Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 06 February 2016

Quiet day here. Dear Wife is doing a little bit better.  She just got up from a 2-1/2 hour nap.  I heated up some leftover home made potato soup and toasted some home baked multi-grain bread to go with it.  Cats are back on the bed, miffed that she'd taken it over during "their" time.  It seems that during they day, they snooze on the bed.  Wife occupied recliner in living room.  When they feel it's time, they get up, "do their stuff", then pester us.  We go to bed. They take over the recliners and pretty well occupy them until, in their opinion, it is time for breakfast.  Theirs, not ours.  I get up, open a can of Friskies, put it on plate, they pounce on it.  That's normally around 05:00.  Today, they "let" me sleep until 05:40 or so.  I got up, fed them, went to bed.  15 minutes later, Wife decided to relocate from bed to recliner.  Bear in mind, I got to sleep around midnight.  But whatever.  I help her to relocate, put pillows under her feel to get more eleveation, tuck her under a few throws. make her a coffee and refill a mug of water.  And then I go back to bed, and sleep for a few hours more.
The early morning hours today were odder than usual.  I can't say I was having a conversation with the Lord.  But it certainly seemed that way, the subject was outreach to a community here that may as well be in a far-off unreached part of the world, the Gospel may as well be in a foreign language.  Yes, there are church buildings around, I have two (one Methodist, one Roman Catholic), within walking distance. The Catholic one, like the rectory beside it, is empty as the diocese has "consolidated" two parishes into one, and it won't be located here.  The Methodist congregation is small, dwindling, aging (as most congregations around here are), not into evangelism in any form, and headed by a woman pastor.  Niece's husband's parents are members there, but no one else on the street seems to be.  And church attendance and Christian living aren't much in evidence anywhere around.  The bars seem to get a good following though. 
The result is that kids aren't being brought up with "Jesus Loves Me" and the Bible stories.  At all.  And no one seems to be making much of an effort to redress that.  THAT was the subject of the discussion.  Intense.

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The Old Testament reading is chapters 39 and 40 of the Exodus.

Exodus 39

1	And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the LORD commanded Moses.
2	And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
3	And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work.
4	They made shoulderpieces for it, to couple it together: by the two edges was it coupled together.
5	And the curious girdle of his ephod, that was upon it, was of the same, according to the work thereof; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as the LORD commanded Moses.
6	And they wrought onyx stones inclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel.
7	And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.
8	And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
9	It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled.
10	And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row.
11	And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
12	And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.
13	And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were inclosed in ouches of gold in their inclosings.
14	And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, according to the twelve tribes.
15	And they made upon the breastplate chains at the ends, of wreathed work of pure gold.
16	And they made two ouches of gold, and two gold rings; and put the two rings in the two ends of the breastplate.
17	And they put the two wreathed chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate.
18	And the two ends of the two wreathed chains they fastened in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod, before it.
19	And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, upon the border of it, which was on the side of the ephod inward.
20	And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart of it, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.
21	And they did bind the breastplate by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as the LORD commanded Moses.
22	And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue.
23	And there was an hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of an habergeon, with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend.
24	And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen.
25	And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates;
26	A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses.
27	And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons,
28	And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen,
29	And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses.
30	And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
31	And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses.
32	Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished: and the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.
33	And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all his furniture, his taches, his boards, his bars, and his pillars, and his sockets,
34	And the covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers' skins, and the vail of the covering,
35	The ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy seat,
36	The table, and all the vessels thereof, and the showbread,
37	The pure candlestick, with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light,
38	And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the tabernacle door,
39	The brazen altar, and his grate of brass, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot,
40	The hangings of the court, his pillars, and his sockets, and the hanging for the court gate, his cords, and his pins, and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of the congregation,
41	The cloths of service to do service in the holy place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and his sons' garments, to minister in the priest's office.
42	According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work.
43	And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the LORD had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.

Exodus 40

1	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2	On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
3	And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail.
4	And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof.
5	And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle.
6	And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
7	And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein.
8	And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate.
9	And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy.
10	And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy.
11	And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it.
12	And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.
13	And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
14	And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:
15	And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.
16	Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he.
17	And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.
18	And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars.
19	And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses.
20	And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:
21	And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses.
22	And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail.
23	And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses.
24	And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.
25	And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.
26	And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail:
27	And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the LORD commanded Moses.
28	And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.
29	And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the LORD commanded Moses.
30	And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.
31	And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:
32	When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses.
33	And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.
34	Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
35	And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
36	And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:
37	But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.
38	For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

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The New Testament reading is verses 1-22 in the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew 24:1-22

1	And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2	And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3	And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4	And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5	For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6	And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7	For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8	All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9	Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
10	And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11	And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12	And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13	But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14	And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
15	When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16	Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17	Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18	Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19	And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20	But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21	For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22	And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 05 February, 2016

Happy Friday.  I guess.

A bit of snow on the ground, more coming.  Not bad, not as things are reckoned in these parts.  Have seen much worse.  Like, say, a year a go.  We've had no sub-zero temps, at least not yet, while last year we had some "high" temps right around the Zero degrees point, and lows well into the sub-zero teens.  That being the case, +30 does not seem quite so bad.  Still don't like it though, and probably never will.
Dear Wife is going next door soon  in order to "watch" beloved Great-Niece as her mom goes to work the 4 pm - 9 pm shift.  Daddy should be home around 6:30, so it's not awful.  "Watching" the Little One tomorrow as well:  mom has a craft show nearby all day, and a 3-year-old is not a great addition to that, and Daddy has a business meeting in Pittsburgh area.   A 3-year-old would probably not have been conducive to good order there, either.  So great-auntie is called upon once more  They both enjoy it, it gives Dear Wife a reason to live, frankly, which is worth something.  For all of them -- Wife, child, mom.  And perhaps others as well.

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I think all of us get the belief that the Lord doesn't know or care what we're going through.  Or that we were an afterthought in the Great Scheme of things.  Perhaps that what we do isn't noticed, or important, or appreciated, or any of the rest of that.  We've all been there, sometimes we're there now.  I have, that is true.
Well, it's bogus.  We're commanded to do what we do, whatever we do, as unto the Lord.  It matters.  Often, in ways we don't realize at the time.  The words, the gestures, the presence, the work, matters.  It honors the Lord, or not, throughout.  It affects ourselves, it affects others, and not just at the moment but at points distant in time and space.  We recognize the legacies of the great preachers, the Apostles, the great inventors and thinkers, explorers and generals.  Sometimes even the teachers we had (or are).  But I know of cases where someone in a more lowly station touched lives in many long-lasting ways.  Yes, you can pick up the trash to God's glory.  Or sweep a floor, or ring a cash register, drive a school bus, deliver a baby, visit a jail, or change a tire or battery.  If we make ourselves available to the Lord, He can and He will use that.  We may not, in this life, see the results, but that doesn't matter.  He does.
Today's reading from the Old Testament, chapters 37 and 38 of the Exodus, recount an example.  It was not some sort of coincidence that the right combination of design, material availability, need, and talent, just "happened" to come together.  I doubt that Bezaleel (hint: name means "in the shadow of God"; i.e., "under his protection") ever made a tabernacle before.  Or after.  But here, thousands of years later, his obedience and skill are recorded for all to see.  That Tabernacle was used for many years, and people he never met were blessed through his work.  That too is worth something.

Exodus 37

1	And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it:
2	And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about.
3	And he cast for it four rings of gold, to be set by the four corners of it; even two rings upon the one side of it, and two rings upon the other side of it.
4	And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold.
5	And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.
6	And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
7	And he made two cherubim of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat;
8	One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side: out of the mercy seat made he the cherubim on the two ends thereof.
9	And the cherubim spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubim.
10	And he made the table of shittim wood: two cubits was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof:
11	And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereunto a crown of gold round about.
12	Also he made thereunto a border of an handbreadth round about; and made a crown of gold for the border thereof round about.
13	And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings upon the four corners that were in the four feet thereof.
14	Over against the border were the rings, the places for the staves to bear the table.
15	And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold, to bear the table.
16	And he made the vessels which were upon the table, his dishes, and his spoons, and his bowls, and his covers to cover withal, of pure gold.
17	And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same:
18	And six branches going out of the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof:
19	Three bowls made after the fashion of almonds in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three bowls made like almonds in another branch, a knop and a flower: so throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick.
20	And in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds, his knops, and his flowers:
21	And a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches going out of it.
22	Their knops and their branches were of the same: all of it was one beaten work of pure gold.
23	And he made his seven lamps, and his snuffers, and his snuffdishes, of pure gold.
24	Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof.
25	And he made the incense altar of shittim wood: the length of it was a cubit, and the breadth of it a cubit; it was foursquare; and two cubits was the height of it; the horns thereof were of the same.
26	And he overlaid it with pure gold, both the top of it, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns of it: also he made unto it a crown of gold round about.
27	And he made two rings of gold for it under the crown thereof, by the two corners of it, upon the two sides thereof, to be places for the staves to bear it withal.
28	And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold.
29	And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the apothecary.

Exodus 38

1	And he made the altar of burnt offering of shittim wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof; it was foursquare; and three cubits the height thereof.
2	And he made the horns thereof on the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of the same: and he overlaid it with brass.
3	And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basins, and the fleshhooks, and the firepans: all the vessels thereof made he of brass.
4	And he made for the altar a brazen grate of network under the compass thereof beneath unto the midst of it.
5	And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grate of brass, to be places for the staves.
6	And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with brass.
7	And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, to bear it withal; he made the altar hollow with boards.
8	And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the lookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
9	And he made the court: on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, an hundred cubits:
10	Their pillars were twenty, and their brazen sockets twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver.
11	And for the north side the hangings were an hundred cubits, their pillars were twenty, and their sockets of brass twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.
12	And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.
13	And for the east side eastward fifty cubits.
14	The hangings of the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.
15	And for the other side of the court gate, on this hand and that hand, were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.
16	All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen.
17	And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their chapiters of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver.
18	And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court.
19	And their pillars were four, and their sockets of brass four; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their chapiters and their fillets of silver.
20	And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass.
21	This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest.
22	And Bezaleel the son Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses.
23	And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen.
24	All the gold that was occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.
25	And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:
26	A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men.
27	And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the vail; an hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket.
28	And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them.
29	And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels.
30	And therewith he made the sockets to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the brazen altar, and the brazen grate for it, and all the vessels of the altar,
31	And the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about.

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The New Testament passage is verses 23-39 of the 23rd chapter in the Gospel of Matthew.  Jesus teaching, in Holy Week. 

Matthew 23:23-39

23	Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
24	Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
25	Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
26	Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27	Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
28	Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29	Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
30	And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
31	Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
32	Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
33	Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
34	Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
35	That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
36	Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
37	O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
38	Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
39	For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 04 February, 2016

pre-dawn here.  Up early, cats were antsy and we wre both in some pain so up & at 'em.  She's in recliner under blankets, I made (baked pre-frozen) biscuits, got juice so she can take her morning meds, and coffee for both of us.  So, of course, having done all that, the cats decide that they can have our bed as a nice snoozing place, which they will probably occupy for most of the day.  Rough life they have.
I have to make a run to Wally World but it's going to wait until full sun-up..  Oh, and it's snowing.  We had a few nice days of above freezing and above-average temperatures, but that ended yesterday.  At least we don't -- yet -- have a few feet of blizzard snow.  And we hope that does not happen.  It may, but we hope not.

Trying to avoid getting TOO caught up in the political wranglings of the day.  My presidential preferences would tend towards a Calvin Coolidge type.  Don't have one of those running so near as I can tell.  A bunch towards the other end of that spectrum and I can't decide which one is less odious than the rest.  "Place not thy faith in princes" is good advice, but few will heed it.

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The Old Testament reading is chapters 34, 35, and 36 of the Exodus.  More of the Tabernacle, but here is the involvement of the whole people.
I like how Moses' very face was changed as a result of his meetings with the Lord.  Yes, he was in the Presence of the Lord, and it showed.  We too can be in the Presence.  Not quite to that extent (yet) but in His Presence just as well.  Does it show?  Can people tell?
And note that there are two persons here in particular who are shown as particularly talented, "gifted and called" in fact, for the work.  No, not religious leaders, great theologians, military leaders or learned mathematicians or the like.  Craftsmen.  But equipped by the Lord, in advance, to do this work.  Friends, the Lord has or is calling and equipping each of us as well to participate in and contribute to the work of the kingdom.  Often in ways we would not think of, but worthy nonetheless.  Who, for example, has better opportunity to witness for the Lord than a barber?  or hairdresser?  The person running the register at the grocery may be there just so he or she can touch the lives of many others!  They don't wear a cassock or a clerical collar, and few of us do.  But the Lord puts each of us where He can use us.  Whether we answer the call is the issue.  He can make our most menial work fruitful.

Exodus 34

1	And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.
2	And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.
3	And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.
4	And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.
5	And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
6	And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
7	Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
8	And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.
9	And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O LORD, let my LORD, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.
10	And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.
11	Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
12	Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:
13	But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:
14	For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
15	Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;
16	And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.
17	Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
18	The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.
19	All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male.
20	But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.
21	Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.
22	And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.
23	Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the LORD God, the God of Israel.
24	For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.
25	Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.
26	The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
27	And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.
28	And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
29	And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.
30	And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.
31	And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them.
32	And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai.
33	And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.
34	But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded.
35	And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Exodus 35

1	And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them.
2	Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.
3	Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.
4	And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying,
5	Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,
6	And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,
7	And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,
8	And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense,
9	And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate.
10	And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded;
11	The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets,
12	The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the vail of the covering,
13	The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the showbread,
14	The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light,
15	And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle,
16	The altar of burnt offering, with his brazen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot,
17	The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court,
18	The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords,
19	The cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office.
20	And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses.
21	And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.
22	And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered, offered an offering of gold unto the LORD.
23	And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers' skins, brought them.
24	Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD's offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it.
25	And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen.
26	And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair.
27	And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate;
28	And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense.
29	The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.
30	And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;
31	And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;
32	And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
33	And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.
34	And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
35	Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.

Exodus 36

1	Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded.
2	And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it:
3	And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning.
4	And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made;
5	And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make.
6	And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.
7	For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
8	And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubim of cunning work made he them.
9	The length of one curtain was twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: the curtains were all of one size.
10	And he coupled the five curtains one unto another: and the other five curtains he coupled one unto another.
11	And he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the uttermost side of another curtain, in the coupling of the second.
12	Fifty loops made he in one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain which was in the coupling of the second: the loops held one curtain to another.
13	And he made fifty taches of gold, and coupled the curtains one unto another with the taches: so it became one tabernacle.
14	And he made curtains of goats' hair for the tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them.
15	The length of one curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits was the breadth of one curtain: the eleven curtains were of one size.
16	And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves.
17	And he made fifty loops upon the uttermost edge of the curtain in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second.
18	And he made fifty taches of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one.
19	And he made a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of badgers' skins above that.
20	And he made boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood, standing up.
21	The length of a board was ten cubits, and the breadth of a board one cubit and a half.
22	One board had two tenons, equally distant one from another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle.
23	And he made boards for the tabernacle; twenty boards for the south side southward:
24	And forty sockets of silver he made under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.
25	And for the other side of the tabernacle, which is toward the north corner, he made twenty boards,
26	And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.
27	And for the sides of the tabernacle westward he made six boards.
28	And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides.
29	And they were coupled beneath, and coupled together at the head thereof, to one ring: thus he did to both of them in both the corners.
30	And there were eight boards; and their sockets were sixteen sockets of silver, under every board two sockets.
31	And he made bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
32	And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the sides westward.
33	And he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other.
34	And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold to be places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
35	And he made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubim made he it of cunning work.
36	And he made thereunto four pillars of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver.
37	And he made an hanging for the tabernacle door of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, of needlework;
38	And the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their chapiters and their fillets with gold: but their five sockets were of brass.

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The New Testament reading is verses 1-22 in the 23rd chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.  If you ever wondered why the religious (and other) leaders of the day were driven to a mad purple rage and hatred of Jesus, this passage is one of those that should answer that.  He was denying their leadership authority, their credibility, their very legitimacy in those roles.  Rightly so.  But He was also undercutting many of the customs of the day.

Matthew 23:1-22

1	Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
2	Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
3	All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
4	For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
5	But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
6	And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7	And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
8	But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
9	And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
10	Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
11	But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
12	And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
13	But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
14	Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
15	Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
16	Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
17	Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
18	And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
19	Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
20	Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
21	And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
22	And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.