Both knees seem to be getting worse at the moment - I hope its just that the bad knee - sorry "unoperated" knee (the physios were very insistent on not using the words "good" and "bad" -which is interesting in a sort of Newspeak way) - is pulling the other knee down, as it gets worse and worse.
I can't make it to the Meeting this morning as my Chauffeur has gone off treasure-hunting - he left early, with sandwiches. Someone would give me a lift if I asked, but I am limited in the cars I can manage to get in and out of at the moment, so I will listen in on the phone link. I told Maggie and Audrey - my fellow denizens of Old Crocks Corner - not to expect me in person, but that I would be hearing their answers.
We had a lovely supper at Jacks last night - Thai chicken curry, hot mince pies with cream (yoghurt for me), and a nice cheeseboard (including a goats cheese for me). We left quite early though as I was in a lot of pain and needed to lie down.
Every day there is something so terrible on the news. Apparently a disabled grandmother was walking home from the shops when she was set on by a gang of feral youngsters who verbally abused her (pretty much telling her she was a "useless mouth" - if they had had the vocab), beat her and kicked her in the head. She is now terrified to go out. The shape of things to come...
But, as we are trying to tell you as we go house to house, this is the darkest hour before the dawn. And a wonderful dawn it is going to be - right here on the earth.
“Consequently we have the prophetic word made more sure; and you are doing well in paying attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and a daystar rises, in your hearts. For you know this first, that no prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation. For prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were borne along by holy spirit.” (2 Peter 1:19-21)
Who or what is the “daystar”? The word “daystar” occurs just once in the Bible, and it is similar in meaning to “morning star.” Revelation 22:16* calls Jesus Christ “the bright morning star.” At certain seasons of the year, such stars are the last ones to rise on the eastern horizon. They rise just before the sun appears, and they thus herald the dawn of a new day. Peter used the word “daystar” to refer to Jesus after He received Kingdom power. At that time, Jesus rose in all the universe, including our earth! As the Messianic Daystar, he heralds the dawning of a new day, or era, for obedient mankind.
*Revelation 22:16: ‘I, Jesus, sent my angel to bear witness to you people of these things for the congregations. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright morning star.’”
DEAREST SUE, i am sorry you are ailing and not able to get up and about; perhaps God has a reason for keeping you safe at home. perhaps he finds that you are more in tune with HIM when you're in pain? I've heard many folks in the hospital say they are closer to God when they are ailing... GET WELL SOON! I'LL PRAY FOR YOU AND BLESS YOU AS BEST AS I AM ABLE AT THIS DISTANCE.
ReplyDeleteTHE ONLY morning stars i see these days are the satellites which burn brightly every morning and every evening before and after any stars are recognizable. They of course have no light of their own and depend on reflected sunlight. Venus, of course can be seen sometimes as a morning star. The bright star of Bethlehem can be reproduced by one if those star projectors and is a confluence of stars or planets at that time which was startling, eh? i saw at the planetarium in Munich in 1990 and 1968. GOG BLESS YOU KEEP YOU HEALTHY FOR THE SECOND COMMING, SUE i still would love to have tea with you some early morning and watch for the morning star... perhaps i will just have imagine it ...
Thanks for another lovely comment Izzy. And I am hoping that after the second knee is replaced I will gradually start to get more mobile. In the meantime, this is at least a lovely flat to be housebound in, as I can see the English Channel every day.
DeleteI hope you are doing well - and the furry friend. And that, one day, we will be able to have a cup of tea (and a saucer of milk) together. In the meantime its nice to meet for a virtual cuppa occasionally.
Yes, interesting about the star of Bethlehem - you are right in saying it was a confluence of planets, as the Magi, or wise men, were astrologers weren't they? So that is what they would have been looking for. And, if you read the account, where did this sign in the stars lead them?
Didn't it lead them straight to Herod?
Matthew 2:1-16 shows that the star led the astrologers first to King Herod and then to Jesus and that Herod then sought to have Jesus killed. After they left, Jehovah’s angel warned Joseph to flee to Egypt to safeguard the child.
So, was that “star” a sign from God or was it from someone who was seeking to have God’s Son destroyed?
Its an interesting question don't you think? Only Jehovah forbade his people to have anything to do with astrology. I expect that the Magi, who clearly meant well, didn't realise that. Or they may have known God's laws about spiritism, but perhaps thought, wrongly, that astrology is a science.
The account at Matthew says, in part: . "However, because they (the Magi) were given divine warning in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another way. After they had withdrawn, look! Jehovah’s angel appeared in a dream to Joseph, saying: “Get up, take the young child and its mother and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I give you word; for Herod is about to search for the young child to destroy it.” So he got up and took along the young child and its mother by night and withdrew into Egypt, and he stayed there until the decease of Herod, for that to be fulfilled which was spoken by Jehovah through his prophet, saying: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Then Herod, seeing he had been outwitted by the astrologers, fell into a great rage, and he sent out and had all the boys in Beth′le‧hem and in all its districts done away with, from two years of age and under, according to the time that he had carefully ascertained from the astrologers."
So I note that when they got direct and clear instruction from Jehovah, the Magi did obey him - so I like to think that they gave up astrology after that. But of course I don't know.
it does show how important it is to study Jehovah's word though, as many children died because of that "star", or sign in the stars.
all the best Sue