Reading the Fig Leaves

This Sunday's reading from Luke 21:25-36 has Jesus once again talking about the end times, 

‘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. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’

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

‘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. 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.’

Our hearts are naturally pulled to the worries of this life. We need help from our Savior to lift our hearts to the supernatural, and that one day we will be able to stand before Him in His glory.

 

English University Students Planning to Teach How to Stay Safe as a Sex Worker

From GBN, Britain's News Channel, comes this shocking story,  

Durham University is offering its students online lessons on how to stay safe while working in the sex industry. The course is being put together by the Durham Students’ Union amid rising rates of undergraduates taking work as escorts or producing explicit content online. The sessions are designed to provide support and advice to staff and students. However, Universities Minister, Michelle Donelan slammed the prestigious north east university.

“Any university that does this is badly failing in their duty to protect students.

“It is right that vital support is offered to women who are being exploited. However, this course seeks to normalize selling sex, which has no place in our universities."

Western societies are highly sexualized, and prostitution, pornography, and virtual sex encounters are probably considered "normal" by many of today's university age students, but rationalization does not turn a wrong into a right. 

I am thankful that I was raised by parents and a church who taught that such behavior was harmful, degrading, sinful, and illegal. 

 

 

What we have here is a failure to communicate

This Sunday's Gospel reading is from John 18:33-37 in which Jesus faces Pilate,

Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?’ Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’

 Jesus is speaking in a way that Pilate cannot understand. Pilate's view of the supernatural is very different from Jesus' kingdom. To Pilate, this was not a crime, and he goes on in the rest of the chapter to ask the Jews that since he, Pilate, can set someone free, who would the people want released?

The mob wanted Barabbas.

Mobs are often act wrongly.

If only mobs would listen to Jesus.

This is as true today as it was in Jesus' day.

 

Barna: Nearly 40% of adults 18-24, identify as “LGBTQ”

The only way for the LGBTQ+ to grow their species is through conversion, and the most easily converted are those shapeless lumps of clay, our children. It is no secret that the LGBTQ+ agenda is being forced upon children by the combined forces of our public school systems, film and television, the internet, businesses, and the "woke" wave currently inundating our society. 

The results of all of this brainwashing is documented by a Barna study which revealed that "some 30% of millennials, including nearly 40% of adults 18-24, identify as 'LGBTQ'.” 

The story was reported by Leonardo Blair of The Christian Post, 

While most millennials view Jesus and the Bible positively and 65% still identify as Christian, many do not embrace a biblical worldview on sexuality, the sanctity of life and other issues. Some 30% of millennials, including nearly 40% of adults 18-24, identify as “LGBTQ.”

“The proportion of young adults who identify as LGBTQ is roughly three times the proportion identified among the combined older adults of the nation. Given the moral and political implications of such an identity, that self-characterization alone raises a range of emotional challenges,” Barna said.

These numbers seem to indicate that a method of nurture created by a few activists has conquered nature because we are by nature inclined to find a mate of the opposite sex and reproduce. Nurture has defeated God's intention. Nurturing with ungodly intentions has defeated the teachings of the Bible. 

The 62-page report on millennials provides a detailed profile of a generation that is troubled and searching for answers to their problems, while “disengaged from spiritual teaching and practice, resulting in a paucity of knowledge, understanding, experience, and growth in this realm.”

“The resultant spiritual illiteracy virtually resigns them to a superficial worldview in which they grasp at ideas and practices that provide immediate comfort rather than lasting truth and peace. The moral chaos that characterizes the generation can likewise be traced to a dearth of coherent and pragmatic religious instruction abetted by the absence of mature moral reflection,” Barna said.

While I suspect that this is a temporary situation, and that "nature" will eventually triumph. God only knows how long that will take.

Following Jesus is the only way these confused young people can escape the trap that the LGBTQ+ movement has pushed them into.

Jesus is not taught in public schools. He is shunned and disdained in many universities. 

No wonder we are in such a mess.  

The Beginnings of the Birth Pangs

In this Sunday's reading from Mark 13:1-8, Jesus warns Peter, James, John, and Andrew about things to come,

As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!’ Then Jesus asked him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.’

When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?’ Then Jesus began to say to them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

The way the world looks now, I guess that we are still in the early stage of labor.

I can't imagine how it will look when the contractions come quicker.

 

School Field Trip Takes Elementary Children to Gay Bar

 

A disturbing fact of life these days is that the LGBTQ+ agenda is being taught in public schools, even elementary schools according to LifeSiteNews,

A Florida elementary school is facing a state investigation after it took elementary school students on a field trip to a gay bar.

“I was SO honored to be invited to chaperone Wilton Manors Elementary’s field trip to the incredible Rosie’s!” Broward County School Board member Sarah Leonardi wrote on her Facebook page Wednesday. “The students and I had a fun walk over and learned a lot about our community! A huge thank you to Rosie’s Bar and Grill for hosting this special field trip every year!”

Rosie’s Bar and Grill is a gay bar and grill that says it wants to see customers “whether you are LBGTQ+ or an ally.” Leonardi did not respond to an email nor a voicemail left on her publicly available cell phone number on Thursday.

In response to criticism about a Wilton Manors Elementary School field trip, BCPS (Broward County Public Schools) released the following statement:

Wilton Manors Elementary School offers a Unit of Inquiry called, “How we organize ourselves.” In the unit, students learn about neighborhood safety, community helpers, the importance of being a community member, what it takes for a community to be successful, different jobs in a community, and social skills when interacting with others.

They also visit a local restaurant, Rosie’s Bar and Grill, which is within walking distance from the school and opens early for the students. The bar and restaurant was not open to the general public while students were present inside. When the business opened, students transitioned to a separate, outside location to order and eat their meals. The students order their meals from a student-friendly paper menu that has three child-friendly choices (see attached student menu). They learn about the types of jobs involved in operating a restaurant, how to pay for their meal, and how to leave a tip for the service they receive. In addition, as part of the field trip, the Wilton Manors Police Department provides traffic assistance for the students so they can see and learn about the different ways police officers support the community.

Regular Menu items, not included in the menu given to the children, at the restaurant according to LifeSite are,

“Sweaty Lovin,” “Naked Sweaty Lovin,” and a burger called the “Ivana Hooker.” Other food and drink options have clear references to male genitalia.

The School Board member in question has been receiving death threats from all over the country since this story broke. 

I encourage readers to pray for her. 

 

The Revised Common Lectionary Strikes Again

The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) took its scissors to one of the options for this Sunday's psalm, number 146 Lauda, anima mea. The usual explanation given by revisionist priests is that the psalms have to be shortened because they are too long. That pig won't fly in this case because there are only nine verses in Psalm 149. The editors of the RCL removed the first three verses. Here is what pewsitters heard,

4 Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! *

whose hope is in the Lord their God;

5 Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *

who keeps his promise for ever;

6 Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *

and food to those who hunger.

7 The Lord sets the prisoners free;

the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; *

the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;

8 The Lord loves the righteous;

the Lord cares for the stranger; *

he sustains the orphan and widow,

but frustrates the way of the wicked.

9 The Lord shall reign for ever, *

your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.

Hallelujah!

Very positive words there.

So why were verses 1-3 left out? Read what people did not hear,

1 Hallelujah!

Praise the Lord, O my soul! *

I will praise the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

2 Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *

for there is no help in them.

3 When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *

and in that day their thoughts perish.

Verses 2 and 3 are what are known as imprecatory verses (those that "invoke judgment, calamity or curses upon one's enemies or those perceived as the enemies of God"), and the RCL typically cuts them out. 

One has to wonder if the RCL doesn't want trust in Church leadership or their leadership being called into question.

I have often speculated as to the why regarding these lectionary deletions, and one of my conclusions has beem that the editors of the RCL do not want the sheep to hear anything that runs counter to the revisionist narrative. That narrative is based on a God that does not judge, and one in which His judgement might result in unpleasant consequences. Such a narrative, if followed to its theological conclusion, has no need for a Savior. I think that would qualify as a heresy.

And that would make the editors of the RCL .......

Yep, you guessed it. 

Portland Oregon Employees Get Paid Bereavement Leave For Elective Abortions

The madness never stops. This report from KATU news tells us that Portland Oregon is the first city to offer bereavement leave for employees after they have an abortion. 

The policy is found at Portland's governmental web site. Here is the pertinent section, 

Eligibility for Leave

Employees may be granted up to three (3) days of leave with pay for the death of
(1) a relative or (2) any individual related by close affinity (#1 and #2 are
collectively referred to as a “qualifying decedent”); or (3) due to pregnancy loss
including miscarriage, stillbirth, or other loss...

Pregnancy Loss Bereavement Leave

A qualifying pregnancy is defined as the pregnancy of the employee or
employee’s spouse or partner; or any pregnancy, including through surrogacy
or adoption, where the employee or employee’s spouse or partner would have
been parent or primary caregiver.

“Miscarriage” is defined by the American Academy of Pediatrics as loss of
pregnancy prior to 20 weeks gestation.

“Stillbirth” is defined by the American Academy of Pediatrics as loss of
pregnancy from 20 weeks gestation or more.

“Other loss” is defined as any other loss of pregnancy including termination,
irrespective of whether deemed medically necessary, and loss incurred during
fertility treatment.

 Abortion advocates have long claimed that the fetus is a "clump of tissue" and not an unborn baby. So who needs bereavement leave for the the removal of a parasitic bunch of cells? 

Doesn't the very idea that someone may grieve after an elective abortion put to rest the "clump of tissue" claim?

And what about those sickos who have abortion parties? Do they get paid leave?