Christ the King Sunday-B-November 26
22
Nov
Christ The King Sunday-B Though Christ the King Sunday sometimes falls on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, it is proper that it be celebrated before Thanksgiving, since God has ordained that one day He will come to earth again to take his followers home and then He will hold a marriage supper to celebrate His marriage to His bride (the Church). Though many argue whether Christ will return before the tribulation, during the tribulation, or after the tribulation, God has spelled out the sequence of the last days. (The coming of Christ (Rosh Hosanna)followed by the time of tribulation, and finally the final judgment (Yom Kippur) and the end of the age, followed by the marriage Supper of the Lamb (Succoth) which we shall celebrate in heaven. Succoth, (the Feast of Booths), celebrates the completion of the final harvest, just as Thanksgiving celebrates the completion of the final harvest. One day we will sit with Jesus in the marriage feast of the Lamb (symbolized by Succoth) celebrating the completion of the harvest of believers and the marriage of the Church with Christ. That will be one great Thanksgiving feast with all the saints gathered before Christ. Succoth (the Feast of Booths) remembers the days they wandered in the wilderness and how God provided for them, just as we celebrate Thanksgiving to remind us how God preserved the early colonists through great tribulation, but one day we will celebrate in heaven how God preserved the saints through their tribulation and the fact that His harvest of souls is complete. Since God fulfilled the Passover and Pentecost exactly as He ordained them, I have no doubt that He will do the same with Rosh Hosanna. Christ the King Sunday is the last Sunday of the Christian calendar and celebrates what will one day begin the last days of the human race, before Christ ushers in the new heaven and the new earth which He and His followers shall rule and from which Satan and all who follow him will be forever banished.
Thanksgiving-A-November 23
22
Nov
In the 1500’s, Europe had become a closed society where many were tied to the land and opportunities for bettering yourself were almost non-existent. Many came to America because it was a land of plenty and a land of opportunity where even the poorest person could become rich through hard work and determination, yet it wasn’t easy in the beginning. America was an untamed wilderness, far different from what they knew in Europe, and there were few resources to fall back on. Many of the early colonists faced starvation and without food and training in growing the strange American crops by the Indians, many more would have perished. The colonists that survived and saw the first harvest gave thanks to God for preserving them by throwing a big feast. Our harvest is later than in Israel so we celebrate Thanksgiving later but it is still a time of remembering when our ancestors had to depend on God to preserve them in the wilderness. In the prosperity today, it is hard for many to understand what it means to be completely dependent on God so Thanksgiving is a time when we remember how they had to rely on God.
Sanctity of Life-F-G
18
Nov
One of the original arguments for legalizing abortion was that it would reduce the number of back-alley abortions which often caused the death of the mother because they were usually performed by unlicensed doctors under often unsterile conditions. Many portray legal abortions as safe and simple procedures, yet abortions can have serious consequences. While abortion providers try to hide the fact the women die from abortions, it is widely documented. In addition, many women are sent to the hospital, some with life-threatening conditions following an abortion. Although the law requires all medical facilities to be licensed and inspected, abortion clinics claim they are not medical clinics and so not covered by the law. They usually fight attempts to license and inspect them. As a result, conditions in some clinics have been found to be unsanitary and dirty. They haven’t abolished back alley abortions, they just dressed them up and made them respectable. Although laws in some States require that abortion clinics have admittance privileges at nearby hospitals, many clinics do not and in fact fight any attempt to require admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. When States try to enforce the law, many clinics close rather than comply. When the Supreme Court said they could not determine when the baby became a person and so the courts could not enforce laws which restricted abortion, they totally ignored laws to protect the women as well. The woman carrying the baby is definitely a person and the courts should enforce laws designed to protect the mother, but they aren’t.
Sanctity of Life-F-F
18
Nov
Men today are getting vasectomies in protest over the overturning of Roe vs Wade. If they had done that in the first place, there would have been no reason for Roe vs Wade. Roe vs Wade was pushed because people want to have their fun and not suffer the consequences, but everything has consequences. The time comes in everything when you have to face up to it, you can’t keep running. Roe vs Wade opened up a flood of people having sex outside marriage. It also opened up a flood of rape and incest as people thought they could have fun and not pay the price. Unfortunately, the girls are having to pay the price. They are being pressured to have sex or it is forced on them and then they are abandoned as soon as they get pregnant. Our country literally threw its sisters and daughters to the lions and we are paying the price. They tell you once the baby is aborted, the problem is solved. Their problem, unwanted babies, is solved and they are richer, but the women or girls often continue to suffer physically and emotionally and those who push abortion don’t want to be bothered.
Sanctity of Life-GC-C
17
Nov
Britain is showing a perfect example of why we do not want socialized medicine. The baby that has been in the news was in serious condition. A government panel decided that the treatment would be too expensive to warrant doing it. They ordered the hospital to pull the plug on the baby and let it die. The parents appealed to them not to do it and got a court to hear it but the court agreed with the doctors. A hospital in Italy agreed to accept the baby and treat it but the court in Britain refused to allow the baby to be released so it could be flown to Italy for treatment. It all boils down to cost. The government, not the parents, decided and based their decision on the fact that they did not feel it was worth the cost, not on the fact that it was a child that could be saved with treatment. In addition, they would not allow it to be transferred to a hospital willing to treat it. Those are classic elements in socialized medicine. The government decides, the decision is based on cost, and they do not allow it to be taken out of the country where it can receive treatment. This has happened a number of times in Britain and other countries with socialized medicine where they have refused treatment and refused to allow them to be transferred to somewhere willing to treat them, but most are not publicized. It would not be so bad if they allowed them to be transferred somewhere else to be treated, even at the person’s own expense but that would open the door to people bypassing their control over the system and in the end, it is about control. Canada at least allows people to leave the country to be treated at the patient’s own expense
Christ The King Sunday-A
16
Nov
While Thanksgiving is not a universal Christian holiday, it is a good opportunity to remind ourselves and teach our kids about the Second Coming. Christ the King Sunday follows the final Sunday of Kingdomtide. While the third and final holiday, which God commanded the Jews to observe occurs in late September or early October on our calendar, our harvest season is later and occurs in November. As a result, we celebrate it in connection with our harvest as Christ the King Day, the celebration of the Second coming of Christ. It is celebrated the last Sunday before Advent and so usually occurs the Sunday before Thanksgiving, though it occasionally occurs the Sunday after due to a distortion in the Roman calendar. Most Christians no longer celebrate it and take little thought of Christ’s return. The Bible states that the trumpet will sound, and true believers will be caught up in the air with Christ. Since we don’t know when Christ will come again, it is important for us to be ready, or we will be left behind. Non-believers however, will remain on earth and go through the days of tribulation where they will have a final chance to repent. At the end of the days of tribulation, the final harvest will be complete, and God will close the books forever. (See “Before Your Eyes” in “Understanding the Path We Walk” or “Celebrations” on Udemy for more on the holidays) It would normally occur next week this year, but I am including it here because it should properly be celebrated before Thanksgiving.