HAPPY NEW YEAR, friends!! I know, it's been a little bit since my last post. Let me explain... First, I thought I was going to have my granddaughter, Brandi on NYE, but due to a tickle in my throat, I declined. On New Year's Day, I ended up with her anyway, because Carissa had to work. Then, during my walk on January 2nd, something happened that has kept me busy for significant periods of my days since... Ever since I was in HS and the whole "Read the Bible in a Year" thing became one, I've low-key wanted to do it. Problem being, I never felt like I would actually stick to it, so I didn't bother trying. Last Wednesday, I had gone up to Walmart to cash a check and grab a few things. One of these was a Bible in a Year Women's Study. I WAS going to get it; but by the time I would have gotten through the check out, I would have missed my bus. Last Friday, in the Library Box just up the street from me, I found a One Year Bible. The readings are grouped together so you're not flipping around every day!!* While this doesn't have the structured study material of the other one; I'm actually finding that journaling my own thoughts and questions is working really well for me. This is the bit that was always keeping me hesitant before. It didn't occur to me to engage so much in the readings until now. I had always seen it as a dull "responsibility" to slog through. The problem being, that has been taking as much of my time each day as this does!! (4 hrs.=/-) What's a girl to do!!?? PLUS, I still need to keep up on FB, although I've cut back since discovering the time needed to do the Bible Readings. AND I need my walks, and meals, and relaxation in the evenings... oh, AND response time on Quora... and housework, and Church, and grocery shopping... Soooo... I've decided to go every other day between here and the Bible Readings. That being said, I'm going to be out for the next week, starting Friday night, and coming home the 18th.* I'm FINALLY going back over to Brattleboro to visit Mike!! 🥰🥳 I haven't been over since the end of August; and he hasn't been here since the beginning of November. And that was immediately before my parents ended up here for the following month!! (Was it just me, or did November actually last like, a month and a half??)🤪🤪

So, yeah...

Meanwhile, my mother apparently has cellulitis in her leg. My father had called Friday evening from the ER, and they had put her on an IV and sent her back to the packed waiting room. I have no idea how long they were there. When I was talking to Carissa about it on Monday, she mentioned that my mother most likely caught it from my uncle, but IDK... She had wanted me to check on my parents because when she had called, she said mom sounded sick. I told her I didn't want to risk exposure because of the cold I'm still fighting, and the fact that I'm seeing Mike in a few days. Anyway, pray for my mom's health, whatever may be going on. (And for my trip) Edit: While I was working through my footnotes, my father called. Mom fell again early this morning. She's in the hospital at least overnight with a majorly bruised hip and a broken wrist. I'll go up tomorrow morning and see her.

Nothing new from Andrea, so I'm continuing to take that as good news, although I've missed going over to help. Of course, when she does ask again, I'll definitely go!! I know that will be yet another thing to add, but she's my BFF. That's what you do. Continue to pray for Matt's full recovery!!

I have actually talked to Jeremy fairly recently, although I feel like I covered that in my last post, so I'll just move on now.

Oh, and I ended up in the elevator with my ex-boyfriend, Rob, Sunday afternoon when I had just taken my Christmas Tree down to the dumpster. No words were spoken, although he did start singing a little. On Monday afternoon, I was taking down the rest of my decorations and decided to text him to see if he would help put the boxes back on the top shelf of my storage closet. Let me just say that his response sealed his fate. I was trying to be a mature adult and have "tall help" for 30 seconds or less. His continued beliefs of why I broke up with him, and his immaturity over the whole thing have made me decide that I am officially, and irrevocably DONE. I haven't deleted his number yet, but I did re-block it. He may be redeemed by Jesus, but never by me. Yes, it is possible to forgive someone without reconciliation. Especially a toxic Narcissist. Sometimes, when I'm feeling especially merciful, I do pray that he gets over me and is able to move on. (It's only been 4 years... 🙄)

So, in skimming over my notes, my Message Intro today is taken from a post I actually saw on FB this morning, or maybe it was Pinterest last night... Regardless, here it is -- Most people don't know that, when Whitney Houston was being forced to sell off valuables, including her Grammy Awards, etc., due to legal battles with Bobby Brown, and other large expenses, a friend was quietly buying these items to save for later. After Whitney's death, Aretha Franklin returned them to her family. She understood that Whitney's personal struggles in no way diminished the truth of her talents. Aretha redeemed Whitney's awards and letters in respect for her accomplishments and love for Whitney and her family.

Likewise, Jesus has redeemed our souls in spite of our own personal struggles toward following Him. Only through Jesus are we seen as "clean enough" for Heaven. The fact that we are part of God's Creation makes us worthy of the offer of Salvation.

Today's message starts with the story of a human master who was meant to illustrate Jesus' role in our redemption. Let's begin, shall we??

Turn with me to Mark 12 --

Mark 12:1-12

New International Version

The Parable of the Tenants

12 Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. ² At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. ³ But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴ Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. ⁵ He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.

⁶ “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

⁷ “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸ So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

⁹ “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰ Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture:

“‘The stone the builders rejected    has become the cornerstone;¹¹ the Lord has done this,    and it is marvelous in our eyes’^[a]?”

¹² Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.

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As Pastor Matt began speaking that morning, he told us that the primary purpose of the Parables is to take them as they come. Gauge our initial reactions to them before we explore deeper. When we do, we will discover that they reveal the Father in all things.*

As a point of context here, he also went back for a second and reminded us that in chapter 11, Jesus is setting His face toward Jerusalem. The Time is NOW. As Pastor Matt phrased it, "The fuse had been lit toward Him by the Pharisees and Sadducees."

In our passage above, we read of a responsible owner who made sure everything was covered before he went away. The Jews, being an agricultural society whose identity is tied to the land they possessed, both understood and respected this. What they may have missed was the point that God had left them as the tenants on His property. From the time of Abraham, it had always been God's intention that the people share His Blessings with the rest of the world. This was the "portion of the harvest" meant for God. But rather than sharing and thus producing a greater harvest, the Jews have hoarded God's blessings for themselves. This is why Jesus was sent. Not only to help them understand this assignment; but to personally open it up to us Gentiles.* (If you want something done right, ya gotta do it yourself, amiright??)

Now, although my new One Year Bible doesn't make me flip around, this message does...

Our next passage is in Isaiah 5 --

Isaiah 5:1-7

New International Version

The Song of the Vineyard

5 I will sing for the one I love    a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard    on a fertile hillside.² He dug it up and cleared it of stones    and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it    and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,    but it yielded only bad fruit.

³ “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah,    judge between me and my vineyard.⁴ What more could have been done for my vineyard    than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes,    why did it yield only bad?⁵ Now I will tell you    what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge,    and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall,    and it will be trampled.⁶ I will make it a wasteland,    neither pruned nor cultivated,    and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds    not to rain on it.”

⁷ The vineyard of the Lord Almighty    is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah    are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;    for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

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The "vineyard" in this passage is Israel. (vs 7) Here we see that, although they were planted for the purpose of sharing God's love and righteousness, they chose to bow to other gods. He then put them into exile and removed the assignment.* In verse 1 of this Scripture, we see the phrase "My loved one". This relates to Jesus' Baptism in Mark 1:11.

Returning to our Mark 12 passage above, we next look at verse 7 where the tenants are saying, "This is the heir. Come, let's kill him..." (hmmm...) We then see that they killed him and took him out of the city. (vs. 8) (opposite order, but are you seeing what I'm seeing??) In verses 9-11, we find that the Owner brings righteousness back on the tenants. As we know, the arrival of Jesus, and His later death and resurrection resulted in the expansion of the Gospel assignment to the Gentiles.

Ultimately, this helps with God's long-term plan to restore all things to Himself.* The idea of the Gospel being shared to ALL Creation indicates a return of flourishing, joy, and peace, like what Adam and Eve experienced in the Garden. This would be in direct opposition to the current status of violence and death. Pastor Matt's words here were that, "God will 'clear the table' in order to accomplish His Plan.

The other thing we notice about verse 10b-11 is that Jesus is quoting from the Old Testament here. Specifically, Psalm 118:22-23. "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone...". At the same time, we find in 1 Corinthians 3:16, where Paul uses the analogy of the Church as the Temple of God, with Jesus as the head.*

Pastor Matt showed 3 steps of Jesus' Redemption here --

• Jesus' words, here, as well as throughout the Gospels, speak to the point of His declaring an END to the Old Ways of judgement under the Law.

• As He aimed toward the Cross, Jesus "pulled the pin" and thus set the trajectory for renewal. This tells us that God will stop at NOTHING to rescue us. The passage above speaks of "people I delighted in" (or "My precious people) (Isaiah 5:7) My friends, WE are included in that sentiment due to the blood of Jesus which has redeemed us!! The just and righteous Owner has made all provision available to us. This is the space we live in as Christians. the fact that Jesus has ALREADY come, so the Kingdom is here; but since He has not yet returned, His Authority has NOT YET been established for Eternity.

• The word "Saved" throughout the New Testament carries a condition of something that has already been initiated, and is continuing to happen. Thus, He HAS Saved us, IS STILL SAVING, and WILL SAVE until He's done and the Final Judgement takes place.

Finally, in Luke 4:16-21, we find the author quoting from Isaiah 61:1-3 --

Isaiah 61:1-3

New International Version

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,    because the Lord has anointed me    to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,    to proclaim freedom for the captives    and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor    and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,³     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty    instead of ashes, the oil of joy    instead of mourning, and a garment of praise    instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness,    a planting of the Lord    for the display of his splendor.

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Today, this is shown true in the people we have seen restored around us by the mercy of God through our hands. While we may only be captured/oppressed by our own pride, fear, etc., God stops at NOTHING to help us. This frees us in knowing that, although we are His hands and feet to the world, it is HIS Spirit at work in the hearts of those we aid. It's not on us to rescue ALL. We share the burden with others, and with Him.

This Parable was aimed at the Religious Elite in that time and place, the Pharisees and Sadducees, those who were "buttoned up right" and had their "ducks in a row". (Wait... people have ducks?? 😉🤪) By the same token, we can, and should, embrace this message today. We can see throughout Scripture how God cares more about our hearts than about our appearance. (1 Sam. 16:7, among others) Jesus even says back in Mark 2:17, as we saw earlier in this series, "Those who are well are in no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous; but sinners. Of course, we understand that to be everyone; because we're none of us perfect, right??*

In closing, Pastor Matt brought out the fact that, in John 3:16-17, we find that Jesus' promise of Eternal Life is not just about our future, but about having fullness of life in Him here and now. This is not something that can be taken from us if we sincerely embrace and accept it.*

The bottom line is that we can trust God with our guilt and shame, our work, our families, our grief... everything. The question is this -- Will we??

-- God Bless!!

Footnotes:

1. The groupings of Scripture in the One Year Bible make it so you're reading passages that directly relate to each other, giving the full context each day. And yet they are still in Biblical order, in each book!! So for example, Genesis 1-2 connect with Matthew 1:1-2:12, which in turn, connect with Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1:1-6. There are passages from all 4 sources every day. How cool is that!!?? (See image below) Also, it's the New Living Translation, which I've never had a ton of experience with, but I'm LOVING it!! As the Intro. explains, they use the conceptual basis as opposed to the literal. I fully agree with this, as it gives a better contextual foundation from which to study.

2. I am taking the One Year Bible with me, but IDK how much time I'll have to dedicate to it, especially with Arianna there, most likely watching DVDs most of the time. But attempts will be made...

3. Many of the Messianic Jews I've talked to online will try to say that Jesus ONLY came to them, citing the fact that the 12 Tribes of Israel can be observed in every Parable. The point they're missing is that these core values/messages can be equally applied to the broader scope of Christianity today. They miss the fact that Israel ITSELF is founded upon multiple ethnicities of people, therefore, the message of God is meant for everyone. There are other points of evidence, but I've said enough for now.

4. Another argument these people make is that the term "gentile" means "Nations". They take this to mean "the Hebrew Nation(s)" exclusively. In researching this, however, I have discovered that the meaning differs according to the context in which it is used. While it SOMETIMES refers specifically to the Israelites, it may ALSO mean "all who are not HEBREW". It's important to remember that Scripture ALWAYS has 2 levels of meaning. The immediate, or physical, or smaller scale, and the long-term, or spiritual, or larger scale.

5. In light of God's removal of Israel's assignment to share the blessings of God, one might ask if He also removed His blessing FROM them. The answer is no. At least not permanently, nor entirely. The fact they Israel won the 6 Days War in 1967, after having won their battle against the Arabs in 1948, are just 2 of the more recent events that support this. At the same time, the fact that they are included in God's invitation to Salvation as God's Chosen People, while we Gentiles are grafted in, by virtue of the fact that Christianity, as we've mentioned before, is based in Judaism. (It's also worthy to note here that one of the articles I just looked at mentioned Israel as "those who were foreknown" in Romans 11. This goes against the false notion of Predestination.)

6. Two things here, number one, it was recently revealed to me that the true message of Jeremiah 29:11 lies not in the immediate success of God's People; but in the long-term by means of Salvation. Also, the reference for God restoring all things unto Himself is Colossians 1:20.

7. While many may include 1 Cor. 3:16 among verses that speak to our being the "Temple of God", the fact that this reference is collective as opposed to individual makes a key difference here. Conversely, in 1 Cor. 6:19, Paul is talking about our bodies as the "Temple of the Holy Spirit". This is individual. Understanding the nuances here is integral to understanding our responsibilities in each case. The book I have found most helpful in this regard is one I've mentioned numerous times on here before when speaking about sin. It's called, "Misreading Scripture Through Western Eyes", by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien.

8. The idea that God cares more about our hearts than our physical appearance brings to mine another thing I know I've mentioned here before, as well, but it bears repeating in case someone new has started with this post to read. There's a true story that's been "wandering the internet" for a number of years now. It's the one about the new pastor who shows up looking like a ratty homeless person in order to test his new congregation in how they welcome people. They fail miserably. This is exactly why I appreciate the newer social standards of casual dress, particularly in Church. While we should try to look respectable, God doesn't want/need a Fashion Show. He wants our hearts. This actually reminds me again of a song I bring out now and then. It's from the late 70s, I believe. I'll include it below and let you see why I love it so much, and how it relates to this topic.

9. As you read through my Sermon Summaries, you will find that I am a very strong supporter of Eternal Security. (OSAS, if you will) You can read my article about it on the Reflections page.

Music -- Never any rights!!

As promised... <3

This is the new Bible --