Belovéd, so let us head for the light! – yep, that one at the End of the Tunnel – because that is where Eternal Light dwells. What does not dwell there is flesh and the sin that goes with it. “In the flesh” means “In the World,” and that is not our destination! We cannot possibly imagine what that will be like.

We do try to imagine it though. Angels wearing long white robes play harps while riding clouds. St. Peter at the Gate. Streets of gold, meeting our friends and relatives and all the holy men and women who preceded us. We imagine these loved ones as they appeared in the flesh. We think of them walking around in beautiful gardens conversing amiably about anything and everything. They greet and embrace one another even though they have no bodies.

That’s right. They are spirits. They do not have a resurrection body yet. So what do spirits look like and can they really distinguish the differences between this man and that woman? No matter what you think, the answer is: We can only guess until we see it ourselves. Contemplating the gaining of that knowledge is wonderful! Actually gaining it seems to terrify most of us because it is something you learn only after your body dies. The price of admission to the afterlife is quite simply everything you’ve got because you can’t take it with you. We all know that. We all know life in Heaven is … well, heavenly. But we don’t want to get there (most of us anyway) any sooner than we have to … until our number is up. But what will that be like?

As I prepared for this post over the past week, I was led to a passage about the resurrection body. You can read about that here: The Resurrection Body – 1 Corinthians 15:35-56. It’s pretty fascinating reading. It’s clear that until that Day of Resurrection, God has us scheduled for Life in The Spirit because he won’t be ready yet to speak the Miracle of Resurrection and the Glorious Splendor of Light hat IS GOD. I can’t tell you what that’s like; I haven’t been there yet, although I’ve been to the edge of the Light at the end of the tunnel a few times. Now we know because we know we Love God and we Trust and Obey him because – in Love – he gave us the Light of the World, Jesus, and Jesus is here with us right now, right in the middle of the tunnel. Now that we know, it’s time to go!

Before I go, though, I want to ask you to pray with me for the dying friends we know, that God will give them Peace as they move resolutely toward death. Pray also for families shattered by poverty, or drugs, or war, or even something as simple as bad judgment. And pray for your clergy! Thank God for them and ask God to strengthen them. The Ruler of This World is making hell on earth for billions of people. Be part of the shield that deflects his fiery arrows! Pray also for those who are willingly disobeying the Law – God’s Law and Civil Law – that they will recognize the Love of God and learn to Trust and Obey both. We can help them best by showing them something else Jesus taught us.

Matthew 5:14-16 – ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”  

I will not fear, for
The Lord is near!
I will not grieve, for
In HIM I believe!

Psalm 37:3-4 – (GNT)
³ Trust in the Lord and do good;
    live in the land and be safe.
⁴ Seek your happiness in the Lord,
    and he will give you your heart’s desire.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

[1] Passages marked (GNT): Good News Translation (GNT) are from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)© 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

2601AFC010226 – A Star for the Ages ← PODCAST LINK 😀

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Isaiah 60:1 –
Arise, shine; for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

Psalm 72:11 –
¹¹ All kings will bow down before him;
    all nations will serve him.

Ephesians 3:5-6 – ⁵ In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: ⁶ that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Matthew 2:10-11 – ¹⁰ When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹ On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love.  I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him.

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Christmas is nearly over, but let us remain festive just a little longer so we can enjoy the brilliancy of the celebration of The Epiphany of the Lord – Lectionary: 20 January 4, 2026, MBN Index #2601AFC010226! Back in the “olden days,” – and still in some cultures today – The Epiphany was the day when gifts were exchanged and the joy-filled holiday season came to an end. Some folks take down their Christmas decorations on January 6^th, Epiphany, the traditional date celebrated in Western traditions as it is the Twelfth Day of Christmas. In the US of A, it is moved to the first Sunday after January 1, therefore January 4, 2026. For the second time in just over a month we wish you all a Happy New Year. (Remember the first time we said it was on the First Sunday of Advent at the beginning of the New Liturgical Year – Cycle A – for the Church.) It is also called Three Kings Day because it features the story of the brilliant star that led the Magi to the location of Jesus. So what does that say now about the celebration of Epiphany?

Most of us know that it didn’t happen in the same way we see the “manger scene” set up during the holiday season. In the Scriptures, the “Three Wise Men” or the Three Kings, were not at the stable where the shepherds, who had been sent to the stable by choirs of Angels, first found the “babe, lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes.” Why am I putting all these terms in quotes? Again, most of us know that the Magi were sorcerers – Magos = Magician or Astrologer in Greek – who were of an Iranian priestly caste of Zoroastrianism. Scripture does not say for certain that there were three such visitors, but we imagine there were three because of the three gifts. They were possibly Magians (mä-GEE-uns) – a tribe in the Kingdom of Media (meh-DEE-uh) around 678–549 BC, later part of the Achaemenid Empire begun by Cyrus the Great. Some scholars posit they were priests of Ahura Mazda and would have been familiar with Zoroaster’s prophecies of a Savior. And right there is a signpost pointing to the Absolutely Perfect Plan.

In God’s Absolutely Perfect Plan, his APP, Jews and Gentiles would all be united in worshipping God because the APP was centered around the coming of a Savior who would be the Divine Ruler for all Peoples and Nations. Could there possibly be any better way to introduce Gentiles into the story of Salvation? Here we have three Pagan Priests coming to worship the Child who is the Son of God. These three Pagan Priests bring the Child gifts that are symbolic of his future and also that will be useful for living out his mission in I. The gold gave Jesus and his family finances that would help them during their stay in Egypt. The Frankincense was a commodity that could be sold or used in household worship of God while in a foreign land. There is a pious tradition that Mary saved some of the myrrh for Jesus’ burial once she began to understand how his life’s meaning would develop as the true Lamb of God. That’s probably just speculation, but it’s a nice story as well.

In our first Key Verse for today The Prophet tells Jerusalem to wake up and shine brightly because a Savior is coming. This beautiful, tender poetry is very revealing about the Absolutely Perfect Plan as the glory of the Lord shines over Jerusalem. All the rest of the world is in darkness but Jerusalem shines because a new Light will come. Jesus, who is later revealed as the Light of the World, will be coming to Jerusalem, but not until the end of his life. The prophecies of the Messiah have to be fulfilled in the order that God commands. The first is that the child shall be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah. Bethlehem means House of (i.e., family of) Bread, and Ephrathah denotes a place of fruitfulness. It was a small town near Bethel (House of God), and the probable location where Rachel died and was buried. It was also the hometown of Jesse, the father of David. It was an insignificant little place – perfect for the birth of the King of the Universe. How could that be? Check the Users’ Manual for your APP. Read Ruth 4:11 and Micah 5:2.

The selection for today’s Key Verse from the Psalms states that all kings of all nations Pay him homage and render him service. Here again we have a description of all the nations of the world united together in honoring the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Every time I think of that FACT, I am struck by how wonderfully God so frequently chooses the second one, the weakest one, the smallest one, the least expected one, to be the Greatest One. That’s a remarkable plan isn’t it? It is contradictory to everything we earthlings want. We want power, and show, and classiness. The Lord gives the Entire World instead a cute little Jewish baby wrapped up in strips of cloth and placed in a feeding trough in a stable somewhere in Bethlehem – the house of bread – who will grow up, and declare himself to be the Living Bread sent down from Heaven. Like they say on TV, “You can’t make this stuff up even in a movie script.” Nonetheless the King of kings and Lord of Lords comes to us as a helpless baby born to a poor family who traveled around 75 miles – mostly uphill – from Nazareth (See Luke 2:4) to a tiny town just about 6-7 miles from Jerusalem. Perhaps they, too, saw the brilliant star that had been shining for weeks up in the sky.

The star was shining that afternoon when they entered Bethlehem looking for lodging. After a fruitless search, as Mary experienced her labor, they found shelter, through the kindness of a stranger, in a stable. The star was still shining as shepherds on the Judean hillsides outside Jerusalem were watching over their flocks of sheep, bedded down for the night, although some of the ewes were birthing their lambs. The altitude there is close to 2,600 feet above sea level, and about 100 feet higher than neighboring Jerusalem. Whatever season of the year it was (Winter or Spring) it was lambing season. We know this because we have documentation that shepherds were watching their sheep during the night. The reason for that would be that they wanted to be sure to protect the lambs as they were born or to help any ewes that were having difficulty birthing. Perhaps they, too, saw the brilliant star shining in the sky. But then they heard and saw something even more extraordinary. A song, a sound, a promise that would forever change the World. That includes you and me, too.

Somewhere around 55 years ago, I wrote a short story about a boy named Hamesh who had a little lamb that he had named Emmanuel. His name wa Yes s Hamesh because he was the 5^th son and Hamesh is the number 5 in Hebrew. He was with his father and his uncles sitting around a little fire on the Judean hills watching the sky and talking about the brilliant star that they had seen. Then they saw an Angel who appeared just above them. They were totally freaked out, but he spoke to them saying“Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” (See Luke 2:8-20) What happened next was even more astounding!

I imagine that it began with hearing a sound come, a sound of singing, and of trumpets, of harps, and tambourines. At first the lyrics were unintelligible but as it drew closer they not only heard sounds of singing praises to God, but also a startling promise; and then it happened – dozens of Angels, millions of Angels, myriads of Angels, brilliant choruses of Angels filling the sky, and proclaiming
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
That last phrase inspires some deep thinking. It is variously translated as (↔ Click Link)

• peace to those on whom his favor rests
• peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased
• peace to men on whom His favor rests
• peace, good will toward men
• peace among people with whom He is pleased
• Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God
• peace, good will toward humankind.
• on earth peace, among men—good will!
• upon earth peace, benevolence in men.
• peace to those on whom his favor rests.

I often wonder how many of those shepherds were young enough to live 33 years longer and see that baby grow into a man of miracles and then was a man crucified for being politically incorrect. Whatever God intended it to say it is a mystery, but a delightful one. The Apostle Paul tells in our key verse from the epistles that this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. Did any of those shepherds follow Mary’s example and ponder these things in their hearts for the rest of their lives? I can tell you, I certainly have.

Sometimes I feel like echoing Elizabeth’s question to Mary, “Who am I that the Mother of my Lord should come and visit me?” Then, on top of that, The Apostle Paul tells us the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel. In Acts 13:48, we read that the gentiles rejoiced, and were glad, that the Gospel had also come to them. In Greek there is a cognitive and etymological connection between the word for glad (chairó), Grace and/or favor/favorably inclined; also rejoice, -d, -ing; (charis); and joy (chara). All these words begin with the letter “Chi” – Χ, χ – which denotes a “Kh” sound – similar to Bach or Loch. It is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ – Christos (Χριστός). All these conditions may seem unimportant to us, but they were patently clear to the people to whom Jesus sent The Apostle Paul.

In our Key Verse from the Gospel, we encounter the visitors from the East. Again, let’s dispose of the image of the Wise Men at the stable and the manger. Notice those first four words in verse 11 up there: ¹¹ On entering the house. Nope, not a stable, not a manger, so no swaddling clothes, no ox and lamb to keep time with The Little Drummer Boy (↔ Music Link) – all of that was for the shepherds – who really were at the first Nativity. The Wise Men came later – we don’t know how much later – but Mary and Jesus were already in a HOUSE. Joseph is not mentioned as being with them (although he was there when the shepherds showed up) – so maybe he was at his shop, or a construction site. The Magi followed some sort of astronomical (and perhaps also astrological) sign in the sky – the Star of Bethlehem. and “rejoiced with exceeding great joy. ” Folks, that’s a lot of JOY!! Like we said in 2550AFC121425 – Glad!, “We’re glad to be glad that we’re glad.”

Adelphos, we, too, can be rejoicing with exceeding joy” because we have the entire beginning and middle of the Story of His Story. We can also rejoice because we know what the consummation of that Story will be. We place our F.A.I.T.H. and Trust in the One who is the Bright and Morning Star (↔ Music Link) “The Rising Dawn” of the O Antiphons (↔ Learning Link)  :

O ORIENS – O RISING DAWN December 21: O Radiant Dawn of the east, brightness of light eternal, and sun of justice: come, and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. See Isaiah 9:2 and Matthew 4:13-17. God, who are Light, has dawned upon the Earth and dispelled the darkness of death as Light is victorious over the shadows of night. Just as the celestial sun gives warmth, energy, light, and life to the earth, so the Sun of Justice spreads the Light of God over all creatures. And so while our eyes and hearts and minds look to the east for the Light of the Nations, we recognize this from Numbers 24:17 – (GNT) [1]

 ¹⁷ I look into the future,
And I see the nation of Israel.
A king, like a bright star, will arise in that nation.
Like a comet he will come from Israel.
He will strike the leaders of Moab
And beat down all the people
Who are proud and violent.

As always, the New Testament is hidden in the Old Testament, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament. The Old Testament speaks to the restoration of Israel, and a King who will be seated on David’s Throne. The Covenant Promise will be fulfilled, and the Nation shall be restored, including Galilee, the “Home Office” of Jesus’ ministry. Right before I started researching this post, a very special tune captured my attention. It was a song I learned while I was president of the Concert Choir at Metropolitan State College back in Denver CO in 1966. It is a Jewish folk song about the restoration of Galilee called “El Yivneh Ha Galil.” (↔ Music Link) “God will rebuild Galilee.” One of the privileges I had with that choir was to be the assistant conductor, and this was one of the first songs Dr. Vernon W. Moody, Professor of Music at MSC, allowed me to conduct. The lyrics translate thus:

Indeed, may God bless and preserve Israel in all times among all Nations, and may The Star of David, The Rising Dawn, The Ancient of Days, the Only Begotten Son of God, the Bright and Morning Star shine in our hearts and Light up our souls with Truth, F.A.I.T.H., Hope and Love.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!

Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

[1] Passages marked (GNT): Good News Translation (GNT) are from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)© 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

2552AFC122625 – Speaking of Family Matters

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph