Swiss Suicide Sarcophagi

From Premier Christian News comes this report of a new death machine for people who want to die.

Switzerland’s medical review board announced the legalisation of the Sarco Suicide Pods this week. The machine allows a user to lie down and activate the process themselves within a matter of minutes.

Sarco pods - short for sarcophagus - allow a person to control their death inside the pod by quickly reducing internal oxygen levels. Nitrogen fills the 3D-printed device, quickly bringing oxygen down from 21 per cent to only 1 per cent in about 30 seconds.

Dr. Philip Nitschke, the developer of the pods and founder of Exit International, a pro-euthanasia group, told SwissInfo.ch the machines can be “towed anywhere for the death” and one of the most “positive” features of the capsules is that they can be transported to an “idyllic outdoor settings.”

“The person will get into the capsule and lie down. It’s very comfortable.” explains Dr. Philip Nitschke. After death, the pod can be used as a coffin.

“Barring any unforeseen difficulties, we hope to be ready to make Sarco available for use in Switzerland next year.”

It even has a clear window for the claustrophobic. Friends and family can look on as you breathe your last.

                                                                            (Reuters)

If they double as coffins, shouldn't they be biodegradable?

Blessed Christmas!

 While I had planned a quiet Christmas Day at home under my rock, Pewsterspouse had other plans for today so we are busy cleaning and cooking for a few neighboring rock dwellers. So far we have a menu consisting of turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, spinach Maria, rolls, cherry pie, and ambrosia (oranges, coconut, raisins, and cherries). 

I guess Pewsterspouse's idea is more in the Christmas spirit than mine, so I will give my consent to the plan and do my part by vacuuming and picking up my clutter.

In lieu of a Sunday post, this is it.

Have a blessed Christmas everyone.

Anglican Church in Canada: Having a safe Winter Solstice around the labyrinth

With Covid-19 and its permutations floating around, I wondered how this would affect my annual review of winter solstice celebrations. While still an essentially pagan observation, many churches are holding services either "longest night" observances, memorial services, or concerts to try to draw the druids together for the evening.  Christ Church Cathedral Ottawa ("a diverse and vibrant parish that glorifies God and welcomes all people") takes the cake by having a service combining candles, music, a labyrinth, proof of vaccination, masks, photo ID, and no refreshments. Read for yourself. 

                                                              (From Ottawa Cathedral)

On this darkest night, come gather round the candlelit labyrinth as we await the returning light to the sounds of harpist Lucile Brais Hildesheim.

This in-person event begins at 7 and we invite you to arrive and be seated anytime after 6:40pm.

Enter by the Sparks Street door at 414 Sparks Street, Christ Church Cathedral Ottawa. In compliance with Ottawa Health protocols, proof of vaccination (or a medical exemption) and photo identification MUST be shown. Everyone will remain MASKED throughout the evening and no refreshments will be served.

Note that they will be awaiting "the returning light" and not Jesus. 

Add them to your prayer list.

 

The Mag

In this Sunday's reading from Luke 1:39-56, we hear about the virgin Mary's visit to Elizabeth, and we get Mary's magnificent prayer/song, The Magnificat, or as choristers affectionately call it, "The Mag".   

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

 And Mary said,

‘My soul magnifies the Lord,

   and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,

 for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.

   Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

   and holy is his name.

 His mercy is for those who fear him

   from generation to generation.

 He has shown strength with his arm;

   he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

   and lifted up the lowly;

 he has filled the hungry with good things,

   and sent the rich away empty.

 He has helped his servant Israel,

   in remembrance of his mercy,

 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

   to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

 And Mary remained with her for about three months and then returned to her home.

The "for ever" always give me goose pimples.

Here is  Thomas Tallis' (c.1505-1585) Mag, 

Intolerant Female Bishop Strikes Again!

 In July I reported on Birmingham Alabama's Cathedral Church of the Advent (A.K.A. The Advent) and how its conservative priest was forced out by his Episcopal bishop. The move left us wondering how long it would be before The Advent went down the tubes. Well, it looks like the bishop is aggressively moving her agenda forward by ordaining a  gay priest at The Advent as reported at Virtue Online,

"In what many will view as a complete break with its evangelical past and identity, progressive Episcopal Bishop Glenda S. Curry, led worshippers at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in ordaining a practicing homosexual to the priesthood in a highly attended, colorful, liturgical service."

"Jose Fernandez was one of four priests ordained at the formerly evangelical cathedral, while his 'husband' Kevin Fouts was one of his presenters. The Rev. Canon R. Craig Smalley, Interim Dean and Rector of Advent knew of the priest's sexual orientation and said nothing."

The Advent's interim Dean and Rector and the vestry claim to have been unaware that a partnered gay priest was to be ordained, 

"Second, none of the clergy, staff, wardens, or vestry knew anything about those who were being ordained. The ordination was a Diocesan event that was vetted and planned by the Diocese, but was held at the Advent because of its role as the Cathedral of the Diocese."

Look, you already know that you are dealing with a progressive bishop who is after your flock. You need to check everything she does or end up with having a stunt like this pulled on you. 

"Third, this incident has revealed systemic failures at the Advent and the Diocese in how we interact together as the Cathedral. The Diocese failed to inform the Advent of this issue even though the Bishop had agreed that the Advent would not be asked to participate in, sponsor, or otherwise be seen to endorse an event that was incompatible with a traditional view of Scripture, or do anything that would assert, suggest, or imply that the Advent approved, condoned, or authorized such theological expressions. Although we are disappointed in and deeply grieved by the Diocese’s failure to communicate this issue to the Advent, as leaders of this parish we must also recognize that we should have done more to investigate this issue on our end."

 I strongly advise people at The Advent to think about their options and come to a decision to either stay and fight or to shake the dust from their feet. There must be no more deals with the devil.

 

 

Flipping Zephaniah

This Sunday, the lectionary presents the second half of the third chapter of Zephaniah. 

Zephaniah 3:14-20

14 Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;

   shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart,

   O daughter Jerusalem!

15 The Lord has taken away the judgements against you,

   he has turned away your enemies.

The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;

   you shall fear disaster no more.

16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Do not fear, O Zion;

   do not let your hands grow weak.

17 The Lord, your God, is in your midst,

   a warrior who gives victory;

he will rejoice over you with gladness,

   he will renew you* in his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing

18   as on a day of festival.*

I will remove disaster from you,*

   so that you will not bear reproach for it.

19 I will deal with all your oppressors

   at that time.

And I will save the lame

   and gather the outcast,

and I will change their shame into praise

   and renown in all the earth.

20 At that time I will bring you home,

   at the time when I gather you;

for I will make you renowned and praised

   among all the peoples of the earth,

when I restore your fortunes

   before your eyes, says the Lord.

It is always a good thing to read what has been omitted from the Sunday lessons. Usually the Revised Common Lectionary omits verses that suggest judgement or imprecatory verses, and that is the case here when we flip back to verses 1-13,

1 Woe to the city of oppressors,

    rebellious and defiled!

2 She obeys no one,

    she accepts no correction.

She does not trust in the Lord,

    she does not draw near to her God.

3 Her officials within her

    are roaring lions;

her rulers are evening wolves,

    who leave nothing for the morning.

4 Her prophets are unprincipled;

    they are treacherous people.

Her priests profane the sanctuary

    and do violence to the law.

5 The Lord within her is righteous;

    he does no wrong.

Morning by morning he dispenses his justice,

    and every new day he does not fail,

    yet the unrighteous know no shame.

6 “I have destroyed nations;

    their strongholds are demolished.

I have left their streets deserted,

    with no one passing through.

Their cities are laid waste;

    they are deserted and empty.

7 Of Jerusalem I thought,

    ‘Surely you will fear me

    and accept correction!’

Then her place of refuge[a] would not be destroyed,

    nor all my punishments come upon[b] her.

But they were still eager

    to act corruptly in all they did.

8 Therefore wait for me,”

    declares the Lord,

    “for the day I will stand up to testify.

I have decided to assemble the nations,

    to gather the kingdoms

and to pour out my wrath on them—

    all my fierce anger.

The whole world will be consumed

    by the fire of my jealous anger.

9 “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,

    that all of them may call on the name of the Lord

    and serve him shoulder to shoulder.

10 From beyond the rivers of Cush

    my worshipers, my scattered people,

    will bring me offerings.

11 On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame

    for all the wrongs you have done to me,

because I will remove from you

    your arrogant boasters.

Never again will you be haughty

    on my holy hill.

12 But I will leave within you

    the meek and humble.

The remnant of Israel

    will trust in the name of the Lord.

13 They will do no wrong;

    they will tell no lies.

A deceitful tongue

    will not be found in their mouths.

They will eat and lie down

    and no one will make them afraid.”

The words of the prophets may be written on the subway wall according to Simon and Garfunkle, but they are not written in the Sunday bulletins in many churches these days.

 

Finnish Bishop could face 2 years in prison for speaking the truth (about sex)

Things are getting bad in Finland. As Christianity Today reports, 

Rev Dr Juhana Pohjola, the Evangelical Lutheran Bishop in Finland, is facing trial in January for expressing traditional Christian teaching on human sexuality.

In April, Finland's Prosecutor General charged him and the Christian Democrat MP Dr Päivi Räsänen with "incitement against a group of people" over the 2004 publication of a booklet which described sex outside of heterosexual marriage, including homosexual practice, as sinful.

Dr Räsänen was charged as the author of the booklet, while Bishop Pohjola was charged as the publisher.

Dr Pohjola is Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland (ELMDF), a position to which he was elected earlier year.

He was ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the State Church, in 1999, but increasing pressure in that body against orthodox Lutherans led to the formation of the ELMDF in 2013. In response, the State Church defrocked him in 2014. Today the ELMDF has more than 45 congregations and mission sites throughout Finland. 

I like this guy. Here is what he says, 

"We have nothing to be afraid of when we fear God more than men. In truth and in love we are called to confess Christ Jesus and publicly teach the faith of the Church. We should pray like the apostles that we 'continue to speak your word with all boldness!'" (Acts 4:29).

"We have to be ready to pay whatever the price is and be labelled by media as intolerant and lawless. We must defend our basic rights and use the freedom of expression we still have."

"Although we feel the cultural pressure and intimidation, our main focus as Christians is not to wage cultural war but to share the grace, life and hope we have in Christ Jesus."

Amen!

This isn't the first prosecution of this type as I reported 6 months ago. Again from Christianity Today, 

A Christian member of the Finnish Parliament is facing six years imprisonment for allegedly committing three crimes, including “hate speech,” for sharing her opinion on marriage and human sexuality on social media, on television and in a pamphlet.

The country’s chief prosecutor has brought three criminal charges against Finnish Member of Parliament and former Minister of the Interior, Päivi Räsänen, according to the Austria-based Christian legal group ADF International.

The politician, who is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and former chair of the Christian Democrats, has been under police investigation since June 2019 for publicly voicing her opinion on marriage and human sexuality in a 2004 pamphlet, for comments made on a 2018 TV show, and a tweet directed at her church leadership.

A medical doctor, mother of five and grandmother of six, Räsänen now faces two years in prison for each alleged crime, the group said.

I haven't seen the Finns going after Muslims yet. I guess the prosecutor is afraid of the repercussions. 

 

Timelines made straight

In this Sunday's reading from Luke 3:1-6, the saint straightens out the timeline for Jesus' ministry by providing us with the year of John the Baptist's proclamation,

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 

“Prepare the way of the Lord,

   make his paths straight.

Every valley shall be filled,

   and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

and the crooked shall be made straight,

   and the rough ways made smooth;

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” ’

Handel chose those words for this part of his "Messiah" which our choral society will be performing today,

 

Nigerian Christian Horrors: U.S. State Department Removes "Concern" Label

Having abandoned Afghanistan, it appears that the United States' current administration cares not a hoot about the spread of Islamic terrorism as long as it does not touch our shores. 

 From the Family Research Council, 

These last several months, the gangs of Fulani, Boko Haram, and other armed militants have become even more brazen, torching entire villages and farms, ambushing, and killing innocent people in gory, unspeakable ways. Some locals, like Steven Kefas, waits by the phone, hoping it doesn't ring. Many nights, he's disappointed, as Kaduna leaders call -- under attack and desperate for help. After a couple of hours, he reaches out to assess the damage. By then, they're counting the bodies. Mostly women and children, he is told one late September night, "slaughtered like rams to be used for a barbecue."

The numbers, deep into 2021, are almost unfathomable -- the worst, many believe, it's ever been. Mass killings, the kind that used to be sporadic, are a national emergency now. One report estimated that as many as 8,000 Christians had been murdered in cold blood -- just between January and September. And yet, the Nigerian government does almost nothing -- and the Biden administration has decided to do even less.

That fact was driven home in a jarring fashion this week, when, in a move that rocked the international community, the president's State Department decided to drop Nigeria as a "country of particular concern." Nigeria, where more Christians are killed than anywhere else on the face of the planet, American leaders have suddenly decided to turn their backs and walk away. Most human rights groups, religious and non-religious, were aghast. The situation is the worst it's ever been, and it's deteriorating by the day. If America ignores what's happening there, it will only excuse Nigerian leaders who do the same. International pressure is one of the only weapons the world has to stop this slow-motion war.

As we have learned, Islamic terrorism eventually goes after everyone. 

We certainly need to be concerned about Nigeria. 

What in the world is the State Department thinking? 

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? 

The Wise Scribe

 This Sunday's reading is from Mark 12:28-34,

One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ 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”; and “to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength”, and “to love one’s neighbour as oneself”,—this is much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.’ When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that no one dared to ask him any question.

 In the previous chapter of Mark's Gospel, Jesus handled the Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees who were sent to trap him, and here he is faced with  a member of the "scribes" class which Jesus describes in verses 38 - 40 as bad folks,

As he taught, he said, ‘Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honour at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.’

The wise scribe agrees with Jesus and takes the next step by concluding correctly that loving one's neighbor as oneself is more important than all the burnt sacrifices still going on at the Temple in those days. 

When seen in light of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, a true act of love for you and me, there should no longer be any need for burnt offerings, but even the wise scribe could not see that coming.

"Men — 'or all genders' — can have abortions"

This article from American Thinker illustrates the warped the minds of some transgendered persons.  

Women's Health magazine recently posted a piece by Nick Lloyd (as told to Kristin Canning, the magazine's features director), a non-binary transgender person who believes that abortion clinics should use gender-neutral language in all their communication.  Lloyd, who had an abortion, was upset that the experience was too "gendered."

           Lloyd averred,  

"Trans and non-binary people get pregnant and have abortions — and that doesn't invalidate their gender.  And they're deserving of care that affirms their gender."  (It should be noted that abortion does, however, invalidate their babies, who might be deserving of care that affirms their...existence.)

Lloyd noted:

I didn't feel ashamed about having an abortion. It was an easy decision for me. But, as a non-binary, transgender person, my abortion experience led to a lot of gender dysphoria. Every clinic had the word women's in the name, all the pamphlets used gendered language and featured images of gender-conforming people, and clinicians were kind but didn't understand trans and non-binary experiences. It felt dehumanizing. I had to emotionally disconnect from the experience entirely because of how gendered it was.

Well, it was certainly, literally, dehumanizing for the baby.  It is preposterously, monstrously self-centered for anyone to say she he they had to disconnect from their abortion experience because it was too gendered, but not because they were extinguishing the life inside them.

Lloyd added, 

"There is so much clinics can do to become more inclusive of all genders.  They could also take a look at the clinic decor and make sure that feels inclusive as well." 

         (But not inclusive of the baby, I'm guessing.)

It is simply insane to say men — or "all genders" — can have abortions.

It is even more insane to believe you are a man when you are pregnant.

The world is upside down, inside out, full of crazies, and full of people who believe their insane ideas.

 

Let Me See Again

This Sunday we hear the story of Jesus restoring the eyesight of Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52,

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ 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.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 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.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

When the healed are named, it lends more credibility to the story because people contemporary with the story can affirm the facts.

 

Islam Kills

 This past week we heard of two incidents of Islamic terror in Europe that were barely mentioned in the American media and the underlying problem with Islam and its sanctioned murder was not mentioned at all. Israel National News gives more details than the U.S. media dared, 

The killings of five people in Norway by a man armed with a bow and arrows "appears to be an act of terrorism", the country's security agency said on Thursday, according to a report in Sky News.

Four women and one man were killed during the rampage in the town of Kongsberg. Three people were injured, among them a police officer.

Earlier on Thursday, police chief Ole Bredrup Sæverud said that the terrorist had converted to Islam and was previously known to the police.

Meanwhile, in the U.K., a member of Parliament is slain by another Muslim that the authorities knew was a threat, 

The man suspected of killing Sir David Amess attended an official course aimed at 'de-radicalising' him, according to reports.

Suspected lone-wolf terrorist Ali Harbi Ali is thought to have become radicalised online recently.

The 25-year-old is said to have previously been referred to an anti-extremism programme called Prevent, which aims to stop people from going on to become terrorists.

Detectives are probing whether he may have been inspired by al-Shabaab, an offshoot of al-Qaeda in Somalia and Kenya.

Which goes to show you that you can't fix these people. The only cure is for Jesus to pull them out of their Islam induced Hell. 

These are just two examples of "The Religion of Peace" at work, sanctioning murder of "infidels".

Jihad Watch, which Wikipedia lists as "a far-right anti-Muslim conspiracy blog" has an up to date list of Islamic terror actions, most of which you would never hear about if you confined your news sources to the main stream media.

I have studied the Quran, and Muslims who follow its words, which supposedly were delivered to Mohammed by an angel, are obligated to kill you, me, and anyone in the media who says a negative word.

That "angel" who spoke to Mohammed had to be Satan himself.

Islam kills, Jesus saves.

 

 

  

Seats of Honor

 This Sunday's reading contains a valuable lesson on the sin of wanting to be honored which is a cousin of the sin of pride. From Mark 10:35-45, 

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’ And he said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ They replied, ‘We are able.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.’

When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’

In order to better understand James and John's motives when they say, "in your glory", one needs to go back and read the two verses immediately preceding today's reading in which Jesus predicts his death and resurrection,

“We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles,  who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”

While sitting anywhere in heaven where Jesus is in his glory is something he promises us, this promise is not to be a source of pride, one of the deadly sins. 

 

Will Rainbow painted pedestrian crossings kill the blind?

A couple of weeks ago I posted about a church in Canada that blessed a rainbow painted pedestrian crossing to support the LGBTQRS+ agenda. This type of crossing painting is going on around the world, and watchdogs for the disabled are raising the alarm.

From "Spiked-online", 

"...the disability-advocacy group, Access Association, wrote to UK transport secretary Grant Shapps to highlight the dangers posed ‘to disabled people, older people and children’ by painting rainbows across roads.

The Access Association explained that the replacement of black-and-white pedestrian crossings ‘may lead to people’s loss of independent travel and increased social isolation’. It cited the example of visually impaired people, saying: ‘We are concerned about the impact of colourful crossings on assistance dogs. The inconsistency of design will make training very difficult.’"

So it turns out that the blessed rainbow pedestrian crossing might actually kill people physically and not just spiritually.

Imagine the outcry from the revisionist priests and LGBTs when road crews paint over those rainbows.

 

"For God all things are possible"

In this Sunday's reading from Mark 10:17-31, we hear the message that Jesus would have us give up everything to inherit eternal life. 

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.” ’ He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ 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.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

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!’ And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ They were greatly astounded and said to one another, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’

Peter began to say to him, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.’

Of course, giving up everything is an almost impossible task, so what chance have we to inherit eternal life? 

For God all things are possible through faith in Jesus as Lord, even fitting this camel through the eye of the needle. 

Thanks be to God!

 

Don't Bless These People With One Single Dime

Last week I told you that I was a skeptic whenever I hear the word "bless" used by people. Shortly thereafter I received a request for money from the Episcopal organization. This year's annual appeal was simply titled "Bless", and the cover photo was of what appears to be a masked, ethnically diverse worship team. 

Not the picture of the typical lily white, grey haired congregation and rector that truly represent Episcopalians.

Note that the cross behind the altar is covered by the word "Bless". I wouldn't have done that.

I vainly searched the letter for any mention of Jesus and found none. 

Instead we get this, 

I pray that these people start striving to teach, preach, and share the full Gospel of Jesus and also start advocating for the dignity of those still in their mother's wombs. God surely doesn't bless some of the things they advocate for now.

Until then, they won't get a dime from me.

“God made them male and female.”

Not my words, but Jesus' found in this Sunday's reading from Mark 10:2-16. 

Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ They said, ‘Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you.  But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’

Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.’

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

Before the fall,  

But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.”

But we live east or west of Eden and so we have all manner of names for males and females these days and all kinds of ways they might hook up in trying to become "one flesh". These alternatives to God's original plan are the works of humankind, and you know how that usually works out.

Woe to the Church that messes with God's plan.

 

What Man/Woman/It Blesses Is Not The Same As Blessed By God

Blessings have always confused me. Growing up, I watched as priests blessed the shrimp fleet by sprinkling holy water from a bridge as the shrimps boats passed under, and I wondered what was really happening in heaven as this went on. Was power going out of the priest or the water and showering protection in the boats, or was it on the men? 

And what about our favorite southern expression, "Bless her/his/other heart"? A Pulmonologist friend of mine heard someone saying that as their family member was in ICU on a ventilator and commented, "Bless his lungs!"

I like to look at these situations in this way: are people bestowing the blessing, or are they asking God to bless whatever it is that they would like to get a little boost from above?

Healthy lungs probably are a blessing from God.

A safe voyage is probably a blessing from God.

But is a rainbow crosswalk celebrating and promoting homosexual behavior a blessing from God? Well, in Canada's Diocese of Niagara they want it to be. From Anglican Samizdat ,

"In the spirit of blessing everything that has nothing to do with Christianity, The Reverend Jody Balint, rector of St. James and St. Brendan’s Parish, Port Colborne has bestowed her ecclesiastical benediction upon the town’s new rainbow crosswalk; in the hope that all who step on it become a little gayer."

Priests bless a lot of things, but some of those things are not blessed by God. 

How can you tell? 

READ THE BIBLE! If something is condemned, it ain't blessed by God. Humans can bless it all they want, but don't confuse us lowly pewsitters and try to make us think otherwise. Something about millstones comes to mind.

When I was a teenager, I had a record titled, "D-DAY Plus Twenty that chronicled the landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944. On it was this song which sums up my skepticism about certain blessings.

                                                                          Bless 'Em All!

Hell Fire and Millstones

This Sunday's reading is from Mark 9:38-50 and includes many a stumbling block for revisionist preachers,

John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell,  And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.

‘For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.’

I once listened as a revisionist priest expounded on Jesus picking up a little child as being a sign of how he would break convention by handling an unclean thing (he claimed that children were among the unclean), and then he proceeded to ignore the rest of the reading.

That is one strategy used by revisionists, ignore what does not fit into your worldview. 

Another thing they try is to say that Jesus didn't really mean "hell" as we think of hell. 

I don't see how anyone can profess that Jesus is Lord when they deny his authority and put their own in its place.

Revisionists are hanging their own millstones around their necks. 

 

Episcopal Organization Pushes To Change The National Anthem

I used to be a member of an Episcopal parish where the rector had removed the American flag from the building and never was heard a discouraging word. After the war in Vietnam, most young priests (many of whom avoided the draft) came out of seminary harboring anti-American attitudes and were decidedly unpatriotic. These people are now a good part of the ruling class in the Episcopal organization (TEO), and guess what? They are going after the National anthem next,

(ENS) At its most recent meeting in June (2021 ed.), The Episcopal Church Executive Council passed a resolution supporting a bill introduced earlier this year by U.S. Rep. James Clyburn that would make “Lift Every Voice and Sing” the official national hymn.

“I see this resolution, and this attempt in Congress, as a way to accept – on the part of this whole country – an offering of an important poem and song to all the American people, just like Black Episcopalians offered this song to The Episcopal Church,” said Byron Rushing, the vice president of the House of Deputies who sponsored the Executive Council resolution, at the meeting. Though the resolution passed, it prompted some debate about whether it was appropriate for a secular nation to have a national hymn – especially in light of the church’s efforts to counter rising Christian nationalism.

"Rising Christian nationalism"?  Who are they kidding? Themselves I think. 

A few weeks ago I got this invitation from the official lobbying arm of TEO to an, 

Upcoming Event: Lift Every Voice and Sing: A New National Hymn

Fri, Sep 17 at 3:29 PM
Lift Every Voice and Sing: A New National Hymn
September 30, 11:30am – 12:30pm EDT

The Office of Government Relations and the Office of Black Ministries invite you to join us for a live virtual event to celebrate the history and legacy of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and urge the passage of H.R. 301 to make this uplifting, unifying anthem our new national hymn. Over the course of the hour, you’ll hear from faith and government leaders including:

Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry
Congressman James E. Clyburn
Rev. Canon C.K. Robertson
Byron Rushing, Vice President, House of Deputies

And more!

The event will also feature a musical performance of the Lift Every Voice and Sing. Stay tuned for more! 

Remember that in 1982, TEO added this Hymn to its Hymnal (#599), and here are the lyrics, some of which doom its chances as a national anthem with some of our fanatical "separation of church and state" crowd unless the last verse is deleted (like they do to our current national anthem).

Lift every voice and sing

Till earth and heaven ring

Ring with the harmonies of Liberty

Let our rejoicing rise

High as the listening skies

Let it resound loud as the rolling sea

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us

Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us

Facing the rising sun of our new day begun

Let us march on till victory is won

Stony the road we trod

Bitter the chastening rod

Felt in the days when hope unborn had died

Yet with a steady beat

Have not our weary feet

Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?

We have come over a way that with tears has been watered

We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered

Out from the gloomy past

Till now we stand at last

Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast

God of our weary years

God of our silent tears

Thou who has brought us thus far on the way

Thou who has by Thy might Led us into the light

Keep us forever in the path, we pray

Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee

Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee

Shadowed beneath Thy hand

May we forever stand

True to our God

True to our native land

Our native land

Presiding Bishop Curry probably fails to hear in the second verse the cries of those babies slaughtered by abortions over the past four decades since the hymn was put in the Episcopal hymnal.

"Felt in the days when hope unborn had died..." 

"We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered..." 

I do think the melody for #599 is easier to sing, but that is not enough justification to take away from our collective memories,

Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave,

O'er the land of the free,

And the home of the brave? 

 That part always gives me goose bumps when we sing it.

I guess as we creep into a future in which have given up our freedom, and we have lost our courage, Francis Scott Key will have a new answer to his question, and that will be the time for a new national anthem because his version will be too painful to sing.

The Revised Common Lectionary Doesn't Like Strong Language

 The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) used in many Episcopal parishes often splices and dices the Holy Bible for untold reasons. I have speculated that this is done to make the Bible less offensive than it really is. 

This Sunday's reading from James 3:13-4:3,7-8 gets the cut. Verses 4-6 of Chapter 4 are missing except in the version provided below. The purged verses are highlighted in red.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. 

Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.

4 Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, ‘God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’? 6 But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says,
‘God opposes the proud,
   but gives grace to the humble.’

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Apparently, the editors don't want the pewsitters to think they are adulterers, something that most everyone is in the Lord's eyes. 

The Church that shies away from the strong language of the Bible will not last.

ELCA Lutherans One Up Episcopalians

The Evangelical Lutheran Church Church (ELCA) has played a new card in the "most progressive denomination" game. I think a transgender bishop trumps a homosexual bishop any day, 

From Premier Christian News came this report,

A US pastor has become the first openly transgender person to be installed as a bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Earlier this year, Rev Meghan Rohrer was appointed as the bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod to serve a six-year term leading one of the 65 synods, overseeing nearly 200 congregations in Northern California and Nevada.

During the installation service, Rev Rohrer said: “My call is ... to be up to the same messy, loving things I was up to before.”

The Lutheran and Episcopal church are the only two Christian denominations in the US that allow transgender people to become clergy.

"I step into this role because a diverse community of Lutherans in Northern California and Nevada prayerfully and thoughtfully voted to do a historic thing," the bishop said in a statement.

"My installation will celebrate all that is possible when we trust God to shepherd us forward."

Rev Rohrer, 41, was the first transgender person to be ordained in the ELCA in 2006 and the first to lead a church in 2014.

Bishop Rohrer, who prefers to be referred to by the pronoun "they", is totally unknown to my Lutheran friends, most of whom shrug and express total apathy to the news. Others have no problem with a transgender bishop, and I have not heard a single person saying that they are leaving the denomination.

Ah. ignorance is bliss.

Ignorance however can be hazardous to your spiritual health. 

In the race to the bottom, with this move the ELCA might have just nosed ahead of the Episcopalians... for the time being. 

No one can tame the tongue

This Sunday's reading from James 3:1-12 contains wise advice for all of us from politicians to bishops, to priests, and to lowly pewsitters.

"Not many of you should become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits."

"How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brethren, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh."

I come from a long line of people who have trouble taming their tongues. Most of our problems came from saying what we think before we thought things through causing offence to those around us. 

While no one can tame the tongue, I know that when I was younger, I had a habit of using expletives when I messed up, especially in sports just like my Dad, but when I accepted Jesus as Lord and prayed that he take this sin away, He did! 

Now, this didn't seem to work with many of my other faults... yet.

 

The Church in Wales Votes For SSBs

The Church in Wales, a member of the World Wide Anglican Communion, met recently and agreed to conduct same sex blessings (SSBs) of same sex "marriages".

I have been following the downfall of the Church (from henceforth, Organization) in Wales for several years now thanks to the Ancient Briton (AB) blog. The Organization had already elected a partnered lesbian bishop so it was expected that SSBs were to follow. 

The Organization in Wales had already shrunken to insignificance before SSBs as noted by AB, 

"The Covid-19 pandemic has interrupted the annual update of regular church attendance figures but based on previous trends less than 0.8% of the population of Wales would regularly attend Anglican Sunday services."

The trajectory is identical to what happened to the Episcopal Organization in the U.S. In Wales, the bishop's abandonment of theological rigor for the shifting sands of culture makes me wonder if they are simply following the Episcopalian model, 

"In his keynote address as President of the Church’s Governing Body, its senior bishop Andy John urged the Church to look for God in the changing world and respond to new challenges. He warned that organisations failing to adapt to changes ran the risk of 'fossilization'."

That's like the dodo calling the emu a fossil.

Tossing Holy Scripture aside, these bishops claim to be following a new Gospel delivered to them personally that blesses homosexual sin, 

"Sounding like a Taliban spokesman claiming every deed to be the will of Allah the bishop (of St Asaph) said, 'I will not betray them, not for any price in this world or the next because I believe it is the will of Christ.'"

Let us pray that the price he has to pay in the next world is not as harsh as the Bible suggests. 

 

Was Jesus Outsmarted?

 This Sunday's reading from Mark 7.24-37 contains a stumbling block for some.

From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ But she answered him, ‘Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’ Then he said to her, ‘For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.’ So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

 Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.’

Some argue that the Syrophoenician made Jesus change his mind by out smarting him. As if we could do that. Therein lies the stumbling block. I look back at Job who, in the final chapters, dared to question God only to find out that although he was considered a righteous man, in the end God is Supreme and Job repents for being but a man. 

Who thinks they can out smart the Lord Almighty?

Louisville Medical School Expels Pro-Life Student

It has gotten to the point in the U.S. that you can get kicked out of Medical School for being pro-life. I am glad that I did my stint back in the age when men of iron roamed the halls of the hospitals. The story is from the Christian Post, 

A four-year medical student has filed a lawsuit against officials at the University of Louisville School of Medicine (ULSOM), accusing them of discriminating against him over his pro-life activism.

Austin Clark of Louisville filed an amended complaint last week in U.S. District Court against ULSOM President Neeli Bendapudi and 13 others after being expelled in July 2020. Clark, who formerly headed ULSOM’s Medical Students for Life group, accused the officials of harassing and eventually expelling him in retaliation for a 2018 pro-life event he hosted. The 2018 event featured Alex McFarland, a noted Christian apologist and author, speaking about the origins of life in the womb. The event was considered controversial by many students and faculty.

The complaint alleges that from the 2018 event until his 2020 expulsion, Clark was frequently harassed by professors who allegedly verbally assaulted him. The complaint also alleges that he was arbitrarily given a failing grade in internal medicine even though he claims to have earned a passing score. The lawsuit calls for Clark to be reinstated and accuses the school of violating the First and 14th Amendments. 

The University of Louisville has ties to the abortion industry, as physicians at the state’s only abortion clinic, EMW Women’s Surgical Center, are also professors at the university. "These documents suggest that the only remaining abortion clinic in Kentucky is being run as an official or quasi-official arm of the University of Louisville’s Medical School," stated the foundation's spokesman Martin Cothran at the time, as reported by WDRB. "Not only is U of L involved in the abortion clinic’s activities, but the clinic operates, for all practical purposes, as an extension of the Medical School’s program."

The university maintained that the EMW clinic and the school are separate entities, noting that programs for students and faculty simply involve training in which abortion training was optional.

I hope Mr. Clark wins his lawsuit and that the ULSOM pays a hefty fine, but what I really want is for the hard hearted baby killers teaching abortion methods to young medical students (who should be learning how to save lives) to turn to Jesus and repent of their evil ways.

Let us pray... 

Revised Common Lectionary Strikes Out Again

In this Sunday's reading from Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23 once again we see the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) delete some of Jesus' words. I have put them back in (the red letter verses), 

Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?’ He said to them, ‘Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,

“This people honours me with their lips,

   but their hearts are far from me;

 in vain do they worship me,

   teaching human precepts as doctrines.”

You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.’

9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)— 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

Then he called the crowd again and said to them, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand: 15there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.’ 

17 And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.

For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.’

Why do the makers of the RCL take it upon themselves to re-write the Gospel? 

In many cases it is to avoid offending people. 

Perhaps in this instance, Jesus' reference to human excrement might be something Sunday pewsitters shouldn't hear. 

In other cases, I just don't get it. 

Dropped by Your Ally/Partner

When Judy Collins wrote this song, she could not imagine that it might relate to how our country dropped its allies in Afghanistan. It was more of an allegorical song about a broken trapeze artist who had crashed to the ground, and is left wondering when the clowns will be sent in to distract the crowd. It was a lover's lament that makes me tear up to this day. I cry today for the Afghani Christians who are left facing the terror to come.

 Isn't it rich?

Are we a pair?

Me here at last on the ground,

You in mid-air,

Where are the clowns?

Isn't it bliss?

Don't you approve?

One who keeps tearing around,

One who can't move,

Where are the clowns?

There ought to be clowns?

Just when I'd stopped opening doors,

Finally knowing the one that I wanted was yours

Making my entrance again with my usual flair

Sure of my lines

No one is there

Don't you love farce?

My fault, I fear

I thought that you'd want what I want

Sorry, my dear!

But where are the clowns

Send in the clowns

Don't bother, they're here

Isn't it rich?

Isn't it queer?

Losing my timing this late in my career

But where are the clowns?

There ought to be clowns

Well, maybe next year

"Go on, wearing hope as a helmet..."

This Sunday's reading from Ephesians 6:10-20 is all about being heavily armored to combat cosmic evil powers,

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

The first Anglican Bishop of Liverpool, J.C. Ryle (1816 – 1900), takes the ball and runs with it,

"Go on, then, to your journey’s end, “rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.” (Rom. 5:2) Go on, rejoicing in the thought that though you are a poor sinner Jesus is a most gracious Saviour, and that though you have trials here for a little season, heaven shall soon make amends for all.

Go on, wearing hope as a helmet in all the battles of life,—a hope of pardon, a hope of perseverance, a hope of acquittal in the judgment day, a hope of final glory.

Put on the breast-plate of righteousness: take the shield of faith; have your loins girt about with truth: wield valiantly the sword of the Spirit. But never forget—as ever you would be a happy Christian—never forget to put on the “helmet of hope.” (1 Thess. 5:8)

Go on, in spite of an ill-natured world, and be not moved by its laughter or its persecution, its slanders or its sneers. Comfort your heart with the thought that the time is short, the good things yet to come, the night far spent, the “morning without clouds” at hand. (2 Sam. 23:4) When the wicked man dies his expectation perishes; but your expectation shall not deceive you,—your reward is sure.

Go on, and be not cast down because you are troubled by doubts and fears. You are yet in the body: this world is not your rest. The devil hates you because you have escaped from him, and he will do all he can to rob you of peace.

The very fact that you have fears is an evidence that you feel you have something to lose. The true Christian may ever be discerned by his warfare quite as much as by his peace, and by his fears quite as much as by his hopes.

Go on, and “hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet. 1:13) Yet a little time, and faith shall be changed to sight, and hope to certainty: you shall see even as you have been seen, and know even as you have been known.

A few more tossings to and fro on the waves of this troublesome world,—a few more battles and conflicts with our spiritual enemy,—a few more years of tears and partings, of working and suffering, of crosses and cares, of disappointments and vexations,—and then, then we shall be at home.

The harbour lights are already in view: the haven of rest is not far off. There we shall find all that we have hoped for, and find that it was a million times better than our hopes.

There we shall find all the saints,—and no sin, no cares of this world, no money, no sickness, no death, no devil. There, above all, we shall find Jesus, and be ever with the Lord! (1 Thess. 4:17)

Let us hope on. It is worth while to carry the cross and follow Christ. Let the world laugh and mock, if it will; it is worth while to have “a good hope through grace,” and be a thorough decided Christian.

I say again,—Let us hope on."

--J.C. Ryle, "Our Hope," Old Paths: Being Plain Statements of Some of the Weightier Matters of Christianity (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1877/2013), 111-113.

Without Faith, there can be no Hope. 

Where Jesus is, there is Hope.