“We should have known Better.”

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Jeremiah 33:14-16 – ¹⁴ The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ¹⁵ In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ¹⁶ In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.” (= our Justice)

Psalm 85:7 –
⁷ Show us your steadfast love,[1] O Lord,
    and grant us your salvation. 
 
Psalm 25:1 – ¹ To you, O Lord, I lift my soul. (↔ Music Link)

1 Thessalonians 3:12 – ¹² And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you

Luke 21:25-36 – The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁵ “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. ²⁶ People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁹ Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; ³⁰ as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. ³¹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ³² Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away

Exhortation to Watch

³⁴ “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, ³⁵ like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

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. Welcome to Year C of the Liturgy of the Word! This is our “New Year’s Day” so to speak – the first Sunday of the liturgical year which is also the first Sunday of Advent. The Key Verse icons will all be in violet or, as some people call it, purple or lavender.  For the time being, we will stick with looking at the Readings for each Sunday. I am still reviewing the idea of introducing Bible Characters and short biographical insights to their place in Scripture. Let me know if you’d be interested in that, or prefer the insights to the readings, or maybe go for both. Send your suggestions to the email address from which you received this message.

I added in a short passage from the Gospel Key Verses. The Lesson of The Fig Tree is not included in this Sunday’s lectionary passage. I included it because I often wonder why there is a big gap in the chosen readings. Maybe it has something to do with the 60-minute rule: “Mass better not last more than 60 minutes or I’m gonna ….” That’s not counting the folks who take off right after communion. We are asked to give at least 0.6%, yup, less than 1% of the 167 hours of Life God gives us every week. That’s nowhere near to being a traditional tithe (10% off the top!). I’ve mentioned Matthew 12:36-37 a couple of times recently. It is a Prophecy of Jesus that tells us even the small stuff will be reviewed when judgement comes for each of us. Jesus also prophesied that God will quickly grant justice to his chosen ones, then he asks, “And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (See Luke 18:1-8) If any of us are unsure about the content and context of those passages, please take a moment and look at them now. In a moment we’ll cruise over to Revelation 21:27, so take a moment to grab that one, too, please. Thanks. Now, on to the main topic.

Our Key Verses today speak to us of Love and Justice. In the passage from Jeremiah, God imparts additional information about the Just Branch, which we know the be the shoot from the root of Jesse. (See Isaiah 11:1-9) where we see –
¹ A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
² The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
    the spirit wisdom and understanding,
    the spirit of counsel and might,
    the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

This is the King of kings prophesied to be of the lineage of David. The image conveys the connotation of new growth from old roots. It is a powerful image! The suffering in the Sin of the World will be transformed to Righteousness – Tsidqenu from צדק (tsadaq) – to be righteous. Righteousness in God is harmony, rectitude, entirely upright and decent, honest, loyal – in short – Loving. How do we get to that? We’ve covered that in Romans 13:8, and Galatians 5:14 – ¹⁴ For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Justice ≡ Righteousness ≡ Love. We’ve discussed that God has revealed himself as Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy, Everlasting Love, And Eternal Salvation. Righteousness is Justice Tempered with Mercy because Mercy is Steadfast Love.

We might ask, “Why is God saving Judah and Jerusalem? That is the King’s chosen residence, and Peace will reign there through his governance, for the government shall be upon his shoulders (See Isaiah 9:6) and he will be the Prince of Peace. We must also remember that Justice stands in contrast to injustice. Injustice is failing to love God and neighbor, it is the nullification of Christ’s Law of Love. There is no Integrity, Mercy, Love, or even Salvation in that state of being, the life lived through injustices. I hope you can forgive me for hammering on this next one, but – as the expression goes – it hits the nail on the head because it demonstrates the deep reach of Justice and Righteousness. You see, Mercy tempers Justice, and for Mercy to occur, there must be Judgment. Justice served is what we deserve. Mercy is being served what we do not deserve. All of that to introduce – again – this from Matthew 12:36-37 – ³⁶ “I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; ³⁷ for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” But, prepared or not, Emmanuel will come! (↔ Music Link)

That is why this Sunday we pray with the Psalmist Show us your steadfast love, ¹ O Lord, and grant us your salvation. God has created us in Love for Love by Love and through Love. The reason for that is simple: God IS Love. (See 1 John 4:7-21, especially verse 16 ^b) It is also why the subtitle today is “We should have known better.” Belovéd, we have the free and total use of the B.I.B.L.E., and in it is everything we need to know to find Mercy at the time of judgment. And lest we think “Oh, I’m not too worried about that, it’s not imminent.” We should know better. In CCC 1021-1022 we have the following:

1021 Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ. ⁵⁹² The New Testament speaks of judgment primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in his second coming, but also repeatedly affirms that each will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with his works and faith. The parable of the poor man Lazarus and the words of Christ on the cross to the good thief, as well as other New Testament texts speak of a final destiny of the soul–a destiny which can be different for some and for others. ⁵⁹³  (my emphasis added)

1022 Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven-through a purification ⁵⁹⁴ or immediately, ⁵⁹⁵ — or immediate and everlasting damnation. ⁵⁹⁶
At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love. ⁵⁹⁷

And why is that? Let’s find that verse in Revelation 21:27 – (GNT) ^{1 27} But nothing that is impure will enter the city, nor anyone who does shameful things or tells lies. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of the living will enter the city. The Love of God is Perfect, and we are told to be like him – perfect, wholly holy. If we want God’s Mercy so that we can live with God eternally (rather than “that other guy”), then we need to be on the page of the Book of Life that says “Clean or nearly Clean.” All our sins must be expiated, and all temporal penance for those sins must be completed before we are allowed to cross that threshold into Rejoicing with the Lord. (↔ Music Link)

That’s another reason why we might say. “We should have known better.” All those involuntary prayers that are abuses of the Name of God – “Oh, my God!” and “God *blank* it!” The “little white lies,” the “I was just joking’” insults, the easily-spoken putdowns, “What an idiot!” and the ugliness we dare to share on the forever-alive social media – ALL of those qualify as our L A C K of Love. I invite you to go back and reread 2426AFC062824 – Winning a spot in the Final Four, and look for the phrase “by the heel.” In that post you will find this warning:

“What happens if one’s lifestyle looks more like a death-style? God will always give us what we need, correct? Sometimes, though, he lets us have a taste of what we want – sours the milk so to speak – in the hope that we will repent and go back to him.”

Every single one of us – believers and nonbelievers – are instructed to “Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Where can we gather such strength? What is a source we can use continuously to live in Love and bear in mind our particular YOLO-F? Why, we all know the answer. It’s in Psalm 121:1-2 – (GNT) [1]
¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—
    from where will my help come?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

It is not in the hills or the valleys or the seas or the skies that our Help reposes. It is in God and God alone, the One, the Only, the True God who is and was and will always be Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy, Everlasting Love, And Eternal Salvation.

Will we, can we, mustn’t we “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.” ʻŌmea! That day could be today! Maybe not for everyone in the whole World, but maybe for someone somewhere in their own World. If that someone is me or you or a friend or a loved one – JUDGMENT IS IMMINENT, NOT “LATER, MAYBE.” We might ask, “why would God make it thus? Here ya go. Another reason “We should have known better.”

Isaiah 45: 21-25 –
²¹ Declare and present your case;
    let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
    Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the Lord?
    There is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
    there is no one besides me.
²² Turn to me and be saved,
    all the ends of the earth!
    For I am God, and there is no other.
²³ By myself I have sworn,
    from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness
    a word that shall not return:
“To me every knee shall bow,
    every tongue shall swear.”
²⁴ Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me,
    are righteousness and strength;
all who were incensed against him
    shall come to him and be ashamed.
²⁵ In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
    shall triumph and glory.

Belovéd, we really do know there are no acceptable excuses, and no amount of self-justification will make a difference in the outcome. It is our thoughts, words, and deeds that condemn us, and it is God’s judgment in The Law that convicts us as guilty. Only in Christ will we find the Mercy to deliver us from a downward journey at the moment of death.

Next week we will reflect on the Messenger who came to prepare the way of the Lord, and ask if we are prepared to walk in his way.

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. n

[1] [steadfast love = Lovingkindness, mercy, God as compassionate and faithful, loyalty, faithfulness, goodness]

2445AFC110824 – Is it enough yet? ← 😊 PODCAST LINK

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.

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Mark 12:41-44 – ⁴¹ He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. ⁴² A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. ⁴³ Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. ⁴⁴ For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

 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. I sincerely hope for the best for all of you who take the time to read this – and that goes for the folks who will not read this – because our prayer for hope is for all of our God’s creation. This past 10 days, many of us have been concentrating on a certain numeric value – 270 – the number of Electoral College votes it takes to secure success for the Office of the POTUS. As it turns out, apparently that number has been reached, and exceeded by, only one of the candidates in our 2024 election. With that in mind, I ask that all of us recall this passage from The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans:

Romans 13:1-7 – ¹ Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. ² Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval; ⁴ for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore one must be subject, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience. ⁶ For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, busy with this very thing. ⁷ Pay to all what is due them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

It’s going to be difficult for some of us, impossible for a few more, but it is crucial that none of us take up the stance of defiance and state, “THIS SHALL NOT BE!!” Many surprising things will occur in the next 90 days, and in all of them, whatever may happen, we must carefully reflect on the history we are making and prayerfully seek the Word and Will of God in what we see, hear, and feel. Satan will be working harder than ever to sow division. Remember to believe and to live as “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Whatever comes of this, I reiterate, America will get what we deserve. That will be enough for us.

In our first Key Verse this morning (there will be more later on), we can envision the Disciples experiencing another of those “OH, WOW!!” moments. Jesus is sitting opposite the place where the people put their gifts for the care and upkeep of the Temple. Several bigwigs come by and make a show of their “deep and great sacrifice” by dropping a load of cash in the box, and then taking a bow for their “obvious generosity.” Then Jesus sees a poor widow and her young son come up the line. We can imagine her destitution and shame as she, a widow, and her son, an orphan, give what she can for the Temple. It is a couple of tiny coins called mites or lepton (plural: lepta) , shown below. The name means “thin.” They were small brass, copper, or bronze coins. We’ve mentioned the denarius (← Check it out!) – the equivalent of a day’s wages – and it would take more than 100 lepta to make one denarius.

The hotshots who were tossing in the big bucks probably considered her offering to be as despicable and lowly as her and her son, persons with little or no rights or standing in society. Yet, Jesus saw her sacrifice as the best, the greatest, the most important of all. She gave everything she had. Stop for a moment and think about Jesus and Joseph. His Mother, Mary, was a widow. To earthly eyes and laws, Jesus was like an orphan – a person who has lost one or both parents due to death, illness, or inability to provide for a child. How his heart must have ached for this poor widow! Recall also his interaction with “the Widow of Nain.” (↔ Click Link) The widow at the treasury box gave a pittance, not enough to feed the two of them for even a single meal, but it was everything to her to give it. Many times on those talent shows on TV, contestants will be asked, “What would it mean to you to win this?” The response is often, “It would mean the world to me!” Even the World would not be enough if given by this impoverished widow and her son!

We have better than, and more than, the World to give. We have lives that are blessed, the love of family and friends, security and comfort in most cases, and we are expected to give what we can for the sake of the Body of Christ, for helping with the Salvation of the World, and for our Peace and assurance of Heaven. How much of that is enough? Lets recall the story we recently reviewed about the rich young man.

In both of these accounts from scripture we see people who are considered to be essentially worthless. First a Widow and a child, neither of whom has any rights or standing in the community. And again, in Mark and Luke, a widow living in extreme poverty and judged by others to be sinful and unworthy. Jesus and Elijah don’t see it that way. They see persons who honor God by giving all that they have and trusting that God will receive it. In the eyes of others around them, the gift is too small. For these wonderful women, the gift is everything they have. It calls to mind the words Jesus spoke to “The Rich Young Ruler:” Go and sell everything you have and give it to the poor. Then come, follow me. Use these links to see that story:

Is that really what we need to do? Do we really need to give everything away? Well, we certainly can work harder at trusting that God will provide all we need as did Abraham, Elijah, David, Jesus, and these two widows. Do you know anyone who faithfully lives by Divine Providence? I do. His name is Brendan Case, and he is a Catholic Lay Missionary. Everything he has – home, family, children, mission, support, ministry – all of it traces directly back to God. His only work is to spread the Good News. With that he supports his family and still gives relentlessly of his considerable spiritual gifts and is also very generous with his temporal gifts – Time, Talent, and Treasure. You might say (as I would), “I can’t live like that.” We’re probably right.

Many times in these essays I’ve written about “My Old Friend Abraham.” Most of us could never do the things Abraham did. Why? Because that is not our gift. Abram was a righteous man to whom God elected to reveal himself as El Shaddai – Almighty God. (See Genesis 17) Abram believed what God told him, and for his faith in God, El Shaddai made him Abraham the Father of Many Nations – and the founder of our faith in God. Abraham was prepared by God to do great things. We are all prepared by God to do some things. When we do part of those “some things” for ourselves, we are not giving all that God has given us. Every good and perfect gift comes from above (See James 1:17), so everything we have that is good comes from God. Everything we have that is not good does not. We should never try to give God the things that did not come from him; however, we can ask him to take them and make them Good. That is what God does. He takes stuff that’s not-so-good and makes it wonderful.

That’s what he did to the widow in Zarephath and her son. He did that for the widow at the Temple Treasury – she will be remembered forever because of her unstinting generosity born of bottomless faith. Yes, El Shaddai, God Almighty, takes stuff and situations that are not-so-good, and from them brings Good into our lives. Through Jesus’ gift of Everlasting Life in him, El Shaddai also takes people who are not-so-good and turns their lives into blessings. That kind of thing is the only kind of thing that deserves the ill-used adjective AWESOME.

God is AWESOME. Skateboards are not. Salvation is AWESOME. Tee-shirts are not. Jesus is AWESOME, but, despite popular opinion, football is not. God is awesome because he gives us everything we need to recognize and enjoy his Awesomeness. What God commands becomes reality for those who serve him – especially when his command comes as the answer to our prayer, like when we take our not-so-good stuff and give it to him so he can make it all better. Even the smallest of your gifts are good gifts if they come from God and you place them at his disposal. And if you can be faithful in returning to him the small or not-so-good stuff, God will see to it that you have plenty of the truly amazing stuff to pass around. After all, he is the Source of everything you have to live on – and for. All that you have ever had or been – now, before, or later – comes from God. It is given to you, not bought by you. Honor the Giver by accepting the Gift and then share it like crazy! That is one of THE best ways to Praise the Lord! (↔ Music Link)

This is how the Psalmist praises the magnanimity of God:

Psalm 146:3-4, 9 –
³ Do not put your trust in princes,
    in mortals, in whom there is no help.
⁴ When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
    on that very day their plans perish.

⁹ The Lord watches over the strangers;
    he upholds the orphan and the widow,
    but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

In this passage, the word for “strangers” is the same as for “sojourners,” resident aliens in Israel. In the Laws of Israel, sojourners received certain benefits and rights such as gleanings from fields and vineyards, fair and equal treatment, to be loved as if they were fellow Israelites. they could participate in Israeli politics, sacrifices, and develop proficiency in Hebrew if that was not their native language. They were expected to live in accordance with the laws for unintentional sins. They could become citizens of Israel after three years, but they had to demonstrate their proficiency in Hebrew and renounce their allegiance to their previous nationality. Assimilation and cultural acclimation was a requirement. That was enough then; in our day and age, we question whether these rights and responsibilities are applicable here in America.

Let us also compare the accounts of the rich young man and the orphan, Jesus. The rich young man went away sad “because he had many possessions,” but he could not relinquish those for the possession of The Kingdom of God. His idol – wealth – stood in his way. Jesus had no possessions other than his Divinity and Humanity, yet he resolutely and willingly  walked to his death in Jerusalem to give everything he had to God, his Father, for us. Unlike the young man who turned himself away, Jesus went forward and gave God all he had left in this World: His LIFE. Here we want to look at what we will hear from The Apostle Paul this weekend:

Hebrews 9:27-28 – ²⁷ And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, ²⁸ so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Is that enough yet? It’s time for us to ask ourselves a couple of important questions:

First, what idol(s) have I placed between myself and God that prevent me from fullest communion with and obedience to Our Father in Heaven? Here are a few: Sports. Money. Prestige. Spouses and/or children and/or siblings and/or parents. Politics. Ignorance of Scripture (which is ignorance of God). Hypocrites – why do we so easily allow our prejudice against those whom we perceive to be “less than” us in worship, status, or nature to get between us and God? Ought we not pray for, and assist in, their conversion? Jesus the Christ of God died once for all, so “Many are called, but few are chosen.” (See Matthew 22:14) If we know someone who has not heard the call, or chose to ignore the call, our job as Priest, Prophet, and King is to continue to give our all for the Call. Is it enough yet?

How can, how should, how completely must I give all that I am? If everything belongs to God, then it follows that everyone belongs to God. Our life, our love, our worshiping, and honoring of God and neighbor belong to God. If we offer all that we have – body, mind, and spirit – to God and neighbor, what becomes of us and of our gifts? I believe the answer is in John 15:13 – ¹³ No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. All Good things come from God, so whatever is Good in our lives comes from him, but who can repay him – and how? If we give him All That We Have (↔ Music Link), could it ever be enough? Could we give God and each other All That I am (↔ Music Link), and still come up short? We want to Love God for the Greatness of his Love, but in the Light of his Love, ours is Only a Shadow (↔ Music Link). Is it enough yet? No, Belovéd, it never will, never can be; thanks be to God, our Jesus supplies whatever is missing to it is lacking, yet enough in God’s eyes. Praise the Lord, my soul! I am and have little! Yet, it is enough!

For additional insights please check – 1546AFC110615 – Given, 2041AFC100920 – The Few and the Many, 2042AFC101620 – Chosen for greatness

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

Aloha Friday Message – November 1, 2024 – Rules are made to be _______.

2444AFC110124 – Rules are made to be _______.

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.
Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.

Deuteronomy 6:2 (GNT) [1]– ² As long as you live, you and your descendants are to honor the Lord your God and obey all his laws that I am giving you, so that you may live in that land a long time.

Psalm 18:1 – ¹ I love you, O Lord, my strength.

Hebrews 7:27-28 – ²⁷ Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself. ²⁸ For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath*, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.
PLEASE USE THE ABOVE LINK TO SEE THIS PASSAGE IN CONTEXT. That is important.

Mark 12:32-33 – ³² Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; ³³ and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” * Psalm 110:4 –
⁴ The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind,
    “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

---

[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.

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. 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. General Douglas MacArthur has been quoted as saying, “You are remembered by the rules that you break,” and “Rules are mostly made to be broken and are too often for the lazy to hide behind.” Over the ensuing decades this has been pared down to “Rules are made (or meant) to be broken.” In this sense of the phrase it means that it’s OK to break the rules sometimes. Where many of us get in trouble is in applying that adage to everything – always.

We can all probably recall times when as children playing that our playmates would make up impromptu rules that were clearly beneficial to them; and we also were occasionally guilty of that. All of us can probably also recall when we decided not to follow the rules and got away with it. There are probably even more occasions when we finked the rules and got busted. There’s a little rebel inside us that wants the rules to be “flexible.” In the 1948 film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,  one of the bandits says, “We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!” The paraphrase of that line is what millions of people use to justify doing whatever they want. “We don’ need no stinkin’ rules.” And this is the point where we need to stop for a minute and look at the word fallacious.

Fallacious comes from the word fallacy. A fallacy is an error in logic that leads to a false conclusion because the premise, the basis, of the reasoning is false or formed in fantasy. There is a wide variety of fallacious reasonings – circular logic, false dilemma, straw man argument, and the most famous and favorite of many politicians, the ad hominem argument. In this form of “unreasonable reasoning,” this fallacy occurs when someone attacks the person instead of their argument or public position. A method frequently used is name calling. When a politician leans into the mic and reels off a string of invectives against his/her opponent, s/he is using the ad hominem (“to man” – an irrelevant attack on the person’s character instead of the person’s stated issues.) A fallacy is a falsehood which we use to try to gain some perceived advantage over someone (or many someones). It’s a lie. All of us lie, some of us better, or more often, or more easily than others, but all of us lie, and that’s because of what went down in Eden. The Devil is a liar, and – in enticing Eve and Adam to break their trust in God – he foisted on us the inheritance of making and believing lies.

Recall what Jesus said about the Devil. John 8:44 – ⁴⁴ You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. We have mentioned here before the remarkable way toddlers can tell flat-out lies about eating the chocolate cake while their chins, fingers, and shirts are coated with it. Who teaches them that? Consider also when we see someone come into a house to find the couch destroyed and when the dog is questioned about it, s/he slinks off with head and tail hanging. Who teaches them that? I’ve seen dogs and cats put the blame on the real offender, but I’ve never seen an animal – other than a human – lie.

We all know that lying is wrong, and there is a gigantic list of other things we do that are also wrong and all of them are summed up in The Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are so powerful that sinful people want them hidden, banned, revoked. Why? Because they do not want to be limited by anyone’s rules but their own. Let’s face it ʻŌmea, we’re all guilty of straining that limit at least once – and more likely thousands of times. Lies are fallacious arguments against the facts of life, AND AGAINST God.

“25 mph is too slow for this stretch of road. It’s OK to go 32 because the cops won’t stop me if I’m only going 7 mph over the speed limit.” This makes the de facto speed limit 32, and soon people are reasoning that it’s OK to go 39. “No one will see us. No one else can see my speedometer. No one really cares.”

Except the One who cares about everyone. He cares about us and Loves us so much that he gave us The Ten Commandments and the authority to be governed by others who are tasked with making and enforcing rules for entire societies. Often those societal rules are based on The Ten Commandments, but sometimes they are not. Some sets of rules say it’s OK to have sex with a child, or with a person of our own gender, or to murder a person before s/he is born, or to worship Satan. All of those kinds of rules are based on a single fallacy: “The God who gave us The Ten Commandments is imaginary, or at least less powerful than the made-up gods I have created and worship.” Even under those circumstances, when things go wrong and the natural consequences of our errant behaviors overwhelm us, we try to expiate our sins by our own feeble powers so as to appease our dead, speechless, motionless idols. Wherever humanity has settled we have created religion. At the heart of all religion, there is worship. At the heart of worship there is sacrifice. The most important – and effective – sacrifices are the ones that we make in and of ourselves. To get to the point (finally), to keep the rules as God expects us to do, we must sacrifice our willingness to give in to the little rebel in us, to the fallacious arguments we hold dear, to the idols we create. We must fully and freely commit to living HIS way by walking as he walked. That’s the purpose of the blank line in today’s title.

At the end of the title there is an underline – a blank line for us to fill in. Rules are made to be … what? Broken? Nah, all of the preceding should show us that’s not a good answer. When the title was given to me, I wondered about the blank, too. What should we put there? At this point I can tell you that the blank should be replaced by a period – or even the word “period.” Rules are made to be. Period. We could put “obeyed” in place of that blank. “Rules are meant to be obeyed.” Except some rules are wrong. We listed a few a moment ago. It is never right to have sex with a child. It is never right to murder a fetus, it is never right to commit adultery or fornication – especially with someone of one’s own gender. It is certainly never right to worship Satan. Yet we have laws that – in some places or circumstances – permit all of these things.

We can write (and have written) BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of laws, but unless they are congruent, necessary, and properly aligned with The Ten Commandments, they are not valid; they are immoral laws and contrary to The Ten Commandments. We could write a law, for example, that says it is legal to steal the pencils from the library. That does not make the law right because it is not moral, it is not congruent with moral Law, it is unnecessary and improper, and it is also ridiculous. I would argue that many of the laws we “have on the books” today are also ridiculous. Examples would be allowing adults to marry children and to consummate the marriage before the child is mature; allowing parents to force their children to undergo “gender reassignment;” permitting abortion on demand without parental knowledge or permission for minor children; and when it comes to immigration there are many wrong rules that are present and right rules that are missing, but few rules that match what God’s Laws command.

Let’s tie this to our Key Verses for today. From Deuteronomy: one might say, “Well, that was for Israel, but it’s not necessarily our way of doing things.” EHEHENGH! Wrong answer! It’s God’s way of doing things, and that’s what matters. God commands us to Love and serve him, but wouldn’t it be great if we Loved and served him because he first Loved us? (See 1 John 4:19) When we hear someone we Love say “I Love you,” that feels right because it is right – if it is in and from God’s Love. If it is from some other source, as good as it feels, it is wrong. It is never wrong to Love God. The Apostle Paul tells us in his Letter to the Hebrews that Jesus is the Perfect High Priest because he himself was the Sacrifice, the Priest offering up that Sacrifice, and the Altar upon which he is offered up. That makes no sense unless we accept that it is a Mystery of Faith  – a Mystery of Love.

That’s another of God’s rules – one of the most important ones. Its meaning is “I Love you so much that – in your Earthly Life – I will give you x⁺ⁿ chances to be forgiven for breaking the rules – including the rules you yourself made up! All you have to do is keep two simple rules.”

This Great Mystery is the mystery of Sacrifice, which is the center of Worship, which is the Center of Religion, which is the center of our Being. God’s Commandments tell us how to live in, at, and for that center. They are integral to our personal Peace and happiness. Living against them, creating fallacious lies about how to “get around” their requirements – all  of that is SIN, and sin makes us  … miserable! That little rebel in us loves to make us miserable because that means we have turned away from God, and if we keep getting more and more miserable, we just might forget about ever turning back. That’s a terrible spot to be in. BUT, WAIT! There’s a way to fix that!

WHY?

Why is this possible only through Love? Because

GOD ≡ LIGHT ≡ LOVE ≡ TRUTH ≡ WAY ≡ LIFE ≡ ETERNAL ≡ MERCY ≡ GOD

(↑ Music Link)

And The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 13:10 – ¹⁰ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

There is only One God, and nothing or no one can change that. He sent his Only Begotten Son to redeem us. He sends his Holy Spirit to renew us. He sends us all his Love all the time even if we don’t acknowledge it, or even betray it with our own fallacies. That is why we pray “Come Holy Spirit (↔ Music Link). Walk with me on this long road to Home. With you at my side and Jesus in my heart, we’ll all get to Heaven as soon as we ought.” He only is our Rock, our Strength, and our Salvation (↔ Music Link). As there is only One God, there is only One Rule. That’s easy enough to remember, but oh, so hard to do! Still, it beats anything any of us can come up with. That rule is Christ’s Law of Love. It is a rule meant to be. Period.

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

2443AFC102524 – … but now I can see.

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. Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.

Mark 10:49-52 – ⁴⁹ Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” ⁵⁰ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher*, let me see again.” ⁵² Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. *The word Rabbouni is an elevated and more respectful form of the title Rabbi which also refers to the top religious leader in Judaism, like the president of the Great Sanhedrin who functioned as the religious leader of the nation. Thus Bartimæus calls Jesus by two titles – “Jesus, Son of David,” and “Rabbouni.” This is the same title with which Mary of Magdala addressed Jesus immediately after his Resurrection.

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! 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 confess I am excited about the Key Verse selection today. This short passage contains an outline of faith, redemption, and salvation. We’ll take it apart and see (← no pun here) what we can find. Here are the main points:

1. “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”
2. Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
3. So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”
4. He threw aside his cloak,
5. sprang up,
6. and came to Jesus.
7. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?”
8. The blind man replied to him, “Rabbouni,* I want to see.”
9. Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”
10. Immediately he received his sight and
11. followed him on the way.

Let’s start at the beginning of this selection: “Jesus stood still.” In Sunday’s Gospel reading, we will hear that Jesus is departing from Jericho with a large crowd following and surrounding him. Jesus is nearing the end of his long – and final – journey to Jerusalem. A blind man name Bartimæus – Bar meaning son in Aramaic (and Hebrew). and Timæus. In Aramaic, it is Son of Timæus but what is the meaning of the word Timæus? It comes from the Greek τιμή (timē) meaning Honor. He is ”The son of honor.”

There is a story nearly identical to this one in the Gospel of Luke, but in that story the event happens as Jesus and his followers were approaching Jericho, and the blind man is not named. In Matthew’s Gospel, there are two blind men, both are unnamed, and in all of these stories, sight is restored because of the faith expressed in asking for healing. The fact that it occurs in some form in all three of the synoptic Gospels is a good indication that it is an important message that should be studied because it was obviously studied much in the early church.

So, along with the story of “The Son of Honor,” we also have superimposed on it the story of a man who is condemned to a life of begging because he is obviously unclean – he has the blemish of blindness. Because of this there is a less-well-known – and probably less feasible – history of the derivation of Bartimæus from bar-tim’ai = “son of the unclean,” and this derivation carries the allegorical meaning of “the Gentiles” or those who are spiritually blind. Although a little improbable, it does give the story an interesting, albeit subtle, double lesson.

 Let’s take a closer look at this passage and study the characters and the actions.

As a matter of custom, blind men who were beggars wore certain cloaks to identify them, so that people could recognize their needs. Now we have Bartimæus seated by the road to Jericho, a very lucrative location, wearing a uniform that identifies him as qualified to be a beggar. He is “trustworthy” because he is following the rules. He hears a crowd approaching and learns that “Jesus of Nazareth” (or Jesus the Nazorean in some translations) was the source of the commotion. Bartimæus has apparently heard of Jesus and also apparently knew of certain prophecies which applied to Jesus. He calls out to him, not as Jesus the Nazorean, but as “Jesus, Son of David.”

At this point in the narrative, the sizable crowd is still passing Bartimaeus’ position. It seems Jesus is a little farther back in the pack because it is the leaders of the crowd, the folks who have worked their way up to the front, who first interact with Bartimæus. Now, Bartimæus is making quite a racket

with his shouting, and he keeps it up despite the fact that he is told to be quiet, and scolded for “speaking out of place.” After all, he is obviously a sinful man who is being punished by God with blindness, and he has no right calling out to the Master, the Teacher, Jesus. With great F.A.I.T.H., he shouts all the louder, “Son of David, have pity on me!

And Jesus STOPPED. When I see this in my mind’s eye, I see Jesus smiling – partly out of curiosity and surprise, and partly because he knows what’s coming next! Jesus speaks to some folks nearby and says, “Call him.” 3) So they called him. Sometimes the people around us are the ones whose witness helps us respond to Jesus’ call. We can imagine they were excited because Jesus was going to help someone they had known for years, and perhaps he would perform another sign for them! And then something BIG happened! 4) Bartimæus threw aside his cloak!

Let’s do a quick recap here. Bartimæus knows Jesus is coming near, and he called out to him. Belovéd, we also know Jesus is near, near enough that we can always call to him. Bartimæus was told to be quiet and not to bother someone as important as Jesus whom they called Rabbouni. Bartimæus was not discouraged, however. He insisted on getting Jesus’ attention. SO MUST WE Belovéd. When we Take it to the Lord in Prayer, (↔ Music Link) sometimes we just need to keep on takin’ it! Now, Jesus isn’t looking to prove anything by waiting a beat – or two – before we hear his answer. He’s watching for that zeal that Bartimæus showed when he 4) threw aside his cloak. What does that mean in our faith journey? Why  would he do such a thing?

Remember the story about the garden shed full of manure and the young lassie who enthusiastically started shoveling it away? That lassie believed that, with all that manure, there had to be a pony in there somewhere. Bartimæus believed he wasn’t going to need that cloak any longer because he was going to regain his sight. He shed his “uniform,” the outer cover of his identity, because he would no longer need it! no more begging! No more exclusion from the Temple! No more dark nights and days, because he was going to see!. What might you, or I, or we need to cast away as an Act of Faith? What aspect of the World do we allow to define us and to hide our faith? Casting off that cloak was like what we do when we repent. We give up what we don’t want to have ruling and ruining our lives any longer. Are we still “weak and heavy laden?” Bartimæus “sprang up” and went to meet the Lord.” We should call out to Jesus, cast aside our Worldly trappings, and jump up to meet Jesus, as well. Everybody needs at least one (at the very least) “come-to-Jesus moment.” Jesus stops and waits for us because we are servants of the Servant: John 12:26 – ²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. (← from last week’s post) Let’s throw off whatever the World uses to limit us and spring forward in F.A.I.T.H. to receive the Gift of Sight he has prepared for us.

That Gift of Sight is more than just being able to tell the difference between and elephant and a loaf of bread. It is also spiritual sight, that Sight that is the driving might behind discernment. Discernment is what helps us craft our request for Jesus when he asks, “What do you  want me to do for you?” For Bartimæus, the answer was related to restoration, healing, right of entry to the Temple and therefore fulfillment of his obligation to worship as God had decreed. When we pray and ask for “just a little miracle,” does it bring us closer to the World, or closer to God? And which movement will the Lord most favor? Bartimæus told Jesus exactly what he knew was needed – his sight. Most translations read “regain my sight,” or “restore my sight.” Bartimæus was likely not born blind, but somewhere along the line lost his sight. ʻŌmea, we know we are born into sin, and we know that we can be reborn into righteousness. The difficulty comes in staying there. “Somewhere along the line,” we sometimes lose our sight, we become blinded by the World, but then, through God’s Amazing Grace (↔ Music Link), we regain that Sight that allows us to see the Presence of Jesus as he passes by so that we can, like Bartimæus “reach out and Touch the Lord” (↔ Music Link) by taking a step of faith toward him. And Bartimæus had no doubt about going to the Font of Grace, the Son of David, to announce his prodigious faith. from him we can learn to keep on asking. Because why?

Because we always get an answer when we pray [1] in faith, believing, [2] without ceasing, [3] and without seeking to satisfy our own appetites (See James 4:3). We might not always like the answer we get, but we can rest assured it is always the answer we need. Notice now what Jesus says to him: “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Jesus did not tell him “you’re outta line here.” Jesus did not tell him, “That sounds reasonable. You have your sight back.” Jesus said, “your faith has saved you.” Bartimæus asked for his sight and he got that and forgiveness as well! If we acknowledge our sins and repent, confess our sins and do restoration, and seek and accept God’s forgiveness, we will have restored to us that Sight with which the innocent see Life in the World. We will be renewed, revived, refreshed, and relieved – relieved of our burden of sin and the Death that accompanies it because we are born again into new Life. What a stupendously generous Gift THAT is!!  And it happens <<SNAP!!>> just like that. see what it says there at #10)? It says, “Immediately he received his sight.” My, oh, my! That is the kind of prayer response we all long for! IMMEDIATE. Personally, now, I believe that the immediacy of that response had its foundation in what Jesus expected next.

See that #11)? Immediately he received his sight, and followed him on The Way. (obviously my own emphases there). “Seek, and you shall find. Ask and you will receive. Knock, and it will be opened for you.” But all in God’s good time; and that’s the thing we just can’t handle sometimes. Man proposes but God disposes. Sometimes that might be because we need to sort out our priorities better to give God Primacy in all things. Sometimes that might be because we defeat ourselves before we finish asking by that “oh, never mind …” kind of attitude. Everything – every thing – we have is GIVEN TO US. Faith demands that we give a “thank you” in return, and then make use of all we are given. Sometimes we might not see that what we ask is not for our Salvation. On that note, I have one last thing of interest to show you (Well, I hope it’s interesting!)

Have you seen those fish symbols people put up like on the trunk of their car or on a business sign? Do you know why? It’s because of ΙΧΘΥΣ That is the Greek word ichthus – fish. It has been used as an anagram for Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr which means Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. And it looks like this:

The Σ represents the word Soter – Savior. This is emphasized in a passage by The Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:27-28 – ²⁷ Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸ and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation.* And this is God’s doing. *sōtērias from sótér = Savior. Soter is the same word as in this symbol – ἰχθύος, and the root of the word for salvation.

All of this is God’s doing. Remember this?
LIGHT ≡ GOD ≡ TRUTH ≡ WAY ≡ LIFE ≡ ETERNAL ≡ LOVE  

It’s all in the Absolutely Perfect Plan, it’s all YOLO-F, it’s all ours if we 4) throw off the World, 5) leap up, and 6) come to Jesus – every time we Feel the Spirit (↔ Music Link). When and how do we feel the Spirit? Look to John 4:24 – ²⁴ God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. When we ask for what the World considers impossible, we ask as an act of Worship and Truth. God hears, God answers, God unlocks the shutter that close away the Light. The light of the World is Jesus, and when his Light is in us, we are the Light of the World because we are The Body of Christ, (↔ Music Link) that is, the Church. Like the man said, “Once I was blind, … but now I can see.”

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

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

“Hey Chick! What’s with the elephant and loaf of bread quip?”
Old dad’s joke:
Dad – Johnnie, what’s the difference between an elephant and a loaf of bread?
Johnnie – I dunno! What’s the difference?
Dad – See Johnnie, that’s why we don’t send you grocery shopping!

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

2442AFC101824 – Second to All

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.
Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.

Mark 10:43-45 – ⁴³ But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Hebrews 4:14 – (GNT)[1] ¹⁴ Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.

Psalms 33:18-19 –
¹⁸ Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
    on those who hope in his steadfast love,
¹⁹ to deliver their soul from death,
    and to keep them alive in famine.

Isaiah 53:11 – (GNT)^1
11 After a life of suffering, he will again have joy;
    he will know that he did not suffer in vain.
My devoted servant, with whom I am pleased,
    will bear the punishment of many
    and for his sake I will forgive them.

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. On this, the 28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we continue with our preparation for the Feast of Christ the King on Sunday November 24^th, 2024. The following Sunday with be the First Sunday of Advent. The elections will be over, we hope, Christmas will be “just around the corner, and before we really even catch our collective breath, it will be 2025. Thank goodness it isn’t the year 2525 (↔ Music Link) – although I confess what’s happening this year makes it sound like 2525, and all the really scary years that follow in that song. It was a remarkable “one-hit-wonder” for 6 weeks during the summer back in 1969. It covers 10,000 years of changes. Many of those changes, I believe, have arrived well ahead of the dates assigned in those lyrics.

Even more apparent and more-easily recognized, is the tsunami of evil that is no longer coming toward us. It has washed over us and swept away nearly all that was and is good while leaving only wreck and ruin behind. The cancel culture of death mongers gobble in whatever power they can find – Power of Evil as well As Power of Good – and mash it all together so that one cannot tell which is which. Everything is as mire. Whenever we dip out hands into it, we flutter our hands and try to fling the filth away. Nonetheless, we are soiled by everything we touch and we cannot avoid touching it because it swamps all that we have and all that we are.

Almost.

The earthling who fears the Lord, the earthling who pursues justice, ministers with mercy, and serves because of humble obedience, that earthling sheds corruption like a rock sheds water. That earthling diligently prays for his needs so as to fill the needs of others. Answers to her/his prayers are evident to everyone. Their lives are filled with happiness because they know and love the Lord and demonstrate that by knowing and loving his commandments and every word that comes from the mouth of God. God is like a Father to them and they are his joyous children who revel in his compassion and marvel at his just ways. All their works are committed in harmony with the unity of God’s creation, and the song of that harmony is heard in their voices. They know and understand that we must:

“Always seek, expect to receive, and accept

the greater gift — the opportunity to give.”

(A repeat from Terrific Tuesday, if you were there.) There is a remarkable Power that fills –indeed rules – the lives of all those who “Trust in the Lord and do Good.” It is, however, not the power of authority or might. It is the Power found only in those who have the Spirit of Service within them. We call them Service Leaders.

Service Leaders are few and far between, it seems; but still, we know they are among us by the Good that they bring to Earth. Maybe it’s just because I’m old and foggy, but I cannot think of a single thing that is an act of Goodness, truly and Act of Charity, that does not result from the desire to serve someone. Servant Leaders know, without a doubt, that DEI stands for Divine Eternal Integrity. That is what I call The Most Elemental Quality of God. From the Beginning we have been told “The Lord our God is One.” There is no greater integration than to be fundamentally, profoundly, exceptionally, exclusively  ONE. Yet we hold fast to the Trinitarian dogma of God IN THREE PERSONS. Because God is GOD, there is none greater in existence. And yet we are told, “whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant,and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.” Well, then, is God our servant, the slave of all?

Note that the passage says among you. Therefore it applies to all earthlings, i.e., all living flesh that is human. Jesus was fully human and fully Divine. As a human, he was indeed the Servant of all and yet he was at the same time Master of all. Our title says, “Second to All.” To whom was Jesus Second? I submit the answer is The Father. Consider Matthew 24:36 – “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” And who searches and knows the ways of The Father? Why, Wisdom, of course! Take a quick detour here and look at Proverbs 8:22-31. Go ahead. It takes less than 60 seconds.

Isn’t that beautiful? I find it just remarkable that the first thing, the first aspect of Fundamental Existence – Divine Eternal Integrity – is Wisdom! And God, in his Wisdom, made his Creation on a hierarchy of service: God above all and all in service to him and to their neighbors. This is why he says, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul. and all your mind, and you must Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love. What is its purpose? Why did God create us with the capacity for Love?

We have that capability of Loving – I’m talking ἀγάπη, agapē – here; Divine Everlasting Love (as in Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy, Everlasting Love, And Eternal Salvation) through Christ, our Lord. The purpose of Love is to serve The Other. As we see in Jesus’ explication of The Law in Matthew 22:37, we must allow Christ’s Law of Love to be the foundation of all our relationships. That’s the meaning of God’s Creation – relationships. He has a relationship with us: Creator. We have a relationship with him: Creation. We have his Spirit of Life in us, and we are us because God made his earthlings to be “fruitful, and multiply, and subdue the Earth.” “Subdue” in this command of God does not mean to overwhelm, to crush, to suppress, or to subjugate, vanquish, destroy, or to reduce his Earth. God intends for us to tame the Earth, and to use the creatures which he created for our well-being with dignity and restraint. We are given the Gift of Stewardship of all that he created for us here on Earth.

What a tremendously generous Gift that is! It gives us the opportunity to serve him by serving each other. One does not have to be Ordained as a Pastor, or Priest, or to submit to a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience to be a Minister to the Lord! “All” we have to do is love and obey him, and in the same manner love and responsibly preserve all else he has created. Easy to say; very tough to do! Unless we know the greatest Minister of all Eternity.

The Apostle Paul tells us in the Key Verse above that we have a Great High Priest – a Minister above all others – who has passed through Heaven to be with us to serve us by revealing to us all that God expects – and in addition, he tells us how to do what God requires by doing it himself. God himself came to serve us by teaching us how to serve God. Take a moment and let that sink in.

GOD HIMSELF CAME TO SERVE US BY TEACHING US

HOW TO SERVE GOD.

In my experience, that tops the list of Servant Leadership. God blessed us – made us happy and joyful – by being one of us! What a Blessing! He did that so he could teach us how to bless each other by following him (↔ Music Link). You see, Jesus paid it all (↔ Music Link), and all we have to do to be his followers is to accept that Gift of Beatitude – his own Blessedness. He serves the Father by serving as the Atoning Sacrifice for our sins. for our sake he took on the just judgment against us thereby freeing us of sin and reconciling us with God. It is our responsibility, our sacred duty, to sacrifice our lives to bring justice and obedience to whomsoever has rejected God’s Gift of ἀγάπη, “For [even] the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” As we’ve stated here before, that word many means multitudes, in great numbers – pollōn in this passage. The meaning is plain and frank. Many will benefit because of what he did.

Reflect again on what he did: came not to be served but to serve. If I, if you, if we want the Discipleship of service, we must bear in mind Jesus’ command in John 12:26 – ²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. Jesus himself said that even he came to serve. Who? His Father. How? By serving for us in our place at judgment. By voluntarily, willingly accepting the consequences of our sin, he wiped away our guilt so that we receive Pardon – the freely-granted Grace of the forgiveness of our sins by nullifying the requisite punishment, and Forgiveness – the completion of redemption and removal of all limits to reconciliation between the offended and the offender. That, my dear friends is a REALLY BIG DEAL! It’s also a really good deal. We have an example in our Key Verse from the Psalm, reporduced for you below:
Psalms 33:18-19 –
¹⁸ Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
    on those who hope in his steadfast love, (checed)
¹⁹ to deliver their soul from death,
    and to keep them alive in famine.

God sees everything we do, knows everything we think, hears everything we say, and when all of that is performed as a commitment to serving him, then we are the beneficiaries of his beneficence – his steadfast love, his mercy and kindness, that Everlasting Love we so desperately need – then he delivers us from death. Here we also understand that it is not just physical famine and death – a scourge seen often across the Earth – but also spiritual famine. This is the famine, the hunger and thirst after righteousness, that he promises to all who are nourished by his Word and his Promises through his Endless Mercy. All of this vast overabundance, more than we can ever fathom, is ours for the mere pittance of trust and obedience, for in these small things of service (all  of me in trade for ALL of HIM) there is the promise and capacity for eternal reunion with him where he is, has been, and will be. Something much greater than “a pearl of great price” is ours in exchange for loving God and neighbor enough to be their servant.

Everyone who enters into and keeps that covenant relationship with her/his creator will enter into everlasting Love, Peace, and Joy. This is only possible because of God’s promise that he gives us in his devoted Servant of whom he says with whom I am pleased, will bear the punishment of many and for his sake I will forgive them. Jesus did indeed lead a life of suffering. Every hour of every day he resolutely, willingly walked toward the immense suffering at the Cross. Along the way he had no home, no possessions, no desire to do anything other than to serve his Father. Let us pray to God that we will have no desire to anything other that the serve the Father and his Son while diligently serving one another.

You’ve heard this before, but will you let me be your servant? (↔ 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

2441AFC101124 – The Wise Warrior    ← 😊 PODCAST LINK

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 Wisdom 7:7 – ⁷ Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me; I called on God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.

Psalm 90:12 – ² So teach us to count our days     that we may gain a wise heart.

Hebrews 4:12-13 – ¹² Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³ And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.

Mark 10:23, 26-27 – ²³ Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁶ They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! May the Lord of hosts preserve us in these perilous days! Please continue (and intensify) your prayers for the people being affected by hurricane Milton and other natural phenomena these days. There is much talk about “weaponizing” the weather. It’s hard to believe, harder still to discern the motivations. I invite you to look at some information about that here (↔ Click Link) because it may – or may not – be part of the war into which we have been launched – multiple millennia before now. I’m not talking about Ukraine, or Gaza, or Afghanistan. I’m talking about inside our hearts, and minds, and especially in our spirits. In this war, some see that there is little to gain and much to lose.

That is true if we have a great heap of stuff that we have acquired to comfort us, or collected just because we could, even if it was not much comfort at all. The Key Verse from the Gospel of Mark is part of the story often called “The Rich Young Ruler.” Let’s recall the scene: a wealthy young man wants to know what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus lectures him about calling him Good, and then asks if he’s been obedient to the Law. The young man affirms that he has been faithful to the entire Law. At that point, we have a very unusual statement in the Gospels. It reads, in verse 21 – ²¹ Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” This is the only passage in the Bible that states Jesus looked with love on someone. Why did he do that? There are many guesses as to why. Mine is that Jesus saw how earnestly the man wanted to do the right thing, but Jesus knew in advance that he could not give up his rich lifestyle. Many of us are in the same situation. That’s part of the warfare – even the newly-coined Lawfare – that the Accuser uses against us. It’s like what Yoda told Luke Skywalker – “Luke, empty your mind.” Luke, be stupid. “You must unlearn what you have learned.” Be blind and stupid. Not necessary if you know the Word instead of the Force!

Poor Luke Skywalker! He had much to lose and much to gain – according to the story. If he could not master geoengineering by manipulation of the laws of physics, then the battle could be lost. He had to assume a new identity to do that. Belovéd, I submit we face somewhat of the same challenge. We must be willing to unlearn the ways of the World and submit to the ways of God. This, however, is the loss of knowledge that leads to being stupid. This is that One Way Only that leads to Wisdom. We can see that what Luke was attempting as a Jedi was to turn on something inside himself to make it possible to control a portion of the universe within his sphere of influence.

What God asks us to do is to turn OFF something inside us that makes it possible for us to be controlled by things inside our sphere of influence – in other words, we learn to resist the World and depend on God. That is Wisdom. Looking inside ourselves to find ourselves can be pretty disappointing because it might just turn out that all we find there is “just me.”

Introspection is good, but for those who advocate for intense introspection as the way to know and understand God, I suggest we have more to do. I concur that we do well to look inside our lives to find what God is doing, but also believe that we need to look beyond our inner-beings so we can see our connections with the God who is one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. (See Ephesians 6:4-6) We have seen previously that reverencing and loving God is the beginning of Wisdom. We’ve said repeatedly that God is Love, so one who is wise will be the one who loves God. “You, O Lord, are my God, and I am your humble servant which is my reasonable service of worship.” That is wisdom. Now, Servants of God, where and how must we serve?

In the War, of course, and our Service will require us to Witness. We do that by getting into our Armor (↔ Click Link) and following our leader (↔ Click Link) and taking along our sharpened  Sword (↔ Click Link). Sword? YES! The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

What? Don’t we know the word of God? Look what God himself says: Jeremiah 23:29 – “Is not My word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?” And if we refuse to fight, refuse to believe God is with us? Jeremiah 17:10 – I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. Please think back to our discussions about prophesying – speaking the Word of God. That is how we use this Sword of the Spirit: We speak it and – better still – we live it. Moses opined that he wished all of God’s children would be Prophets. What would that be like? Check this out: 1 Corinthians 14:24-25 – ²⁴ But if all prophesy, an unbeliever or outsider who enters is reproved by all and called to account by all. ²⁵ After the secrets of the unbeliever’s heart are disclosed, that person will bow down before God and worship him, declaring, “God is really among you.” (↔ Music Link) Try to imagine how that would feel to the Accuser! OUCH is an understatement!

Scroll up a paragraph or two and reread Jeremiah’s prophecy. Here’s how Jesus followed up on that: John 12:48-49 – ⁴⁸ The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, ⁴⁹ for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. We can’t just phone it in. We have to be out there on the field of battle (↔ Music Link), fully armed, and we sure better sharpen our Sword because that’s how we resist the Devil – with a good sharp poke in the keister I’d say. This is WAR! JEHOVAH SABAOTH – the Lord God of Hosts – is our commanding General. We must be prepared to follow his orders as given to us through his Son and the Son’s Brigade Commanders, our Church leaders: James 4:7 – ⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. That happens because The Word is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. That’s what the Accuser wants to destroy so that he can have us forever body, soul, and spirit. Let’s be sure to sharpen our Swords! Study, practice, learn, memorize, drill, train in the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God! Onward to Victory!

Uh, oh. Wait. We’re going to fight? Like really be at War? Where, when, … how?!? Could we, like, um … DIE? If it comes to that, yes. We can expect at least persecutions. (See Mark 10:28-30) It is wise to be prepared for that eventuality. That’s why, with the Psalmist, we pray Teach us how short our life is, so that we may become wise. Therefore, Soldiers of El Elyon – God Most High – stand up, suit up, and wise up. One of the greatest Soldiers in God’s army is (not was) The Apostle Paul; and what wise thing did he tell us?

Let me quote it for us again: Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account. Roman legionaries in the Apostle Paul’s day carried a short two-edged sword called a gladius. That’s the Latin word for it.

The Greek word is machaira. This means a short, sharply pointed sword which was “two edged” – dístomos in Greek – having “two mouths.” The nickname for that blade was “drinker of blood.” It was a very effective weapon because not only could it slash and cut like a single-edge blade, but also it could stab and slice thereby inflicting greater harm. It was indeed a superlative weapon – AND SO IS THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, THE WORD OF GOD! Check it out adelphos! It’s in the armor God issued to you when you were sworn in at your Baptism.

The Rich Young Ruler was unwise to walk away. How many of us know a family member, a friend, or even a houseless stranger that has walked away from THE Heavenly YOLO-F that is in God’s Absolutely Perfect Plan? What would – should – we say if our “reasonable service of worship” included fighting off the Accuser so that person could take a victory lap with us at the End of Days? We hear it all the time: “Life is short.” True. But, it’s just long enough that we can use that life to make a difference, long enough to carry our own cross and help an adelphos with hers/his. After all, isn’t that a Christian’s Prime Directive – “Take up your Cross and Follow Me?” Are we going to obey orders or not? He’s gone to War. Have we?

When we want to follow him, we want to go as he went: We must always be prepared to accept whatever is on our Way of the Cross – pain and suffering, shame and sorrow, even death – and to be eager to endure it, to meet it with an earnest Joy, even to rejoice we are counted worthy for this. Remember, Jesus did this of his own will, so are you, am I, are we willingly shouldering our cross without complaint, histrionics, or thoughts of some saving intervention? There is only one path to Golgotha, only one Way to go; it is the way HE went. It is the Way of Love. Only Love can conquer sin and death – the same sin and death that came upon all of us when first we deemed equality with God something to be grasped at. How often do we do that in our daily lives as we curse our neighbors, threaten our enemies, or cherish our little (or large) vices in the depths of our hearts, suppressing our conscience so that we fail to see our intentional sin?

We are commanded to love our neighbors, bless our enemies, and disdain our sins. That is our cross to bear; to always be faithful to the mission of giving up our lives to God in order to save them because of his Love. “Life is our greatest treasure because it is given to us expressly for the purpose of losing it, and how well we do that makes all the difference.” It’s our life to lose, our cross to bear. It’s not a cross to wear. That’s why we must be Wise Warriors, fully armed in body, mind, and spirit to follow Jehovah Sabaoth, El Shaddai-Olam, Jehovah Gibbor Milchamah. Look, the other guys are on the losing side, but we still don’t cut them any slack. We are in it to win it! Some will believe it is an impossible battle, but as Gabriel and Jesus said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” We are Wise Warriors. The Lord God is our King who leads us in battle. Blesséd be the name of the Lord who makes our Victory possible because – by serving him – we are wise.!

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